I have noticed something about the church. There are times when we ask people to speak about what God is doing in their lives yet much of the time what we get in return is either a blank stare or a historical record. Each of these actions concern me. It concerns me that some believers either don't know what God is doing in their lives or do not know enough to give him the credit for what has been done. The contrast is the believer who wants to tell the story of a historical event, something God certainly did, but something buried in the past.
God is working still today!
We need to praise God for His intervention into our daily lives.
Remember this is the 'eternal life' we experience until we go to heaven.
God gets involved!
He is helping us daily live and thrive in a world that is decaying and lost.
How should we speak of it? I believe we can be guided by a phrase that appears only about 3x in the Bible. Isaiah 12:2 states, "...the Lord is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation."
Lets break down the words:
Strength - that essence which allows you to accomplish your purpose
Song - that part of you which rejoices in what your strength can accomplish
Salvation - that understanding that you are limited in what you can do, and need a God intervention.
What the writer is communicating to us is that we are incomplete without God. He is the strength by which we succeed in doing what we can do. He is to get the credit for His power given to us to accomplish anything. He also goes beyond what we can do to cause supernatural miracles to occur both in our lives and through our actions. To sum this up I quote the chorus writer, "He is my everything, He is my all..."
So then why are we so quiet in our testifying? Let me propose to you that it is because we have missed the understanding behind strength, song and salvation. We have taken the credit for what things God has done because we have failed to attribute that He is working in every decision we make. It's time we reverse the trend, if not for the sake of properly worshipping God, for the sake of those in the world who have seen Christians behave no differently that they do.
Except we go to church... ... ... ...
Let's consider how we can properly testify:
1. Quit existing and live: If you truly want to possess what David spoke of when he prayed for God to restore the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51), start giving God the glory in everything. When the kids get off to school - praise God. When you get a paycheck - praise God. When the car payment goes out - praise God.
When there are more bills than money at the end of the month - praise God.
1 Thes 5:18, "18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I challenge you, if you want to change your perspective on life, find ways to acknowledge God in the good and the bad. The more you see Him show up and become your salvation, the more exciting and fulfilling your walk with Him will be. You will move from religion to relationship. You will move from existence to living.
2. Sing before the Lord: Singing unleashes joy. It is as if it is a key to unlock joys vault in your life. It is especially powerful when the joy which is liberated is the joy of the Lord. That joy is not simply momentary, but gives you the power to look at heaven in the midst of the worst possible circumstances and proclaim, "My soul is satisfied."
To say God is my song, is to say 2 things. A. God is the reason for my joy and B. I will proclaim it to anyone within earshot. This is not so novel, for every hymn writer or modern chorus writer has done exactly this. Yet this can be everyones gift; not that you can put words to music, but that you can put words into the air, words people can hear and identify with.
Words which can inspire and encourage, because if the Lord has done this for you, I have hope that He can do it for me as well. So make a commitment to sing, even without music. May your words be your song and may you proclaim them even for an audience of only One.
3. Reflect on his salvation: I call this the spiritual discipline of adoration. This discipline focuses you on the long history you have had in God. As you look back you will undoubtably notice that there has been events where God showed up that would have ended very differently had He not.
I tell my church that if He showed up that way before, He is not going to drop you on your head now.
So bring your crisis to Him, and proclaim your position, "You are an overcomer in Jesus name!" Start from that statement - and you'll see God's hands in the hardest times like never before.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
So live every day testifying.
God is working still today!
We need to praise God for His intervention into our daily lives.
Remember this is the 'eternal life' we experience until we go to heaven.
God gets involved!
He is helping us daily live and thrive in a world that is decaying and lost.
How should we speak of it? I believe we can be guided by a phrase that appears only about 3x in the Bible. Isaiah 12:2 states, "...the Lord is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation."
Lets break down the words:
Strength - that essence which allows you to accomplish your purpose
Song - that part of you which rejoices in what your strength can accomplish
Salvation - that understanding that you are limited in what you can do, and need a God intervention.
What the writer is communicating to us is that we are incomplete without God. He is the strength by which we succeed in doing what we can do. He is to get the credit for His power given to us to accomplish anything. He also goes beyond what we can do to cause supernatural miracles to occur both in our lives and through our actions. To sum this up I quote the chorus writer, "He is my everything, He is my all..."
So then why are we so quiet in our testifying? Let me propose to you that it is because we have missed the understanding behind strength, song and salvation. We have taken the credit for what things God has done because we have failed to attribute that He is working in every decision we make. It's time we reverse the trend, if not for the sake of properly worshipping God, for the sake of those in the world who have seen Christians behave no differently that they do.
Except we go to church... ... ... ...
Let's consider how we can properly testify:
1. Quit existing and live: If you truly want to possess what David spoke of when he prayed for God to restore the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51), start giving God the glory in everything. When the kids get off to school - praise God. When you get a paycheck - praise God. When the car payment goes out - praise God.
When there are more bills than money at the end of the month - praise God.
1 Thes 5:18, "18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
I challenge you, if you want to change your perspective on life, find ways to acknowledge God in the good and the bad. The more you see Him show up and become your salvation, the more exciting and fulfilling your walk with Him will be. You will move from religion to relationship. You will move from existence to living.
2. Sing before the Lord: Singing unleashes joy. It is as if it is a key to unlock joys vault in your life. It is especially powerful when the joy which is liberated is the joy of the Lord. That joy is not simply momentary, but gives you the power to look at heaven in the midst of the worst possible circumstances and proclaim, "My soul is satisfied."
To say God is my song, is to say 2 things. A. God is the reason for my joy and B. I will proclaim it to anyone within earshot. This is not so novel, for every hymn writer or modern chorus writer has done exactly this. Yet this can be everyones gift; not that you can put words to music, but that you can put words into the air, words people can hear and identify with.
Words which can inspire and encourage, because if the Lord has done this for you, I have hope that He can do it for me as well. So make a commitment to sing, even without music. May your words be your song and may you proclaim them even for an audience of only One.
3. Reflect on his salvation: I call this the spiritual discipline of adoration. This discipline focuses you on the long history you have had in God. As you look back you will undoubtably notice that there has been events where God showed up that would have ended very differently had He not.
I tell my church that if He showed up that way before, He is not going to drop you on your head now.
So bring your crisis to Him, and proclaim your position, "You are an overcomer in Jesus name!" Start from that statement - and you'll see God's hands in the hardest times like never before.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
So live every day testifying.
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