In the Beauty of Holiness

Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9 NIV)

Our worship of God can be hindered by so many things. When you step into God's sanctuary are you ready to forget about everything else and worship Him or do distractions prevent you from pressing into God? So many of us are hindered by the opinions of others when it comes to our worship of the Most High God.

When we gather together as the body of Christ, it is for the purpose of worshipping God. Forget about what others will think of you and worship God the way you feel led. If you need to kneel, then kneel. If you need to bow, then bow. If you want to lay prostrate before the Lord, then do so. Forget about others, focus on the Creator of this Universe and give Him the glory and honour that is due His matchless Name. When you dwell on what others will think of how you worship God, you immediately take the focus off of Him and put it on yourself.

There's a song that says,

Forget about yourself

Concentrate on Him and worship Him

Worship Him

Worship Christ the Lord.

Concentrate solely on Jesus Christ, for it is Him whom you are worshipping. Worship Him in the splendour of His holiness. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

Running the Race

 ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:24-27 NIV)

    Racing must be one of the most nerve-racking things to do in life. I remember when I was younger and I used to run for school sports, I hated it. I was a relay runner (and not a very good one might I add). My heart would be pounding from the time I get into starting position, my palms would be sweating and I wouldn't be able to think straight. In my 9 year old mind, it seemed like I had so much to do: try not to fall, avoid the massive pot holes in the grass, try not to fall, come first and oh yeah...you guessed it, try not to fall. I didn't always achieve these goals but when I did, I felt awesome. There's nothing like holding a shiny trophy in your hand. 

   But the glory of winning a physical race here on earth is short-lived. It is nothing compared to what God promises us if we finish this race called Christianity. As (1 Cor 2:9) says, "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him." We can't even imagine how AWESOME heaven will be. But before we get to the prize, though, let's talk about the race: there are three things you must remember:

• The race that God calls us to run is not a sprint. It's a marathon.


• Some Christians get anxious when it feels like every other Christian  around them is growing in their faith by leaps and bounds but they themselves are moving at snail pace. This race isn't about speed, it's about endurance. Everyone doesn't grow at the same rate. Philippians 2:13 says "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose". God gives us the desire to do His will and he enables us to accomplish it so don't compare yourself to others. God will work on you in His own time. Just focus on being obedient to Christ and allow Him to work in and through you.


• Don't look to the left or the right. Don't look back.

• Distractions, distractions, distractions. You can always count on the enemy to be on the sidelines trying to get your attention, trying to divert your focus. There are so many things in the world that catch our attention: fame, fortune, drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography...and the list goes on. This is where spiritual blinders come in. Most people know what blinders are but for those who don't, they are made of leather or sometimes plastic and are placed on either side of the horse's eyes to prevent the horse from looking back or looking sideways. They allow the horse to focus on the race without being distracted by the crowds. We need spiritual blinders. Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." and 2 Corinthians 4:18 says "so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal". Our gaze must remain fixed on Jesus Christ. We must remain in continual communion with Him through prayer, we must read God's Word. Do not run like a man running aimlessly! You have a goal, you have a crown waiting for you at the finish line, you have an eternal home in God's Kingdom! So keep your gaze fixed upon Christ.
• Don't be disqualified!
• I remember watching an episode of My Wife and Kids where Jay was training for a marathon and she convinced Michael to join her. In the days leading up to the race, Jay was eating healthy and training and Michael was eating all kinds of junk food. On the day of the race, Michael started out at the front of the race, arms swinging and feet stepping high, for about a couple of meters and then he began to falter and everyone started to bypass him, including Jay! So Michael decided to take a cab to the finish line, hoping that Jay wouldn't find out but eventually she did. Now Michael didn't get disqualified from this race but he did cheat and sometimes we think we can do the same thing in our Christian lives. We think we can hop in a "cab" and be driven to the finish line but it doesn't work that way. We think we can breeze through the race of life and win the prize but it's not that simple. We must train, we must discipline our bodies. In verse 27 Paul says "I beat my body and make it my slave". He doesn't mean this literally. God doesn't want us to hurt ourselves physically. It just means, don't allow your flesh to control you! Don't be governed by your sinful nature. Instead, yield yourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit and follow God's leading. Most of us start off the race well but somewhere along the line we become weary of the trials and tired but we must remember that Jesus said if anyone would come after Him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. The race will not always be a bed roses: there may be some cramps along the way or a stitch in your side but Jesus said "...never will I leave you, never will I forsake you...". 

God will be with us every step of the way. He will give us strength for the journey. He will give us the endurance it takes to finish the race and He will be there when we finish the race to give us our crown and welcome us into His Kingdom, saying "Well done, good and faithful servant, well done".

     

A Father to the Fatherless

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds— his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” (Psalm 68:4-5 NIV)

When  I think about the greatness of God, His sovereignty and might, I just marvel. The God of this Universe, the Creator of heaven and earth is called "a father to the fatherless". In the past two years, I have learned so much about what a father should be, not from my earthly father, but from my Heavenly Father.

Growing up, I didn't really think about the fact that I didn't have a dad. In fact, it was only when I reached about 16, that I gave any thought to being fatherless. It was at that age that I had to deal with the fact that my earthly father cared nothing about me, that he hadn't even wanted me to be born. I had no concept of what a father should be. The word meant nothing to me.

It was only when I gave my life to Christ, that the role of a father became clear in my mind. It took me a lot of trial and error, but God patiently taught me His character. In Psalm 68:4-5, God is called a Father to the Fatherless. All throughout the New Testament, Jesus refers to God as His Father and He teaches us to do the same. Even though, your earthly father may not have been present in your life or may not have been the father he should have been, God longs to be a Father to you.

He will guide you in the way that you should go and He will love you with an UNFAILING love. He will protect you and provide for you. He longs for you to cry out "Abba, Father", to accept His gift of salvation and to trust in the love that prompted Him to carry that cross to Calvary and to bear the pain of those nails in His hands and feet so that He could redeem us and adopt us as His own.

Discipleship (Pursuing Righteousness)

What is discipleship? I guess this can only be explained by first defining the term 'disciple'. John sums up this definition in one sentence. He says "whoever claims to live in Christ, should live their lives as Jesus did" (1 John 2:6 NLT) This is exactly what a disciple of Jesus Christ is: someone who lives as He did. Literally, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ.

Discipleship
Put simply, discipleship is the process of becoming like Christ. It involves three definitive and deliberate actions. We have to:

• Commit
• Follow
• Multiply

1. Commit-make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. The journey of becoming like Christ cannot be started unless we accept His free gift of salvation. In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again. Here Jesus refers to spiritual life. In order to enter the Kingdom of God we must be given new spiritual life and the only way to do this is through Jesus Christ. You can look at this as a prerequisite for discipleship: a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ. As a result of this commitment, we are filled with the Spirit of God and the journey of becoming like Christ can begin.
2. Follow- When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He enables us to live lives of holiness and righteousness. In essence, he gives us the power to become like Jesus. Note that the word "follow" is an action word. It speaks of vigorously and deliberately chasing after God and persistently striving to become like Christ. Following God means consistently OBEYING His Word. James 1:25 says "but the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in all he does. Isn't that great? Obedience and blessing go hand in hand.
3. Multiply- Last but by no means least: multiply. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matt. 28:16-20) Most of us know the Great Commission. Jesus Himself gave this command to His disciples. Discipleship also includes making disciples of others. God wants to draw others unto Himself. He wants every single person on this earth to hear the good news of His salvation and it is our mandate to take that good news to the whole world. 

The last sentence of that passage is such an encouragement to me. Jesus says "I am with always, to the very end of the age". Discipleship is not a lonely journey. No, we have the King of kings and Lord of Lords, not only with us but in us. Jesus abides in us believers by His Spirit and we have everything we need to be His disciples. So remember: commit, follow and mulitiply.

Waiting Expectantly

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)

In this Psalm, we see David's firm assurance that God hears him when he speaks. We also should have that assurance and be confident that God hears us when we pray.

Do you wake up in the morning offer a quick "thank You for life, Lord"  and go along your merry way? The phrase "in the morning" is repeated in this verse and this isn't a coincidence. Before we go about our daily activities, before we get caught up with the problems of another day, we should spend time in communion with God.  "I lay my requests before you"-This phrase connotes the laying of a sacrifice on an altar. God wants us to offer our hopes, desires and needs to Him.

 Not only that but David continues to say that he will wait expectantly. He will [look out] for an answer from God. So often we lay our desires before God and we don't expect a reply but how can we expect God to shower on us the favour and blessing that we ask for if our eyes are not attentive to see them when they come.

We should wait for an answer from God with expectancy and great anticipation because we know that we are asking a God who provides and "we know that if we ask anything according to his[God's] will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."(1 John 5:14-15)

Transformation: Recognising who we are and recognising Who God is

   From the very beginning, human beings have been trying to "cover-up" their sin. We've been trying to beautify an exterior to conceal an interior that is filthy. It's like putting on make-up, it's merely a mask, the real you is still beneath all of the foundation, lipstick and mascara. All of the imperfections and flaws are still there. It's the same with our hearts. SIN, yes, SIN, is deeply rooted in the hearts of men. From the beginning, Adam and Eve sowed those fig leaves to cover themselves. We are doing the same thing. Someone put it this way: it's like putting band-aid on a wound that needs surgery. I was witnessing to a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, and I was saying, you know, we either choose to accept God's salvation or we reject it and we reap the rewards of which ever choice we make. We can either accept God's gift and gain eternal life or we can reject it and suffer an eternity separated from God. And their reply was along these lines "I don't think I deserve to go to hell. I'm not THAT bad." My reply was this [For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23]

When recovering from addiction, the first step is acknowledgment. After all, you won't get help if you don't believe that you need help. [The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9] When we fail to recognise that there is nothing good in us, we see no need for change. Transformation can only start when we acknowledge that we are wretched, when we acknowledge our sin and cry out to God for help. We should not be measuring ourselves by the world's standard. By the world's standard, we might not be "that bad" but when we compare ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Word of God, we get a true representation of who we really are.

In Isaiah 6, after King Uzziah died, it says that Isaiah saw God. Could you imagine? Seeing a holy and righteous God? Not only holy but "holy, holy, holy"? I believe I would have said the same thing Isaiah did ["Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips." Isaiah 6:5] Notice that Isaiah did not only acknowledge that he had a problem, he also allowed God to do something about the problem. The passage goes on to say that an angel took a burning coal from the altar and touched it to Isaiah's lips and said "“Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” [Isaiah 6:7] The story does not stop there but goes on to talk about how God commissioned Isaiah.

In this passage is such a glorious revelation! In order for any change to come about in our lives and for the problem of sin to be dealt with, we have to have an encounter with God, we have to see God, just as Isaiah did. We cannot have a true encounter with God and remain unchanged. Just like Isaiah, we will realise that we are wretched, that we are sinful. Even David said ["For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5 NLT]

Like Paul we will cry out ["What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Romans 7:24] He continues to give the answer ["Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:25] If like Isaiah, we confess who we are, if we confess that we have sinned and that we are sinful, then change can come and just like the coal was touched to Isaiah's lips, the blood of Christ will be applied to our hearts and our lives and true transformation will begin. God will cleanse us of all unrighteousness, purify our hearts, renew our minds and fill us with His Holy Spirit so that our thoughts and our actions are not controlled by our sinful nature but by the Spirit of God.

Just recently, I went to a production called UNMASKED: AWAKENING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. It was amazing and the title really stuck with me. In order for change to come, the pretense must end, the mask must come off. Because it's only when we accept our weakness and rely on the Almighty God, that we are awakened to true righteousness, the robe of righteousness which Jesus Christ graciously bestows on us.

Eric and Leslie Ludy's Love Story

In the last couple of days, I've listened to Eric and Leslie Ludy's Love Story a couple of times. I highly recommend this podcast: it's long though. You can follow this link: http://www.setapartgirl.com/my-love-story_files/Our%20Love%20Story%20-%20The%2015th%20Anniversary%20Edition.mp3 I found it so amazing and challenging the way this couple honored God in their personal lives and then as an extension their relationship. 

Abiding in God

Hi, I know I said my next post would be called "Before Dawn" but I just want to divert a little and talk about something that has been on my heart.

John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NASB)

I just read a devotion that caused me to really re-evaluate my life and my relationship with God. The writer was saying that for years she just did things for God. If anyone needed a volunteer, she would be the first. She said "for years, I tried to earn the love and approval of God by doing everything I could find to do." She also said that she attempted to do them in her own strength and it resulted in her being clinically depressed. I realised that I also do the same thing sometimes. I try to do things in my own strength and I end up feeling stressed out, tired and at the end of my ropes. But I realise that remedy for this is to abide in God and allow Him to work in me and through me. When we abide in God, not only does He give us grace to do what He wants us to do but He also gives us His peace that passes all understanding. When we abide in God, His grace is applied to our lives so that our strength, our minds and souls are renewed and restored constantly. "Stop trying to be super-woman", He seems to say. We need to admit our utter weakness and total dependence on God and when we do that, we can rely on His all-sufficient strength and his grace to carry us through.

Another thing I realised also was that I frequently try to fix myself. If God reveals to me something that I am doing wrong, I usually attempt to fix it on my own, instead of asking for His help. So I found that when there was something that I thought I couldn't do on my own, I would run and hide in my own little corner and sink into despair. Not realising, that God did not want me to even try to change on my own but to open my heart to the work of His Spirit within me. Apart from God, we can do NOTHING. We can bear no fruit unless we are connected to the vine.

So cling to God, rest in Him. Allow His Holy Spirit to change you. Allow His grace to flow over your life and stop trying to do everything on your own. Abide in God and walk in strength and in peace.

Worth Far More than Rubies

Hi!! Did you know that the ruby is considered one of the four precious stones, together with the sapphire, the emerald and the diamond? I bet most of you know that diamond is the hardest stone there is but did you know that ruby is the second hardest? Did you that ruby has the same toughness as diamond in that it takes the same amount of force to break or chip them?  Did you know that rubies are even more rare than diamonds? Did you know that some rubies are more expensive than diamond?


Proverbs 31:10

[10]A woman of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

RUBY IN THE ROUGH

I guess most of you are probably thinking: "if that's a ruby, it doesn't look like if it's worth much". The ruby above might just look like a piece of red rock but that uncut ruby is actually very very expensive. A ruby that is cut is worth even more. I find it amazing that rubies are still called precious even in their uncut state. And ladies, that is how God thinks of us;  he calls us precious even when we are 'uncut', even when we are not what He wants us to be.

 "A woman of noble character who can find?" I prefer the way the King James Version puts it: "Who can find a virtuous woman?" 'Virtue' : How often do we hear that word today? We live in a society today where virtue is unheard of even frowned upon. Oh, how rare it is to find a virtuous woman. But ladies, this is what we should be: virtuous. We should be pictures of moral excellence, shining like stars in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, setting an example in the way we live. During the next couple of months I'll be talking about the characteristics of a virtuous woman, a woman of noble character.

A RUBY REFINED

"She is worth more than rubies." (NIV)

 "Her price is far above rubies" (KJV)

I used only one verse in this post because I wanted to really impress upon your heart that you are worth FAR MORE than rubies, even now. You are worth so much that God died for you. A virtuous woman is what I want to be. Right now I really don't think that I have achieved this goal yet but that's what this quest is about :becoming a virtuous woman. When we hear the word "virtue" we automatically think about sexual purity but in actual fact, virtue is about complete moral excellence. Prepare to be challenged. This is not for the faint of heart. Laziness has to be thrown out of the window.

Coming up: Before Dawn

Proverbs 31: Our Season of Singleness

Hi, I know I haven't written for a while: I just haven't gotten the chance. I hope you're doing well. For the next couple of posts, I'm going to be dealing with Proverbs 31. The title is: Proverbs 31, A woman of Noble Character.  You know, a lot of women believe that their lives don't begin until they meet the one they're going to marry. This is such a sad misconception. If we idly sit waiting for some knight in shining armor to ride in and sweep us off of our feet before we start living, we are sadly misguided. God may want us to wait but He definitely doesn't want us to be idle.

Using our Season of Singleness Wisely
God created us as individuals and He loves us individually. We are complete in Christ. Marriage is a ministry and before we get married our ministry is unto God directly. We seek to please Him, He is our Husband. Most importantly, we should know that God uses our season of singleness to prepare us for marriage. We should spend our season of singleness vigorously seeking after God, allowing Him to transform us into what He would want us to be. Most of us have a great desire to be married but we must realize that with marriage comes great responsibility (Proverbs 31 describes in detail just how much responsibility it is). God uses our season of singleness to prepare us to handle that responsibility so do not feel as if your life has not begun. Allow God in this time to prepare you to be a helpmeet and trust that He will send the right person along in His own time.

Wait and see God's perfect plan for your life as it unfolds. Seek His face and you will see the fulfillment that is yours "When God Writes Your Love Story" (A book by Eric and Leslie Ludy)

Take this journey with me as we delve into Proverbs 31 and seek to become Women of Noble Character as we wait on God to script our own love stories. This is SetApartGirl signing out, until next time:)

Coming up: Worth far more than Rubies

Courageous

Hi again! I just finished watching the movie Courageous: A story about the importance of fathers in the lives of their children. I encourage you to watch it. You know, I got to thinking, if more men would resolve to be good fathers, godly fathers, then there would be better people in this world. In this world today there are so few fathers, there are a lot of 'baby-daddies' but very few fathers. Ladies, we are not innocent either. We need to be committed to becoming Proverbs 31 women. We need to be there to help the men along also. We need to be there to help raise our children in a godly home, we need to show them Christ and set an example for our children by allowing our marraiges to be a ministry as God intended them to be. We need to pray that God would raise up true men of God to be earthly fathers who set a good example for their children. Men who will stand up and say "...as for me and my household we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) Pray for your marraige even if you are not married yet, pray for your children even if you don't have any yet. But most of all pray for your husband, pray for the father of your children, pray for the leader of your household because it takes courage for them to be the men and fathers that God has called them to be and it takes courage for us to stand beside them and be their helpmeet.
~This is SetApartGirl, until next time, be courageous :)