Today’s Worship Walk: Romans 8:28-29

 

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:39

Can’t you just hear the confidence in Paul’s voice? The Apostle had already experienced terrific hardships and big challenges as he followed God’s leading for his life. And through it all, he felt the presence of his Heavenly Father in a real and tangible way.

Paul often talked about his earlier life, and how Christ rescued him. For even as he was persecuting Christians, God didn’t give up on him. In fact, Paul rejoiced in how far God was willing to go to capture his heart. 

These versus, and many others that Paul wrote, have given me encouragement during my walk of faith. When I find myself wondering where God is at any given moment, Paul’s testimony reminds me of the popular phrase, “God is just a prayer away.” And I believe he stays far closer than that. Amen!

 

Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

 

Christian Quotes: C. S. Lewis

“God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.”

C.S. Lewis

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.“

Galatians 3:26

Today’s Worship Walk: Psalm 16:7-8

“I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 16:7-8

I find great comfort in the thought that God is always with us, always at work – even as we rest. It makes me feel protected and secured in a way that nothing or no one else can provide. I also love the idea that we can always seek guidance from God, no matter what time of day it is.

The truth that God is always working doesn’t mean that I always see what he’s doing though, and that can be a challenge for me. The remedy for that is to make a decision to tune my eyes and ears, watching and listening for Him. And while I’m waiting, the knowledge that he is already active on my behalf leads me to give him praise. The time of waiting becomes a time of worship!

 

Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

 

Today’s Worship Walk: Ephesians 4:26-27

“’In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Ephesians 4:26-27

Some people believe that having anger of any kind is bad. But, it is one of the emotions God equipped us with. All of us, though, have experienced anger used in the wrong way. Either we ourselves have misdirected it, or we have received it from someone else. In both cases, anger has done damage.

This can be one of the enemy’s most effective schemes if we let it.

The Apostle Paul lays some helpful ground rules here for expressing anger. He doesn’t say never get angry. But He does caution us to use anger for positive change, not destructive purposes. And, once we let our anger out, we need to let it go. For when we hold onto anger it eventually becomes bitterness and resentment, and the enemy rears his head again.

The lesson sounds reasonable, but it can be tricky to apply. It’s not something we can do on our own. It takes prayer and persistence to learn how to manage anger in a righteous way, but God will teach us through his Word and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Click here for more info on Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

 

 

 

 

Today’s Worship Walk: Psalms 147:3

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalms 147:3

 I love this verse. It’s such an amazing picture of God’s love, and a sense of calm comes over me every time I read it.

This passage is also a reminder to me that God will only come and minister to me if I let Him in. And though I know the truth that God wants to be my healer and protector, I find it hard to allow myself to be taken care of.

Maybe it’s an attempt to control, or an ego problem. But whatever the reason, I need to understand that bringing my hurts to God and then accepting His touch of comfort and renewal is part of being His child. It’s part of submitting and then, when I tell others how He healed my body (mind, emotions, etc), it becomes an act of worship as well.

 

Click here for info on Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

 

Today’s Worship Walk: John 17:17

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

John 17:17

The word sanctify means “to set apart as or declare holy. And we know that God fits that description. But do we really understand that God has promised to sanctify us as well? Just look at this passage from Leviticus 20:

“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”

There it is – we are set apart to be holy, God’s nation. This is part of God’s Will for us. Now, I’ll be the first to say that I don’t always feel holy. But I must remember that I’m, we all are, in the process of growing more holy. Reading, studying, memorizing and obeying God’s Word is a vital part of that growth. It is by knowing Him and following His Way that we become that holy, set apart people.

Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

Christian Quotes: Billy Graham

“When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.”

Billy Graham

 

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.“

Psalm 56:3

Today’s Worship Walk: Joel 2:25

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...”

Joel 2:25

Regret can be such a hard feeling to shake. The “if onlys” are enough to drive you into discouragement. When those thoughts go on too long, they become toxic, poisoning your life. Most of us have a tendency to look backward – the phrase “hindsight is 20/20” comes to mind. But I know from first-hand experience what a waste of time doing that usually is.

Yes, sometimes we can seek forgiveness from a person we’ve wronged, and mend a relationship. And we can certainly learn from situations we’d rather not go through again. The problem comes when we continue to dwell in the past, wishing we could redo or fix a bad or destructive choice.

The Book of Joel has some good news for us. God is not only willing to forgive our sins when we ask, and then to remove them from us (“as far as the East is from the West” we’re told in Psalms), but He wants to redeem our time. Simply put, He will take our regret and bless us with chances to do things better. If we’re willing to move on, we’ll find new opportunities to live God’s way.

 

Click here for more info on Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

Today’s Worship Walk: Psalm 61:2-4

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.”

Psalm 61:2-4

King David understood the power of calling out to God. So many of his Psalms include passages that express loneliness or fear or even anger. But then there are places where he proclaims God’s promises, and I can almost feel his mood lighten.

These three verses describe the God David knows: firm and unwavering, able to withstand any storm. And David knows that if he stays close, God will provide shelter, protection and a foundation nothing can destroy.

I want to be able to give that kind of testimony, to be so sure of God that I have no doubts about my safety with Him. The more of my life I trust God with, the more I’ll have to declare about His grace.

 

Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.

Today’s Worship Walk: Psalm 66:20

“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love for me!”

Psalm 66: 20

For most of my life I’ve struggled with feelings of rejection. I could search my childhood to try and trace the beginnings of it, but I’d rather spend my energy on moving forward in a healthier way. It hasn’t been easy, though. I’ve let the roots of this run deep and grow firm. Each proceed slight, each over-reaction to criticism, each unreturned call – I’ve used them to strengthen my sense of wrongness.

The truth is that I don’t have the ability to cut those roots on my own. But God has more then enough power to do it, and wants me to be part of the process.

How? Well, first by reading his Word. Absorbing passages like this one in Psalm 66 started the healing. Being more securely founded in His love has led me to question my habit of expecting rejection. My negative mindset has begun to change, and I’m assuming the best of others, whatever seems to be happening. It’s a much better direction to be heading in!

Click here for more info about Heather and Worship Walk Ministries.