Devotionals for the Heart: Why worshipping God means warfare

Worship is Warfare
A devotional by Patricia Russell

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”—2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)

Did the title of my devotional today catch you off guard?

Contrary to popular belief, worship is more than swaying and singing to a soft, melodic song with hands raised and eyes closed. Sometimes worship is war. War in the heavenlies, that is.

Since the Garden of Eden (humankind’s first home on Earth), we have been on constant alert because of a real enemy known as Satan or “the devil”. Our enemy has continued to barrage us on every aspect of life and attack us from all angles because is committed to steal, kill and destroy anyone and anything that remotely reflects the image of God (John 10:10). He wanted to usurp God’s authority in Heaven. Therefore, God removed Satan from his position as chief worship leader and permanently evicted him from Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). However, the devil remains determined to deceive and tempt humankind to follow his footsteps which can be summed up in one word: rebellion. This is the war that started before mankind was even created. According to Dictionary.com, war is defined as, “active hostility or contention”. Another definition is “a struggle to achieve a goal”. The devil knows he will never fully succeed as long as followers of Jesus Christ continue to serve the true King wholeheartedly.

All things considered, when we as believers in God gather together to give honor to Jesus our King—whether by worshipping Him in song, reading His Word (The Holy Bible) together, or listening to the Word of God being preached—oftentimes a war begins because the enemy wants to poke his head in to disrupt. Satan wants to be worshipped instead of God. He may send distractions in our minds. Sometimes he’ll drop accusations in our mind to make us feel we are not worthy to be in the Lord’s presence because of things we may have said or done. Yet when we sing songs of worship to God or recite scriptures, he leaves us alone with God.

There are times we read scripture but what we see in the natural is the complete opposite and we struggle. Do we believe what God said or what our eyes see? Our spirits are in fight when we are tempted to doubt what we’ve read in the Bible. Oftentimes we are dealing with circumstances in life and feel discouraged because things are not moving in the direction in which we wish they were moving. We want to trust God and worship Him, but we’re feeling conflicted because of our life circumstances. 

It’s during these times that we must push through the turmoil of mixed feelings so we can receive the strength that only the One who is stronger than us can give. God has given us His Word (The Holy Bible) to read, study and learn how to deal with these enemy tactics that cause our soul to feel weary. It’s in these times we can sing melodies with scripture reminding ourselves that “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). It’s in these moments where we must declare the Bible states, we ought to “be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT).

Since God’s will is for us to give thanks in all things, it would appear to be a holy worship skill that we must learn to overcome the darts of weariness and worry that will come with hard times. It can be a struggle, but we can be victorious with Jesus Christ on our side! When we are tempted to compromise our belief in what God says, we need to “be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7 NLT). When we obey God’s commands then our obedience helps us to be successful in overcoming every obstacle.

Physical war in the natural is difficult and intense. However, when wage war in worshipping our Savior (Jesus Christ), we can overcome fear, disappointment, discouragement, depression and unhappiness as we press through in praise, worshipping the One who has risen from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father (God) praying and interceding on our behalf. In Christ, we always win!

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for reminding me that although spiritual warfare is real, I can overcome it by my testimony and the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank You that your Word tells me that the weapons I fight with are spiritual. Thank You for reminding me that you have provided your Word as a weapon against the enemy’s lies. I can overcome because You already won the war for me. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Waging War” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Victory” by Yolanda Adams. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Worship Through It” by Tasha Layton. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Patricia is a worship leader, songwriter, speaker and compiler of her 2020 best-seller anthology Stronger Resilience: Stories to Empower the Mind, Body and Spirit, as well as Lord I Trust You: Words of Encouragement to encourage readers and share life lessons during her cancer journey. 

Patricia writes, speaks, and teaches on the power of God’s Word to heal and empower you to become all that you are purposed for. She has traveled internationally and shared her gifts with audiences to encourage, empower and share life lessons through word and song. Patricia has sung on national television broadcasts and shared the stage with several respected speakers including Anne Graham Lotz and Rev. E.V. Hill.

Her greatest joy is being married to her husband, Wayne, for 34 years. Together they serve the community through their local congregation as well as providing premarital and marriage coaching. They have two adult children, Raquel and Benjamin. As a two-time breast cancer overcomer, Patricia coaches’ others to develop resilience and live life to their fullest.

Patricia has released two gospel music recordings: “Draw Me Nearer” and “Lord, I Trust You”. In March 2022, she launched her podcast “Becoming Resilient” which can be downloaded wherever you get your podcasts and also seen on YouTube.

When not reading or studying, Patricia loves to eat Thai food and spend time with “Lucy” – her daughter’s Yorkie-poo who has taken up room in her heart.

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Connect with Patricia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrussellsings/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.russell.98877/
Email Patricia: patrussellsings@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Miracles can happen when you praise God

Power in Praise
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

—Psalm 150:6 (ESV)

In my early 20s, I didn’t fully comprehend the power of praise until I was in desperate need of God’s divine intervention on my behalf.

I was a new drama teacher on a three-year provisional teaching license, since I had been unable to pass the math section of The Praxis, the state teacher’s exam. Math and I have a love-hate relationship. I avoid it at all costs. Yet, I had been forced to take the math section three times because each time I missed the passing score by one point.

When I discovered the state had gone to a composite scoring system (combining scores for writing, reading, and math), I was elated. This meant I could take the reading section again and, by increasing my points, I could offset the math deficiency. I needed to score three points above my previous reading score to make it work.

For months, I studied the guides to The Praxis reading test. The night before the test, I knew I had done all I could do to be ready. One study guide even said not to study anything more the night before because the likelihood of absorbing anything new was low. So, I tried to relax, but my mind raced with worry. What if I didn’t get the extra points I need? I had run out of time to take the test again. This was my last shot.

Everything I tried to use as a distraction didn’t work. So, I opened my Bible and prayed. I went to the Book of Psalm and I found comfort in Psalm 18:6 (ESV), “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.”

Psalm 18 is King David’s address to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies. As I meditated on the Psalm, it hit me:

Whenever David had a problem, he prayed, worshipped, and then, he praised God. He praised God in every circumstance. In the highs, the lows, the sufferings, and yes, even the pain. He is our example of a true worshipper with a heart after God. So, I followed his example. I put on my praise and worship music and for several hours I sang, danced, wept, and praised my God.

The next morning I rose, refreshed and renewed, and took my final reading test. The rest was up to God. Weeks later, I got a notification that my scores were ready. During my lunch break I made the call. When I heard the score I couldn’t believe my ears. I had passed! Not with just three extra points, but seven above that!

Seven is God’s number of completion. I felt in my spirit that not only did He give me what I needed, but because I had taken the time to praise him despite the outcome, he honored his word in Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV), that says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Don’t miss the most important part of those verses! He is able to do according to the power at work within us. What ignites His power within us is praise.

No matter what your situation, there is power to face it, endure it, overcome it, and change it through your praise. I guarantee it! I encourage you to take the leap of faith forward with praise. Praise Him through your tears, heartache, stress, or sorrow. As David declared in Psalm 150:6 (ESV), “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

Praise is power. And God’s power will overcome for you! Praise the Lord!

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for working on my behalf as I seek You in my need. I praise You with all that I have and all that I am. I praise You on the mountain and in the valley because You are worthy of all praise in every circumstance. There is no one like You, God. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.”

If you’re not sure how to praise, the song below is an excellent place to start.

Song of Reflection: “Psalm 150” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer currently residing in Northern Virginia. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is a member of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program, ACFW, ACFW Virginia Chapter (Treasurer), The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint. 

Mirachelle is passionate about awakening creativity and the gifts of God in everyone. Her first historical fiction novel is set during WWII, inspired by her time studying theatre education in London, England. She loves horses, cats, dogs, and all things peppermint!

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Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirachellecanada/
Email: mirachelle@mirachellecanada.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Why God loves to hear you sing to Him!

Sing Your Song
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” – Psalm 100:1-2 (ESV)

Sing! Sing a song to God.

The call for people to sing in public induces anxiety in most people because of the world’s standards. Some claim tone deafness, some claim fear of being shy or not wanting to stand out. I have a family member who won’t sing at all because when she was young someone told her that she didn’t have a voice worth the sound of song. Such a lie broke my heart for her. Someone had stolen her authentic praise and worship voice from her.

I love to sing, but I wasn’t always good at it. I’ve been singing since I was a child because my mother loves to sing. For me it took a lot of practice and finally pushing beyond criticism to believe in my own voice. The voice God had given me. It’s not going to resound from a Broadway stage or win America’s Got Talent. No. It does something bigger and better than that. The sound of it brings glory and honor to God.

Each of us has a unique voice that is God-given and meant to praise and exalt him. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it is commanded to be offered up to him. No, you don’t have to sing aloud in church. Yes, God knows the song of your heart, but he also doesn’t want anything to hinder your outward expression of song. Your song is a love song back to him. It is powerful and can transform the atmosphere around you.

The Psalms of David in the Bible show us the need and freedom to praise and worship God with song in every season of our lives. During the good, the bad, and even the ugliest moments. Why? Because God delights in your praise and worship. Your song opens the heavens and chases away the darkness. Songs create miracles. Songs change lives.

In Exodus 15:1-2 ESV, after God delivered Moses and the people of Israel from Egypt, they sang a song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Has God been victorious in your life? Have you experience his goodness, faithfulness, and blessings? Just for the air you breathe, there should be a resounding yes! Take that breath and make a joyful noise to your God today. Cast away any fear and go for it! Your song is worthy. Your song is beautiful. Your song is a delight to the Father, who loves you beyond measure.

God promises that your sound will not return void. He will receive your praise, and all of Heaven will rejoice with you. It’s what we were made for—to sing and shout unto the Lord. And if you can’t think of anything to sing, just open the bible to Psalm and pick one. Then let go and sing and dance like David! God is waiting to hear your song.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank You for my unique singing voice that You created in me to praise and worship You. Bless my song as I open my mouth and offer You my sounds of thanksgiving. Give me the courage to sing for You despite my circumstances. Help me to praise You in every season. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Goodness of God” Live with Jenn Johnson (Bethel Music). Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia, where she teaches television production at her high school alma mater. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is an alumnus of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program.

Mirachelle is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, American Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII.

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Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

Devotionals for the Heart: The Fear of the Lord and Intimacy with God

The Fear of the Lord
A devotional by Nanci Rubin

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” –Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)

When I was baptized as a child, at the age of eight, church was a very different experience from today’s services.

We were assembled in a one-room country church with no air conditioning and we used the cardboard funeral parlor hand fans. Yes, when you see this depicted in a movie, we actually did use them. All the windows were opened, birds chirped and there was always anticipation for the Word of God from the pastor. Dinner on the grounds was the end to a perfect Sunday. We’d go home, take a nap and get ready to come back for the evening service.

Children remained with their parents for the sermon in church and we didn’t move about or talk. We were taught the fear of the Lord. And, it had nothing to do with physical or emotional fright as one would feel when threatened by an adversary. It was respect. God was revered.

We had respect for God, His house and everyone in the ministry. As a matter of fact, our generation was taught respect for all authority and we as children were taught to pray for our teachers, our family and our country. I am saddened that this concept has been abandoned along with the fear of the Lord. This is my perception and I am expressing what I see through my eyes. We need a little more conviction and a little less condemnation.

I’m not judging anyone’s heart when it comes to their faith in God, but according to the Bible, God made some very distinct rules governing His house and those He destined – pastors, teachers, prophets, evangelists and apostles – to perfect the saints and to do the work of the ministry. There were and still are qualifications regarding those in authority ministering God’s Word. It appears that in this 21st century, many things have become obsolete. Rules are ignored or bent to fit the need or the direction that man has destined for the church.

According to 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV), “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The church is not a building. We, the believers, are the church. But what are we bringing each time we gather? Would an unbeliever even feel they were in church?

Several years ago, John Bevere wrote a book, The Fear of the Lord: Discover the Key to Intimately Knowing God. In his book, he wrote, “Do you think the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is going to come into a place where He is not given due honor and reverence?”

I think that this is a question we probably should consider today. We have become so familiar with God perhaps even taking Him for granted. Do we truly welcome Him into our churches? Or, have our services become rote? The Bible says in Leviticus 10:3 (NASB), “Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.’” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”

I have pastor friends who long for a mighty move of the Spirit of God and can’t understand why miracles aren’t happening in their churches. They do not see the casual behavior of their parishioners, the eating and drinking in church, cell phones in use and all manner of distractions. This is not the atmosphere for the miraculous. We have become de-sensitized to the things of God. We live in a highly technology-driven world and we are inundated with all manner of distraction.

We need to return to a true fear of the Lord. When we enter into God’s house (our church buildings), let’s do so with thanksgiving and let us dwell upon Him. Worship Him and give Him all the Praise.

I have been blessed to had experienced powerful moves of God and it had little to do with the size of the meeting. It had everything to do with those gathered being in one accord. We were not asking Father God for anything, but with hearts of worship we fell at His feet. In that atmosphere miracles occur. This, I believe, is what occurred in the Upper Room with the disciples.

If we as believers would humble ourselves and seek God’s heart, not only would our churches be more like the New Testament church, but our world would be a better place in which to live.

Let’s Pray: Father God, let us not forget how great You are. Let us enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. Return us to the former things and set aside anything that distracts us from You. In Jesus’s Holy Name we pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci is a poet and short story writer published in Cypress News, Family Times E-Zine, Free Verse and the Commonwealth of Poetry. 

She belongs to RWA, ACFW, and Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild where she’s enrolled in his novel writing program.

Nanci lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and cats, Romeo and Juliette, along with their newest member of the family, Roni who is a seven-month-old Goldendoodle.

Recently, Nanci completed her debut novel, A Betrayal in Cross Keys. It is an Amish romance that she has placed in her agent's capable hands. The rest is up to God.

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Glorious Love for Humankind

Safe in the glorious, perfect love of God
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

—Genesis 3:9 (CEB)

There is something about early morning that connects me in the deep, beautiful love I share with God.

A hush still envelops the world, and I hear only the birds twittering in the trees and the squirrels scavenging furiously for nuts, perhaps a few cars in the distance, but not enough to disturb. My house is quiet—the kids are drowsing in their beds. My husband is snoozing peacefully. Even my cat isn’t quite ready to move.

There’s a special magic in the air, and my heart and soul are still in dreamland, even if my body is in motion. I drink a glass of water and look out the window, marveling at creation and steeped in gratitude for all God has given us—given me. 

I brew coffee and think about the day, carrying God along for every step. He’s right there with me, and it feels so natural and right. We are close, still, before the day and its distractions threaten to drive a wedge between us, a wedge I’ll try to fight all day. But this early, there are no distractions yet. It’s just me and God, as it should be. As He intended.

We talk together in prayer, and I sit and read His Word, bathing in His presence. Thank you, God, is my refrain, sometimes spoken and sometimes thought. You, Lord, are everything.

Once in a while, I have a little extra time to go for a walk, and I lace up my sneakers and stride down the road to the lake and back again, a good two-mile loop before the heat of the day makes exercise unbearable. My connection stays with God all this time—I feel Him in every step, every breath, every beam of sunlight.

Sometimes it doesn’t happen like this. I oversleep, or I have so many things on my mind I crowd out such special time with my Creator. I read the Word, but my own thoughts and plans creep in, or my prayers feel rushed. The connection, on my end, is slippery. I have to work throughout the day to rein it in and stay close.

But I’ve learned over the years that this connection is critical to my love relationship with God. That’s “our time,” whether it comes in the early morning solitude or when I allow myself to fully relax and just be. And I strive as I grow in faith for “our time” to be “all the time,” with every breath and every thought.

I imagine that’s how it was in the first days, when God created Adam and Eve and they all lived in perfect harmony together (Genesis 2:4-25). They spoke together. They shared, loved, laughed, and talked. But then came the fall, when Adam and Eve broke God’s rule and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and their relationship was forever changed. They were driven from the garden. Their sin had become an eternal wedge, only mended through God’s grace in the form of His son, Jesus.

I like to think of my morning time as if I’m back in the garden with the Lord, sharing creation in pure accord as He’d intended. And I think of the distractions of my day, the things I put before God (even though I don’t mean to!), as that wedge—the forbidden fruit I must avoid. I know I’m not in the garden, of course. I know only through Jesus can I fully connect with God.

Still, I read these lines in the Bible, and they resonate profoundly: “The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9 CEB).

Throughout my busy day, I hear God asking, “Where are you?” The question brings me back, and I remember exactly where I am: safe in the glorious, perfect love of God.

~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.