The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever--Psalm 138:8
Know that whatever you may face, He will fulfill the promises He has given you, the promises in His Word, the purposes He has planned for you. He is faithful. He knows the plans He has for you, for a hope & a future, plans to prosper you, not harm you.(Jeremiah 29:11)
You can trust in the Lord with your life. Give Him your dreams and follow Him until they come true. Watch as He molds your heart to His! Your dreams may even change shape and become less about you and more about others.

Prayer and fasting, reading the Word and spending time in worship will prepare you to hear from Him and be led by His Spirit. Let Him have his way.
There is an anointing that results from your trials. There is beauty for your ashes and joy after the mourning.
"to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
Isaiah 61:3
Be blessed,
Nicole Michelle

THE PURSUIT OF A LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP & PRAISE


John 4:23

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.



Studying the Word we can find many qualities of character that the LORD is seeking in those that would worship Him.

We all are called to worship Him but those who are destined to be leaders in this area are called to a higher standard not to be ignored. We should read His Word to learn what He would like so that we may please Him and be prepared.



Let’s take a look at these character traits and what the Word says about them pertaining to Worship…

1. Walks in Truth

2. Walks in Purity

3. Holy Spirit-filled/led

4. Brokenness

5. Knowledgeable of the Word

6. Originality

7. Man or woman of Prayer

8. Walks in Love

9. Obedience


1.Truth… in the inner parts/within soul and spirit, honest, transparency, someone who self-examines to find truth, openness, freedom, surrender & obedience, true in word and deed, real not false

“…true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Psalm 51:6

“…And the truth shall set you free.” John 8:32

“I am the way, the truth and the life” John 14:6

Walking in truth means:

-We know the truth-the Word, students of the Word.

-We know The Truth, Jesus, personal relationship w/Him.

-We speak the truth (honesty).

-We seek to be truthful in our inner parts (self examination, obedience, surrender to God, repentance)

2.Purity/Cleanliness

Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me…and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean (pure) heart, O God…

Ephesians 5:26 …Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.

1John 1:7 and the blood of Jesus his son purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Cleanliness implies we have repented of our sins, been forgiven by God and are made righteous and holy through Jesus and the continual reading of His Word and communion with Him. We live striving to walk according to His commandments so that we can be holy as he is holy.

1 Peter 1:16 So be ye holy…for I am holy.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.

If worship also means we are seeking God’s face, we must come with a heart and lifestyle of purity that we may find favor and enter into His presence to fully experience Him.

The Priests in the Old Testament had to live holy lives. If they came into the presence of the Lord in the temple without unrepented sin, they would fall dead. Thank God for His grace that that is no longer the case. However, God still expects a standard of holiness for those who would lead His people into His presence in the church through Praise & Worship.

1 Peter 2 v 4 – 5: As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.


Jesus tore the veil upon His death on the cross to allow us access into the presence of the Father, but we must give Him the reverence, honor, glory, obedience and love that He deserves! We have a responsibility. The pursuit is ours!

How, therefore, can we pursue cleanliness in the spirit?

a. Cleansed by confession & repentance 1 John 1:9

b. Cleansed by the reading & hearing of the Word Eph. 5:26

c. Cleansed by the blood of Jesus 1John 1:7


3.Holy Spirit Filled/led
God is spirit and his worshippers must worship him in spirit and truth. John 4:24

God is Spirit and He is supernatural. Our worship should be in the Spirit as well if our goal is to enter into His presence. This is where He is found. He is found living and breathing in our worship- it’s supernatural and powerful!

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)

If we are not filled with the Holy Spirit, we are worshipping in the flesh, without understanding.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Read John 1:31-34

Being baptized by water is not the same as being baptized in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist would baptize by water but prophesied that Jesus would come and He would be the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

…and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me…grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

David recognized the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us to sustain us, to give us direction, encouragement and the will to pursue God and worship Him. The Holy Spirit knows what the perfect will of the Father is and reveals to us what we should do to please the Father.

Romans 8:26,27In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us… in accordance with God’s will.



How can we offer up a praise that God will be pleased with if we do not know what He desires? Who knows the mind and heart of God…The Holy Spirit! We are being built up to become a spiritual house for him-operating in the Spirit and offering Praise & Worship that is acceptable because of Jesus Christ’s righteousness given to us by our acceptance of the work of the cross and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us.

1 Peter 2 v 4 – 5: As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

4.Brokenness
Psalm 51:8 Let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Psalm 51:17 the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken spirit and a contrite heart O God you will not despise.

Mark 14:3 …a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume …she broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

No one can truly perceive how precious Christ is and the glory of the gospel except the broken-hearted. http://bible.cc/

Being broken results in :

a. humility/stripped of pride & arrogance,

b. Surrender

c. Dependence upon God

d. Dying to the flesh and self

e. Christ being revealed

The alabaster jar contained a valuable treasure worth a year’s wages. It had to be broken for the treasure to be revealed. When it was broken, the woman was able to give her sacrificial offering to Jesus to anoint him. The brokenness of the jar represented her brokenness and repentance.

Our brokenness & repentance prepares us to give worship & praise that is a sacrifice; comes from deep within and is sincere (true & holy).

We are broken:

- Through trials, persecution, situations not of our own doing

-When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and we repent

-As we fight temptation and sin & recognize our weaknesses and Christ’s strength in us to overcome

A horse has to be broken to obey its master or it is considered “wild”. It’s will must be broken. As a wild animal, it desires to go where it pleases and do what it pleases. During the process of breaking the horse, the master’s goal is to achieve a unity with horse so that the horse will eventually become in tune to his signals, his voice and his direction.

We, too, have to be broken like the horse. It is our sinful nature to turn in the direction that pleases our flesh. The Master seeks to guide us in the direction the Spirit leads as we come to recognize His voice and signals. As the sinful desires of our heart are broken away, our hearts are soft to the Spirit’s leading.

John 10:4...he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
How can we lead others in worship if we are trying to go in our own direction, led by our flesh and not by His Spirit?



In our weakness (brokenness) Christ strength is made perfect.

2 Corinthians 12:9 My grace is sufficient for you , for my power is made perfect in weakness.



Our brokenness gives Christ the opportunity to be our restorer, to make us whole again, our healer.

So then, having been broken, we now have a testimony of His power to restore.







5. Knowledgeable of the Word

Knowledge of God…

a. His works Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 145:4-12

b. His worth Psalm 48:1, Psalm 145:3

c. His love 2 Chronicles 20:21

d. His sovereignty Psalm 145:1, Isaiah 61:11

The Word fills us with knowledge of who God is, what He does, how much He loves us and how powerful and sovereign He is. There are so many wonderful, beautiful facets of God expressed in the Word by which we are led to a better understanding of just how worthy He really is of our praise & worship.

Reading & Studying the Word is a must for a worshipper. This knowledge of the Gospel is the basis for our adoration and praise. It is the love story of this Sacred Romance between God and us, His beloved. Our worship is our love language to Him.

6. Originality

What is originality? unique, fresh, new, personalized, being yourself, derived from your one of a kind testimony and relationship with God

There are at least 9 scriptures I found where the Word instructs us to, or tells us of others who sing to God a “new song”.

Rev. 14:3...They sang a new song before the throne

Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song

Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth

Psalm 96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth…Sing to the Lord a new song

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to Him a new song

Psalm 33:3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy.

Psalm 144:9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you.

Psalm 98:1 Sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous things.

Psalm 149:1 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints…and in the congregation of godly ones.

Worship leaders and teams should not all be cookie cutter! God is showing us through His Word that He enjoys originality. People offering up new songs, new styles, new lyrics, new expression. When it is personal, it is special, unique.

We each have a special relationship with God. He knows us inside and out and loves us the way we are. He changes us from glory to glory. We have a testimony that is unique and important. Our worship & praise stems from those deep places of intimacy with God. We should praise Him and adore Him in a way where we are letting that individuality flow in new songs written to Him.

Old songs and hymns are wonderful and nostalgic but a new song keeps our relationship with God fresh and exciting!

7. Prayer Life

Prayer is our communication with God. If we communicate with our spouses, we have better marriages…so if we communicate daily with God, we will have a closer relationship with Him who is our bridegroom.

Jesus demonstrated as our role model the importance of prayer. He taught the disciples how they should pray and we find many scriptures of Jesus praying.

The Old Testament goes in depth about the specifics of coming into God’s presence with prayers, thanksgiving, worship and praise. We can see that these elements go together hand in hand.

Prayer preceeds worship. Worship preceeds miracles.

They prayed first and then praised God.

God answered their prayers while they were praising!

2 Chronicles 20 King Jehosophat & his people, Judah & Jerusalem

Acts 16:16-26 Paul & Silas

Even in Luke 9:16, Jesus offered up a prayer & praise of thanksgiving in advance knowing the miracle would happen before He broke the bread and fed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves.

8. Love

But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

As a worshipper, what are we offering if it is without love?
Just noise.

If I …have not love, I am only a resounding gong, a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

A clanging cymbal is just noise. Pair a cymbal with drums, and singers and other musicians and you have music.

Similarly our worship without love is not music at all. It is not true worship because worship is LOVE. Our expression of our love to the Father.

The definition of Worship is: the reverent love and devotion accorded to a God and the ceremonies, prayers or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.

God is Love. 1 John 4:8-12 We can not truly worship God if we are not walking in a lifestyle of love. Without love we are not of Him.

This love must be expressed not only to God, but also to our fellow man and to ourselves. We can not worship God in the sanctuary and yet curse man in our hearts. A beautiful praise in the sanctuary that is followed by an attitude with family, friends and neighbors is not a lifestyle of worship and love.

1 John 4:20,21 If anyone says, “I love God.”, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, can not love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

9. Obedience
Obedience is an expression of love.

If you love me, obey my commandments…Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

John 14:15-21

Obedience goes hand in hand with Love. We must obey God’s Word and the guiding of the Holy Spirit if we are going to express our love to Him through worship.

Obedience is better than sacrifice. 1Samuel 15:2-23

Worship without obedience is false.

If we do not obey, we have made ourselves our own idol. We tell God through our disobedience that we know more, that we worship/love ourselves more. This is what caused Satan’s downfall…the first worship leader of all. This is a dangerous trap for a worship leader.

Obey God, resist the devil and He will flee from you.

James 4:7

In 1 Samuel 15:23, King Saul purposefully disobeyed God and his justification for his actions was to offer a better sacrifice of worship. God sent Samuel to deliver the message of His disapproval. God was so displeased with Saul’s proposed acts of worship that he removed his title and position as King.

God calls us to a lifestyle of obedience. We can not offer worship without it. It will not be accepted by Him.

The basis for our obedience is Love.

In Romans 13:8-10, we see that the commandments are summed up in one word, Love.

Therefore, Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Romans 13:10

Obedience and love are inseparable concepts.

Worship and obedience are both expressions of our love.

Conclusion

Let us continue to seek God in our lifestyles of truth, purity, brokenness, being Holy Spirit filled and led, studying the Word, staying in prayer, originality, love and obedience. These are pursuits we can not ignore if we truly want to worship God in a deeper level of intimacy like never before.

Isaiah 41:13 " For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Whatever you face, put your trust in the Lord. His promises are for you!

The place of confusion is not a place the Lord would have us to remain in. Yet, confusion can for a moment drive us to our knees to seek the Lord for direction. He is not the author of confusion, but He is the author and finisher of our faith! When you are fearful, unsure of what to do, faith is the key. The Word says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not to thine own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path." What a beautiful promise from the Word of God! As you pray, leave your fears at His feet. Then, get up and continue to create an atmosphere where His promises reign over your situation.

Trust and faith are key. But, what if your trust and faith is low? Reading the Word, finding promises of God and saying them out loud helps to increase our faith. Praising God, worshiping Him by listening to Christian music helps to build faith as well. Hearing songs where people declare their testimony and God's goodness strengthens us as we listen. When we sing along, we are coming into agreement with that testimony and speaking the Word over ourselves and into our own lives. In Revelation, the Word says, "They overcame the enemy by the Word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb."

Strengthen yourself with the tools He has provided- prayer, worship, praise and reading the Word. As you declare His promises, You will see change in His time and discover for yourself that you can trust in Him to deliver you.

Love you!! May Christ reign in your life today and bring you peace, freedom and strength for the battle. The battle is not Yours, it's the Lord's. Do your part to make Him King of your life!

Deeper
By Nicole Michelle A.

Take me deeper
Take me deeper into Your chambers
Where I may find You,
Where I may find You
in all your glory and splendor.

Your arms are stretched out wide,
waiting to be embraced by mine.
Your eyes are twinkling with joy.
I have made the better choice,
to abandon my distractions
to sup with you.

In Spirit and in truth,
Take me deeper,
Take me deeper into your heart,
to where you are.
To the movement of your Holy, Holy, Holy Spirit
where rivers of living water flow
from your throne of grace,

where your healing touch is a regular occurrence.

In the secret place,
in the quiet place with You.
Where I may know you more,
I open up the door of my heart.
You are welcome here.

My soul thirsts for you.
My hunger is only satisfied by You, Jesus.

So mysterious, so marvelous,
So wonderful, so beautiful!
You are the object of my affections.

I am a tender reed, growing toward the Son.
Your light, miraculous light, is warming me.
It’s your love.
You are drawing me and I am bending gently
to the winds of Your Spirit,
Changing my direction,
leading me to you.

A display of your splendor,
Robed in your righteousness,
Clothed in Your holiness,
sanctified by faith and grace.

I am a lily in your garden,
Beautiful and yours,
Cared for and esteemed valuable,
redeemed for Your Praise, for Your pleasure.

Deeper,
Take me deeper into the sea of your glorious love.
Where I forget my past,
Where my wounds are washed clean,
My sins are forgotten.
Your waves of love overtake me
until You are all I see…
nothing else.
Peace overwhelms me,
the music of your Spirit communing with mine.
Swimming into a sparkling abyss
where You are my every breath.

Deeper in Your Spirit,
Deeper in Your Spirit,
Holy, Holy, Holy Spirit