II Corinthians 5:17(NIV) "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (me, we, she, you), he (me, we, she, you) is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come!
As I move closer to the Lord, I am beginning to see what I left behind of my old life in Egypt. I know that it is by the Grace of God that He has unfolded this mystery to me. The awakening of this understanding has caused me to want to shed more of my old life, and to sanctify my life to a greater degree...that I may know more of Him in greater measure.
I am at a point in my "worship odyssey" where I can really see that my old life, Egypt, had no love for me and was governed by the very things he listed in Galatians 5:19, "sexual immorality, impurity, and wickedness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, conflict, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, rebellion, division and envy, drunkenness," you name it and my life had it. It was darkness and I thought I lived in the light.
After being called out of my slavery in Egypt, I began to worship an invisible God that showed Himself to me in very real and purposeful ways. He began to speak to me and I began to recognize His voice over the other voices in my mind that once governed my heart. I realized that I was on auto-pilot. I was doing things because I had been raised that way, and I came to realize how the ways of Egypt had been so ingrained in me. I thought if I just gave my heart to Christ, Egypt would be no more, but I had no idea that Egypt was such a part of me. I found out I was still dysfunctional and needed to set some boundaries in my life. I needed to go to work on the things that continued to hinder me from seeing Him closer. Once I realized what some of my issues were, I found that I was powerless in myself to fix them. I needed to hand them over to my Wonderful Counselor. I am now on the road to recovery...allowing God's healing balm to set me free once again.
God continues to heal me and break the chains that had held me bound. His word says that His divine power gives me everything I need to live a new life through Jesus my Savior. He has replaced those awful things of my past with the fruit of His Spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I am constantly reminded in His word I must not dwell on the things in my past but to remember my God has cleansed me from my old life. I now walk in the newness of life spoken of in Galatians 6:15 which states that what really counts in this life is a new creation of which I am, in Christ. I am His child and through the spirit of adoption I do cry Abba.
Experiencing Worship, The Study
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
Experiencing Worship, The Study