The Color of Worship - Red

Hebrews 9:22 & 23 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was, therefore, necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Hebrews 9:27 & 28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Exalts Christ as our Redeemer.

Red. The color of salvation, declaring the triumphant redemption of mens' souls through the blood of Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Nobody else can do what Jesus did for me and you.

Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. A token, a symbol of the salvation through Christ that was yet to happen.

Job proclaimed it first when he said, "I know my Redeemer lives." Yes, my Redeemer lives. And He lives in me.

The Color of Worship - White

The color white is defined in Scripture as Purity, Righteousness, Light. White makes known the Holiness of God and encourages the people to prepare to be in His Presence.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. Revelation 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Revelation 1:14 His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire. White hot. The holiness of God can kill you if you are not prepared to be in His presence. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Back in Revelation Christ is described as having woolly white, snow white hair. See the connection here? Sin kills; Jesus saves. Sin dies; Jesus lives.

God is saying, "Let's be logical about this. When you and I meet at the altar, I will reveal your sins to you and you can lay them down at My Son's feet; the foot of the cross. His blood will drop into your sinful heart and wash your unrighteousness from you. And My Holy Spirit will fill you and guide you, if you let Him, to the state of holiness which I have prepared for you. Let's talk about this, this subject of sin vs. holiness."

Sin separates us from God. Dying in our sin separates us eternally from God. After death there are no more chances. It is in this life that we have to choose Christ as Savior. It is in this life that we have to make a decision to follow God all the time, not just part of the time. It is in this life that we reach the logical conclusion that only Jesus Christ fulfills all of Bible prophecy in being the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. Sin denies God. Sin denies God's Word in all forms. The Word of God is Holy. The Word of God is Living. The Word of God is in written form: The Holy Bible; in physical form: Jesus Christ; in spoken form: preach the gospel of salvation.

Jesus brings us closer to God. Dying in Jesus in this life, we live eternally in His life. Death here is but a whisper that leaves our fragile human bodies and enters the presence of God. Why can we be in God's eternal presence after death? Because Jesus covered our sins here with His own self, and God sees His own Son, our covering/our protection, when we stand in God's presence. Pretty cool, huh?

And the Holy Spirit of God, through our willingness, our desire to draw closer to God, helps us obtain a smidgen of holiness in this life. See, it's still about the power of choice. God can't make you be holy, you have to want to be holy. God can't save you if you don't want to be saved. He loves us enough to let us make our own choices; and His heart weeps for the wrong choices we make, I believe.

I've made too many wrong choices in my life. Unlike former President Clinton, I inhaled. Though God has forgiven my poor choices made in the past, I still will reap what I have sowed into my life and my body. This memory loss thing may very well lead back to those days. I sowed dissension, rebellion and disobedience into my life when I was younger. So, it's only logical that I reap dissension, rebellion and disobedience from my children. BUT GOD got a hold of my life and He won't let me go.

Now, I sow PRAYING FOR MY CHILDREN into their lives. Now, I sow PRAYING WITH MY CHILDREN into their lives. Now, I sow PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER into the lives of my family and friends. Now, I sow DAILY BIBLE STUDY into my life and yours. Now, I sow FAITHFULNESS in tithing into my life and theirs. Now, it's a whole new ball game. And I'm tagging the devil out!

The Color of Worship - Yellow

Now, I am not just posting old studies, I am re-studying previous sharings. So, if I can give myself a break and have a little bit of patience, so can you.

We are smiling faces when the sun is shining and grumpy faces when it does not. Sunshine, light, bright colors tend to make us happier. Whereas, dark colors, gloomy days and dimness tend to instill moodiness in us and dark thoughts, even.

We are drawn to the light, the newness of day, the freshness of life. We love babies and shun the sick. We enjoy the sound of children playing. Music fills our hearts and we unwind our thoughts and our bodies as we become a more joyful person.

Joy comes in the morning. But what is morning, when all your days appear the same? What is joy when pain engulfs your body 24/7? Where is the music, the laughter, the hope?

Where is the healing touch of Christ, when just the touch of fabric is too much to bear on one's skin? Where do I go, when I need to be healed? Where else but to the Lord? To the Word of God.

Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it (see verse 1), and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. This tree of life is ever bearing, ever fresh, ever new. Spring is forever in this tree. And it's leaves are for the HEALING of the nations.

In the springtime, when all the trees are budding, a newness of life is ready to begin. The leaves unfurl and reveal a light yellowish color. The sunlight shines down upon the leaves and the yellow becomes green or gold or red, depending on the species of tree which it is. And, as bright as the sun which shines down upon us is, it does not compare to the glory of God which lights up the whole new heavens. We shine because God shines. (verse 5)

Revelation 2:7 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. There it is again: the tree of life. And, we get to eat of it. Some of that fruit is for us. Healing fruit.

We eat some healing fruit now. Bananas become potassium in our bodies when we eat them. Golden Delicious apples really are. Phytochemicals are found in the yellow veggies and fruits we love to eat. Phytochemicals prevent heart disease and cancer, while helping our bodies to fend off even the common cold. The specific fruits and vegetables which enhance our immune system and increase our mental abilities are in this category, also. No longer is it just "an apple a day", we need to eat at least 5. And because we get bored easily, even in the kitchen/pantry, let's vary our intake of the color yellow. Pumpkins, squash, bananas, oranges, apricots, nectarines, grapefruit, mangos, papayas; sweet potatoes, potatoes, grapes, raisins, peaches, cantaloupes, watermelon, and onions, to name a few.

I have been reading a wonderful book "Meals that Heal" by Lisa Turner. http://www.amazon.com/Meals-That-Heal-Nutraceutical-Approach/dp/0892816252 It is more informative and fun to learn from than any health class I ever took. I think Anatomy and Physiology should be taught us at a much younger age, say like toddler stage. We already teach our children what to eat and when, but we have never told them why. It is the why that drives us crazy and sends us looking for answers, anyway. "You need to eat your peas." "Why?" "Because they're good for you?" "Why?" Because I said so is not a reason, it's an excuse.

The Tree of Life, however, in the paradise of God, gives eternal healing. A healing not only of the body of Christ, but of the soul, the mind, the spirit. We worship God in "spirit and in truth". If our spirit is sick, our worship is sick. Deuteronomy says to "love the Lord thy God with all your heart, your soul, your mind". If the heart of the body of Christ is sick, the worship of God falters and wains. Wisdom, in Proverbs 3:18, is referred to as "a tree of life". I want that Wisdom. God says I am happy if I keep this wisdom: She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and happy is everyone that retains her. See, if your lawyer is on retainer, that means that your lawyer is always available to serve you. So, by that same reasoning, if wisdom is retained, wisdom is always available to serve you and aid you. I want that Wisdom. I want that Healing. I am healed. In Jesus Name.

My mind is healed. My body is healed. My spirit is healed, My heart is healed.

Sweet Thunder

When was the last time you talked with God? Would you know His voice?

John 12:28 & 29 Father, glorify Thy Name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spoke to Him.

This passage tells me that if you don't know God, you won't recognize His voice when He speaks to you. Thunder is loud. Thunder tends to scare people or make them nervous. Thunder rattles the air and shakes the house. Thunder leads the way for the rain to follow. If you don't know God, then when He speaks to you, which direction will you go, when you look for Him?

1 Samuel 3:7 Now, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord revealed to Him. Twice before this in verses 4, 5 & 6, when God called Samuel by name, Samuel went to Eli thinking that Eli had called him. But when Eli finally understood that God was calling Samuel (verse 8), he told Samuel to go back and wait for God to call him again (verse 9), but to respond to God's call. 1 Samuel 3:10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant hears. Imagine lying down in your bed, asleep, and hearing someone call your name. Not yelling, not searching you out, but standing near your bedside and calling your name. Softly and tenderly saying your name.

Sweet thunder.

To me it is the voice of Someone who loves me calling me by my name. To another it is the sound of thunder, shaking the heavens and scattering the crowds. To me it is the voice of Love whispering in my ear. To another it is just noise. To me it is gentle, even in reprimand. To another it is loud and scary.

Sweet thunder from God.

When a crowd of people, say like at a football game, cheering for their team, it is a thunderous sound. Imagine this thunderous cheering coming out of heaven. John heard it. Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying , Aleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. {ooooohhhh, i just got Holy Spirit goosebumps. i sure look forward to that day}

Sweet thunder to God.

So, I ask again, Would you know God's voice if you heard it?

Seven Words of Praise

You may be thinking that I have been diverted down a rabbit track, because the Color of Worship study appears to have been discontinued. Not so. We are still worshiping; we are becoming vessels of worship. How can one truly worship God when we don't know how God wants to be worshiped?

Walk into church, sit down, listen to the choir and musicians, hear the preacher say a few words, go home. What part of that describes worshiping God? And what if you do become more active in the worship part of the service? Why or for whom are you participating? Because your worship leader says this is the way we do it? Or has your heart truly been prepared to be in God's presence, to sing God's praises, to glorify God and lift up His Name amongst the congregation of His people? You sure?

The word BLESS mentioned many, many times in the Old Testament Scriptures means to (1) Greatly Adore (2) Kneel Down (3) Abundantly altogether praise and congratulate (4) Salute (5) be Still (6) Thank.This word BLESS is translated from the Hebrew word BARAK, meaning to kneel down, surrender, submit. So, I ask again, are you ready to worship God in God's house?

Psalms 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips. The word PRAISE here is translated from the Hebrew word HALAL, meaning (1) Clear (2) Shine (3) Boast (4) Rave (5) Celebrate (6) Clamorously foolish.

Psalms 21:13 Be Thou exalted, Lord, in Thine own strength: so will we sing and praise Thy power. The word PRAISE here is ZAMAR, which means (1) Striking with the fingers (2) Touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument (play an instrument of music) (3) Make music accompanied by the voice (4) Celebrate in song and music (5) Sing forth.

Genesis 29:35 And she (Leah) conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. PRAISE = YADAH, meaning (1) Open handed [which indicates power, direction, means] (2) To throw {with that hand} (3) To revere or worship with extended hands (4) To cast out, confess, give thanks. Judah by definition means celebrated. People of praise.

Psalms 63:3 Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. PRAISE means SHABACH, shout with a voice of triumph! (1) Address in a loud tone (2) Commend (3) Glory in.

Deuteronomy 6:21 He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. PRAISE=TeHILLAH: (1) Laud (2) Hymn. See? Not only does He give me songs in the night, HE IS MY SONG. Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing. God sings over you and I. Do we sing over Him? Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved: for thou art my praise (my TeHillah, my song)

Jeremiah 33:11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for His mercy endures for ever: and {the voice} of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord. We bring a sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. Yes or No? What are we sacrificing to be in God's presence? What are we not doing at the time we come together with God's people in God's house? PRAISE = TOWDAH (1) Choir of worshipers (2) Sacrifice of praise (3) An extension of the hand [as in promise or vow]

Be prepared. When you declare allegiance to one Master, the other one will fight tooth and nail to get you to turn back and retreat. Nothing compares to the mercies of God and nothing ever will. Choosing to serve, and worship, God will antagonize the devil and he will use every trick and wile he has to break your connection to Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to worship the Lord your God?

Unforgiveness

As I posted on Facebook earlier, "Unforgiveness is cancer of the soul. Unforgiveness kills the spirit, steals your joy and destroys everything in its path." It is one of Satan's primary weapons. It may appear to start out as something small or minor to one person and soon erupt in a lifetime of bitterness, resentment, anger, loathing, hate, fear, frustration, gossip, secrets and murder.

To understand the full impact of unforgiveness, we just need to open our own eyes and actually survey the world around us, instead of shutting it out and hoping it will get better with time. Well, it won't. In the course of the time allowed us until Christ's return to take His church home, His church needs to be about her business. And her business is planting people in pews or harvesting the tithes and offerings into her own pockets.

In order to remove the unforgiveness in our lives, we must first repent of the sins which lie in our own hearts. We seek God's favor and ask for His forgiveness first. To us. You and I are not perfect. This forgiveness thing is not easy at first, but with grace we are able to mean it when we offer it. Remember when you first got saved? What a load was taken off! What a relief not to have to carry that baggage any longer! So, why carry it now? Begin to forgive everything. And everyone. Oh, and don't expect it to be a bed of sunshine either. As soon as you begin to forgive and seek forgiveness, that old devil will pop right up with new reasons for you to try to hold onto your grudges. Remember, Grudges are nasty, dirty things. If you are holding one, you need to put it down now. And go wash your hands. And your hearts.

Unforgiveness has the power to destroy homes, tear apart churches, damage relationships, and kindle fires. Obedience to God, faith in Christ and an ear open for the promptings of the Holy Spirit will strengthen the Power of Forgiveness in you and I. To forgive each other is to express the grace of God by our actions and our words. God forgives us our sins as soon as we repent. Why can't we forgive each other in that same way?

Integrity

Integrity: honor, strength of character, ethical, upright, honest.

Doing the right thing, when it seems as if everyone around you, thinks you are crazy. There is phrase in the Bible that sticks like glue to my thoughts "Be strong and of a good courage." Listen up: Deuteronomy 31:6 (&7) 'Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that goes with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.' Strong, good courage, fearless, remember. Joshua 1:6, 9, 18 'Be strong and of a good courage'. Of the verses referring to courage in the Scriptures, these five only mean (1) Be Alert (physically) (2) Steadfastly Minded (mentally) (3) Confirm, establish, fortify, harden, increase, prevail, strengthen yourself, make strong (obstinate, speed).

You are the Bride of Christ. Jesus does not have a ribbons and bows Bride, though she is adorned in white. He's coming back for a Warrior Bride. She is armed and dangerous. Armed with the whole Word of God, which is hidden in her heart. She uses God's Word for sustenance, for drink. Every Word that falls from the mouth of God she eats up. He strengthens her from the inside out. Where you go, God goes. That makes you a dangerous person.

The Word of God is available to you and I in three forms: the written Word of God, the Scriptures; the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ; the spoken Word of God, hearing the Word of God. Though there are some places where the written Word of God is forbidden, still the spoken Word of God can be heard and the Living Word of God cannot be displaced.

If you hear the Word of God, and do not apply it, you lack integrity. It takes courage to be a Christian, no matter what century or country you live in. You can hear about God, but not hear God. You can know about God, but not know God.

We apply God's Word to our hearts, our minds, our souls. Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. Like sunscreen. See, we apply sunscreen to prevent our skin from being burned by the UV rays coming off of the sun. And we apply this daily to our skin when we go outside the comfort of our homes, because UV rays are a deadly daily threat to us. You and I need to apply God's Word daily to our hearts, to our minds, to our souls, to our might (character/strength).

It is not a fat, lazy bride that Christ is looking for. He seeks His true Bride. Her strength comes from her Lord: the Joy of the Lord is my strength. Her beauty is her desire to please her Lord: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. His Bride dines at His table (Psalms 23:5), runs through troops and leaps over walls (Psalms 18:29), is efficiently and effectively equipped for warfare (Psalms 18:30-38 and Ephesians 6:10-20). The Bride of Christ surrenders to His authority out of Love and Respect. She is not negligent (Matthew 25:3,8), she is wise (Proverbs 11:30).

The Color of Worship ~ Gold

image courtesy of www.flickr.com {by argus456}

Exodus 28:36 And you will make a plate of pure gold, engraved upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Holiness: a set apartness, sanctified, sacred (physically pure/morally blameless/ceremonially consecrated) - according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

~ Only God is Holy. Only Christ is Holy. And, of course, the Holy Spirit is Holy. They are distinctly three and one at the same time. Each has a purpose: Creator, Redeemer, Companion. God creates. Christ Redeems. Holy Spirit guides. From the beginning of our history, and even before history began, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit existed. They created the world together and everything in it. ~

The purity of God is so bold and bright that no mortal eye can see God and live. And, yet, we long to be in God's presence permanently. How can we see God and live? Through His Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from our sinfulness through His death on the cross, we are brought into the throne room of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our prayers are smelled by God's nostrils. Our cries are heard by God's ears. Our praise and worship of the One who created us, and creates in us, is lifted up to God's throne room.

Here on our little piece of the universe, God leans His heart towards us, and extends His hands to us, and says, 'Come'. "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 ~ "Come, now is the time to worship." Philippians 2:10 & 11 ~ "Come and dine with me." Revelation 3:20 ~

You and I are being welcomed into the throne room of God. Come, let us worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The holiness, the sanctity, the purity, the consecrated presence of the eternal living God has been opened to us by the Door: Jesus Christ. And, while that Door remains open, I, for one, am going through.

The Color of Worship ~ Blue

I love the color blue; all shades. Blue represents the color of grace. The curtains in the tabernacle of God in the Old Testament were blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1). There were 10 curtains. Each curtain was 28 cubits long ( 1 cubit = 18 inches) and four cubits thick. {42' L x 6' D). The curtains which met in the middle had fifty blue loops on each edge and were attached to each other with fifty gold taches, or knobs.

Isaiah 53:5 & 6 He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Matthew 27:28-31 And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit on Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. Matthew 27:50 & 51 Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;.

Wounded. Bruised. Chastised. Stripes. Beaten. Smote. Blood didn't just drip from His wounds: it poured. Blood ran down His face, oozed from His chest, matted His clothes to His back. Surely some of that blood was on His persecutors and tormentors. Some dripped into the ground where He stood, where He fell. Some blood seeped into the cross He was forced to carry after being beaten nearly to death. Some blood fell on the man who helped Christ to carry the cross. Some blood got on the men who nailed His hands to the cross and on the men who nailed His feet to the cross. Some blood splurted onto the men around Him as the cross was raised up, with Christ on it, and placed firmly into the ground, for all the world to see. Some blood fell on those who came near to see the worst criminal of all time: the Man who was given the title King of the Jews, the Man who claimed sovereignty as the Son of God. And some of that blood fell on me.

The wounding of Christ, the bruising, the chastisement (punishment), the whipping, the mockery of Christ was for us. He was wounded for our transgressions, our sins, our rebellious thoughts and hearts. For our blatant disobedience and disregard for the Word of God. God punished His own Son instead of you and me. Only the Son of God could take our place in that regard. He was a Man without sin. He was the firstborn, without blemish, without stain. When He died the veil in the tabernacle was ripped in two. Six feet of fabric was ripped like a piece of paper at the exact same time as Christ's last breath left His body. Instant access to the holy of holies was made available to everyone now.

Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth (say it out loud) that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Romans 10:13 For whosoever (anyone) shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Every single person across the face of the earth has the opportunity through Christ to come into God's presence. He is the doorway. His bruises and His wounds, colors of blue and scarlet and purple created a permanent entryway into the throne room of God.

I believe.