Tag: Glory

365 Days of Worship-Week 10-Earnestly Seek God

Have you earnestly looked for an item you wanted? I searched my house for days for an item I put down but could not remember where I put it. I just had it, so where is it? After several days, I found it under a pile of clothes. Doing something earnestly means you are focused, intentional, and sometimes zealous. Think of a time when you were searching for something in earnest. What was your mindset?

The focus passage today is found in Psalm 63:1-2 (ESV). David wrote this Psalm in the wilderness of Judah while running from King Saul. Imagine yourself in David’s place as you read.

1) O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2) So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

Note: The King James Version is the only version that says, “Early will I seek you,” so we will focus on earnestly seeking God, which can be in the early morning. David sought God to provide for him in his time of need. Do you only earnestly seek God when you are in need? Or does your soul thirst for God every day? God says He is our living water in Jeremiah 17:13; “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.”

But how do you earnestly seek a spirit you can’t see? We learned in week 5, that we seek Him in spirit and truth. If you believe Jesus is the son of God and has redeemed you, then God’s spirit is in you (1John 4:12-15). His Spirit is but a breath away. How do you look upon God in the sanctuary? The answer is in beholding His power and glory, which is why I have decided to spend a year focusing on God’s many glorious and powerful attributes. As you worship each day, take time to earnestly seek to be refreshed by the fountain of living water.

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WEEK 10 – March 5-11

Day 64-Mar 5—Worship God, who is your rock, salvation, and fortress whom you can trust.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. –Psalm 62:2

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah –Psalm 62:7-8

Day 65-Mar 6—Worship God for His awesome deeds toward us.

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. 6He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him. –Psalm 66:5-6

Day 66-Mar 7—Worship God for His justice and guidance.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. 5Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! –Psalm 67:4-5

Day 67-Mar 8—Worship God who daily bears us up.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. 20Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belongs deliverances from death. –Psalm 68:19-20

Day 68-Mar 9—Worship God who gives us power and strength.

Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! –Psalm 68:35

Day 69-Mar 10—Worship God for He cares for the needy, poor, and weak.

For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. 13He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy. 14From oppression and violence, he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. –Psalm 72:12-14

Day 70-Mar 11—Worship God for His favor and honor.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! –Psalm 84:11-12

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. To review the previous weeks, go to the 365 Days of Worship page. This post is copyright protected.

365 Days of Worship–Week 6 – Reverence

Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:28-29

This verse is packed full of instructions. First, be grateful you have the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. Romans 14:17 states, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” In the last post, I explained the Holy Spirit’s role in our worship. With the Holy Spirit comes the kingdom. Hard to wrap your mind around, I know.

The next command is to “offer God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” According to Dictionary.com (2024), reverence is a feeling or attitude of deep respect, and awe is an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, or extremely powerful. The following describes the awesome God we worship. Psalm 89:5-9 tells us, “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 6For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 8O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? 9You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” And this God is our Father if we believe and receive Him (John 1:12).

Does your worship service at your church lead you to worship with reverence and awe? I have been to several churches where the worship service is more like rock concerts. This is a show and apostate worship. Hebrews 12:29 says, “for our God is a consuming fire.” A consuming fire completely destroys. We need to have a healthy fear of disobeying God’s commands. Deuteronomy 9:3 states, “Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you.” God is to be worshiped with reverence and awe, and he is to be feared in a healthy way as one would fear the power of fire and respect it.

Take time each day to reverently worship the awesome God who loved and saved us, and we have the privilege to serve.

WEEK 6 – February 5-11

Day 36-Feb. 5—Worship God’s perfection and being our shield.

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. –Psalm 18:30

Day 37-Feb. 6—Worship God’s salvation, support, and gentleness.

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. –Psalm 18:35

Day 38-Feb. 7—Worship God’s glory in His handiwork.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. –Psalm 19:1

Day 39-Feb. 8—Worship God for His laws, testimony, precepts, commandments, and rules.

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. –Psalm 19:7-9

Day 40-Feb. 9—Worship God’s power.

Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power. –Psalm 21:13

Day 41-Feb. 10—Worship God’s kingship.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. –Psalm 22:27

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! –Psalm 24:10 

Day 42-Feb. 11—Worship God’s Holy place and blessing.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. –Psalm 24:3-5

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. To review the previous weeks, go to the 365 Days of Worship Page. This post is copyright protected.

14—GOD PROMISES TO LEAD US AND BE WITH US

Have you ever wondered where you should live, who you should marry, what job to take, and so on? I have good news, God promises to lead you, “but how,” you might be thinking. Before God can lead you, you need to be sensitive to His leading. When you submit to someone, you are willing to be led by that person. What do you still need to submit to God?

The following scripture reassures us that God leads us:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ̶ Proverbs 3:5-6

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ̶ Psalm 32:8

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 24though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. ̶ Psalm 37:23-24

It is one thing to hear from God; it is another thing to obey His leading. Be prepared to obey, even if you don’t understand or can’t see why. You are not alone. Abraham did not know why, but he obeyed God’s voice, and God blessed him. Moses heeded the voice of God even though he had no confidence in his ability to speak, so God spoke to Aaron, his brother, to be the voice of Moses. Exodus 4:12 states, “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Gideon did not understand why he was chosen to deliver the people from the hand of their enemy, but he obeyed, and God gave Him the victory. Why did God choose these imperfect Bible heroes to be examples of His greatness? Because God wants the glory.

God wants to choose you; will you obey? What will happen if you do not obey God? Psalm 81:11-12 states, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.” Do not lean on your understanding but obey so all will be in God’s will. Jeremiah 7:23 states, “But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’”

I was facing a layoff and did not have another job lined up. I asked God, what I was to do, and He said, “Write a book.” “What, I don’t know how to write, and I have no idea what to write.” After about two months of waiting on God to know what He wanted me to write about, He said I had already written it. “What????” I pondered what I had already written. The only thing I wrote was a series of Bible studies for the inmates at the county jail. God said that is it. The book was so large that I had to break it into two books. I published the first book, Fighting Unseen Battles” and will soon publish the second book “Breaking Mental Strongholds.”

God directs our steps in many ways. Here are a few biblical examples.

God Will Speak to You Personally

Genesis 12:1 states, “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” The Bible has about 275 verses describing how God (the LORD) spoke to people directly but be careful to test the spirits (James 4:1). God would never tell you to do anything that is not in the Bible. For example, God would not tell you to divorce your spouse.

I was driving, and God clearly spoke to me and said I was to go to Radio Shack. I didn’t know why and didn’t have any reason to go to Radio Shack, so I drove by. God spoke to me again to go to Radio Shack. So I turned around and went to the store. I didn’t know why God told me to go to Radio Shack, so I began to talk with the salespeople, and a customer came up and said he needed a UNIX programmer to do some work for him. I happened to know UNIX, and I happened to need trade experience to finish getting my degree to teach computer science/data processing. There you have it, God knew that man would be in the store at that time, and He directed my steps.

God May Use Someone to Tell You

Maybe even an angel will speak to you as for Abraham, Daniel, Zacharia, Mary, and Joseph. The English Standard Bible (e-sword) records 63 times when an angel spoke to someone. God used prophets to speak to people. The ESV Bible had approximately 56 verses when a prophet spoke God’s message. The Bible has many examples of when God led people to talk to someone. Abigail came to my mind when she went to David to dissuade him from killing her husband (1Samuel 25).

When I became a single mother and didn’t have a job, I asked God what I was to do to support myself. My heart’s desire was to be a stay-at-home mother. My friend suggested that I become a seamstress and do sewing for people. I advertised and had no trouble getting enough customers to pay my bills and keep my children at home with me. I believe God spoke through my friend.

He May Speak to You in a Vision or a Dream

Genesis 15:1 states, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Also, Numbers 12:6 states, “And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.” And Job 33:14-15 states, “For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds.” Pay attention to dreams, especially dreams you remember. Keep a notebook by your bed so you can record them.

He Directs Us Through Circumstances

God used many different circumstances in Jesus’s life to fulfill prophetic scriptures. God also used many events to get me where I am. God used Joseph’s brothers to sell him to traders, who then sold him as an enslaved person. He then ended up in jail for several years because an evil woman lied. In prison, he meets two men who had dreams, and he interprets the dreams. He interpreted dreams for Pharaoh, who then made him second in command. All those circumstances prepared Joseph for his purpose, which was to save his family. He had to endure many hardships to get to where God wanted him to be. We, too, will have to go through problems. We will never know the impact on our lives and the lives of others because of the decisions other people, or we make.

When we follow God’s leading, we will be in His will, though we may have to go through tough times to grow in our faith. Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” And Isaiah 41:10 states, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Conclusion

Are you willing to submit to God’s leading and obey His commands? Be ready to hear God speak to you directly, through someone else, or in your dreams. Be willing to allow the situations in your life, even difficult circumstances to move you in the direction God wants you to go. Both times I was laid off, I wrote a book. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how God will use them, but it is all for His glory.

RECOMMENDED POSTS

Pt. 2: Why You Can and Cannot Trust God?

Trust God to Keep His Promises

POSTS about God’s Promises

All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website. 

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.  

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts. 

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.  

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.