Up and it grows, where it
stops, only heaven knows
Never known anyone as
wonderful as You are
Even though I’m plungin’
in the depths of Your love
I’m just scratchin’ the
surface of who You are
All the seas in all the
world cannot contain all that You are
You captivate my heart
“what is mankind that you
are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” psalm 8:4 and yet, He cares oh, so much for us!
“who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword?...no, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 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
8:35, 37-39
No matter how far you think you’ve gone from
the Lord, He still loves you. His love is asking you to draw close to him in
obedience. So while the enemy uses people and even your own thoughts to point
accusing fingers at you, Jesus is at the right hand of God also interceding for
you. (see romans 8:34)
I am loved no matter what.
You are loved no matter what. Why? Because that’s the nature of this
ridiculously amazing love our Father has for us. His love compels us to obey
and abide in His will for us. Nothing can separate God’s love from you and i.
isn’t that the best news ever?!
There are so many things
we do in relation to the various spiritual gifts and talents the Lord has given
us to use to point people to Him. and there scores of motives underlying why we
do what we do. The Lord out of His grace has blessed me with the gift of
writing. It’s one of the clearest ways I express my thoughts and what He places
on my heart.
This song convicts me of the why I write. I
must write to ultimately bring God glory, not to draw attention to myself. It’s
all about Him. maybe you draw fantastically, design, sing, dance, engage in
public speaking, act, write, play an instrument, have a special love for
kiddos…whatever creative art the Creator has blessed you with, I urge you to
use it to serve Him. personally, I know that even if it’s a small platform the
Lord has given me now to point my writing to Him, as long as I keep being
faithful with it, He is faithful to open wider doors.
the reason i sing~ jimmy needham
If it’s just to top a song chart
To feed the kids and get a bigger car
The skies already have a lot of stars
And they all sing Your name
And if I’m here to write a number 1
To get a gold or maybe platinum
Make me a singer who is unsung
Cause You won’t share Your fame
Cause even accolades someday
Will fade away, oh just like me
Yes everything but You, yeah
And many years from now
It won’t matter how
I write the rhymes I do yeah
Help me get back to the reason I sing for You.
I’m always looking for the limelight
To dim my house and make the stages bright
Compared to You I’m just a night light
Against the blazing sun
I enter rooms and hope they notice me
To fill my social insecurities
I’m asking if there’s any hope for me
Cause there’s only room for one
Why are we so convinced
a bigger audience is simply common sense to have?
Maybe success is measured best
by nothing less than our obedience.
So if i’m destined for a small stage
The small crowds and the small pay
Then maybe even in a small way,
I can bring You fame.
“ “well done, my good
servant!” his master replied. “because you have been trustworthy in a very
small matter, take charge of ten cities.” Luke
19:17
“he who speaks from
himself seeks his own glory, but He who speaks of the glory of the One who sent
Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” john 7:18
“to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 samuel 15:22
“I am the Lord; that is My
name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.” Isaiah 42:8
“heaven and earth will
pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35
“for we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us
to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“there are different kinds
of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of
service, but the same Lord.” 1 corinthians
12:4-5
what are the special gifting the Lord has blessed you with?
Are you doing what you do
just for the money or to draw attention to yourself? Ponder on this a little
more and resolve to use your talents and spiritual gifts for God’s glory. :)
There was a time in my
life, the lukewarm years, when I didn’t really understand that worshipping God
is not just about singing and raising my hands to Him, that it isn’t about the
worship and praise time during service. Cos, one moment I would be singing a
song of praise to God and the next moment I would be singing a lustful, sensual
song. I was a mess. Lukewarm.
Oh, but thank God for His
wisdom! With time Holy Spirit convicted me to the point of repentance and I
decided to de-clutter my soul and really seek the face of my Father. I began to
understand that my worship to God is way beyond a song. It’s about how I honor
God in everything I do-how I dress, what I read, say, do, the tv series/movies
I watch, what I write, the friends I consistently spend time with, the thoughts
and imaginations I have…and of course the kind of songs I sing and listen to.
I began to see that
worshipping God was in fact every single thing I did with my life, not just
singing to Him on a sunday morning. I got real with God about needing His help
to change and be better for Him, and He has radically changed me! I’m not
perfect, but I’m so glad I’m not how I used to be! I intentionally carved out
time to consistently spend with the Lord, and I still do. The results are real
good! This entire blog is one of the fruits of my worshipful heart to the Lord,
as He impressed on my heart to create it a few years ago to draw people’s heart
to Him.
clear the stage~ jimmy needham
Clear the stage and set the sound and light ablaze
That’s the measure you must take to crush the idols.
Check the pews and all the decorations too
Until the congregation’s full, then have revival
Tell your friend that this is where the party ends
Until you’re broken for your sins, you can’t be social
Then seek the Lord and wait for what He has in store
And know that great is your reward so just be hopeful
Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes, you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to and still get it wrong
Worship is more than a song.
Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home and wait for God to whisper
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister
Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open
Then read the Word and put to test the things you’ve
heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and
broken
We must not worship something that’s not even worth it
Clear the stage, make some space for the One who
deserves it
Anything I put before my God is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol
Anything I can’t stop thinking of is an idol
Anything that I give all my love is an idol
Cause I can sing all I want to
Yes, I can sing all I want you
And we can sing all we want to
And we can sing all we want to
We can sing all we want to
And still get it wrong
Worship is more than a song.
Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
That’s the measure you must take to crush the idols.
“you shall have no other
gods before Me.” exodus 20:3
“if My people, who are
called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.” 2
chronicles 7:14
“I know your deeds, that
you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So,
because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of My
mouth. You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.”
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
Revelations 3:15-17
“my sacrifice, o God, is a
broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God will not despise.” psalm 51:17
“then you will call on Me
and come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. you will seek Me and find Me
when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah
29:12-13
“come near to God and He
will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and
your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
james 4:8-10
“and without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
You’re probably knee-deep
in some addiction that does not honor the Lord, that is consuming your heart,
eating away your soul and pulling you into depression. Maybe you’re too
addicted to Instagram-comparing your life constantly with others, in an
unhealthy manner…maybe you’re struggling with pornography, sleeping around with
someone you’re not married to, masturbation, lying, stealing, gossiping,
dealing in drugs, smoking, gluttony, cutting your precious self out of low
self-esteem…know that there is healing. Earnestly and sincerely pray to God to
help you get out of that bondage. You might have to confide in a trusted
Christian friend to offer some counsel and guidance. Reading the Word
consistently might seem a daunting task for you, but as you keep praying and
reading biblically based memoirs/books concerning your situation, your hunger for
scripture will increase and you’ll desire and engage in the right, God-honoring
habits which is good for your soul.
It’s time to break off
from the stronghold of idols you’re dealing with. God yearns for all of our
hearts. He went to such great lengths to purchase us back to Himself by
sacrificing Jesus, His Son to take away our sins if we confess and believe in
Him. it’s time to worship Jesus with all your life, let your spiritual worship
penetrate into every part of your life-socially, emotionally, physically,
financially, mentally. Worship is more than a song.
the love God has for me is so great, i sometimes can't seem to fathom how wide and deep it really is. this song reminds me of how i cannot earn my way into the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ! like, He loves me not because of my own good deeds, but because He simply loves me! i need to be careful not to work for God's grace[undeserved favor], but to work from it. the outflow of His love into my life eventually fills up to the brim and spills over through me to others!
"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 corinthians 5:17
forgiven and loved~ jimmy needham
tell me i'm forgiven and loved, cause i hear it from the street corner priests
on how God is love and how man can be clean
but my joy has been on holiday and my peace has almost passed away
tell me i'm forgiven and free
oh, i tried and tried to rectify my hopeless situation
but i bought the lie, i still have work to do.
now, i'm working nine to five like i can earn my own salvation
but there is no condemnation in You.
oh, whisper to me now that it's for real
oh, cause in the silence of these walls righteousness lost its appeal,
dirty deeds have done me in
oh, but that can't stop the faithful Friend
giving mercy once again as You heal
here it is, i'm feeling it
oh, oh, oh, i tried and tried to rectify my hopeless situation
but i bought the lie, i still have work to do.
now, i'm working nine to five like i can earn my own salvation
but there is no condemnation
oh, He died, He died to rectify my hopeless situation
and His blood commands my guilt to leave
now on Calvary i stand, empty pockets, open hands,
oh, there is no condemnation for me.
oh, i tried, oh, i tried and tried to rectify my hopeless situation
but i bought the lie, i still have work to do
now i'm working nine to five like i can earn my own salvation
but there is no condemnation in You
child you're forgiven and loved, child you're forgiven and loved.
child you're forgiven, and child you are loved,
child you're forgiven and loved.
no matter how farrr you think you've gone in the wrong direction, bad choices, sinful nature, Christ beckons you to come to Him! He has forgiveness that's rooted in a deep, deep, ocean of pure, unconditional love.
and if You've confessed your sins and asked for forgiveness, He has forgiven you! really! don't allow the enemy weigh you down with the shame and guilt of the mistakes you've made. you. have. been. forgiven. believe it and move on in Christ! constantly let His truth fill you up to shut out the lies of the enemy.
this is a hard, awkward post, but that's what this blog is for, to share my heart, pieces of my story and other stories worth the share.
i didn't really struggle with it. i wasn't an addict or anything. but the few scenes in movies i watched? o, my eyes were such a fascinated pair. i didn't go buy cds to view, or go to the internet in desperate search of bad scenes to watch. but i liked reading romance novels filled with perverse words that created bad scenes floating in my head. they made me think and visualize inappropriate images in my mind. written porn. just as wrong as the images floating on a screen. but somehow i just grew out of reading them by grace.
romans 8:1
and then i was like 18 and there was a boy. he claimed to be into me. i wasn't really sold, but i started catching feelings and we ended up in a relationship. we danced around fire. he was really into watching porn and would want me to watch it with him. i'm gonna be real and admit i did watch a little, but felt really guilty during and after watching it. hints Holy Spirit convicting me of my sin, my wrong desire to entertain something disgusting which had the potential to grow into an addiction. God uprooted that unhealthy relationship out of my life. if i was serious about God in the first place, i wouldn't have gone into a relationship with a boy with deep porn and lust issues. but somehow, thankfully, i didn't get grossly into it. and i learned some lessons.
and with time, my interest in romance novels wore off. romance. pornography is so farrr from how God created real romance to be. porn is illusive, it leaves you wanting more and more when you ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit. it destroys and decays the human soul. it's a very wrong presentation of how intimacy should be. watching people performing sexual acts with eachother doesn't make you become a pro at it. it's wrong as a kid, teenager, as a young adult, and even wrong in marriage. porn fills up our heads with images and thoughts that are so carnal. God created sex for us to enjoy in the sanctity of marriage, but porn? so far from the beauty of sex. the thoughts and actions that porn can lead us to are places where our spirits can never thrive.
"you have heard that it was said, 'you shall not commit adultery.' but i tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. matthew 5:27-28
pornography is simply harmful to us and leaves us empty and depressed. but Jesus! He calls us to want Him, desire Him, to need Him, to allow Him to satisfy us, to fill up the emptiness we feel inside. He is the bread of life, the fountain that never runs dry. only He can satisfy. the more i desire and fill up my mind and time with Jesus, the more the junk of the world drift farther away from my thoughts and life.
"for this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the gentiles who do not know God." 1 thessalonians 4:3-5
"put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." colossians 3:5
"those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." galatians 5:24
"if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 john 1:9
this was a tough post but i know the pieces of my story and the redemption of God in them are not meant to be kept hidden and silenced. that's what the enemy would want. but God spoke to me specifically during missions last year that all i've been through is my testimony and i need to share them.
"and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." revelations 12:11
i want to share jimmy needham's testimony on his struggle with pornography. i hope it encourages someone out there struggling too.
{jimmy is one of my fav singers. i'll feature his songs in my music monday series soon}
have you struggled with porn before? how did you flee from it? love you guys.
