April 25, 2024

Christ Is Risen From The Dead

April 4, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the Cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us
Freely You bled, for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bow to none but heavens will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer’s crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

Oh death! Where is your sting
Oh hell! Where is your victory
Oh Church! Come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night

Oh death! Where is your sting
Oh hell! Where is your victory
Oh Church! Come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He’s alive! He’s alive

Matt Maher
written along with Mia Fieldes

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Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the grave and defied death.  Are you as humbled as I am?   Today is the day in-between. Yesterday, the world turned dark as Jesus hung on the Cross. All of our sin and shame was nailed with Him and forgiveness replaced fear.  Jesus tore the veil between us and God and we are free to go to Him; not through a priest,  but through Jesus.

As the music plays, close your eyes and picture what He did for you…what He did for the whole Church.  Now death will not end here but we will forever live with Him in eternity.  The enemy will not be victorious for he will be defeated. Now, as Christ’s Church, we will stand together, in the light and shout that He is alive and He reigns forever!  And yes, God has defeated the night.  He is not dead, He is alive!!!!!

Oh death, where is thy victory, oh grave, where is thy sting?
1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV

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Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, how awesome and amazing You are.  How grateful we are for Jesus’ victory over death and for saving us, His Church, from all sin and shame.  We cannot even begin to thank You for Your plan to save us from ourselves, through the death of Your only Son. We love You and we praise You.  Keep us faithful and full of joy!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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All The People Said Amen

August 18, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

You are not alone if you are lonely
When you’re feeling afraid you’re not the only
We are all the same in need of mercy
To be forgiven and be free
It’s all you got to lean on
But thank God it’s all you need

And all the people said Amen
And all the people said Amen
Give thanks to the Lord for His love never ends
And all the people said Amen

If you’re rich or poor well it don’t matter
Weak or Strong, you know love is what we’re after
We’re all broken but we’re all in this together
God knows we stumble and we fall
And He so loved the world He sent His son to save us all

Blessed are the poor in spirit who are torn apart;
Blessed are the persecuted and the pure in heart;
Blessed are the people hungry for another start,
for this is the kingdom, the kingdom of God

Singer/Songwriter: Matt Maher along with Paul Moak, Trevor Morgan

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I have had this song stuck in my head for days, y’all! I decided to find out what was the story behind the song. This is what I found:

“One of the things Maher says he loves doing as a songwriter is to look at phrases that have become clichés among church folk. ‘I think that a lot of Millennials, they would hear a pastor say, And all God’s people said amen, and they would just kind of maybe roll their eyes a little bit at that. Well, first of all, that’s Scripture. So, please don’t roll your eyes at Scripture.’ ”

We tend to do that, don’t we? Maybe not roll our eyes but we tend to brush it off because we have ‘heard it all before.’ So, I did some research on the word “Amen.”

May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting.”
Then all the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”
I Chronicles 16:36 HCSB

May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting? Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!
Psalm 106:48 HCSB

definitions and usages:

  • Wikipedia – a declaration of affirmation
  • Merriam Webster – used to express agreement or approval
  • Greek Old Testament – so be it
  • Dictionary.com – it is so
  • It can also be used in place of “truly” or “verily”

The one that caught my attention was “it is so,” used as an expression of belief. It reminded me of a verse I had recently seen:

But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak,
2 Corinthians 4:13 NASB

I believe therefore I speak. Beth Moore says, “God’s words are omnipotent. Our words are potent.” When we speak Scripture aloud we are externalizing our internal passion. We are in agreement with God; we are sharing the mind of Christ. When we speak Scripture, we are accepting it, receiving it into our lives.

Now go back to this song…

  • “We are all the same in need of mercy to be forgiven and be free. It’s all you got to lean on but thank God it’s all you need”
  • “His love never ends”
  • “God knows we stumble and we fall and He so loved the world He sent His son to save us all”

These are all things I agree with—things I believe—therefore I can say “Amen!”

What are you willing to say AMEN to?

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Father, thank You for a love that never ends. Help me speak what I believe. Remind me why we say “amen.” Make me aware of what I am saying “amen” to. Thank You for being all I ever need. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN – so be it!

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Lord, I Need You

May 28, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You’re the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Yes where You are Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You
Jesus You’re my hope and stay
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You
Jesus You’re my hope and stay

~ Sing this song with me as part of your prayer and worship today ~

Sung by Chris Tomlin and the Passion Band

Written by Matt Maher with Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Jesse Reeves, Daniel Carlson

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When I listen to this song of worship and praise, I fall more in love with God. I want to raise my hands to the sky and touch Him and thank Him for the grace that He so freely gives. Beginning in the first verse, we tell Him that without Him we fall apart, and our rest is found in Him. Oh so true, we can rest in Him, lay all our cares at His feet, for He is more than able and willing to take them. And then we confess: I need You, oh I need You, every hour I need You. Oh how we need Him. I cannot imagine a day without Him. Have you ever thought about how life would be? Maybe you’re a new Christian and you remember how it was. But it never has to be that way again!

Verse two talks about our freedom in Jesus. Think about this for a minute…can you name some ways this is true? I believe He sets us free from sin and darkness. We never have to be anything more than His. He sets us free from destruction and from the unhappiness that our lives were. He is our Hope and our Protector. When life gets too much, we can fall at His feet and He will carry us until we are ready to take another step.

Every minute, every hour He is there. Our need for Him never goes away. We have a “need love” for God and it’s hard sometimes to admit that we are not able to do it all, that we need Him always. So let’s worship Him today in song. Let’s express to Him how much we need Him and how He gives us such hope and rest and that we fall in love with Him over and over again.  And let’s thank Him.

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Dearest Lord, You are our hope and stay. We cannot stand without Your help. In You we find rest and in You we are whole. Lord, thank You for guiding our hearts and for being that soft place to land. You love us no matter what. Thank You for listening to our confessions and giving us grace for every moment that we are breathing. Thank You for Your forgiveness that is always there. And for the rest that You created for us, knowing we would need it. We love You and praise You. In Your Son’s name we pray, amen.

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Lord, I Need You

February 11, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Lord, I come, I confess…bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart; You’re the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You; every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness, Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more; where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free… holiness is Christ in me

Teach my song to rise to You when temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You; Jesus, You’re my Hope and Stay

You’re my one defense, my righteousness, Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness, Oh God, how I need You

Artist: Matt Maher

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“Bowing here I find my rest…without You I fall apart; You’re the one that guides my heart….”  Oh, how this is my Truth that I live by!

He IS my Everything.  My ALL in ALL!  As long as I have God that is ALL that I need no matter what storms I may face in my lifetime.  As long as I have Him that is all that I need…even if the worst of the worst happens, or things don’t turn out the way I hope.  This is my Truth!!!

My Truth is not determined by my circumstances; I believe that somehow, someway He would get me through whatever it is.  He is the key.  I wouldn’t want to do life apart from Him.

In John 15:5 Jesus says,

I am the Vine, you are the branches.
Those who abide in Me and I in them
Bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing.

So the question I ask myself (and I want to ask yourself, too) is this:
Are you a Prisoner of Hope when storms in life come your way?? Or are you tossed to and fro depending on your circumstances??

God has shown me so much about trees.  Let me share some of this with you.  I love this excerpt from “Lessons From The Oak Tree’ blog:
“The mighty oak tree, no matter how severe the storm and how strong the wind, the oak tree will continue to stand tall – branches may break and the tree may be stripped of it’s leaves, but through it all it will continue to stand tall.” He also pointed out an interesting fact, of which I was unaware, that the roots of an oak tree can extend down into the ground up to two and one-half times their height. Now THAT, my friends, is a deeply rooted tree.

So the question for each of us is—how deeply rooted are your values? Do you let yourself be blown to-and-fro with what is currently popular? Or do you stand for what you believe in? I think that what we stand for defines who we truly are. What we do in private when no one is looking…that defines the type of person we are.

I truly believe that one way we can influence this world for good is through our example. By defining ourselves by our values and beliefs, and then sharing those values and beliefs with others through our example, we can influence others for good. Do not waiver, do not lower your standards to fit in or to be popular. Rather, raise your standards so that you can raise those around you.

Here is what Scripture says about trees:

Jeremiah 17:8 ESV
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Psalm 1:3 ESV
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Isaiah 61:3b
They will be called mighty oaks, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor….

I love the strength in these trees; their roots are deep and they are grounded. No matter what storms they endure, they continue to stand firm. Oh, let this be my Truth and your Truth as well…

So no matter what you are enduring today (and believe me, I know life is hard). But I also know my God is Faithful in ALL things and He is my peace. And with Him I can get through anything that comes my way. He truly is ALL that I need….

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

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Heavenly Father, I ask You now for the peace that surpasses ALL understanding for each and everyone of the ladies reading this blog.  No matter what they are currently walking through, may our Truth be that no matter what storms come our way that as long as we have You then that is Truly ALL we need!!!  In Jesus name,  AMEN!!

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