Music is Like...

Music is like a visit from an old familiar friend;

Reminding me of who I am and of who God is.

Especially when I feel like I am disappearing

Or being swallowed up in my suffering;

Comforting and encouraging me and restoring my soul.

Oh how God uses it to speak and minister to me!!

To breathe life back into me again. Thank you, Jesus!!!

“Whistle while you work”, as the song goes.

“Many hands make light the work”, as the saying goes.

So worship makes light the work and the heart;

sometimes, it will even make you dance around

the kitchen as you’re doing dishes, or energize you

to be able to do it.

It can lift a burden, ease a sorrow…

change a bad mood or attitude;

comfort you when you’re feeling discouraged,

and renew hope and faith drawing you closer to Him

all while you are working.

It’s also a great way to make the jobs you have to do

much more awesome and fun and bring Him honor.

Happy is the home that is filled with songs of worship

and what a privilege to be able to pass that on to those

around us and especially to our kids (or grand-kids).

Do you like to dance when you worship?

I absolutely do !!! Especially while in the kitchen

working~ 😂😂😂 

Sometimes the missing element is praise, like trying to make a cake without

a specific ingredient, so often worship is the one element needed to turn your

heart or day around …

lift your cares, fill your soul and make your spirit soar on Heavenly wings

straight into His presence and throne room, in such a way that all you see

is His beauty and all you need is Him.

It is to be set free. It is to give a voice to your spirit to speak

out its deepest longings and sweetest adorations.

To draw nearer and closer while at the same time

being held tighter and tighter in His divine embrace.

To know comfort, peace and rest when all else has failed

to provide it and nothing else soothe or quite you.

It is to give wings to your gratitude, flight to thanksgiving,

joy to your love to Him that it may soar and sail upward to Him

giving Him exceeding glory and great honor and please His heart

from ours to His and His alone. In a moment, in a way unlike any other.

The Psalms are filled with all kinds of beautiful songs, types, and occasions.

Songs of victory, praise and deliverance. David shared so many from his

heart to us, showing us how to praise God in all different circumstances.

Long before Elvis …

Paul and Silas sang the first original “Jailhouse Rock”.

Bringing the house down;

The doors flew open,

and the soldiers were afraid.

God’s power is a mighty force,

present in our praises.

Like when the walls of Jericho fell.

Or when the people sang praises with Jehoshaphat.

We see many places in scripture where the worshipers went hand

in hand together with the soldiers into battle winning the victory.

How true I have found this to be in my own life too.

I like to have what I call a “Spiritual Retreat” where I go off by myself

to a special private place that is closed off from everything else.

I put a small blanket down, then like having an invisible circle around me,

I kneel down and invite God to come and meet with me while I will sing,

pray, or cry out to Him freely expressing everything that’s in my heart to Him.

I even have a special playlist; I cannot listen to it without it making me want

to fall down and worship, with my face bent toward the ground, or my hands

lifted high up to him.

Sometimes weeping, sometimes filled with joy or laughter,

I am free to just be or do whatever while I am in His presence.

I vividly remember how during one spiritual retreat, the Lord broke

the chains of darkness and depression that had engulfed me,

when nothing else worked or would budge it.

It was so wonderfully amazing, immediate,

and unlike anything I have experienced.

It brought me so much comfort and peace -

just knowing that God was still able to reach me,

and pull me back out. Even from the deepest

depths of darkness and strongholds.

The chains melted away like hot butter.

I could say like the Psalmist did:

“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction,

out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock

making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.”

 (Psalm 40:1–3)

The Lord has been teaching me ( for a while now) about

how whatever we focus on, is what will become greater.

Praise and worship magnifies the Lord;

Who is the One greater than all else.

Setting our minds and hearts upon Him,

reminds us of that, when our problems

seem larger than life to us.

“The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

(Romans 8:6b)

Sometimes this means making the hard choices;

- The difficult job/ task of reigning in our thoughts,

and emotions; “taking every thought captive,

and bringing it into the submission of Christ.”

How often my flesh wants to balk at doing this!

The enemy of our souls loves to join in with the

internal war going on in our souls, “prowling about

like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”

Praise the Lord, he is no match for God!!!

And we are not defenseless nor powerless.

No, not by any means.

Zechariah 4:6 reminds us of this wonderful nugget

of truth that we can store up in our hearts today,

that it is:

“Not by might nor by power,

but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

It’s amazing to think about how we each have the dynamite

power of the Holy Spirit living within us - the same power

that raised Christ from the dead!

We’re not talking about some kind of weak

Or worldly, pull yourself up by your own power

or strength kind of power.

No we’re talking resurrection power!!

I want to take a minute to just let that

sink in and be absorbed.

It’s so vital that we stay connected

to the true source of help for our

hearts, mind and souls.

We really need to be intentional about

staying armored up, and filled up with

the word of God and power from the

Holy Spirit - who’s strength is made perfect

In our weakness and who comforts us,

leading us into all truth.

And remember to not trust our own hearts

or minds, when they want to lead us astray.

- We need the mind of Christ.

What are some things you are doing today

to help fortify, build up and strengthen the

inner person within you?

How has praise and worship helped you?

Is there an area you would like prayer for today?

Please let me know …

Side by side we are in this together. ❤️

Maybe today is the day to have your own spiritual retreat …

“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118:24)

I love the wonderful advice of this

dearly beloved seasoned saint:

“Be sure you remain covered with a canopy of praise.

It is like a tent over and around you. Satan has no

entrance as long as you pin down the sides by praising,

and thank God for His wonderful promises.”

-Corrie Ten Boom