Thanksgiving in Song!

God has provided a way of salvation for you through His Son, Jesus.  In accepting the mysterious Truth of Jesus, you believe that Jesus has died for your sins, Jesus has risen from the dead and Jesus will come again for those who have believed and do believe.

Let's come before the Lord with thanksgiving for all He has done and is doing for believers.  "Thank You God
for Saving Me" by Chris Tomlin is filled with thanksgiving in song! Amen!

Fellowship and Praise!

Fellowship with other Christians is not to be underestimated.  According to Billy Graham in his book, The Journey: How to Live by Faith in an Uncertain World, fellowship is "[o]ne of the main tools to shape us and make us more like Christ..." "...unless we have active contact with other believers our spiritual lives will be stunted" (p. 128).

Maybe you have found yourself separated from other Christians.  Fellowship may be exactly what you need to revive the spirit within you! Billy Graham says in his book, "Don't take this journey God has given you alone.  God is with you, and so are His people.  You need them--and they need you" (p. 133).

In your fellowship, God should be worshipped and given all the glory in all circumstances.  Above is a great song called "Revive Us Again" performed by the Charlie Hall Band.  Praising God for all He has done and giving Him all the glory will certainly revive you also!  Amen!

Waiting for the Word of God.?.?

Perhaps "Word of God Speak" by MercyMe speaks to your condition.  Here are the lyrics:

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay....

Many times the Word of God seems to pour down to me in the Northwest rains!  It so happens before this post tonight the Word of God came through my sister, Treasa, during a much needed spiritually edifying telephone conversation! Amen!

"How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation.  Let all things be done unto edifying" (I Corinthians 14:26).  Amen!

Mandisa is Quite the Overcomer!

A theme of overcoming has surfaced in this blog which makes the timing right to introduce Mandisa's album, in its modernity, to you.  The album is called "Overcomer" which opens with the song of the same name.  "Overcomer" sets the mood of God's children overcoming the world.  Fearfulness, hopelessness and brokenness result from tribulations in the world.  When God's children rely on their Savior, Jesus, all fearfulness, hopelessness and brokenness fade away.  This is shown in the songs "The Distance", "Face 2 Face" and "Press On."  There are times when the children of God are moved to thank God and praise Him as shown in the songs "Back To You", "At All Times" and "Joy Unspeakable." 

I found the song "Back To You" unique in the sense that it is talking about giving a life to God for His purposes instead of futilely giving a life to earn God's favor for salvation.  "Back To You" is written from the perspective of someone who has already accepted Christ as indicated in the testimony of words from the song:

"I'll testify, testify how You gave Your life for mine"



"Dear John" is a letter in song for you if you have not accepted Christ as your Savior.  You will find your opportunity to choose Jesus' forgiveness by His scars.  If you choose Jesus, the Father is waiting with open arms.  Here is the description from "Dear John" of choosing Jesus' side:

There's freedom

On the other side of

Things that keep us tied up and afraid

There's hope in every situation

No matter what you're facing everyday

But it's up to you

You get to choose

The Father is waiting there with open arms



When the child comes home to the Father, there is a celebration in store.  "Joy Unspeakable" is an awesome celebration of the Lord with all reverence intact!

Endure to Overcome!

The scenario in the previous blog entry is certainly a time of testing for a Christian.  The blog ended with the words "Christians must endure...endure!"  Since the time of this blog post, I came across a related point in a book called The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good about the Good News? by the late Peter J. Gomes.  Gomes said, "It is [God's] love that allows us not simply to endure, but to overcome, when our time of testing comes, and it is the constant assurance that God allows us to be" (p. 102).  Gomes tied this into the sermon given by Billy Graham at Washington's National Cathedral on the National Day of Mourning where George Keith's 'powerful old hymn'--"How Firm a Foundation" was quoted:

Fear not, [H]e is with thee; O be not dismayed!
For [H]e is thy God, and will still give thee aid:
He'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by [H] is righteous, omnipotent hand.

You Must Endure...Endure!

Why is it that once you have noticed good deeds in someone or an organization, you pay a compliment, where, initially, the compliment is happily accepted, then, before you know it, things tend to work in a direction to steer the deeds away from good?  It is almost as if once the good deeds are brought to light that the thinking turns in another direction like--we should not be doing things the good way.  Clearly, Satan has acted on the situation and tried to turn a good way into a shameful way of doing things.  There is nothing to be ashamed of in doing good.  Satan is attempting to steer things in his direction.  The Christian walk takes much inner and physical strength.  We must endure in the walk to continue in serving the Lord.  Where there is good the Christian can be certain that Satan is nearby with his schemes.  We must continually be on alert because Satan will try to take a hold on things and try to stop the good.  Christians must endure...endure!

Words and Song for the Weary

If you are weary in your Christian walk, continue to find rest in Jesus because Satan seeks to devour you (I Peter 5:8).  Use your faith to "[q]uench not the [H]oly Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19) but "...to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6:16).  The song "All Your Anxiety" is about casting your cares upon God.  Remember, through the power of Christ, you are strong when you are weak (II Corinthians 12: 9, 10).