THE WORSHIP SERIES (PART 25): EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP

As I step into the New Year 2014, I was asking the Lord what would be a good resolution that would help me to maintain my desire to be a Lifestyle Worshipper?

"Extravagant Worship!" - that's what the Lord has challenged me to do. Some of you could immediately identify the book "Extravagant Worship" written by Darlene Zschech ... as you read this book, there is one common ingredient found in most extravagant worshippers and that is PASSIONATE about worship.

It is easier said than done because it would takes quite a bit of DISCIPLINE to be a PASSIONATE WORSHIPPER. So the Lord reminded me to get back to what I had posted in my first article in TPWC's blog in the year 2006:

THE DISCIPLINE OF WORSHIP - "To The degree You Are Willing To Discipline Your Life, God Will Be Able To Accomplish His Desired Plan For You. To Bring To Pass Those Desires That He Has Placed In Your Heart And To Bring About Those Things For Which You Are Believing Him. It Doesn't Happen Merely Because God Said It Was Going To Happen. A Lot Depend Upon You And Me." (The 2nd Flood - The Discipline of worship by John W. Stevenson)
To this day I can never forget meeting pastor John Stevenson (1991 in Kent Henry's Worship Seminar in Missouri USA). There in the midst of one of the worship workshop, John was playing the keyboard and leading worship, singing "I Worship You Almighy God" and the glory of the Lord fell in that room of about 80 believers. We stood for the whole session for about one and half hour just immersed in His holy awesome presence! Later I met pastor John in person; he is such a humble person and you could just sense that sweet spirit of a passionate lifestyle worshipper in him.

Some of the ways we can maintain the Discipline of Worship:

- DAILY replace the spirit of grumblings with the spirit of thanksgiving
- In EVERYTHING give thanks (1 Thess 5:18)
- Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! (Phil 4:4)
- CONTINUALLY offer to God a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15) 
- At ALL TIMES - Bless The Lord and CONTINUALLY - Let His Praise Be In Our Mouth (Psalm 34:1)
- Each day offer your bodies as a living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your reasonable WORSHIP (Romans 12:1) 
- Whenever OPPORTUNITY ARISES, lavish upon the Lord worship because it belongs to God.
- In His dealings, CHOOSE to bow down and worship the ways of God. 

"Come Let Us Bow Down In Worship, Let Us Kneel Before The Lord Our maker; For He Is Our God And We are The People Of His Pasture." (Psalm 95:6-7)

We can be like Mary in the Bible who anointed and lavished Jesus with worship (John 12:3). Be blessed with this songs: "Pour My Love On You" by Phillips, Craig and Dean.

BLESSED NEW YEAR! 
TPWC

THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING - PART 3

Replace The Spirit of Grumbling With the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Have you ever stepped outside your door on a beautiful clear sunny day, taken a deep breath of fresh air, and thanked God for His wonderful creation? But what if the next morning is grey and rainy? Does it automatically make you feel a little depressed as you look out of the window? Maybe you don't say it loud, but how do you feel? Are you in the habit of thanking God only for what you want? or are you in the habit of grumbling just a little when things does not go the way you like? 

So what is 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 counsellor will tell you that a marriage usually breaks up over little things. 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 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. By complaining and grumbling you are actually accusing God of mismanaging the details of your life. The attitude of thanksgiving and praise releases the power of God into our lives, but the attitude of murmuring and complaining blocks that power. 

For forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and every time something went wrong, they complained bitterly and wanted to go back to the land of 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. In 1 Corinthians 10:10-11, the apostle Paul was speaking about the behaviour of the Israelite in their wanderings from Egypt to the Promised Land ... "And do not grumble, some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us ..." (Extract from Power In Praise by Merlin R. Carothers) 

To be a worshipper, we need to begin DISCIPLINING our lives daily with the spirit of thanksgiving. This is easier said than done because most of us would agree that we are habitual grumblers. We grumble when we miss the bus to work and when we have to work late. We complain when the car would not start or when we hit a red light or are caught in a traffic jam. Even at meal time, we unconsciously complain about the food and the poor service provided by the restaurant. The list is endless ... but let us take heed that unless we overcome this deadly habit of grumbling, complaining and murmuring, it will rob us of the blessings and joy of the Lord. 

"IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD" 1Thessalonians 5:18. The simple application of this biblical truth covers EVERY situation or circumstance in our lives.
The benefits of a thankful heart are many ... by giving thanks:
1) We are in His divine will and itself will lead us out of the wilderness experience and into a victorious walk with the Lord
2) We have immediate access to enter into His gates (His presence) and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 100:4, 16:11)
3) The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

No wonder the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4 commanded us to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" and in Colossians 3:17 that "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks ..."

GRUMBLING VS THANKSGIVING
Unbelief - Faith / Trust
Defeat - Victory
Anger - Joy
In The Wilderness - In His Will 
Degradation - Transformation

Make a point today to "DISCIPLINE" your life to give thanks and count it all joy even in diverse circumstances (James 1:2) ... for ALL THINGS work together for good (Romans 8:28)

PRAISING UNCONDITIONALLY

Why do we praise God? Do we desire to honour Him and make Him glad? Or do we feel that praise puts God under obligation to grant the earthly longings we bring to Him in prayer? Will God do whatever we ask simply because we praise Him?

God is not a heavenly machine into which we insert the coin of praise, press the right button, and get whatever we want. Nor praise is a magical incantation that forces God to fulfill our wishes. Many of us would not consciously try to manipulate God. But when we praise Him in the midst of a trial, we can be tempted to secretly bargain with Him, feeling in some recess of our heart, "I'm praising You, Lord. Now You owe it to me to work out this situation the way I want."

1) TRUSTING REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS
True praise imposes no conditions on God. It chooses to believe Him regardless of the situation and its outcome. It accepts the circumstances He has permitted, without insisting that He change them. Such praise begins with the attitude that says, "Father I'm going to keep trusting You even though everything is dark and confusing." As we continue to praise, we reach the place where we can say, "Father, thank You that You are working in me to beautify my character. Change me in anyway You see fit."
One majot purpose of trials is to strengthen our faith and transform our attitudes. Therefore choosing an attitude of trust and praise sometimes ends a trial with surprising speed. But even if it does not, we find ourselves enriched and strengthened to endure.

2) DEMOSTRATE OUR TRUST

Through praise each of us can demostrate trust in God to work in the present as He has in past centuries. In the final chapters of Genesis we see how God brought far-reaching benefits through all the events that had happened to Joseph - the cruel betrayal by his brothers, the agonies of his soul, the slavery, the false accusations, the long years of imprisonment, and the forgetfulness of the butler he had befriended, with the extra years of confinement that resulted.

We read in Psalm 105:17 that God Himself had sent Joseph to Egypt, intending to bring good out of his trials. He used them to prepare this youth to be prime minister of the greatest nation on earth. Through Joseph's trials, God arranged to have him in the right place at the right time to save the lives of hundreds of thousands during severe famine. Joseph's long years of suffering resulted in his own life being saved, as well as his entire family, and through it, the ancestors of Jesus.

Joseph showed his confidence in God's loving sovereignty in Genesis 50:20-21. When his brothers feared retribution, Joseph told them, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preseve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid." As we offer praise, we show that we believe that Joseph's God is alive and at work today, even in the bleakest of circumstances.

3) A MAJOR STRESS REDUCER

Praise and thanksgiving do not insulate us from problems and pressures. But as we couple them with honest prayer, they do serve as a major stress reducer. They help us from the self-imposed stresses of our negative attitudes, opening our hearts to the soothing power of God's peace, which surpasses all understanding. And they do more than soothe. They also infuse us with vitality. God's Word says, "Strength and joy are in His dwelling place ... The joy of the LORD is your strength." (1 Chronicles 16:27, Nehemiah 8:10)

Praise and thanksgiving usher us into God's presence, where we can partake of His joy and quietly absorb strength, strength for every need - spiritual, emotional, or physical. By helping us view our situation through God-coloured glasses, praise gives our threatening or depressing circumstances a new look. It helps us relax our bungling efforts to change other people so that life will be easier for us. It tunes us in to God's wisdom so that we know when to take wise, loving action and when to simply trust Him to act. We begin to exert a creative, uplifting influence on others, because as we change, people tend to react to us in new ways. Although God does not promise fewer trials if we praise, praise often brings a multitude of external benefits as well as relaxed-yet-invigorated spirit.

Our unconditional praise deepens our trust and joy in God. It increases our spiritual impact on people. These and other benefits come not as our due for praising the Lord but simply as added reasons to praise Him for His undeserved favour. They come not because we manipulate God to do what we want, but because we center our thoughts and expectations in Him.

Our motive in genuine praise is to bring joy and glory to God. we are here to do His will, not to obligate Him to do ours.

(An extract from PRAISE - A Door To God's Presence by Warren & Ruth Myers)

Praise The Lord!

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