:: To Worship Him ::

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Bloged in Worship Music by DeNelle Stotser Tuesday October 30, 2007
 
 
   “Don’t be afraid…..I am with you.”  (Isaiah 41:10)
 
   It is sad to think of the many talents, abilities and ministries that will or never have come to fruition because of fear.  Fear of stepping out in the unknown is frightening but necessary to accomplish anything in this life.  Someone said that ‘it is easy to walk across a plank that’s on the ground, but raise it a little and it becomes harder.’  Imagine that plank 30 feet up, without a safety net under it.  To walk across that would be stupidity unless it was a matter of survival.  I’m not real comfortable way up there.  The Eiffel Tower did nothing for me but a relief when we finally came down to ground level.  I handle heights better now than I did years ago, for some reason.  Maybe it has to do with my faith.  The Lord said, “Be not afraid.”  Maybe I am learning to take Him at His word.  I want to anyway.
 
   I think accepting fear as part of our journey in this life, instead of running from it, helps us conquer that little word ‘fear’.  There are many kinds: fear of imperfection, fear of people, fear of loss, fear of  heights, fear of danger, sickness, and calamity.  The list goes on and on.  To blossom and effectively flow in the anointing and giftings of the Lord, we must learn to put ourselves in His hands and leave us there!  We cannot ever be people pleasers.  They demand too much, but we can certainly please the One who we should have first on our list.  As we look back at our life and what we have already overcome, we can learn and realize that the times that we have failed, we have grown from it.  There is not any plank high or low that we can’t walk with expertise when we know and rely on the One that is with us.  With Him we can walk that plank with confidence, ease and yes, even enjoyment!  
 
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WHEN TO TALK, WHEN TO LISTEN, WHEN TO BE QUIET

Bloged in Worship Music by DeNelle Stotser Monday October 29, 2007
 
 
                               “The wise listen to others.”  Proverbs 12:15
 
   Someone said that we are now living in the era of ‘the talking head.’  With reality TV-24 hour news programs and talk radio, we are saturated with talking.  We are exhorted by Solomon to not talk so much, but be sensible and turn off the flow. (Proverbs 10:19)  When we have nothing really to say, why do we think that we have to fill the void?  Some people keep the TV on just to have noise filling the vacant space.  There are some people that hardly catch their breath before they ramble on and on.  When listening to endless talking, we soon learn to turn them off and barely remember what we did hear.  We also learn to avoid being around them.  Of course there are reasons that people do talk so much and we need to be understanding and factor in all the reasons.  Solomon tells us that the person of few words is wise.  I suppose when in doubt, if we can’t improve on silence, then we need to be quiet!
 
   Learning to listen actively and constructively is as important as learning to speak.  I heard a sermon last week where the pastor told of being on an airplane.  He was seated with a man of ’so-called’ importance.  The man consumed almost the entire flight time talking about himself.  Finally, he turned to the pastor and said, “Now that I’ve given you news about myself, I would like to know what you think of me.”  Well, really!  Can you imagine?  We must remember that a gossip talks about others, a bore talks about himself, but a wise man talks to you, about you–then listens to what you have to say.  When we are good listeners not only will people seek us out, but we will grow wiser and win friends too.  The trick is to learn when to talk, when to listen and when to be quiet.
 
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OBEDIENCE IS ALL THINGS

Bloged in Worship Music by DeNelle Stotser Friday October 26, 2007
 
   “But I will answer your question:  You know God’s commands: ‘You must not do the sin of adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal anything, you must not tell lies about other people, you must honor and respect your father and mother…”‘  But the leader said, ” I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy!”  Luke 18: 20-21
 
   I don’t know the ruler or leader that this passage is referring to, but I do wonder if his comment about obeying all of those commands were arrogance or untruthful.  Or maybe both.  Most of us could testify that we have never murdered anyone in the physical, or committed adultery, or even stolen something that didn’t belong to us, but there are very, very few who could testify that we have never stretched the truth, or been respectful and always obedient to our parents.  I”m convinced that all of us have walked a fine line on many occasions.  There will always be weak moments when we could have left less clutter, amen? 
 
   In this passage Jesus does His usual counseling.  He helps this young man confront the real issue in his life by answering his question, even though this man may have tried to trap Jesus.  Jesus always penetrates to the heart in an issue.  We must always see that our righteousness is based on Jesus’ perfect gift and not our perfect obedience.  And, we are in need of forgiveness for our moments of self-righteousness.   In ‘Our Daily Bread’ I read this on obedience.
  • Every conscientious parent recognizes how difficult it is to exercise his God-given authority over his children.  The delicate balance of being tough yet tender is not easy to maintain.  Many parents intensify a rebellious spirit by being dictatorial and harsh.  Others yield when their authority is tested.  When a strong-willed child resists, the pressure to give in for the sake of peace and harmony can become overpowering.  I am reminded of the mother who wanted to have the last word but couldn’t handle the hassle that resulted whenever she said ‘no’ to her young son.  After an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands and shouted, “All right, Billy, do whatever you want!  Now let me see you disobey THAT!”

   “Father, we need your perfect power this day to help us conform more perfectly to the person that you want us to be.  Help us truly walk in your redemption and now ours today, obeying Your every word.”

 
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FOUNTAIN OF LIFE

Bloged in Worship Music by DeNelle Stotser Thursday October 25, 2007
 
 
      “With You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”  (Psalm 36:9)
 
   When we look back on our past life and all of its experiences, we can realize how often our decisions may have seemed right but turned out less than we desired or planned.  Every day we face many forks in the road.  What direction do we take?  Some arrows point us in its direction, while others beckon us in their direction.  Which is the correct one?  How do we know what to choose?
 
   David realized that some of his decisions were wise, but some were foolish.  He discovered a simple principle:  With God there is a ‘fountain of life.’  David learned that God was the Source.  Although God’s ways didn’t always make sense to the human mind, David knew he had to dig down deep in order to receive from this divine fountain of wisdom.
 
   David also learned to recognize the importance of God’s Light to illumine his path and warn about dangers ahead and people to be avoided.  David also need this Light to probe his thoughts and intentions of his heart.  If he wanted to ’see light,’ he had to come to God, for “in Your light we see light.”  He had to commit his decisions to the Lord by seeking Him and listening to Him.  David had to be immersed in God’s Word and submit his thoughts and emotions to the searchlight of His Spirit.
 
   Today, these same principles are true for us.  If we want God’s help in making the right decisions, we must come to Him as ‘the fountain of life.’  We must seek His Light so we can ’see light.’  David made mistakes when he didn’t heed his own advice.  He would tell us to never forget to seek God’s Light; to dig deeply into the Lord’s ‘fountain of life.’  Nothing is too simple to bring to God’s attention.  We must dedicate ourselves to bringing the Light of the Gospel into all our affairs and decision making. 
 
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GRACE + WISDOM

Bloged in Worship Music by DeNelle Stotser Thursday October 18, 2007
 
     ”If a relationship with God could come by rule-keeping…Christ died unnecessarily.”  (Galatians 2:21)
 
   Isn’t it amazing how human beings continually go to great lengths to be more daring, more outrageous and more absurd?  As Christians, we share in ‘pushing the envelope’ as well.  The Word gives us specific guidelines as to behavior, but we so often walk the edge.  We try seeing how far we can go before we are reeled in by the Spirit of God.
 
   The Word teaches that grace doesn’t give anyone a license to live as they please.  Neither can one afford to be judgmental that others live by our standards.  This causes havoc and damage.  Someone wrote that “Legalism spreads a paralyzing venom..blinds our eyes, dulls our edge and arouses pride in our heart…Love is overshadowed by a mental clipboard with a long checklist…requiring others to measure up…Soon friendship is fractured by a judgmental attitude and a critical look.”  Well said!
 
   There should not be a Christian on this earth who can afford to be smug and self-righteous.  When we meet others who do not think, act or dress the way we do, we truly walk in love when we do not react in any way.  We should hardly even notice that they are different.  I heard someone say that even though we don’t say anything, or appear to be sophisticated enough to disguise our real feelings, they come out anyway in our stony stare and our holier-than-thou attitude.  Luke 6:37 says that we should “Never criticise…or it will all come back on you.”  As the saying goes, “Blowing another person’s light out won’t make ours shine brighter”. 
 
   What are we to do?  Galatians 6:1 say “If someone is getting off track or deliberately sinning, or overcome by some sin, humbly help that person back onto the right path being careful not to fall into the same temptation ourself.”  When we judge others we are in danger of nullifying the grace we may need ourselves before the day is over.  Wisdom 101.
 
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