Category: Praise

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Praise Psalms Thanksgiving

Global Thanksgiving and Praise

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 108:3-4 (ESV) Go global with your thanksgiving and praise. Go global with your gratitude for all that God has done to rescue you, to restore you, and to reconcile you to Himself. God has poured out His mercy and He has dispensed His grace so that you can know Him personally and intimately through a saving relationship with Jesus. God has lavished you with His love. You have a new identity in Christ and you have a message to declare. Your eternal destiny has been sealed by the Holy Spirit. How will you respond to what God has done to transform your life? Will you give thanks to Him among the peoples? Will you sing praise to Him among the nations? Thank the Lord for His steadfast love. Praise Him for his faithfulness. Acknowledge where you would be without Him. Affirm your dependency upon the Lord. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 (ESV) Infuse your prayer life with thanksgiving. Begin to specify before the Lord the people you are thankful for. Name them and express your gratitude for each person the Lord has brought into your life. Thank the Lord for their influence. Praise the Lord for His activity in their lives. Bless the Lord for the impact they have had on your life. Thank the Lord for the circumstances He has brought you through. Praise Him for His divine intervention in the situations that He has shielded you from. Praise the Lord for revealing His peace, for distributing His provisions, and for healing your hurts. Testify of His faithfulness. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Praise Psalms Thanksgiving

Express Your Praise

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Psalm 95:1-5 (ESV) We were made to worship. God placed within us the desire to worship. In the natural, we choose to worship created things instead of the Creator. When we worship things or other people, we commit the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is a perversion of God’s intended purpose for our lives. We combat the gravitational pull of idolatry by surrendering to the Lordship of Christ and yielding our allegiance to Him. Choose to sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord when you are alone. Sing to the Lord when you are joining fellow believers in corporate worship. Sing to the Lord when you are sitting, walking, jogging, or driving. Sing to the Lord when you are in the valley and when you are on the mountaintop. Even if you are not a gifted vocalist, make a joyful noise to rock of your salvation. Express your praise to God for He is a great God. He is a great King above all other gods. The earth is His. The mountains are His. The sea is His. The dry land is His. You are His. There is no one else like you. God has uniquely created you so that you can uniquely worship Him and express your praise to Him. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Praise Psalms Trust

New Song

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV) God answers prayer. As you wait patiently for the Lord He will incline His ear and He will hear your cry. When you express the agony of your soul, God will respond with His comfort and compassion. The Lord invites you to walk intimately with Him as you surrender to His Lordship. God intervenes. The circumstances of life can sometimes generate seasons of heartache. God will draw you out of the pit of despair and He will make your steps secure by placing your feet upon a rock. God intervenes by rescuing you from your self-sufficiency and reminds you of your total dependence upon His daily provision. God puts a new song in your mouth. When you became a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, your eternal destiny in heaven was secured. You have the privilege of having a song to sing that expresses your new identity in Christ. The new song in your mouth is filled with the grace and mercy of God. Your life is a testimony of God’s activity. As others view your life, you can affirm the promises of God and know that He places you in the display window of life to draw others to Jesus. Praise God that you have a new song to sing. Your life has been transformed by the grace of God. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Expression Praise Worship

Vertical Expression

“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100:2 (ESV) What are you passionate about? Perhaps you get excited about engaging in life-giving activities such as playing golf, fishing, shopping, scrap-booking, or painting. Maybe your passion is decorating your home or working in the yard. It would take less than thirty seconds to discover your passion. Whatever you are passionate about will surface rather quickly as you interact with people. God wants you to bring your passion to public worship. Whenever you assemble with other believers in a corporate setting to worship God, you can choose to engage or to totally disengage. God gives you the freedom to passionately pursue Him in public worship. God desires your passionate worship and God deserves your passionate worship. It is so easy to direct our passion toward so many other things in life and then bring God the leftovers when we come to a worship service with other believers. We can enter a beautiful worship center filled with fellow believers and drift into a dormant posture for worship. Instead of giving God our best, we can so easily be distracted by the tugs of this life. It it possible to worship our work and fail to work at our worship designed to express our love to God. Do you worship the Lord with gladness? Is there passion in your expression of worship? Come into His presence with joyful songs. If you have been delivered from the flames of hell and placed on the road that leads to life, then you have a song to sing. If you have been saved by the grace of God and become a citizen of heaven, then you have a song to sing. Bring your passion to worship. Sing with appreciation in your heart for all that God has brought you through. Passionately express your worship to the One who gave you eternal life! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Praise Psalms Thanksgiving

Global Thanksgiving and Praise

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 108:3-4 (ESV) Go global with your thanksgiving and praise. Go global with your gratitude for all that God has done to rescue you, to restore you, and to reconcile you to Himself. God has poured out His mercy and He has dispensed His grace so that you can know Him personally and intimately through a saving relationship with Jesus. God has lavished you with His love. You have a new identity in Christ and you have a message to declare. Your eternal destiny has been sealed by the Holy Spirit. How will you respond to what God has done to transform your life? Will you give thanks to Him among the peoples? Will you sing praise to Him among the nations? Thank the Lord for His steadfast love. Praise Him for his faithfulness. Acknowledge where you would be without Him. Affirm your dependency upon the Lord. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 (ESV) Infuse your prayer life with thanksgiving. Begin to specify before the Lord the people you are thankful for. Name them and express your gratitude for each person the Lord has brought into your life. Thank the Lord for their influence. Praise the Lord for His activity in their lives. Bless the Lord for the impact they have had on your life. Thank the Lord for the circumstances He has brought you through. Praise Him for His divine intervention in the situations that He has shielded you from. Praise the Lord for revealing His peace, for distributing His provisions, and for healing your hurts. Testify of His faithfulness. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 144:  Psalms 108-110) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Praise Psalms Thanksgiving

Express Your Praise

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Psalm 95:1-5 (ESV) We were made to worship. God placed within us the desire to worship. In the natural, we choose to worship created things instead of the Creator. When we worship things or other people, we commit the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is a perversion of God’s intended purpose for our lives. We combat the gravitational pull of idolatry by surrendering to the Lordship of Christ and yielding our allegiance to Him. Choose to sing to the Lord. Sing to the Lord when you are alone. Sing to the Lord when you are joining fellow believers in corporate worship. Sing to the Lord when you are sitting, walking, jogging, or driving. Sing to the Lord when you are in the valley and when you are on the mountaintop. Even if you are not a gifted vocalist, make a joyful noise to rock of your salvation. Express your praise to God for He is a great God. He is a great King above all other gods. The earth is His. The mountains are His. The sea is His. The dry land is His. You are His. There is no one else like you. God has uniquely created you so that you can uniquely worship Him and express your praise to Him. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 142:  Psalms 95, 97-99) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Praise Psalms Trust

New Song

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 (ESV) God answers prayer. As you wait patiently for the Lord He will incline His ear and He will hear your cry. When you express the agony of your soul, God will respond with His comfort and compassion. The Lord invites you to walk intimately with Him as you surrender to His Lordship. God intervenes. The circumstances of life can sometimes generate seasons of heartache. God will draw you out of the pit of despair and He will make your steps secure by placing your feet upon a rock. God intervenes by rescuing you from your self-sufficiency and reminds you of your total dependence upon His daily provision. God puts a new song in your mouth. When you became a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, your eternal destiny in heaven was secured. You have the privilege of having a song to sing that expresses your new identity in Christ. The new song in your mouth is filled with the grace and mercy of God. Your life is a testimony of God’s activity. As others view your life, you can affirm the promises of God and know that He places you in the display window of life to draw others to Jesus. Praise God that you have a new song to sing. Your life has been transformed by the grace of God. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 138:  Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61-62, 64) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Expression Praise Worship

Vertical Expression

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2 (NIV) What are you passionate about? Perhaps you get excited about engaging in life-giving activities such as playing golf, fishing, shopping, scrap-booking, or painting. Maybe your passion is decorating your home or working in the yard. It would take less than thirty seconds to discover your passion. Whatever you are passionate about will surface rather quickly as you interact with people. God wants you to bring your passion to public worship. Whenever you assemble with other believers in a corporate setting to worship God, you can choose to engage or to totally disengage. God gives you the freedom to passionately pursue Him in public worship. God desires your passionate worship and God deserves your passionate worship. It is so easy to direct our passion toward so many other things in life and then bring God the leftovers when we come to a worship service with other believers. We can enter a beautiful worship center filled with fellow believers and drift into a dormant posture for worship. Instead of giving God our best, we can so easily be distracted by the tugs of this life. It it possible to worship our work and fail to work at our worship designed to express our love to God. Do you worship the Lord with gladness? Is there passion in your expression of worship? Come into His presence with joyful songs. If you have been delivered from the flames of hell and placed on the road that leads to life, then you have a song to sing. If you have been saved by the grace of God and become a citizen of heaven, then you have a song to sing. Bring your passion to worship. Sing with appreciation in your heart for all that God has brought you through. Passionately express your worship to the One who gave you eternal life! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Blessings Praise Thankfulness

Thank God for the Little Things

(Today’s Devotional Submitted by Guest Writer: Scott Riling, Pastor of Missions and Ministry, Champion Forest Baptist Church) “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NIV) Families and friends come together on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy one of the most incredible meals all year. Even many families who would not consider themselves particularly religious will most likely begin with some sort of an acknowledgment of the Divine One before going after the turkey or ham. When that time comes, I am sure the Lord will hear some very interesting prayers. Many will probably contain the all-inclusive statement, “Thank You for our many blessings!” However, the Lord will hear other prayers that will be a little more specific and will include actually naming some of those blessings. Can you name some specific things that you know God has brought into your life? In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells about an occasion that taught her to always be thankful. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been taken to the worst concentration camp in Germany in WWII—Ravensbruck. The barracks were cold, overcrowded and flea-infested. Early one morning, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which reminds Christians to always rejoice, pray, and be thankful. Betsy told Corrie to stop for a moment and give thanks to the Lord for all of their circumstances. At first Corrie refused, but then Betsy insisted. As the months passed in the camp, they were a little surprised at how they could openly hold Bible studies in the barracks without guard interference. They finally learned why—the guards did not want to enter the barracks because of the fleas! Let’s be truly thankful to God for how richly He has blessed us—even for the little things! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Faith Praise Victory

Flourishing in God’s House

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” Psalms 52:8-9 (NIV) Are you flourishing in this life? Are you connected to the source of life and peace? The abundant Christian life is lived from the inside out. You start with your inner life, the private world of your love relationship with the Lord. You are the house of God. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Are you nurturing the life of Christ in you? You flourish in the house of God when you trust in God’s unfailing love. God’s love is not conditioned by your response. God’s love is not extended to you based on your performance. There is nothing you can do to cause God to love you any more and there is nothing you can do to cause God to love you any less. God’s love for you is unfailing and unchanging. You flourish in the house of God when you praise God for what He has done. Gratitude is the attitude of the child of God. Being grateful for the activity of God in your life is demonstrated through your vertical recognition of God’s faithfulness. Begin praising God now for His wonderful acts of compassion and tenderness. When you hope in His name, you flourish in the house of God. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalms 20:7 NIV). Be careful where you land your trust. Anchor your faith to the Master of the sea. Fasten your faith to the Rock of Ages! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

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Praise

Praise

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.” Psalm 9:1 (NIV) How do you begin each day of your life? Do you jump right out of bed and hit the floor running or do you slowly drag yourself from beneath the sheets and gradually wake up to the approaching day? Either way, let me share with you a wonderful way to PACE yourself for each day. Let’s consider using PACE as an acrostic to get our day moving in the right direction with the Lord. The “P” stands for “Praise!” The psalmist models this attitude and action by saying, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart.” To praise God is to give Him honor for who He is. To praise God is to acknowledge His sovereignty, His power, and His holiness. Step number one: When you awaken each morning, lift your hands toward heaven and say, “Lord, I praise You!” That’s right; as soon as your feet hit the ground lift your hands and speak it with sincerity and with passion. You may even choose to look up toward heaven as you say those precious words to our Living Lord. Each of the next three days we will unlock each letter of the word PACE to explore a simple yet captivating daily exercise to start each day off right. Now, let’s practice this first step. Lift your hands toward heaven. Now look up and say it with me, “Lord, I praise You!” He is worthy. We are blessed. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care