​Worship is an integral part of who we are as created beings.  We were made to worship.  It’s woven into the fabric of our DNA.  And we were created to worship our Creator.  However, in the brokenness of sin we no longer automatically worship the One who gave us life and breath.  Instead, we direct our worship towards other things and often forget God, the only One worthy of our praise.  Therefore, today let’s focus our minds and hearts back to the One from whom are all things and in whom all things exist.

Worship can serve many functions in the life of the Christian; however, one of the main purposes it should accomplish is magnify and exalt God.  Magnify means to make large, bring into focus, and showcase, and exalt involves lifting up above all else in priority and assigned value.  Therefore, worship should stir our hearts and re-orientate our lives and thinking to make God larger and of greater priority in our lives.  It should help bring who God is into greater focus, highlighting the details of His awesome nature and perfect holiness and helping us make Him supreme in our estimation of value and worth.

​I hope you have been blessed and encouraged by our worship set on God’s power and namely Jesus’s victory over darkness.  Truly, our Savior is high above all things, has conquered the enemy, and at His name the darkness must tremble and flee.  Praise the Lord!  To close out this set, I want to focus on a beautiful new song that was recently released.  It is a simple, hymn-like song that covers the gospel message and gives us a powerful opportunity to respond to Jesus’s grace with a chorus of worship.  

October is here and with it, shorter days and darker nights.  It’s also that time of year during which the powers of darkness are celebrated.  As I watch Halloween decorations appear and witness the chaos our world is in between COVID, natural disasters, racial discord, and political tension, I have been impressed with the need to declare God’s power over darkness. 
 
While this is Satan’s temporary domain over which he exercises some control, Jesus broke Satan’s power and conquered the enemy.  God is still on the throne and ultimately in control of all that transpires on planet earth.  Therefore, this month as our country continues to get pulled apart by disunity and as evil is celebrated, let us, as God’s people, lift up a song of victory, a declaration of God’s power, and an anthem that tells the world and our own hearts that Jesus has defeated darkness and that celebrates the mighty, all-powerful name of the King of kings.

​Fall is in the air!  Kids are back to school and everyone is starting to get COVID fatigue. With the reality of a new season approaching and another semester of distance learning, many are feeling despair about how long this pandemic will alter their lives.  Add to this natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes and the pressure becomes too much.  Uncertainty and ambivalence is high along with feelings of anxiety and stress.  And Christians are not immune to these feelings.  We also are trying to plan for the future in a world that is changing on an almost daily basis.  So how can we navigate this season?  How can we refocus our attention on truth?  How can we ease the loneliness, stress, anxiety, and fear that we feel? 

​As we close out the month of July, I would like to give you a gentle call to worship.  Sometimes life gets so busy and overwhelming that we forget how much God has given us, done for us, and won for us and so we forget to just stop and worship.  Worship Him for who He is, what He’s done, and His great faithfulness.  So today, would you take a moment to quiet your heart and mind and let the words of this song flood your soul and become a song in your heart?

​Once in a while, I like to highlight a song I would use for communion in a service.  These songs are special to me because they exalt Jesus, remind us of His great sacrifice, and fill our hearts with gratitude.  Therefore, today’s song feature will be one of these “communion” songs.

​I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the 4th of July! Though our nation seems to be spiraling into chaos and more restrictions, we still enjoy great freedom, and it is important for us to remember and celebrate them.  One of the many freedoms we enjoy here in the States is the ability to worship God without hindrance.  Many of our brothers and sisters around the world do not get to enjoy this luxury.  Therefore, we must capitalize on and fully utilize this privilege and not take it for granted.  

Welcome to another week on “Here I Am to Worship”! I hope you were able to catch the powerful message I shared with you last week from Passion City Church.  Worship is an important part of our Christian walk.  Therefore, understanding and learning how to do it well is vital to walking in the abundant fullness of God’s intended design.  So I hope you were challenged to offer to God an extravagant, unrestrained response to His goodness in your life through worship. 

​We’re living in crazy times.  Just when we thought things couldn’t get much worse, they did.  However, in the midst of the crazy, in the middle of the uncertainty and chaos, we have a refuge we can run to.  Proverbs 18:10 assures us that, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”  Therefore, as we face a season where fear and anger abounds, let us run to our place of safety, the name of the Lord.