Soar and See | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

On Saturday, this thought came to me:

"Eagles soar higher in the air than any other bird, yet they can see from way up there everything happening on the ground.  We don't have to be on the ground to clearly see what's happening down there because GOD has already equipped us to see it all from above."

This blessed my soul because many times we find ourselves in situations and places which we ought not be.  We've been called to higher and loftier places, but there's still this appeal to remain connected with what's going on at the ground level.  Some of us have family members who keep us up at night worrying.  Others among us may be burdened with outstanding debts consuming our thoughts throughout our days.  There are even those who just can't seem to escape the seemingly magnetic pull of old habits and addictions.  All these things and more keep us from soaring.  They keep us connected to the ground, but GOD is calling us higher.  Our Father desires for us to view all that's happening on the ground from His perspective.

One of the greatest benefits in maintaining a lifestyle of worship is how remaining in GOD's presence keeps me in a place that's high above everything around me.  It doesn't matter what may be happening because remaining in the place of worship DETACHES my emotions from everything while simultaneously INFORMING my mind of all I need to know so my heart stays in check.  That's what the picture of the soaring eagle reminds me of.  Even though it soars such a great distance above the ground, the eagle's eyes are keenly aware of the smallest rodent scurrying on the ground and is sober-minded enough to know just when it's best to swoop downward.  When you've been designed to soar, life on the ground is dangerous.  So it's with great caution that we ought to handle that which is outside of the domain we've been created to thrive in.  Worry is not for us.  Addiction is not for us.  We've been made free; therefore, we need to stay in our place of freedom.

The Art of Living | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

On yesterday, I received the weekly Thought Tools e-newsletter from Rabbi Daniel Lapin, whom I was privileged to hear speak earlier this year at Covenant Church; and I was really enriched by what he shared in this issue.  He said,

"Civilization's objective definition of art used to be something that lifts the observer's heart toward God... People recognized as art, only that which elevated and ennobled; drawing people to God."

When considering this perspective, it really caused me to see just how far removed we have become as a society today from this notion.  It seems art today is anything but a vehicle for pointing people towards GOD.  As a matter of fact, the average person, when asked their definition of art, would most likely answer that it's a form of creative self-expression that's hardly limited to just drawing people to GOD.  Sadly, people creatively express themselves in all kinds of vulgar and obscene ways in the name of being artistic with no consideration for GOD and Him taking pleasure in their work.  However, there is no hesitation in people calling themselves artists and referring to their creative works as art.  How ironic!

I love how Rabbi Lapin expounded upon the definitions of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, which he explained as being the three attributes GOD possesses as the Ultimate Artist of Creation (according to Proverbs 3:19-20).  He also noted how this pattern was translated to man, as well, in the person of Bezalel, the architect of the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:30-31).  As Rabbi Lapin said, "Being an artist is not about just expressing your feelings... Being an artist does not exempt you from possessing wisdom, understanding, and knowledge."  It would, therefore, behoove us all to become better acquainted with these attributes as we endeavor to create works of art that elevate, ennoble and draw people to GOD.  Remember that creative expression goes beyond talent or giftedness, as our very lives are to be seen as works of art.  Therefore, everything we touch has the potential to both be observed and lift the observer's heart toward GOD.

Experiencing the Evidence | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

Okay, so I had another "yellow sticky note" moment and I couldn't resist sharing it with everyone.  Since this thought was scribbled on BOTH sides of the sticky note, I'll share the main point verbatim and quickly expound upon the rest of what I wrote:

"GOD wants to see if we've got the faith to experience the evidence of our situations (via the five senses) and STILL TRUST HIM to the point where we can shout the victory BEFORE His power is manifested."

A lot of times, the miracle to us is GOD doing what we perceive to be impossible for us to do for ourselves.  But it's much more than that.  Oddly enough, what we think to be impossible is hardly so in GOD's eyes.  Furthermore, upon closer examination, we can see that the miracle is actually in us.  GOD allows us to encounter seemingly "impossible" situations to test our faith because He's interested in seeing how we react to the circumstances.  Do we frantically respond out of our emotions as those with no hope, or do we confidently work our faith fully trusting GOD for the outcome?  This is the miracle!

After experiencing all the carnal evidence, will we yet praise our GOD?  Is our faith so steadfast in the Word of GOD that we can rejoice knowing that the evidence of things not seen far outweighs the evidence of things seen?  Must we wait for the manifestation of GOD's power on our behalf to shout the victory, or will we shout unto GOD with a voice of triumph BEFORE our Jericho walls crumble before our eyes?  The miracle we need IS NOT the outcome we desire of the LORD.  The miracle is in the renewing of our minds to take on the culture of Heaven and consistently exhibit it in our everyday behavior.  Once we adopt the culture and consistently practice the lifestyle of Heaven's citizens, we'll begin to see the government of Heaven intervening in every facet of our lives just as GOD intended from the beginning.

We've Got To Agree | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

As I listened to a cd of Kingdom teaching featuring one of my favorite worship leaders, Minister Steve Lawrence, there was something he said that inspired me to blog some thoughts:

"True praise requires us touching and agreeing about who He [GOD] is.  And He promised to meet between the faces of two people who can agree about who He is.  So I can't afford not to get along with you because the power of agreement is between us.  And if we're going to see a manifestation of His power, it requires us to agree."

It amazes me how much disagreement there is in the Body of Christ.  We claim to be so desperate for a move of GOD, yet we harbor so much disagreement amongst ourselves.  While I understand that--as humans--we do have differences, our differences should not be magnified to the extent that the manifestation of GOD's power is blocked by our selfishness and narcissism.  There's no point in desiring the miracles, signs and wonders that follow the Word when we can't even come together and agree with each other on what the Word says.

Reflect, Don't Replicate | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

Quite frequently, I get these bursts of thought that end up scribbled on sticky notes and stuck inside my journal.  They come so quickly that, for fear of forgetting these thoughts, I write them down with the express purpose of revisiting them at a later time.  I recently ran across one of these notes and felt compelled to share it:

"We can't be so stuck in the ways of our predecessors that we only do things the way they did.  Imagine how Joshua might have felt when it was time for the Israelites to cross the River Jordan.  Moses led them [the prior generation] over the Red Sea with a staff, but that's not how GOD was going to lead them [this new generation] across the Jordan.  It's important for proteges to learn the voice of GOD's Spirit for themselves because what worked for your mentor may not work for you."

As someone who carries a great deal of respect for leadership and those who undertake this awesome responsibility, I deeply feel the need to encourage those who are currently being groomed (or desire to be mentored) to develop your ability to hear by the Spirit for yourself.  Don't rely on hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit through someone else because--no matter how gifted and anointed a leader you may serve under-- you STILL run the risk of human error when depending on people to hear from GOD for you.  Furthermore, it's too easy to get stuck in your own spiritual growth by patterning yourself after your leader.  After all, there's a BIG difference between REFLECTING your leader and REPLICATING them.

Success Is Yours | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

As I was reading through my journal this week, I ran across a couple of notes taken a while back from a message delivered by Dr. Myles Munroe on "Maximizing Change and Crisis": 

"Most barriers to success are man made, and we are the ones creating our barriers. Your response is more important than what's happening."

It's so much easier to look beyond ourselves for someone or something to blame for the lack of success we experience.  Being successful has nothing to do with our luck of the draw but everything to do with how we pursue success.  It's our everyday decisionmaking that determines how much success we experience.  What do you do with what you've been given?  How do you respond to the circumstances that you've been presented?  Successful individuals make it their business to maximize the resources they have instead of comparing their own to those of someone else. People who regularly experience success don't waste time complaining about what's happening to them because they're too busy trying to make things happen.

What's In A Name | The Worshipper's Thought of the Day

There are two things that come with a person's name--THEIR character and THEIR authority.  Whenever using someone's name to access anything, the response received from the environment is based upon who that person is and what they represent.  For example, if I am authorized by the company CEO to handle business on his behalf, then it is expected for those with which I am doing business to treat me as they would him because (1) they already know his character, (2) they already respect his authority and (3) they will know that he sent me in his name. Jesus gave us His name to use because He knew that our names carried no weight in the realm of the spirit.  The government of Heaven as well as the Kingdom of Darkness respond to the character and authority of the name of Jesus, not ours.  Christ gave us His name that we might ask and receive of the Father that our joy may be full, according to John 16:24.  Furthermore, evil spirits can recognize whom Jesus sent in His name versus those who just went with His name (see Acts 19:13-16).

Oddly enough, we go through more changes than a little bit because we make the mistake of going to GOD in our own character and authority.  We do it every time we utter such phrases as, "We're just sinners saved by grace."  That's not what Jesus instructed us to do.  It's already been established that our character doesn't deserve to receive anything good from the Father, and our authority is completely worthless in the realm of the spirit.  Jesus gave us His name, His character and His authority, so why don't we just use it and save all the histrionics?  What goodness we receive of the Father is ours because we come to Him in Jesus' name.  Any authority we wield in the spiritual realm is due to us being sent in the name of Jesus to handle His business.

You see, our problem is that we don't understand the name we've been given.  We lack the degree of understanding required to make effective use of the character and authority we have in the name of Jesus.  We've been given Jesus' line of credit to handle transactions in the spiritual realm that we can't even afford on our own.  So no more do we settle for pain, lack, affliction or addiction.  No longer will we carry burdens Jesus never intended for us to carry.  He died that we might be free of them all.  So as we lift our hands and receive the name of our Christ, we inhale and breathe in the character and authority of the very Jesus who brought the government of Heaven to Earth JUST FOR US.  May we understand the name we've been given and confidently walk in the character and authority of it.

For more on this topic, visit http://www.joelscrivner.com/ and purchase "The Supernatural You" today.  This extremely insightful book by Pastor Joel Scrivner is a great tool in helping Believers better understand who they are in Christ Jesus.