hi guysss! so today I'm sharing a hymn that has a special place in my heart. it soothes the soul so well! it's like chicken soup for the soul.
it amazes me how Fanny Crosby, the hymn writer was blind when she wrote her hymns. God is interesting, right?! He does wonderful things through the most unlikely of humans.
To God be the glory, great things He has done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Refrain
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Refrain
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
Refrain
Let them give glory to the LORD And declare His praise in the coastlands.// isaiah 42:12
"For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.// hubakkuk 2:14
I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving.// psalm 69:30
I would
like to encourage you that no matter what you're facing, praising the
Lord is the answer to unlock the door He has promised to open for you.
giving Him the glory
makes you focus on Him despite the attacks and schemes of the enemy. and
worship does something wonderful. never stop worshiping. give God the
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.
It started out in eden when He breathed in to the dust
of the ground,
Creating the sound of a heartbeat like the drumbeat to
a song.
It started out as a solo, a crescendo to the ends of
the earth
Till everyone heard the music God is making in us all.
And now every breath we breathe is a melody
In the love song to the God who made every soul to
sing,
Every life to bring out the beauty in this world.
So come on with all your heart,
lift your voice and play your part in this symphony
hear it in the laughing of an orphan, the very first
time
he looks in the eyes of the family who’s here to bring
him home.
Feel it in the silence, in the worship of the church
underground
They’re singing without a sound, somehow.
So sing with me of His majesty, come
on, just sing with me in this symphony.
“then the
Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
“then the
Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought
her to the man.” Genesis 2:22
“I will sing
to the Lord, for He is highly exalted…” exodus
15:1
“come, let us sing for joy
to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1
“sing to the Lord a new
song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day.” Psalm
96:1-2
“I will sing to the Lord
all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 104:33
“do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery [promiscuity/indulgence in sensual pleasures.]
Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns,
and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:18-20
“religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
mountain high or valley
low, let’s sing to God! don’t wait till the breakthrough comes into your life
before you sing. praise your way into the breakthrough! :)
