Donna Braman
Let All That Has Breath Praise His Holy Name!
YOU HAVE A SUPERNATURAL HELP
Read: Ephesians 5:18, 20
Our supernatural help in worship is the Holy Spirit, that wonderful gift sent by our risen Lord to indwell us and empower us. The Lord has not set before us the ideal of a life filled with praise and then left us alone to achieve it. How could we, on our own reach such a high goal, with the down-pull of our old fleshly patterns of living; with the pain of our trials, large and small; with our tendency to depend on ourselves and get distracted from the Lord and do our own thing?
But we have the Holy Spirit! Just think of what this means! He is within you as a fountain of water, springing up to fill you with fresh life - life that is eternal, life that is full. Through Him, time after time, you can know the aliveness that comes from the presence of the Lord. Through the Spirit you can understand the Scriptures and experience the marvelous things God has freely given you in Christ.
Through Him you are linked in vital oneness with the Father and the Son, and have all you need for life and godliness. You have all you need to inspire praise, comfort, encouragement, unspeakable joy, overflowing hope, strength in your innermost being, and power to love and serve.
SEED WORD:
You don't have to beg the Holy Spirit to fill you; He is eager to do so when we open our mouth and praise Him. You don't have to earn His fullness, proving you are worthy of it. You have only to let the Spirit fill you, consent to live under His grace, influence and control. That is how he performs His amazing ministries in you and inspires you to praise and worship Him.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Giving Thanks
Donna Braman
Let Everything That Has Breath Praise His Holy Name!
GIVING THANKS IN EVERY SITUATION
Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
A life of praise may appeal to you. But what does it really involve? You may be puzzled about what it means to praise continually and give thanks always, in every situation. Won't this lead to denying your true feelings? Does it mean that when you stub your toe or hit your head, your spontaneous response has to be "thank you Lord?" Why do we have to say something we don't really feel?
The bible doesn't command manufacturing positive feelings. Instead, it commands us to give THANKS! It is not hypocritical to give thanks when you don't feel like it; it's obedience.
This does not mean you should deny your negative thoughts and feelings and attitudes, sweeping them under the emotional rug. It doesn't mean you should put them in the closet again and again, so they can sneak back in and make you make unwise decisions.
King David wrote honestly about his feelings, facing them and telling them to God, and praised and gave thanks in the midst of them. David told God how troubled his heart was. But as he did so, he honored God, speaking of him as "the living God...my God... the God of my life...my present help in trouble." His every word showed his desire to exalt and glorify God, even as he was chased by the enemy. He assured his soul that he would be delivered from his troubles. Psalm 43 is written in a similar way, "Oh God...the God of my strength, God, my exceeding joy."
SEED WORD:
Can we have joy in these times? Absolutely! Because in a situation that looks hopeless we have to take our eye off what we see in the natural and know that God has already gone ahead of us and made a way. Trusting in the Lord to deliver us gives us a great deal to be thankful for. You can triumph in your tribulations when you have hope and thankfulness and that is what produces good things from God, for that kind of thankfulness and praise is God's delight. Romans 8:22-23 and 5:2,3,11.
Let Everything That Has Breath Praise His Holy Name!
GIVING THANKS IN EVERY SITUATION
Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
A life of praise may appeal to you. But what does it really involve? You may be puzzled about what it means to praise continually and give thanks always, in every situation. Won't this lead to denying your true feelings? Does it mean that when you stub your toe or hit your head, your spontaneous response has to be "thank you Lord?" Why do we have to say something we don't really feel?
The bible doesn't command manufacturing positive feelings. Instead, it commands us to give THANKS! It is not hypocritical to give thanks when you don't feel like it; it's obedience.
This does not mean you should deny your negative thoughts and feelings and attitudes, sweeping them under the emotional rug. It doesn't mean you should put them in the closet again and again, so they can sneak back in and make you make unwise decisions.
King David wrote honestly about his feelings, facing them and telling them to God, and praised and gave thanks in the midst of them. David told God how troubled his heart was. But as he did so, he honored God, speaking of him as "the living God...my God... the God of my life...my present help in trouble." His every word showed his desire to exalt and glorify God, even as he was chased by the enemy. He assured his soul that he would be delivered from his troubles. Psalm 43 is written in a similar way, "Oh God...the God of my strength, God, my exceeding joy."
SEED WORD:
Can we have joy in these times? Absolutely! Because in a situation that looks hopeless we have to take our eye off what we see in the natural and know that God has already gone ahead of us and made a way. Trusting in the Lord to deliver us gives us a great deal to be thankful for. You can triumph in your tribulations when you have hope and thankfulness and that is what produces good things from God, for that kind of thankfulness and praise is God's delight. Romans 8:22-23 and 5:2,3,11.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Worship Him
Donna Braman
Let Everything That Has Breathe Praise His Holy Name!
LET US WORSHIP HIM
Scripture:
Psalm 71
In genuine spiritual worship, we bow before the Most High God, the most merciful and reliable and winsome of all beings, and we crown Him as Lord of all that we are. We consent to His gracious, transforming work in our lives; we agree that He can work in us so that we'll be willing and able to do His will. In other words, we choose to let Him be God in our lives. This is our greatest privilege, the highest thing we can do.
Worship also includes adoring God, admiring Him, appreciating Him, and letting Him know how grateful we are for His mighty works and the blessings He bestows on us. Thus worship includes praise and thanksgiving, they overlap as we glorify and enjoy his presence in our lives. Sometimes we do this in speaking, sometimes in singing, sometimes in silent reverence. So, the crown of worship is offering our lives to Him.
It doesn't matter whether our words are stumbling or eloquent. God looks on the heart; He's searching for people who simply want to love and honor Him. Hebrews 13:15 says, By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.
Ephesians 5:18 says, Be filled with the spirit, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SEED WORD:
These verses remind me of the words of David in Psalm 34, " I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." I find that my worship is richer when I offer the Lord praise and thanks for three things: who He is, what He does, and what He gives. You too can have lives filled with praise and thanksgiving.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Everything Praise Him
Donna Braman
This Is The Day The Lord Has Made And I Shall Rejoice In It!
LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE HIM
Scripture: Romans 12:1
There are many worship styles in today's church but worship means yielding to God and coming before Him with praise and thanksgiving - yielding to God as our Lord and Master. Romans 12:1, we see where God asks us to offer Him our bodies, our lives, our entire person. This, He says, is true worship.
In genuine worship, we bow before the Most High God, the merciful God of creation. We crown Him as Lord of all that we are. We consent to His gracious, transforming work in our lives; we agree that He can work in us so that we'll be willing and able to do His will. In other words, we choose to let Him be God in our lives. This is the highest thing we can do.
Worship also includes adoring God, admiring Him, appreciating Him, and letting Him know how grateful we are for His mighty works and the blessings He bestows on us. Worship includes praise and thanksgiving. We thank Him for His constant acts of goodness, his gifts, his spiritual blessings and for the very breath that we wake up with every morning. We stand in awe of His greatness and sovereignty. We celebrate together in exulting His majesty and splendor, His limitless power, and His bountiful love, which we do not deserve. We thank Him for the Grace He gives us daily and magnify Him. Praise includes speaking highly of God to other people, as well as directly to Him. We crown Him with praise from our tongues through, singing, lifting our hands to him as God Almighty.
Seed Word: The crown of worship are the jewels of praise and thanksgiving. Jewels that radiate the glory of God to His delight and ours. We come before His altar to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Praise is the avenue through which blessings are received. Praise, prayer and worship is an incense to God's nostrils and heaven stands silent for thirty minutes as the angels present the bowl of voices (incense) to God before the throne in heaven. Rev. 8:3.
This Is The Day The Lord Has Made And I Shall Rejoice In It!
LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE HIM
Scripture: Romans 12:1
There are many worship styles in today's church but worship means yielding to God and coming before Him with praise and thanksgiving - yielding to God as our Lord and Master. Romans 12:1, we see where God asks us to offer Him our bodies, our lives, our entire person. This, He says, is true worship.
In genuine worship, we bow before the Most High God, the merciful God of creation. We crown Him as Lord of all that we are. We consent to His gracious, transforming work in our lives; we agree that He can work in us so that we'll be willing and able to do His will. In other words, we choose to let Him be God in our lives. This is the highest thing we can do.
Worship also includes adoring God, admiring Him, appreciating Him, and letting Him know how grateful we are for His mighty works and the blessings He bestows on us. Worship includes praise and thanksgiving. We thank Him for His constant acts of goodness, his gifts, his spiritual blessings and for the very breath that we wake up with every morning. We stand in awe of His greatness and sovereignty. We celebrate together in exulting His majesty and splendor, His limitless power, and His bountiful love, which we do not deserve. We thank Him for the Grace He gives us daily and magnify Him. Praise includes speaking highly of God to other people, as well as directly to Him. We crown Him with praise from our tongues through, singing, lifting our hands to him as God Almighty.
Seed Word: The crown of worship are the jewels of praise and thanksgiving. Jewels that radiate the glory of God to His delight and ours. We come before His altar to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Praise is the avenue through which blessings are received. Praise, prayer and worship is an incense to God's nostrils and heaven stands silent for thirty minutes as the angels present the bowl of voices (incense) to God before the throne in heaven. Rev. 8:3.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Looking Up
Donna Braman
This Is The Day The Lord Has Made And I Shall Rejoice In It!
ON THE BOTTOM LOOKING UP
Scripture: 1 Samuel 27:1-7
Has the enemy come at you so bad lately that it has knocked the sails out of you or has left you feeling hopeless. Lets look at what happened to King David when the enemy tried to snuff his life out and destroy God's will for him.
David was tired of being chased by the enemy. For eight years Saul had relentlessly pursued him. With no indication that things would change, David began to despair about his future. God's anointed leader experienced a failure of faith. Though God had promised to prosper him, his trust faltered. He could not wait any longer.
Isn't that how we feel sometimes? We know that God has promised good things for those who wait on Him and every one of His promises is "yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20), but our faith, like David's wavers. But God was teaching temperance and patience to the young future King.
Israel's future King assessed his options and chose the "best one", to form an alliance with the godless Philistines. By moving from faith to human reasoning, he stepped out of God's will. David joined with the enemies of God's people. In doing so, he compromised the very thing to which he had committed himself, being Israel's leader.
So you can see by this example giving in to the enemy and joining with them is going to make your situation worse and take longer to get back in step with God's will for us. Sometimes even (so called) Christians in the church desert us, but you know God never leaves us.
Seed Word:
Fortunately, when you hit bottom in your Christian walk as David did, there is a way back. Focusing upon the Lord can lead you out of discouragement and back into His presence. The initial step is repentance: confess your lack of faith, receive God's forgiveness, and pledge to follow only Him, and refuse to allow nay sayers to discourage you. This is why David became a man after God's own heart, for he had a repentant heart when he stepped out of God's will and he began to allow God to direct him.
Next, strengthen yourself in the Lord, seek his approval and not man's. Rest in His power and recall His faithfulness in your past, and remember His promises. That way, you can center attention upon Him instead of troubles the devil sends your way. Finally, resolve to trust God for the future, and ask His Holy Spirit for help. (Mark 9:24) Repentance, Recall, Reflection, Remembrance and Resolve. Won't you walk upon the road that leads upward to the Father today!
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