The Wow in Worship

This blog post is based off of Psalm 100: 1-5 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

A song of thanks.

Earth, sing to the Lord!

Be happy as you serve the Lord!
    Come before him with happy songs!
Know that the Lord is God.
    He made us, and we belong to him.
    We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.
Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him.
    Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
    Honor him and bless his name.
The Lord is good!
    There is no end to his faithful love.
    We can trust him forever and ever!

Praising and worshipping God is a must in my life. Understanding God's infinite power is vital to knowing Him! 

Psalm 23:1-6

Isaiah 42:5-6

Romans 9:25-26

Colossians 1:16-17

"God is always a lot bigger than what you need. Believing that God is bigger than your situation produces passion in your praise" 

All Creation Praises Him

This blog post is based off of Psalm 92:1-15 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

There are so many beautiful creations that God has placed into our lives and in our surroundings for us to praise Him for! We see beautiful mountains, oceans, trees, flowers, and many living creatures. Our world is overwhelmed with beauty. Beauty that was all part of God's hands and plan. 

In the passage from Psalms, we hear a beautiful praise song to God for all that He has given the writer. He is praising Him for so many wonderful things. 

When was the last time you praised God for the many beautiful things in your life? 

Not too long ago I read a quote somewhere that really struck me. It said, "What if your woke up tomorrow with only the things that you hard thanked God for today?" It really makes you think.... I know for me there is so much in my life to be thankful for and to praise God for and I need to acknowledge Him for them!

I challenge you today to think of at least five things that you can praise God for....really praise Him! 

Here is the start of my own list:

1. A loving husband who cares for me and takes care of me
2. A family who is willing to help me (my cousin helped me clean my entire kitchen yesterday) and who loves to be together. We really do enjoy each other's company and friendships!
3. This precious miracle growing inside me! He is so active and wonderful already! 
4. A great job that I love! I can actually say I enjoy going to work and hanging out with my coworkers all day! And for a great chance to carpool with a friend and save some money!
5. A house to come home to, food to prepare and eat, and a nice warm bed that I get to rejuvenate from my days!

Thank you, Jesus!

Psalms 19:1-14; 96:1-13; 148:1-14

Luke 19:28-40

"What an inexpressible joy for me, to look up through the apple blossoms and the fluttering leaves, and to see God's love there." Elizabeth Charles 

Unshakeable Confidence

This blog post is based off of Psalm 71:1-24 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

In the passage above, we see the writer place all his confidence in God. He feel inept to complete the work before him, but he decided to trust in God and have the confidence to continue on with God as his guide. 

What, or who, do you rely on for confidence? I know that for myself I tend to either rely on myself (either my knowledge or emotions) or on others feedback. If I'm feeling shaken I go to someone I trust for a boost of confidence. 

We all go through times where we well unqualified for something. Whether it be at work, home, at church, or maybe just a random passing situation we are called to. We have those moments where we feel like, "I can't do this" and a lot of times we let our own judgement get in our way. 

God is a pro at making the unqualified qualified. Look at His list of leaders:

1. Abraham: a roaming Bedouin to who birthed a nation
2. Moses: a stuttering speaker who confronted a pharaoh
3. David: a shepherd boy who defeated a giant
4. Esther: an exiled Jewish girl who rescued her people 
5. Mary: a timid teenager who birthed and raised the Son of God

That list should make you feel better! You are capable to do anything if God is using you to do it!!

Philippians 4:13

Luke 1:37

Jeremiah 32:17

Romans 8:37

2 Corinthians 12:9

"Make sure your don't rely on your own limited talents or skills, but that you place your unshakable confidence in the limitless God." New Women's Devotional Bible 

Light in a Dark Cave

This blog post is based off of Psalm 57:1-11 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

David found himself hiding in a dark cave. He was hiding from King Saul and was scared for his life. I'm sure there were moments of great fear and trembling, but overall he called out for God and continued hoping in Him. 

I'm sure that we have all found ourselves in dark caves. Maybe not literally, but in life we all have moments, or times, of darkness. I know that I have had several moments of darkness. Times where I felt alone, scared, and stuck - like you would inside a dark cave. I think we all have. 

In the passage above, David had a model for how he went from worrying to worshipping God in these dark times. You can read it for yourself in Psalms. Here they are broken down:

1. Cry out for mercy (vs. 1)
2. Remember God's love and faithfulness (vs. 3)
3. Verbalize your fears to God (vs. 4)
4. Pray that God's will be accomplished in your circumstances and in your life (vs. 5)

After completing these steps, you have chose to worship God no matter where you are in life. 

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Luke 1:69-75

Acts 16:22-34

1 Peter 3:13-16

"But we can't live in the light all of the time. You have to take whatever light you can hold into the dark with you." Libba Bray

O God. Have Mercy

This blog post is based off of Psalm 51:1-19 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

King David decided that he wanted another man's wife. His sin was great and he decided to make excuses and try to make the sin "a little better" by sending the man to die. Now the woman he lusted after was widowed, but it still didn't make the situation any less of a sin. 

Nathan was sent to let King David know of his wrongdoing and King David confessed to God. He genuinely confessed and repented and asked to be forgiven. There was not more covering up. No hiding. No more excuses. 

Sometimes we make excuses for your sins. We either lie to God, to others, and a lot of times lie to ourselves. We like to think it was someone else's fault - but we are the innocent one. Or we like to casually change the sin from what it truly is to something more acceptable. For instance, instead of gossiping we call it sharing, or instead of coveting we like to call it admiring. 

God know our sins. We can't hide anything from Him and we need to stop trying to hide from ourselves. God will cover our sins, but we must first give them to God. The honest, real mistakes. 

2 Samuel 11:1-12:25

Psalm 103:8-18

Romans 3:21-24

"If we cover our sin, God will expose it. If we expose our sin, God will cover it." Unknown 

From Despair to Hope

This blog post is based off of Psalm 42:1-11 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

Sometimes identifying our sorrows out loud can be our way of reaching to God and proclaiming a thirst for Him. This is what the psalmist does in the above reading. He reaches to God with deep sadness and despair and hold on tight to His promises. 

We are often caught up in our own thoughts of hopelessness. We all have situation in our lives that feel impossible to carry on our own and we find ourselves sulking, worrying, and in despair. These are the moments that are threatening and can leave us feeling alone. 

God wants up to go to Him with these thoughts and fears. We can cling to Him with the promises from the Bible - just like the psalmist did! I encourage you to read the above verses. They will be an encouragement to you in your need! 

God is hope! Hope in Him and meditate on His loving-kindness. 

Psalm 27:13-14; 43:1-5; 84:1-12

Hebrews 6:13-20

"If ever you feel you're at the end of your rope, don't struggle and try to increase your grope. Breathe, relax, and increase your hope." Karen Salmansohn 

Fearless

This blog post is based off of Psalm 27:1-14 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

I urge you to read the above passage in Psalms. It is a great reminder that God is in control and we shall not fear the present or the future!

There are plenty of things to be afraid of in this world. We are surrounded by sin and danger everyday and could be living in fear our entire life. It would be understandable. However, God promises that He will protect us and keep us safe. In the scriptures below, Joshua reminds us to "be strong and courageous". I think that this is told to us three times in just that small passage. 

Unfortunately we are living in a sinful world. A place where the devil can take charge. But God asks that we live in Him and not fear. Instead of living in fear, live fearlessly in God!

Joshua 1:5-9

Luke 12:4-7

Romans 8:35-39

1 John 4:14-18

"Where are the men and women who love God supremely and fear nothing and no one but God?" Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Coming Clean

This blog post is based off of Psalm 24:1-10 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

Coming clean before God requires us to let go of the things we shouldn't be accepting and sometimes it is letting go of the things we want to hold on to. 

Spending time with God is something we should all be doing on a daily basis, but how many of us are confessing to God during these times. This is the time where we need to come clean and to give over the things that we need to let go of. 

Ask God to bring to mind the things that should be let go of. All the things that need to be out of our lives so that we can become clean and accept the gifts that He has for us. 

2 Samuel 12:1-13

Psalms 51:1-19

Matthew 5:8

"Spiritual awakening always begins with cleansing. It begins in the heart of the individual who suddenly says to themselves, 'I'm dirty.' And that is painful, particularly if we've been pretending all along to be clean." Karen Mains 

An Articulate Creation

This blog post is based off of Psalm 19:1-14 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

Today's reading reminds me that all creation is in God's hands. 

Which aspect of nature draws you closer to God? Is it the waves on the beach, the setting sun, the birds or flowers? For me it is the ocean. I don't get to visit it much but living in a dorm right next to it for two years really did me in. I loved falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing. It wasn't scary to me, but calming and powerful. I could count on this because someone, God, was in charge of this. The winds and the waves do obey Him!

Today we are experiencing out of control weather. Mother nature is damaging more than we can comprehend and I don't quite understand it. But just like God allowed Satan to manipulate and harass Job, perhaps it is that time where God has allowed Satan to do bigger things in this world. I believe that we are getting closer and closer to that time when God proclaims "it is enough" and call us home. 

Nature will always make an impression on us - good or bad. But know that God is in control and find peace in those moments of nature, like the waves of the ocean.

Job 38:1-41

Isaiah 65:17-25

Romans 8:18-27

"May we always remember to listen closely to the deeper truths of God's goodness and grandeur that whisper from the rushing stream or shout from the thunderclap." 

Never Alone

This blog post is based off of Psalm 13:1-6 from the "New Women's Devotional Bible".

There are times in life when we may feel alone. But there is a difference of feeling lonely here on earth and then feeling alone and separated from God's presence. 

I cannot say that I have ever felt separated from God or a time when I couldn't feel His presence. I do know of a story of a friend who felt far from God one night. She sat up in her bed feeling confused and scared because she didn't sense God. She began reading her Bible and praying until she felt God near again. 

It is a scary thing - to not have God with us. But God promises us that He is always here. His presence is always nearby! We are never alone. 

Deuteronomy 31:1-6

Isaiah 54:1-17

Lamentations 3:31-33

I couldn't help but think of the Barlow Girl song, "Never Alone" as I read today's devotion. Please click here if you would like to hear the beautiful words and promises.