THE WORSHIP SERIES (PART 6): THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP - CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (BOWING DOWN TO A FAITHFUL GOD)

In Exodus chapter 4 we read about the story of the Israelite in bondage in the Land of Egypt. When God sent Moses and Aaron to tell the children of Israel that He had seen their affliction and was about to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians, "the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." (Exodus 4:31 NKJV)

How did the children of Israel arrive at a faith that resulted in true worship? How were they able to overcome four centuries of slavery and yet they did believe? 

1) GOD'S REMEMBERED HIS COVENANT

"Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them." (Exodus 2:23-25 NKJV)

The Egyptian Pharaoh was cruel and forced the Hebrews to be in a bondage so painful that it caused them to groan. The cruelties they suffered:

- the king set taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens (Exodus 1:10)

- they went through hard labor to build for Pharaoh supplies cities, Pithom and Rameses (Exodus 1:11)

- their male infants were almost wiped out by Pharaoh's (Exodus 1: 1:16-17, 22)

But God was FAITHFUL, He heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

2) GOD"S ASSURANCE THROUGH HIS SERVANTS MOSES AND AARON

"Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." (Exodus 4:29-31 NKJV)

Moses and Aaron showed up among the Hebrews  bearing a message from God. Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then, in the sight of the people, Aaron performed signs that manifested God's power. Because of the people's condition, God's signs of power were necessary in order to arrest their attention. But it was the message that God has visited them that caused them to worship. What does it mean that God had "visited" them? God's visitation, then and now, is His literal coming alongside a person in spiritual need. The children of Israel recognized their great need. In an elementary way they understood God's presence and appreciated it.

Interestingly, the text records that God had already visited the people. They became aware of His visitation by His Words, in this case His Words to Moses as relayed by Aaron through the elders. The people heard the message, observed the signs confirming it, and believed what the heard. 

The account in Exodus states that God's visitation occurred because He "remembered" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Does the word "remembered" indicate the God had forgotten His promise, and that it suddenly occurred to Him that He had not been taking care of His part of that promise? Of course not! The word "remember" is a human term. God cannot forget, so He does not need to remember. Sometimes the Bible says that God chooses not to "remember" our forgiven sins, meaning that He chooses not to bring up those past offenses. In the case of the Exodus, the Lord "remembered" His covenant in the sense that He saw it was time to enact this part of His will. The end result was that the people believed and worshiped!

Do you see the people of God worshiping Him for His FAITHFULNESS? No change had actually taken place in the condition of God's people when they bowed their heads in worship. They had only been assured that God had seen their affliction and was going to deliver them. They were told by Moses and Aaron that God had not forgotten them those four hundred thirty years and it was this assurance that provoked worship.
We are often unable to worship God because in our trials we think He has forgotten us. We are cast down because of prolonged domestic difficulties; but whose domestic difficulties have lasted four hundred thirty years? We have been sick and have long hoped for healing; we have been out of employment for months and still cannot find a job; the same old harassing circumstances remain. So we come to the conclusion that God has not taken note of all our trials and has left us to our own resources. How can we worship Him? Our lips are silenced.

But a day comes when we see God and understand His FAITHFULNESS, and immediately we know that He has never forgotten us. In that day our silenced lips are opened and with bowed head we acknowledge that all that we have gone through has been working for our good. (Romans 8:28) We see God's grace in everything and we worship Him for His FAITHFULNESS!

It is an easy thing to worship God in a mass gathering because there is no cost attached. What if one day, our circumstances are against us? Can we still give thanks and offer sacrifice of praise and worship?

God is still seeking for worshipers who dare to worship Him in all His ways upon their lives. We must come to a point where all our entire future hinges on the matter of our worshipful acceptance of all His dealings with us. We must come to a stage where we worship Him for everything it pleases Him to give and for everything it pleases Him to take away.

The Essence of True Worship, then, flows from a trusting heart, a heart that understands God's faithfulness to His promise.

THE PRAISE SERIES (Part 9) - WHO CAN PRAISE THE LORD

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?

Who can declare all His praise?

Blessed are those who keep justice,

And he who does righteousness at all times

Remember me, O Lord, 

with the favor You have toward Your people.

Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,

That I may glory with Your inheritance.

Psalm 106:1-5

Who can truly Praise The Lord?

1) Those Who Know God Through Faith in Jesus Christ
"His mercy endures forever" (verse1). Only when we've experienced the mercy and the grace of God can we utter His mighty acts. We've been saved by grace. This was God's greatest act - greater than bringing Israel out of Egypt and even greater than the creation of the universe.
2) Those Who Obey Him
"Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!" (verse 3). If we are walking with The Lord and obeying Him, then we can praise Him and speak of His wondrous acts.
3) Those Who Call Upon The Lord.
"Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh visit me with Your salvation" (verse 4). People who pray are people who praise. People who pray for God's will in their lives are those who rejoice in His work. 
"Whoever calls on the name of The Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21) - not only salvation but in all situation! That's why we can praise The Lord.
4) Those Who Trust His Promises.
"That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance" (verse 5). God promised His people an inheritance in Canaan, and He gave it to them. We now have our inheritance in Jesus Christ. We are rich in Christ! We can draw our upon His inheritance to share His goodness and His blessings, and one day we will share in His glory.
PRAISE THE LORD! \0/\0/\0/

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP - CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (BOWING DOWN TO A FAITHFUL GOD)

In Exodus chapter 4 we read about the story of the Israelites in bondage in the Land of Egypt. When God sent Moses and Aaron to tell the children of Israel that He had seen their affliction and was about to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians, "the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." (Exodus 4:31 NKJV)
How did the children of Israel arrive at a faith that resulted in true worship? How were they able to overcome four centuries of slavery and yet they did believe?


1) GOD'S REMEMBERED HIS COVENANT
"Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them." (Exodus 2:23-25 NKJV)

The Egyptian Pharaoh was cruel and forced the Hebrews to be in a bondage so painful that it caused them to groan. The cruelties they suffered:
- the king set taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens (Exodus 1:10)
- they went through hard labor to build for Pharaoh supplies cities, Pithom and Rameses (Exodus 1:11)
- their male infants were almost wiped out by Pharaoh's (Exodus 1: 1:16-17, 22)
But God was FAITHFUL, He heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.


2) GOD"S ASSURANCE THROUGH HIS SERVANTS MOSES AND AARON
"Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." (Exodus 4:29-31 NKJV)


Moses and Aaron showed up among the Hebrews  bearing a message from God. Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then, in the sight of the people, Aaron performed signs that manifested God's power. Because of the people's condition, God's signs of power were necessary in order to arrest their attention. But it was the message that God has visited them that caused them to worship. What does it mean that God had "visited" them? God's visitation, then and now, is His literal coming alongside a person in spiritual need. The children of Israel recognized their great need. In an elementary way they understood God's presence and appreciated it.
Interestingly, the text records that God had already visited the people. They became aware of His visitation by His Words, in this case His Words to Moses as relayed by Aaron through the elders. The people heard the message, observed the signs confirming it, and believed what the heard. 
The account in Exodus states that God's visitation occurred because He "remembered" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Does the word "remembered" indicate the God had forgotten His promise, and that it suddenly occurred to Him that He had not been taking care of His part of that promise? Of course not! The word "remember" is a human term. God cannot forget, so He does not need to remember. Sometimes the Bible says that God chooses not to "remember" our forgiven sins, meaning that He chooses not to bring up those past offenses. In the case of the Exodus, the Lord "remembered" His covenant in the sense that He saw it was time to enact this part of His will. The end result was that the people believed and worshiped!


Do you see the people of God worshiping Him for His FAITHFULNESS? But the situation recorded here is very different from the story of Eliezer in our last post. No change had actually taken place in the condition of God's people when they bowed their heads in worship. They had only been assured that God had seen their affliction and was going to deliver them. They were told by Moses and Aaron that God had not forgotten them those four hundred thirty years and it was this assurance that provoked worship.


We are often unable to worship God because in our trials we think He has forgotten us. We are cast down because of prolonged domestic difficulties; but whose domestic difficulties have lasted four hundred thirty years? We have been sick and have long hoped for healing; we have been out of employment for months and still cannot find a job; the same old harrassing circumstances remain. So we come to the conclusion that God has not taken note of all our trials and has left us to our own resources. How can we worship Him? Our lips are silenced.

But a day comes when we see God and understand His FAITHFULNESS, and immediately we know that He has never forgotten us. In that day our silenced lips are opened and with bowed head we acknowledge that all that we have gone through has been working for our good. (Romans 8:28) We see God's grace in everything and we worship Him for His FAITHFULNESS!

It is an easy thing to worship God in a mass gathering because there is no cost attached. What if one day, our circumstances are against us? Can we still give thanks and offer sacrifice of praise and worship?

God is still seeking for worshipers who dare to worship Him in all His ways upon their lives. We must come to a point where all our entire future hinges on the matter of our worshipful acceptance of all His dealings with us. We must come to a stage where we worship Him for everthing it pleases Him to give and for everything it pleases Him to take away.

The Essence of True Worship, then, flows from a trusting heart, a heart that understands God's faithfulness to His promise.

PRAISE REVOLUTION: TRIALS

TRIALS ENABLE PEOPLE TO RISE

ABOVE RELIGION TO GOD

Brother Andrew

God uses trials in our lives to refine, beautify, and strengthen us.. In our natural state our personalities resemble unrefined gold. The heat of our difficult circumstances melts the gold and brings to the surface the dross in our characters - the pride and unbelief, the unloving attitudes, the self -will.
PRAISING God brings our hearts in line with His intentions, so that He can work in us more freely. It opens us to His will, so that we can cooperate with Him in His plan to remove the impurities.
Yet, instead of PRAISING, we so easily complain and resist His working. By our complaints and resistance we stir the scum back into our personalities. This may necessitate the heat of continued chastening to accomplish what God wants to do in us. It may delay His answers to our prayers for both ourselves and our loved ones. In contrast, PRAISE and THANKSGIVING can serve as catalysts, speeding up the refining process in our lives.

God uses trials to perfect FAITH as well as character. Again and again trials bring us to the end of our human resources, so that we allow to meet our needs and satisfy our longings. Trials rip away the filmsy fabric of our self-sufficiency. This allows God to weave into our hearts His strength, love, and wisdom. Trials exercise our FAITH, developing strong confidence that says, "I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me, [that is, I am self-sufficient in Christ's suuficiency - Philippians 4:13]
With God no probelm in our personalities or circumstances is impossibile or even difficult. Our troubles never surprise Him. They never catch Him off guard, causing Him to wring His hands and wonder what to do. As we repeatedly focus on God's sufficiency in difficult situations, we develop a steady trust in Him.

CHOOSING GOD'S PERSPECTIVE
PRAISE helps us to stand back from our difficulties and fix our attention on our infinite, loving God. It helps us measure our probelms look like molehills rather than mountains. In the light of God's sovereign kindness and wise purposes, we see them as stepping-stones rather than stumbling blocks, as opportunities rather than obstacles. They are raw materialsfor God's miracles and the prelude to greater obedience.
As our perspective changes, our feelings often shift from negative to positive. But even if they are slow to respond, we can continue to give thanks with our minds and wills. We can choose to rejoice thatGod is our source of wise guidance and overcoming power though we still feel angry or confused about our circumstances.
OVERCOMING CONTRARY INCLINATIONS
God has given us His WORD to reassure our hearts. Through it He reminds us of His loving goodness, which always plans for our best, of His wisdom, which never makes a mistake, and of His power, which can make something glorious our of the sorriest fragments of our lives.
God has also given us His Spirit, who energizes us to obey His command to give thanks. As we choose to thank Him simply because we want to obey and please Him, we switch on His power by faith. we give Him opportunity to work in us, making us both willing and able to give sincere thanks in spite of contrary feelings.
By natural temperament we may differ from one another in the time that elapses between event and our choice to give thanks, of between that choice and our upsurge of joy. As we can shorten our periods of inner resistance or adjustment. This is growth. Growth does not mean that we have no struggles, but that we more quickly resolve our inner conflicts.

WELCOMING TRIALS AS FRIENDS
Through THANKSGIVING and PRAISE we obey God's command, "When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!" (James 1:2 - Phillips). James reminds us that trials come to test our FAITH. They develop us so that we will in no way be deficient. In view of these tremendous benefits, we are to welcome trials as friends. The KJV says that we should count it all JOY when we "fall into" many trials.
The attitude of accepting trials with JOY was a principle with the Apostle Paul. He refused to lose heart when afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. He accepted these troubles as opportunities to manifest the life of Jesus to other people (2 Corinthians 4:8-11).

USING EVERYTHING FOR GOOD
We serve a God Who can cause all things to work together for good, both for ourselves and others (Romans 8:28). He can produce beauty out of ashes, power out of weakness, growth out of failure, triump out of distress. As we give THANKS and PRAISE regardless of what happens, we align ourselves with God and His purposes. This prepares us to colabour with Him in using for good the worst happens to us in a fallen world.
(an extract from: PRAISE - A Door To God's Presence by Warren & Ruth Myers)

May this awesome song inspires you to bring PRAISE in your situations .... have a victorious week. TPWC.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS - WORSHIP

For To Us A Child Is Born

To Us A Son Is Given

And The Government Will Be On His Shoulders

And He Will Be Called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince Of Peace

Isaiah 9:6

Christmas is a time of joy and giving. Christians all over the world commemorate this occasion because "God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ ..."

In our celebration, we proclaim the Good News with carols on the streets and we expressed the loved of God to the world with our gifts to the needy and the orphans. In the midst of all these activities, do you know that the Spirit of Christmas is WORSHIP? All those who came to meet Jesus at the manger WORSHIPPED ...

The Wisemen
"Where is the one who has been born king of Jews? we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)
"On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh " (Matthew 2:11 - note: worship before gifts)

The Angels
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appreared with angel praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men ..." (Luke 2:13)

The Shepherds
"The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen ..." (Luke 2:20)

Simeon The Godly Man
"... Simeon, who was a righteous and devout ...took Him in his arms and praised God ..." (Luke 2:25-33)

The Prophetess Anna
" ... she gave thanks to God ..." (Luke 2:36-38)

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, let us reserve the best gift for our Lord - WORSHIP.

EMMANUEL - God Is With US

Christmas Blessings
TPWC

THE ENEMY HAS BEEN DEFEATED

If Christ Has Not Been Raised,
Your Faith Is Futile,
You Are Still In Your Sins
1 Corinthians 15:17 (NIV)

The resurrection validates everything we believe in - this includes all our praise and worship to our Lord and King. Without it, the Bible is bold enough to say, our faith is worthless. The resurrection also validates our faith in the redeeming work of our High Priest, Who has taken away our sins. It allows us to live with a sense of risk and adventure, because it makes us part of a new order of creation that ultimately cannot fail - our lives are grounded in Someone who reigns in eternal victory - Chris Tiegreen

NO RESURRECTION, NO CHRISTIANITY! - Michael Ramsey

For Paul, this transformation was more than just another event in salvation history. The resurrection of dead and the transformation of believers to immortality meant:

1) The Final Defeat Of Death

"And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [upon the soul] through [the abuse of] the Law" - 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 (Amplified)

THE ENEMY HAS BEEN DEFEATED!


Lyric :
The Enemy Has Been Defeated
Death Couldn't Hold You Down
We Gonna Lift Our Voice In Victory
We Gonna Make Your Praises Loud

Shout Unto God With A Voice Of Triumph
Shout Unto God With A Voice Of Praise
Shout Unto God With A Voice Of Triumph
We Lift You Name Up, We Lift Your Name Up

2) A Hymn Of Thanks!

This leads Paul to a moment of praise. For Paul it is very important to remind us that we must give thanks for the greatest gift that could be given: complete victory over death

"But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (Amplified)

3) Final Encouragement

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose]" 1 Corinthians 15:58 (Amplified).

It is important for Paul that Christians repond to what the have learned through their everyday actions. The experience of the Corinthians had been anything but firm, unmoveable and abounding n the work of the Lord
Some, like a lot of Christians today, accepted the resurrection as a future reality but not as a present dynamic. They forgot what Paul emphasizes un Ephesians 1:19-20 - that the very power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that is working in those who believe. We can live with that blessing not only in the future physical resurrection but also in the present spiritual one.
SAME POWER THAN CONQUERED THE GRAVE LIVES IN US!


Lyric:
The Same Power That Conquered The Grave
Lives In Me, Lives In Me
Your Love That Rescued The Earth
Lives In Me, Lives In Me

Have A Blessed, Victorious and Glorious Easter!
TPWC

WE NEED MINOR KEYS TOO!

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God"
Ephesians 5:20

No matter what the source of the evil, if you are in God and surrounded by Him as by an atmosphere, all evil has to pass through Him before it comes to you. Therefore you can thank God for everything that comes, not for the sin of it, but for what God will bring out of it and through it. May God make our lives thanksgiving and perpetual praise, then He will make everything a blessing.

We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them we were singing,

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below."

There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper way, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work! - C. H. P.

"Would we know that the major chords were sweet,
If there were no minor key?
Would the painter's work be fair to our eyes,
Without shade on land or sea?"

"Would we know the meaning of happiness,
Would we feel that the day was bright,
If we'd never known what it was to grieve,
Nor gazed on the dark of night?"

Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.- C.H.Spurgeon

When the musician presses the black keys on the great organ, the music is as sweet as when he touches the white ones, but to get the capacity of the instrument he must touch them all.- Selected
(An extract from - Streams In The Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowan)

Blessed Week
TPWC

GOODBYE GRUMBLINGS!

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way so that I may show him

the salvation of God.

Psalm 50:23

Continuing from last week's post on - "A Deeper Gratitude", this week a TPWC's member posted an interesting question on her Facebook's status:"How do we know the will of God for us so that we can be in the centre of it?" There were many enlightening and inspiring answers .....
I gave my input with a perspective of a worshiper and thought it would be good for us to know that the easiest & fastest way to be in the centre of God's will is to walk in the spirit of THANKFULNESS! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 speaks so clearly "IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD!"

There is something very powerful and transforming if we dare live a life of walking in the spirit of thankfulness. God's will easily fall in place in everything we do. On the contary we will struggle like the Israelite in the "wilderness of God's will" if we choose a life of complaining, grumbling or murmuring. In 1 Corinthians 10:10-11, the apostle Paul was speaking about the behaviour of the Israelites in their wanderings from Egypt to the Promised Land ... "And don't MURMUR against God and His dealings with you, as some of them did for that is why God sent His Angel (of death) to destroy them. All these happended to them as examples to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them."

In spite of the many miracles God had performed to deliver them from slavery, the Israelites didn't trust God. Everytime something went wrong, they COMPLAINED bitterly and wanted to go back to Egypt. Why did it take them forty years to cover less than two hundred miles? Even with women and children and cattle, they could have covered the distance in a few weeks. They were delayed because they MURMURED and refuse to trust that God would keep His promise to take care of their every need.

So what's wrong with a little complaining? What difference does it make? It does make all the difference in the world. Everything depends on how we respond to the little things in life. A marriage counselor will tell you that a marriage usually breaks up over little things. It takes only a small nail to puncture a tire. A small mistake by a mechanic can cause the crash of a giant airliner. A small misunderstanding can start a war. Little things mean a lot, because this is the level where we live, down at the nitty-gritty of our attitude at breakfast table, or in the long checkout line at the supermarket.
Grumbling comes so easily to all of us that we often don't even realise what we are doing. But grumbling is the very opposite of thanksgiving; a complaint is the opposite of trust; a murmur against your wife when she burns your toast is the opposite of a loving acceptance. The dictionary defines a complaint as an accusation. You know what? By complaining and grumbling you are actually accusing God of mismanaging the details of your life. The attiutde of thanksgiving and praise releases the power of God into our lives, but the attitude of murmuring and complaining blocks that power.

Our compliants and murmurings against God in the little things can keep us from entering into the perfect plan He has for our lives. The cause of the Israelites' murmuring was UNBELIEF, and UNBELIEF is the root of every one of our complaints. Unbelief, like all sin is a deliberate act of rebellion against God. We can choose whether or not to believe. The first step in dealing with any sin is confession ... admitting to the Lord that we are habitual grumblers, and confessing and asking God for forgiveness. Then we make an agreement with God not to grumble and promise instead to thank Him for every little thing that used to make us grumble. In practice, we will find that the Lord will bring into our lives the very kinds of circumstances that used to trigger our grumbling. When we see them coming, we can thank and praise God, because He is using those very incidents to bring about change in us. Once they made us stumlbe; now they will show us God's strength. Accepting every little thing that happens with joy and thanksgiving will release the power of God in and through us.

To be a worshiper, we need to begin disciplining our lives daily with the spirit of thanksgiving. The benefits of a thankful heart are many ... by giving thanks:
- We are in His divine will (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- We have immediate access into His presence (Psalm 100:4, 16:11)
- The joy of the Lord will be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

Rejoice in the Lord, Always! (Philippians 4:4)
TPWC