............................................................................................................................................................
Worship
reminds us that even in hard times we can trust Him in all things
.
Praise
and worship is a passion, a pleasure, and a key to falling deeper in love with the
Lord who is our strength. Worship has the power to shift the atmosphere from
one of heaviness and despair to one of expectancy and hope. The words of a
Spirit-breathed song can transcend music and become a prayer with the power to
touch every area of your life with an anointing of hope. Sing your way into
strength when the battle rages in your mind, when the enemy seeks to surround
you with lies in the hope of imprisoning you in depression and shadowing you
with shame. God is calling you back into position. He who promised you is
faithful. God is strong and He wants you strong. He will reveal His strength to
you so He can reveal His strength through you. When we sing the Word of God, we
are singing the sword of the Spirit. When we pray His promises, we can have
confidence that we are heard - the Lord fights for us
By
Lisa Bevere
“Do not fear, for I
am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” - (Isaiah 41:10).
She had just gotten her children down for the
night when she decided to capture a few moments of reprieve before going to bed
herself.
She laid down on the couch when suddenly her
spirit was quickened by a song, and she began to sing boldly:
I'm going to see a victory. I'm going to see
a victory, for the battle belongs to the Lord!
You take what the enemy meant for evil and
You turn it for good... You turn it for good.
With tears running down her cheeks, this
young mother knew God was with them and everything was going to be all right.
Throughout my life, I have found worship to
be catalytic.
Songs have always served to reconnect me with
my source of strength.
Not long ago, my sons were reminiscing about
their childhood. They said they remembered worship music playing perpetually,
with me singing along.
Apparently, these childhood memories were
also punctuated by visions of me dancing awkwardly and lying face down on the
carpet.
I acutely remember that those were the times
when John was on the road and I had come to the end of my mommy strength.
I was constantly (possibly daily) overwhelmed
by my inadequacies and realized my desperate need to surrender to the only One
who could give me strength.
We are in days that require strength.
Actually, that is a bit of an understatement. In Psalm 18:1, David simply said:
I love You, O LORD, my strength.
I have decided to echo the declaration that
David made as he ran from cave to cave and wilderness to wilderness, hiding
from Saul.
It was in that very wasteland that David
discovered God was both his strength and his refuge.
Praise and worship is more than a spiritual
discipline — it is a passion, a pleasure, and a key to falling deeper in love
with the Lord who is our strength.
I am no worship leader, but there is no
denying the fact that worship has repeatedly led me to the Rock that is higher
than I.
Worship has the power to shift the atmosphere
from one of heaviness and despair to one of expectancy and hope in a moment.
The words of a Spirit-breathed song can
transcend music and become a prayer with the power to touch every area of your
life with an anointing of hope.
Even now, I would encourage you to lift your
voice in song. Let it lead you away from any captivity of worry and reposition
you with God wonder.
Sing your way into strength when the battle
rages in your mind, when the enemy seeks to surround you with lies in the hope
of imprisoning you in depression and shadowing you with shame.
These are days to be strong and sing
ourselves through to the other side.
There was a time when God’s children found
themselves in an impossible situation that should serve to encourage us all.
“Take up your
positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you.” - 2 Chronicles 20:17.
There is too much at risk for any of us to
step back, lie down, or quit. Yes, you might mess up.
We all do, you know, but what separates those
who falter and fail from those who experience victory is their ability to get
back up.
There are so many battles that are won by
simply outlasting the enemy.
We will all get knocked down. You can’t stop
that, but it is up to you whether you get back up.
Determine to persevere in faith — even when
you don't feel strong.
Your feelings will limit you because you
don't actually know what you are capable of until you show yourself.
When did we start imagining there could be a
victory without a battle?
Is there a battle that you keep drawing back
from? Is there spiritual ground that you have backed off of?
God is calling you back into position. He who
promised you is faithful.
God is strong and He wants you strong. He
will reveal His strength to you so He can reveal His strength through you.
The Lord fights for us.
Sometimes the victory comes when we just keep
showing up.
We win as we keep loving, keep giving, keep
serving, and keep learning.
Other battles are won in song. When we sing
the Word of God, we are singing the sword of the Spirit.
When we pray His promises, we can have
confidence that we are heard.
Other battles are won in silence and
surrender to Him.
We are so confident that God is good — and
does good — that we just smile confidently, knowing that He has it.
When we go out in His strength, we can face
anything — discouragement, exhaustion, or outright opposition.
We are told, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for
I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand” - (Isaiah 41:10).
Almighty God, I will stand in Your
faithfulness as You fight for me. I choose determination and perseverance each
and every day, until the battle is won.
I Am Strong, when I stand, confident that the
Lord my God is fighting for me.
Lisa
Bevere
has spent nearly three decades empowering women to find their identity and
purpose. She is a cancer survivor and a New York Times bestselling author. Her
books include Without Rival, Adamant, Lioness Arising, and Girls with Swords.
Lisa and her husband, John, co-founded Messenger International to develop
uncompromising followers of Christ who transform their world. To this end,
Messenger has given away more than 30 million resources in over 100 languages.
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