GOD IS REBRANDING THE CHURCH!

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    A NEW DAY IN THE MAKING

Early this spring in one of my favorite coffee shops, I sat across the table from a young woman whom I highly value. I looked her right in the eye and I said, “Michelle, I am in a transition and trying to find who I am in this new day.“

Michelle immediately answered by saying, “I know who you are and it is time for you to leave a legacy.” With confidence and boldness, she stated, “Please leave this generation something you have. We need you.” I was stunned by her conviction because it was with such passion. I will never forget that moment. She then responded with the words I needed to hear: “I will help you.” Let’s rebrand YOU for the generations to come. Let’s leave a legacy.” I believe this really is a word for every person reading these words today. I want to challenge you to leave something to your children and your children’s children that will leave a mark on many generations to come for the Kingdom of God. Let’s all do it together!

It has been nearly 6 months since we began this journey. You can visit my new website in order to see some of the progress. Michelle, a young woman with her own dreams, has been a gift from God to me in this season.

During prayer this morning, I heard the Lord capitalize on the word REBRAND!

I believe that we are entering into a new day of transforming how we think, what we confess and what we declare. It is a rebranding of who we are not only individually but as the church. First of all, we have bought into the world’s way of thinking in so many ways that even the Word of God has gotten twisted and diluted with the voices surrounding media, movies and TV. The more we have listened and agreed with the world’s thinking, the more we have gotten away from the rich truth of God’s word and this mixture has polluted much of our thought process. God wants this new day to be filled with mature discernment and wisdom.  In other words, we must think and speak as the scriptures teach us. “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil 4:8 (KJB) Also, it is important to meditate on the freshness of the word from Matthew 4:4, “But He replied, it has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”(AMP)

We are not what the world says we are! We are what God says we are! His Word beautifully unfolds our purpose, destiny and of course, the reality of who we are in Christ. Tolerating any reasoning apart from scripture has to change. The Scriptures are our final authority not the voices that scream day after day in our culture. If what is being declared in the open does not line up with God’s word, we do NOT have to receive it or embrace it in our own lives. We are being rebranded by God into something the world cannot stop no matter how hard it tries to change us because we have the fire of God living within us. We have the word of God in our mouth confessing and declaring truth. Only the truth of the scriptures boldly declared, obeyed and lived out can change the culture of our land.

God has been teaching me the importance of speaking and calling those things that are not as though they were. (Romans 4:17) In other words, I am careful how I speak as there is life and death in the power of the tongue. ( Prov. 18:21) I am rethinking my verbal declarations and decrees when I speak. I am rebranding myself with the power of God’s Word. The NEW ME speaks, declares and confesses His Word boldly knowing that what He has said, He will do.   God has promised us so much but if we don’t quit declaring the bad, we curse ourselves. I finally began to learn this lesson when my husband was going through dialysis two years ago this December. I just kept declaring that God was good and that He had the answer ….I trusted Him for the outcome. I would never allow myself to speak anything but God’s word and His truth. I praised and glorified His name as our 39 year-old donor stepped forward and gave his kidney to my husband. That alone was a miracle from God. I trusted that God had the answer no matter what it looked like. But the WORD gave me strength to stand.

God is rebranding the church in how she sees and in what she hears. We will not be shaken. We will not cower and we will not fall back. We are now stepping up into what God has already put in place. We are declaring the seed of Abraham passed on to generations through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The blessings of Abraham through Christ belong to us. We are prosperous in all things because of Christ.

God is calling us to move forward declaring His word in our mouth like a trumpet. WE are moving into fast forward and not in reverse anymore. We are not stagnant as a church but moving forward quickly. There is movement now in the Spirit but we cannot see it or feel it. But we don’t move by feelings. We move by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. It is a new level of understanding of His word and the depth and revelation of it. It is a higher level of declaration where faith is actually attached to it. Whenever we hear declaration, there is a new level of faith connected to it. They will go hand in hand not one without the other – not just words but words with fiery faith attached.

It is time to once again stir up the gifts by the laying on of hands. Stir them up until there are no lumps but only the smooth, creamy flow of the Holy Spirit. It is time to dream again but attached to the dreams are the Words of faith and fire.

We must lock our mind to His Word and the Spirit.  BRAND US IN YOUR IMAGE! Blessings and may our hearts be branded afresh with His glorious word.  Julaine

 

What is Worship Anyway? Part III

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We ended my last blog with Psalm 29:2 which says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

The second point I want to bring to your attention is that God’s word tells us we are to have no other gods and we are to worship only him (Ex. 20:3). WIth an attitude and acknowledgment of His supremacy and Lordship, we worship from a heart expression of love, adoration, and praise to the one and only God.  Our life becomes a conversation with God and then a lifestyle.  God the Father becomes the One we turn to and the One we can trust for all our needs.  He becomes Father and He and His Son Jesus become the object of our worship.  To truly worship, we must be born again.

Jesus Christ must be our Lord and Savior.  Without the Holy Spirit of God imparted at our confession of faith, we will be unable to respond to God because we cannot know or understand Him apart from the Holy Spirit.  The woman in Luke 7:36-38, described as an especially wicked sinner, was so overwhelmed with Jesus and His forgiveness of sin that she began to wet His feet with her tears and as she wiped His feet with her hair, she kissed His feet affectionately and anointed them with her perfume. This account describes worship at its fullest.  Nothing could keep her from entering a home in which she was unwelcome.  She had to get to the feet of Jesus.  We all need this kind of desperation for Him!

I went to church all my young life but never fully grasped the salvation experience.  The Bible stories were moving and fun and impacted my life greatly.  I learned God’s word while in my junior high years in youth group but still there remained a void in my heart that I just could not fill.  Something was missing.  That void lasted until I was twenty-six years old when I realized that I could not live with it any longer.  God heard the cry of my heart and soon the Holy Spirit began His work in me.

I was finally ready.  The Bible says that if you search for Him with all your heart, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  The search was on and God was directing it all the while. He had actually been there all the time but when my heart began to seek for the answer, something opened up inside my heart and I saw what I could not see before.  It was as though I had been blind but now I could truly see.

Baptism in the Jordan River after I had been saved many years.  Although the Jordan River was extremely cold that day, as you can see by my face, it was a moment to remember.

Next time, we will unpack the third reason we worship which is by far the primary one  and that is “Worship is of great importance to God and HE loves it.”  John 14:23 says, Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. (NLV)

In His Love,
Julaine

 

What is Worship Anyway? Part II

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To understand what worship is, I would like to divide the subject of worship into three areas that may help you have a clearer picture of true worship for the Christian – The Head, the Heart and the Hands.

THE HEAD

We must first begin our discussion by defining worship since it can mean different things to many different individuals. Consequently, I will be developing this model from a biblical perspective. The meaning of the New Testament Greek word most often translated as “worship” (proskuneo) is “to fall down before” or “bow down before.” Worship is an expression of honor, adoration, reverence, and regard toward someone. It is to give glory to something of worth and to idolize (Webster). Extravagant love and extreme obedience define true worship as it is close communion with God and it can only be experienced as the understanding of Who God is unfolds.

Consequently, it would be impossible to truly worship from the heart something we don’t understand. For instance, because I did not grow up in a Monarchy, it would be difficult for me to give my worship to a King or Queen. Even thou I would honor the office, my heart would not be in it. Movies and TV depict people bowing and weeping before their King or Queen; however, I would only be able to watch from a distance since I have no appreciation for their emotional connection. It is the same way with understanding Who God is and why we need to grasp what He has done for us in order to truly consider what worship is and the reason behind why we worship.

Sometimes it is helpful to describe what things aren’t in order to give understanding to what they are. Worship isn’t a ritualistic, emotional, formalism that we can schedule. It isn’t a “good warm-up” before a church service and it most certainly isn’t a genre or a style of music. Most importantly, it is not about us – how we felt during a service or what we received. Worship is not measured by our feelings but by the fact that He is worthy of it all.

It is important to note that although the Hebrew and Greek definitions of the word “worship” express the idea of prostrating oneself before God in reverence, whether bowing, kneeling down or kissing the hand, the old English transliteration of the word speed “weorthscipe” means to express homage to God, because He is “worthy” of it. This, then, is the modern word “worship” or “worth-ship.”

Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Love you all,
Julaine

Part III….COMING SOON!

 

 

 

An Introduction to Intimate Worship

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For the first few weeks, I want to cover the subject of worship and I promise to keep the teachings short and to the point. As a worship leader for the past 36 years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to walk through many seasons of worship as it has evolved in the church. What an amazing ride the Lord has given me. The first time I actually experienced someone leading worship from the piano was in Tampa, FL, at Tampa Christian Academy during my first year of teaching.

When I heard Linda play that piano and lead the children in singing, I knew then, right at that moment, that this would be my purpose in life. God spoke to me and I cried out in my heart saying, “This is what I am going to do.” I bought a used piano, continued to play my guitar and thus, began my 36-year journey in worship. I am grateful every day that our Lord has allowed me to lead so many into the throne room over the years. What an honor and opportunity to glorify His Name through worship. Today, I stand in awe of the great music and musicians God has raised up in the church and I know there are still songs to be sung and a room full of new melodies to be written. Lord, unlock heaven for us.

AN INTRODUCTION TO INTIMATE WORSHIP

The crowd was uncontrollable, stomping their feet and yelling so that even if it were possible, the stars would have shook. What a night! It was tense but the enthusiasm and excitement even exceeded the cold frost in the air. Nothing could keep this crowd in their seats. As the final minutes approached, everyone stood in awe, screaming in adoration as his or her team ran the winning touchdown.

There is a desire deep within each of us to attach worship to someone or something. Our world is demonstrating this need by our actions and lifestyle. This object of worship could be our favorite American Idol, an actor or actress, a friend or family member, an athlete or a team, government official and/or our profession. The list is endless.

I believe this intense, unexplainable longing to worship comes from another source. It is God the Father, the Creator and Source of all things who put this longing inside man. God is the One thing we should aspire to set our love upon because of His great love for humanity. He gave His only Son Jesus Christ so that one-day we would spend eternity in heaven with the Father.

Ephesians 2:3-5 describes God’s great love for us this way:

But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). (AMP)

In other words, God loves us so much that He chose for His only Son to die for our sins. It is the greatest exchange in all of history. Jesus came – took sin on His back – went to the cross – died – rose again and now offers to us by faith, eternal life. Jesus paid for it and this gift of God’s grace is free but cost Jesus His life. The resurrection of Christ bought life to all who will receive it.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (NKJ)

That is why worshiping Him brings us into close communion with His heart and opens a window to see Him in all His glory.

Matthew 4:10 states: “…You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you sere.'”

To give an example, years ago while in my middle twenties, my life seemed empty and without purpose. Frantically trying to satisfy the emptiness with material things and hard work, I crashed, and the pain caught up with me. I realized that if this was what life was all about, I didn’t want it anymore. In that moment of desperation, I began to cry out to God and it was then that a friend shared with me the love of Christ and the power of salvation. I received Christ as my personal Savior and the emptiness and void that had been there were filled with His love. From that time on, my desire to worship Him became the passion of my life. Today, I want to give back to Him by sharing the immense joy I have found in worshiping Him.

Join me for Part I next week on the subject of worship. How is it biblically defined?

What does it look like? How can I enter into a deeper place in worship? All these and other questions will be answered in the days ahead as we come together to learn about the beautiful subject of “Intimate Worship.”

Keys to Knowing God Better

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Keys to Knowing God

Over the years I have asked this question of so many of my friends and those in leadership: How do you get to know God?

I have come to realize that getting to know God is a process just like building a relationship with your spouse or friends. These relationships don’t happen overnight but grow progressively over time as we spend time chatting and doing life together. It is the same with our Lord and Savior. Initially, we come, give Him our heart and make Him Lord over our lives. Mistakenly, we think this is all there is to it; however, I am here to tell you that God has so much more in His Kingdom. Salvation is only the beginning – it is the “on-ramp” to the most powerful loving relationship you will ever experience here on earth. The Kingdom of God is progressive and continues precept upon precept depending on how far you want to go. As you come close day by day, your relationship will grow and deepen. As you share your heart and wait on Him, your ability to hear and commune with Him is heightened. So with all that said, I want to share keys that may help you in this process. Remember, a relationship with Christ is deepened as we spend time with Him so even these keys are just another “on-ramp” to levels of intimacy with Him. I call this place my secret place and this is how my time with Jesus begins.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, “Yes, furthermore, I count every as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him…” (Amp)

Begin Your Journey

SCHEDULE A TIME.

Make an appointment with God and keep it. If you are a calendar person, schedule it in at the beginning of each week. Go through your week and leave room for the most important few minutes of your day. Be as consistent as you can so that it becomes a habit – a discipline. Realize that Father is waiting for you every day and He loves His special time just with you. Be intentional and don’t allow the enemy to rob you of these precious moments. If you miss a day, try again as habits are built as we try every day. Don’t give up!

CHOOSE A TOOL – A BIBLE/DEVOTIONAL/JOURNAL.

Use your Bible but always have other translations available to help with furthering your understanding of the scriptures. You can Google Bible Gateway and choose from all different kinds of translations and commentaries. I recommend the Passion Version or the New Living Bible if you are just beginning. The Message Version makes for very easy reading as well.

START WITH PRAYER.

Prayer is talking with God. Don’t make it difficult but rather speak to Him in everyday language. If you need to confess sin before you begin, do it. Ask Him to forgive you and receive His forgiveness. Remember that when we repent, scripture tells us that He remembers no more and your sin is removed in the eyes of Jesus. Put on some good worship music and just enjoy God. If something or someone comes to mind, ask the Father to take care of it. Present the problem to Him and trust Him to accomplish His purposes. Put away long lists of prayer needs and trust that the Holy Spirit will bring to mind those things you should lift up to the Father. Then ask Jesus to give you ears to hear and eyes to see. Ask Him to open up His Word to you. Thank Him and believe He will. (Spend as much time in this place as you can. It is so life-giving.)

USE YOUR BIBLE OR DEVOTIONAL.

Get a journal, notebook or a piece of paper and as you read, jot down thoughts or verses that may leap off the page. If you don’t know where to begin, start with the Psalms or the Gospel of John. Talk to God about what you are reading. Ask Him questions even if they seem silly to you. You can look up words in the dictionary to get more understanding or read another translation and/or a commentary. If nothing stirs your heart, slow down, meditate on what you are reading and TAKE YOUR TIME!

We are not racing through the scriptures but rather remaining open to what the Father may want to reveal. Sometimes the scriptures just come alive and then other times they can seem dull, but just continue to read and enjoy the process with Jesus. I always have an extra piece of paper on hand so that if my mind wanders to things I have to do, or phone calls I have to make and etc… I write them down immediately and continue reading. Enjoy the moment with Jesus. Feel free to read that day’s devotional as well. Many times God will have a word just for you but the scriptures should remain your main reading material.

MEDITATE AND REST IN HIM.

I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to just sit before Him and enjoy His presence. The Word you just read can lead you into this moment. Take a few minutes now and review what you have read and what the Lord may have spoken to you. Thank Him for speaking to you even if you feel you received nothing that day. His presence fills the scriptures and He was there all the while you were reading and praying.

DON’T JUST READ BUT OBEY WHAT HE HAS SPOKEN.

Do what the word says to do. James 1:22 says that we are not to be hearers only but doers of the Word. If Holy Spirit is speaking to you about gossip or any other character issues during your devotions, then that is the area He is highlighting and He is asking you to obey Him. Every time we obey His Word, we get to know Him in a deeper way. It warms His heart as we obey His Word and long to become like Jesus.

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO READ THE WORD EVERY DAY AS BEST YOU CAN.

If you miss a day, try again the next day. Remember that you are developing a habit and that takes trying and trying and then trying again.

YOU ARE NOT BEING GRADED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE.

This is all about your heart and your longing to get to know Him. Performance is a thing of the past and you are on this quest to know the One Who created you and wants a deep relationship with you. Loving, relational and merciful describes our Father. Despite the “worldview,” He does speak today and longs for you to hear His voice. YOU ARE A PERFECT A+ IN HIS EYES!

I pray that this helps you get on that path to a deep relationship that never ends. The deeper you go with Him, the more He has for you. It is a quest to seek the face of the One Who gave it all.

Love you so much,

Julaine