Worship

I heard for the first time yesterday the worship song by William McDowell, "I Give Myself Away." That song has been lingering in my spirit ever since. I am a worshiper and love to "enter in" because it is my refuge, my hiding place. To appreciate true worship is to bask in His presence and long to stay there as long as humanly possible before having to return to this earthly realm and continue our sojourn until there can be another close encounter in the throne room.

Psalm 16:11

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Hebrews 13:15

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Gravitas

Gravitas: seriousness or sobriety, as of conduct or speech. During the course of today I heard that word in my spirit and thought about how we are living epistles read by men. Many people have never been to and may never enter a church but the church is not just a building. We, as believers, comprise the church and we have to make sure that we let our light so shine that men may see our good works and glorify our father in heaven. That means that we have to be mindful of what we say and do at all times.

1 Peter 5:7-9

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Symbiotic Relationships

I recall when the Lord spoke to me concerning the relationship I have with one of my closest and dearest friends. When the Lord spoke to me, He told me that ours was a symbiotic relationship: Mutually beneficial. I often thought ours was a lopsided friendship because I was in a storm and she was always pouring into me. I felt like I wasn't able to reciprocate as I desired. She would always tell me that as long as I was praying for her and her family, my prayers meant more to her than anything else. Oh, I was praying because that's what happens when you're in a storm. You stay on your face before the Lord and in the process God is enhancing your ministry. As my friend often reminded me, everything we go through is about ministry. You may think it's about you but it never is. It's always about Him.

That was why the Lord said we had a symbiotic relationship. And so it goes. As believers in this life, there are going to be times when you'll be the encourager, the strength and vessel used to see an individual through hard places. Then life's unexpected twists and turns will once again have you be the recipient of someone interceding on your behalf for undeniable victory in another hard fought battle waged by the enemy of your soul. I'm thankful that God placed my intercessory friend in my life when he did and the benefits have been a demonstration of what happens when God orchestrates for us behind the scenes.

Excoriating

I'm actively hearing words again. I woke up from a dream today and I heard the word excoriating. For many years now, on occasion, I will hear words and will often later find out why I heard the word. Excoriating (v.) - 1. denouncing or berating severely; flaying verbally 2. stripping off or removing the skin from ...well, today I am excoriating all negative thoughts and self-doubt that have hampered me from flowing in my anointing as a writer. I have been stymied by my own lack of discipline to pursue my passion: Writing. Just as prayer is my solace, writing is my release of the deposits and impartations in my life's experience. Simply stated writing, for me, is catharsis. I am inspired to write again and, to be honest, that is the only time I can write. I have not yet mastered sitting down and writing because I know that I need to in order to hone and sharpen my craft. No, I usually rely on an unction to write because I know it's going to be free-flowing and not halting. I attended a writer's workshop several years ago and the facilitator said that to be a good writer you have to be a good reader. I have to get on the job, if that truly is the case, because I am sorely lacking when it comes to reading. I would love to return to my early school days when I loved to read and would take 5-10 books out of the library at a time because my best friend and I were in a competition to see who could read the most books. But the fun part about it was that we would read and then recommend to each other the good books we read. Now, that's where I need to stoke that love of reading again and make the time, because that's what's lacking, to read more. Read any good books lately?

Indefatigable

I created this blog on yesterday, April 8, 2010 with the help of one of my students, Leslie. This is huge for me because I have been wanting to resume freelance writing for a while and now I have a vehicle to do so. I recognized a confirmation of the creation of this blog this morning when I went to choose a word for the day that I daily put on the board. And there it was: Indefatigable. I remember several years ago, when I was reeling from the havoc wreaked in my life from my separation and subsequent divorce, that my cousin, Harry, was reading an article to me about prayer and I heard that word in my spirit. I had never heard or seen that word before so I finally found it in the dictionary. It means incapable of being fatigued; untiring. I gathered that the Lord wanted me to do as the Word says: Pray without ceasing. I did and still do pray. It is my solace and hiding place.