Wounded Worship ...

Watch this link, sing along in worship, you will be blessed!

Shaped by Suffering: Wounded Worship—Michael Card interview and song

Watch Michael Card share his thoughts on suffering and the hope found in the person of Jesus. The song starts at 5 minutes in, if you want to skip over Michael's testimony. I hope you watch it at least one time, though!

Alternate choice of video with song lyrics: Come Lift Up Your Sorrows - Lyric Video

Lyrics, Come Lift Up Your Sorrows

If you are wounded

If you’re alone

If you are angry

If your heart is cold as stone

If you have fallen

And if you are weak

Come find the worth of God

That only the suffering seek

Come lift up your sorrows

And offer your pain

Come make a sacrifice

Of all your shame

There in your wilderness

He's waiting for you

To worship Him with your wounds

For He's wounded too

He has not stuttered

And He has not lied

When He said, "Come unto Me,

you're not disqualified"

If you're heavy laden

You may want to depart

But those who know sorrow

They're closest to His heart.

Come lift up your sorrows

And offer your pain

Come make a sacrifice

Of all your shame

There in your wilderness

He's waiting for you

To worship Him with your wounds

For He's wounded too

In this most holy place

He's made a sacred space

For those who will enter in

And trust to cry out to Him

You'll find no curtain there

No reason left for fear

There's perfect freedom here

To weep every unwept tear

Come lift up your sorrows

And offer your pain

Come make a sacrifice

Of all your shame

There in your wilderness

He's waiting for you

To worship Him with your wounds

For He's wounded too.

Father, we give you praise and glory Lord, because of who you are! May your love and compassion touch each person that comes to this page! I pray the video ministers to many of the wounded, Father. This song touches my heart and brings me even closer to Jesus! In Jesus name. Amen!

Maranatha,

Anna

A Completely Different Kind of Change ...

I am posting this sermon from yesterday, June 21, 2020 given at the Lutheran Church in Cartersville, GA. I have found, if I listen to different sermons, that Holy Spirit will teach me what God wants me to know at that moment. Therefore, I am not doing commentary on the sermon. I am providing a quote from Pastor Mike, links to watch the sermon and visit the church website. In addition, I have included the scriptures referenced. I encourage you to watch and apply it to your life so you are not only hearers of the Word but doers also! Be blessed today and everyday! Maranatha, Anna

"We've been brought from darkness to light. It isn't just a little change, it is a drastic change. Unless we fully understand how dark and deep and drastic sin is and it's effect: we can't begin to understand or appreciate or give thanks to God for the wonderful light into which He has brought us". Reverend Michael G. Zwemke, Pastor

Savior of All Lutheran Church 6-21-20 Service

Savior Of All Lutheran Church Home Page

I watched the June 21, 2020 sermon video and used it as a Bible study. Here are the scriptures mentioned that should be included when studying the Word. I do encourage you to spend time with God and ask for His wisdom to build a firm foundation for your life!

Jeremiah 20:7-13 (KJV)

⁷ O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.

⁸ For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.

⁹ Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

¹⁰ For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.

¹¹ But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

¹² But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.

¹³ Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.

Romans 6:12-23 (KJV)

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

¹⁶ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

¹⁹ I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

²⁰ For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

²¹ What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

²² But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthew 10:5-33 (KJV)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

⁹ Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

¹⁰ Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

¹² And when ye come into an house, salute it.

¹³ And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

¹⁸ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Do Not Worry -- Pray Instead!!!

After we put on the rest of our Armor of God, the last piece is to Pray Without Ceasing!

 Put on the WHOLE Armor of GOD

Bible Verses About Pray Without Ceasing 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How can we pray without ceasing? The first thing we have to do is get the picture of being on our knees, eyes closed, and praying with fancy words out of our mind's eye. That is a type of prayer time that many people think of. However, as part of our continuing walk with the Lord in becoming His disciples, we need to submit time to our prayer life. Okay, I hear the moaning and groaning now: There is no time. We are too busy! I will do it later after (whatever it is you are allowing to come before your commitment to God) is done. This is NOT being stated for shaming! Instead, it is to show how easily we can be, and many times are, distracted from the things we want to do and do the things we shouldn't do instead! Just as Paul tells us of his struggles in Romans 7:15-20.

Let us start the steps of this walk by learning prayer as a habit:
Planning to pray! Here are five times during the day where we can learn the habit of prayer time.

• First Prayer of the Day: To make it easier, try to get in the habit of saying Good Morning to God and starting out your day in conversation with Him. 

• Three more times during the day: Many of us already pray over our meals thanking God for providing.

• Last Prayer of the Day: As you are ready for bed, being quiet and reflecting on your day, speak to God about it. Whatever comes to your mind, just say it!

Learn how to talk to God! If I spend a long time in one prayer, I can find my mind wandering and I have to focus again and not get distracted. For this reason, perhaps you might start with shorter prayers. I am not all flowery words although I speak respectfully to the Lord but more as I would speak to a friend in conversation during the day! Do you call your friend on the phone and say 'Good Morn, Thou My Best of Friends! Of course you don't, neither do I! God doesn't need flowery speech that separates Him from us! He wants us to be comfortable talking with Him as friend to friend, not just when we have wants and needs to pray for. Can you imagine what it was like for God to come into the Garden of Eden and have fellowship with Adam & then with Eve? My mind fails me at the wonder of that!

How many times a day do you text your friend? How many times do you call them? Do you think it is a burden to share your day with your friends? Does something wonderful, or something not so great, happen to you and the first thought you have is "I need to tell so and so this? "What would your life be like if the first thought is focused on speaking to God about it? We can view our relationship with God in prayer in a comforting and willing way!

Now that we have that perspective in mind, we need to learn to pray God's Will! It is easier for us to learn to pray about 'Me, Myself, & I' yet it seems more difficult to get our mind around praying God's Will. We are commanded to LOVE our neighbor as ourselves. Let's focus our prayer on speaking to God about others and asking His Will to be done in their lives! If you don't look at prayer for others as a burden, but more like a pleasant opportunity, you will be learning to live these pictured scriptures of Phil 4:8-9.

Heavenly Father, I praise your holy name and my heart is thankful for the times I spend with you! May Holy Spirit touch each heart and mind that are called here. I pray these words help them in any way you choose, Lord. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name. Amen!

Maranatha,
Anna