"You're Delivered, But Are You Free?" (Part 2 of 2) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

(Continued from yesterday's post)  We've got a lot of folk running around in our churches testifying that they've been delivered (from "you fill in the blank") and they're not a bit more free than someone on house arrest.  That's right: they just APPEAR to be free!  Sadly, they look the part until THAT FEELING arises or THAT PERSON comes their way.  And because they were ONLY interested in getting out of the situation they were in, they despised the process GOD designed to KEEP THEM out of what they've been delivered from.  Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone, but I have to say it like I hear it: "When you seek to be delivered but seek not to be free, you're positioning yourself to be pimped by your past.  Every time the phone rings and the caller ID says it's your past--no matter how hard you try--you can't help but to give in and answer because IT'S YOUR PIMP CALLING (John 8:34)."

"You're Delivered, But Are You Free?" (Part 1 of 2) | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

So often we hear the phrase "delivered and set free," and--I must admit--that it sometimes comes across as rehearsed and contrived, at best.  We HEAR testimonies of deliverance, but fail to SEE the freedom.  If the truth be told, many people who claim they've been delivered never experience freedom.  They pray and cry out for GOD's help; and when He comes through on their behalf, His power literally snatches them out of the situation they're in but they shortly thereafter find themselves right back where they were (Nehemiah 9:26-29).  What we must understand is that deliverance is instantaneous, whereas freedom is a process; just as salvation happens instantly and sanctification is produced over a period of time (1 John 3:2).

Not You, But GOD In You | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

On yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with a brother in Christ on the topic of trust.  What it made me realize was that it may be time to deal with my so-called "trust issues" with people.  I'd like to think I'm one who shows himself friendly.  And while I can be pretty open with people, I still maintain a pretty well-guarded fence around me.  It's not so much that I feel like I can't trust people with information because anyone who's known me for a substantial period of time will tell you that I generally communicate on a need to know basis.  My closest friends know that less frequent communication on my part doesn't mean we've got "problems": there's just nothing to talk about.  My trust issues revolve around protecting me from disappointment.

I would much rather have absolutely no expectations of others than to be disappointed because I allowed myself to maintain "unrealistic" expectations of people.  This is basically how my lifestyle interprets Psalms 146:3.  I trust GOD because He's the only one I KNOW will not disappoint me.  Because it's not my quest to hurt or offend my friends, I try my best to not make them feel like I'm suspicious of them or even paranoid about the genuineness of our friendship.  GOD has not given us the spirit of fear, according to 2 Timothy 1:7; and I am grateful that, having been made righteous in the eyesight of GOD, my lifestyle has transitioned from one of paranoia to one of metanoia (Romans 8:28).  (Sidenote: For more on paranoia versus metanoia, check out "The Order of Righteousness.")

Offering the Sacrifice of Praise | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

What does it mean to offer unto GOD the Sacrifice of Praise?

On Wednesday, Dr. Judith Christie McAllister posted the aforementioned as her question of the week, and it really got me to thinking.  You know, I'm always attempting to get underneath all the various phrases and such that we use in the culture of the church.  I'm sure Dr. Judy agrees that it's so important to have an understanding of what we say, as opposed to just ignorantly saying what we've heard others say before us because it sounds good.  And, as always, the Holy Spirit never disappoints in enlightening the eyes of my understanding when I take the time to study out such phrases in the Word of GOD.  So, far be it for me to just keep it all to myself and not share it with you what I've received.

I learned that the phrase "sacrifice of praise" only appears twice in the whole Bible: once in each testament (Jeremiah 33:11 and Hebrews 13:15).  However, the original Hebrew and Greek words used in both verses are generally translated as "thanksgiving," which we know appears far more often.  So, if you will, "sacrifice of praise" can be better understood as "thank-offering."  In Hebrews 13:15, the writer defines the "sacrifice of praise" as "the fruit of our lips giving thanks."  "The fruit" is that which originates from "our lips" (or our mouths).  This specifically refers to our spoken language.  Therefore, the sacrifice of praise that we offer unto GOD is a VERBAL offering of thanks, or what we commonly refer to as "praise."  You may be saying to yourself, "Well, that's not rocket science," but let's go a bit further.

My Salvation, GOD's Responsibility | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

Lately, I've just been listening to some older messages by Bishop T.D. Jakes; and they have rejuvenated my soul in such an awesome way.  As I listened to "The Blood Speaks" at my desk on Monday, there were so many nuggets being deposited into my spirit by that Word.  Very early into the message, I began to reflect on a statment Bishop Jakes made: "GOD assumed responsibility for the cost of our redemption."

Over the years, I've heard a number of people say, "I found the LORD," which is not really the most accurate way of describing the redemption experience.  Since GOD was never lost, it presents a contradiction to the Biblical doctrine that mankind was lost (Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10).  Therefore, it's better stated that GOD found us.  It was GOD who wanted a relationship with us.  He desired fellowship with mankind and took it upon Himself to make all of this possible.  So, it's crucial to our understanding of GOD and His eternal plan of redemption that we, in no way, contributed to our salvation.  Salvation is GOD's victory!

Embracing Rejection | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

While chronicling the history of FHW on yesterday evening, I had to take a trip down memory lane to the beginning of my life as a blogger.  Back in May 2006, I started blogging on MySpace.  For the curious followers of my writing, the blog is still viewable (http://www.myspace.com/eltontaylor/blog) but don't be too hard on me.  After all, it was almost five years ago. But back to the point at hand.  As I was skimming through these older writings of mine, I ran across a couple of posts on rejection that caught my attention and I would like to share some excerpts from them with you all.

Rejection is as common as the cold because we experience it in so many different areas of our lives. There's rejection at work, at school, in the home, in love, etc., etc., etc.  We always find ourselves not meeting every expectation held of us, and unfortunately some people - including myself - really get bent out of shape about it.

Rejection has a way of making us question ourselves, our purpose, our identity, our callings, and much more.  But keep this in mind: we should not run away from rejection.  Moreover, we should not allow the approval or disapproval of others to control our lives and how we live each day.