Overjoyed Winter

Winter 2024/2025

Finding Faith in the Battle with Katelyn Hodges

the worship issue

Contents pg 1 Steadfast Worship- Lori Stevens pg 3 Worthy are You, Lord- Rebecca Cooper pg 7 The Ultimate Act of Worship- Debbie Young pg 9 God is My Rock- Janice Duvall pg 11 Finding Faith in the Battle: An Interview with Katelyn Hodges pg 17 Falling in Love with Repentance- Annita Tilley pg 20 Worship and Slug Bug- Shannon Yarbrough pg 22 The Greatest Worship- Kim Hon pg 26 Absorbed in God- Pam Perry pg 29 From His Presence- Rhonda Woody pg 32 Worship- Mindy Alvarez pg 33 Set Free- Marylou Forrest

From the Editor We serve a God who wants us to worship Him. In Romans 12:1, we are instructed to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. In this verse, there is no mention of circumstance or even the condition of our bodies. The instructions are simple...simply submit. Bring your worries. Bring your sickness. Bring your brokenness. Bring your joy.

Where is Jesus asking you to lay down your burdens or your business and simply submit? The woman at the well met Jesus unexpectedly.

She was there on a mission, but instead, Jesus asked her to slow down and stop so she could have a life-changing conversation with the well that never runs dry.

Make time to worship in Spirit and truth. Make time to present yourself before the Lord. With nothing to hide and no shame have a simple conversation that just might change your life.

In this issue, you will find testimony, devotion, and knowledge about laying down in front of the Lord and simply saying, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Whether it is fighting for your family, your sanity, or your salvation, worship is a part of your warfare. Lean in and enjoy coming closer to your Savior today. Listen for His voice, savor His presence, and know He is the God who waits for you by the well.

Ashley Ennis EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24

Steadfast Worship Lori Stevens Worship is often seen as joining together with other Christians in a corporate time of singing songs and declaring the greatness of God as a group. This is part of church services worldwide. We love to come together in worship services and sing from our soul to God. There is another aspect of worship that we need. We need to have a steadfast worship that fills our everyday lives and becomes a lifestyle.

Steadfast is firm and unwavering. It is resolute and dutiful. Worship is reverence, adoration and the expression of that adoration and reverence of God. It isn’t meant to only occur once or twice a week. Coming together in corporate worship is wonderful, but our daily lives need to be stead fast in worship. Our day to day needs to declare our reverence and adoration of God Almighty. He is worthy of all praise and adoration. 1 Corinthians 16:25 says, For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. He deserves all our praise and worship.

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How do we worship him daily? Every day needs to be dedicated to growing closer to Jesus. He is the One who died and rose again just to save us. His love covers a multitude of sins and I want make sure I am giving him the worship he deserves.

Daily worship is how we live and how we portray a life dedicated to God. Our words, attitudes and responses to every situation should reflect the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians chapter five there are several verses that we can apply to our daily lives.

Rejoice evermore! We need to have an attitude of rejoicing in our daily activities.

Even when things seem to be against us and not going our way, we can rejoice in the Lord. Pray without ceasing! Having an attitude and a heart ready to pray. We can whisper prayers throughout our day.

Prayer is communication with God. We can speak to him a moment’s notice. He is ready to hear and ready to move in the daily situations. He can help us make decisions, give us wisdom to speak or listen, protect and guide his children throughout the day.

I ready of one pastor who even prayed daily about what to wear. One time when preparing for a flight, he prayed about his choice of clothing. God impressed on him to wear a certain tie and his suit. When he arrived at the airport, the flights were delayed but because of that tie, an airport employee recognized him as a pastor, got him on a flight and helped him reach his destination in a timely manner. If he had not obeyed God, he would have had to reschedule and miss out on a chance to preach and minister. In everything give thanks!

We may not always feel like being thankful in certain situations. We may not even want to be thankful for life’s difficulties. This verse says ‘in everything give thanks.” We can still have a heart of gratitude and thankfulness for what God has done, is doing and will do in our lives.

He is always good. We can trust that God is working for our good and he is always with us.

He promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We can be thankful for his goodness through every situation. This is not easy but I know it can be done.

My dad always quoted Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We can be glad daily. We can rejoice daily. In spite of all circumstances, we need to remember that God has saved us, blessed us and has great things in store for us. He is always good and always working for our good. I cling to this. We can think on the good things of God. Philippians tells us to thing on the good things of God, the true, the honest and the lovely.

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we can find our minds filled with worship.

We can walk in worship, speak in worship, and become a light of hope to those around us.

We become a light of God’s faithfulness when our hearts and minds steadfast in worship. We can respond with prayer. We can respond with hope. We can respond with the wisdom of God. Our daily walk and our daily lives will demonstrate to others that God is interested in the mundane parts of our lives as well as the big events.

He will walk with us through the joys and the trials. He has answers for every situation. He is ready to bless us, keep us and use us. We are available for his purpose when we are walking in daily worship to him with a mind steadfast on him.

Steadfast worship is not wavering in the circumstances of life.

Steadfast worship occurs throughout our daily lives as we focus on Him and his goodness.

Rejoice! Pray! Be thankful! God is good! Our daily lives become a reflection of him as we grow close to him in daily, steadfast worship.

HE WILL WALK WITH US THROUGH THE JOYS AND THE TRIALS. HE HAS ANSWERS FOR EVERY SITUATION.

Worthy are You, Lord Rebecca Cooper A few months ago, I was studying thanksgiving, and it led me to search out the diƯerence between thanksgiving, praise, and worship. I heard the preacher Derek Prince make the following diƯerentiation: thanksgiving is acknowledging God for his goodness, praise is acknowledging God for his greatness, and worship is acknowledging God for his holiness.

We give God thanks for everything that He has done for us out of the goodness of who He is. At the time that I am writing this, we are in the month of Thanksgiving. But over the course of my Christian walk, I have done my best to not wait for a specific holiday to reflect on the goodness of the Lord. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.” (Psalm 100:4) According to this verse, thanksgiving is the key to the gate of God’s presence. If we desire to spend time with the Lord, then the first words out of our mouth when addressing Him should be “thank you”.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…”

(Psalm 48:1) Praise should go hand in hand with thanksgiving. When we think about everything that the Lord has done for us, and what He has delivered us from; we should begin to understand just how great our God is. It should make us happy and joyful, and we should be willing to display our gratitude in praise. “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!” (Psalm 150:3-5) While praise and worship are tied together, worship is indeed different than just giving thanks to or praising the Lord. It is possible and very good practice for us to give thanks to and praise other people. If someone has made your life easier in some way, thanking them should be an instant response to their help. If a person has done a job or a task well, giving them praise is a wonderful way of letting them know that you have noticed their accomplishments. But worship should be reserved for the Lord only. “For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14) So, if we are not to give worship to anything or anyone but God, we need to know what worship really is and why only He alone deserves worship.

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I have found it difficult to summarize what worship means to me into one phrase. One of the definitions of worship from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.” I feel like the word “devotion” begins to open up the way I would describe worship to someone. If we worship something, we devote time to that thing. My pastor always says, “Passion is displayed in pursuit.” Whatever you are passionate about, you will pursue. If you are passionate about fishing, you will spend as much time as possible out on the water fishing. If you are passionate about staying healthy, you will spend time exercising, eating healthily, and learning about wellness. We assemble at church as a form of worship to our God. We show up to spend time in the Father’s presence, and show honor and respect to Him. We devote ourselves to being with God in His temple.

In the Old Testament, man in his daily state was not worthy to be in the presence of the Holy God of Israel, so there were strict cleansing rituals that priests had to perform before they could enter the Holy of Holies to be in the presence of the Lord (Exodus 2830). But when Jesus died for our sins, the veil was torn, and we now have access to the Father through the blood of Jesus (Matthew 27:51). So, that means that we are not confined to worshiping our Lord just in the sanctuary. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God.

We give glory to the Lord when we love our neighbors, give to the poor, take care of the widows and orphans. We honor Him by giving tithes and offerings so that His house can be full of bread. We honor Him by being obedient and sharing the good news of Jesus and that He died for our sins. When we read the Bible, we are pursuing Him by learning His will for our lives and taking the time to know who He is. When we pray, we are showing Him that we want to spend time with Him and hear His voice. Everything that we do brings honor or dishonor to the Lord. Just like the actions of our children often reflect on us, our actions as being a child of God reflect on Him.

But the more I learn about the Creator of all things, the easier I find it to worship Him. When reading Isaiah 40:12-31, I hear about how He measured the waters of the earth in His hand, He weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. Job 26 says that He hung the Earth on nothing, He binds up the water in clouds, and He stirs up the sea with His Power. Job 38 continues with revealing His holiness by stating that He laid the foundations of the earth, He commanded the morning and caused the dawn to know its place. Regardless of my current emotional, physical, financial state, or any state that has my attention; the Lord is worthy of my worship because there is none greater than He. No one and nothing else have the power to create and keep it all in divine order. That alone is why God deserves all the worship for Himself. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” (Psalm 24:1) The world today is saturated with entertainment that keeps our attention spread so thin that we often say we do not have time for the Lord. We do not have time to read our Bibles, to pray, to go to church. Our children are in so many sports and extracurricular activities that families no longer sit down to have dinner together. If parents are still married, most of the time both are working fulltime jobs to try to provide for their family’s needs and wants.

And to unwind, it is easy to just “veg out” watching TV or scrolling online. And while those things alone are not sinful, if we are not careful, our worship goes to the world and not the Creator of the world. And to worship anything or anyone other than God is a sin.

Remember, Exodus 34:14 says that God’s name is Jealous. He longs to spend time with us, but we often tell Him we will another day. And yet, He gave us the breath that we use to reject Him.

Will you take a moment to lay down whatever device you are reading this on and give the Lord the worship that He alone is worthy of?

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:14

The Ultimate Act of Worship Debbie Young

It was then that I caught a glimpse of a strand of my hair as it swirled past my face. Much to my surprise, I saw that each individual hair was made up of a sentence. I caught one and brought it up closer to read it. It was a description of something that I had done for the Lord at one time in my life.

There are so many ways to worship our Lord and He is worthy of them all.

However, I feel the greatest way to worship Him is by our simple obedience.

I began to look at more and more of the strands and every single one was a description of a time in my life that I had served the Lord in some way or another.

There was even a strand of hair that described the time I cleaned the bathrooms at a church we had attend decades earlier.

Several years ago, I had a life-changing experience that proves this. I have had many wonderful encounters with God and I’m sure you have too, but this one experience changed me forever.

One Sunday night, our church was going into it’s altar service and I knelt at a chair on the front row. All of a sudden I had a vision that I was kneeling at the feet of Jesus. I felt like I was IN the vision. I had a deep longing to minister to Him by washing His Feet that were before me. I wanted to wash them with my hair to show Him how much I loved Him, but my hair was too short. I feel that the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to minister to Him in this way.

There were hundreds and hundreds, probably thousands, of “sentence strands”, and most of them seemed to be descriptions of things that seemed insignificant, nevertheless they were acts of service to my Lord.

I feel, through this experience, the Lord was teaching me that He gets the Greatest Glory out of our simplest acts of obedience. When we honor our Great King by our service to Him, no matter what you may think is the tiniest thing, He is worshipped and Glorified.

But I remember feeling sad that I couldn’t do this. Then suddenly, in the vision, I saw that my hair was very long and thick. It was swirling around His feet and ankles in slow motion as I knelt before Him. I felt an overwhelming joy that is indescribable.

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I couldn’t help but connect this God encounter with the verse that says, “But if a woman lets her hair grow, it is a glory to her”. I know that verse has nothing to do with this but in that vision those strands of hair were bringing Glory to Him, not me!

There were even descriptions of times that I went on to church when I didn’t feel well, or times that I spoke an encouraging word to someone. It was all there!

There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t think about this experience that I had that day, even though it was many years ago.

1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said, ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.’”

Folks, every single thing you do for the Kingdom of God, as long as your motive is right, is blessing our Lord and bringing Him great Glory! And He is keeping a record of every single tiny, seemingly insignificant thing!

You are blessing Him over and over with your acts of service and obedience! It’s as if you are washing His Precious Feet! And one day we will stand before Him while He reminds us of all these act of Love we presented to Him while we walked this Earth.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9.

That’s well and good. I’m looking forward to reaping what I’ve sown, but the real reason I want to walk in obedience and service to my Lord is to bring Honor and Glory to Him. Let this be an encouragement to you: Your Greatest Act of Worship is your obedience, even in the tiniest of things!

God bless you in all you do and may your motives be pure.

God is My Rock Janice Duvall The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

2 Sam 22:3

Lean on the Lord I lean on you Lord. I lean on you Lord.

For the things that I need I lean on you. When I don't know just what to do, I've got the faith you're gonna see me through. To supply my every need I lean on you.

He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Ps 62:6-7

Sometimes in life we are hit out of nowhere with trials and struggles.

Very often it comes at a time we are already fighting a battle!

It is such a comfort to know that we have a place to run to or a shelter that is safe from the storm!

David said: He is my Rock!

My Shield!

My High Tower!

My Rock! (unshakable) My Salvation!

My Defense!

My Strength!

For when I am weak then am I strong!

For He Alone is my strength and my sufficiency!

When I can't go He is there for me to lean on!

But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. Ps 94:22

Encourage Yourself There are times when we go through trials and heartaches that are too painful or personal to share with anyone other than God. It is very difficult and it's a hard place to be because rarely do you have encouragement from others because most don't know.

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I was thinking about David and how when he was going through a very painful experience and others had turned on him and were actually seeking his life. These were his comrades, his fellow countrymen, friends, but they were so distraught by the situation they had turned on him.

But, David, instead of retaliation began to encourage himself in the Lord. He went to the source of his comfort instead of relying on his own strength. He enquired of the Lord and God instructed him to pursue and assured him of total recovery.

Today you may be in the middle of a situation where you are surrounded by people who don't understand, who have turned on you or maybe just a life situation that you see no end to. I want to encourage you to begin to encourage yourself in the Lord!

Remember where He has brought you from!

Remember how many times He has come through for you!

Remember that He is the God of all flesh and nothing is too hard for Him! Remember that He can turn every situation to your good!

Remember that He will perfect all that concerns you!

Remember that He is working all things out for your good!

Remember that He is good and there is no shadow of turning in Him! He is the same yesterday, today and

The circumstances you are facing, That you are in, That appears bigger than your faith Cannot change who He is!

His promises are yeah and amen!

He is the restorer of all that was lost!

He will make all things new!

Begin to praise Him in the storm And not only will you win the battle but you will recover ALL!!

So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” 1 Samuel 30:3-9

Finding Faith in the Battle: an Interview with Katelyn Hodges

by Ashley Ennis Walking up to Tech University for her Freshman year of college, Katelyn Hodges, then Katelyn Spencer, looked across the campus and met the eye of the man who would become her husband. She says it was like a movie- a magnet. Nathane Hodges was looking at her and she was looking right back at him. At that moment she could have never known the strength the two would find as they battled for Nate’s life only months after their wedding.

The young couple was doing what a lot of young couples do by living with her dad while they saved money for a home.

Katelynn says this was a miracle in disguise because one night she would awake to find Nate having a seizure. The two had spent that evening talking about their dreams for the future, even going as far as naming their first child, but only hours later Nate’s very life would be uncertain.

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At first, the doctors thought perhaps he had a lesion from falling. Nobody expected anything cancerous, but after a biopsy at UAMS, the diagnosis was clear. Nate had Anaplastic Astrocytoma, a rare malignant brain tumor. While diagnosed with Stage 3, the doctors decided to treat him for Stage 4 cancer, but they would have to wait months before the right surgeon was available to operate.

This didn’t sit very well with Katelyn, so she demanded they find someone who could perform the surgery right away.

What happened was a miracle. The neurosurgeon assigned to Nate’s case was a Christian woman who not only prayed for Nate before surgery but spoke life over him during his treatments. Dr. Analiz Rodriguez believed in a God bigger than herself and handed Nate over to Jesus just as his family had done. Katelyn says, “It felt good to know the one doing the surgery had the same God as us.”

Nate had nine groomsmen because he was that close to so many people. They weren’t blood, but they were more than brothers. His friends stepped up like family.” Over the weeks that followed Nate would have to go to the hospital for radiation five days a week for six weeks, but Katelyn never once had to take off work to make the trip.

Nate’s friends would take turns taking him to the hospital for treatment.

What touched Katelyn most in the weeks and months to come was the community of support she and Nate had during those times. From the first trip to the hospital she says they had an army of friends and family around them when they needed it the most.

They would stay long hours in the hospital praying and believing with the young couple for a miracle. “Nathane doesn’t have any brothers, he had two sisters, but he has more friends than anybody could ever imagine.

While Katelyn had grown up in church and experienced what it was to have a close relationship with Jesus, she had put her faith on the backburner while she and Nate dated. One day while staying with Nate at UAMS for acute therapy, she was making a rare visit home when her mother and grandmother called. Katelynn was in no mood to talk and could only see the negative in what they were going through.

Her grandmother, Edith Young, told her she needed to get back with God. Katelyn told her she knew she did, but it wasn’t a priority right then. Her priority was helping Nate. In one sentence, Edith set her thinking straight by asking, “It’s hard for me to do it with Him, how are you doing it without?” Not very long after this she made a stop to her grandparent's house. A neighbor was over and Katelyn, her grandparents, and their friend prayed until the Holy Ghost fell. Katelyn was refilled with the Spirit and became determined to get back on track with her relationship with Jesus.

That Wednesday at Plainview Jesus Name Church, Nate had a powerful experience with the Lord. The Spirit of God fell so heavy on him that he could not stand. Those who stood around him watched as he crawled his way to the pulpit as he moved forward in faith believing against all odds for a good report. Katelyn’s grandfather spoke a prophetic word over Nate that night saying, “You are going to live and not die. Not only will you live, but you will live to be an old man. Long after I am gone you will still be here watching your babies grow up.” Katelyn continued to fight their battle in prayer.

When they first started coming to church Nate was several years into remission. He called Katelyn one afternoon with news of his latest MRI scan. It wasn’t the news anyone wanted to hear- there were spots on his scan…not one, but several. The doctors told him it would be a week before he could come back for another scan. Katelyn calls this their testing week. They had to decide would they give in to fear or believe God was still their healer.

Nate went back and eventually found out that the results showing spots on his brain were caused by a faulty MRI machine. God wanted to know if they could still praise Him in their uncertainty.

Katelyn says, “We were expecting Jesus to show up the day of the scan. We wanted Him to be there on a white horse exactly when we needed Him, but that wasn’t how He chose to help us.

Jesus rode in on a donkey. That’s how He works. His way was completely unexpected, but He was there the whole time helping us.”

“Jesus rode in on a donkey. That’s how He works.

His way was completely unexpected, but He was there the whole time helping us.”

One of the side effects of Nate’s treatment was the possibility of infertility. Nate had a doctor at the time who was adamant the young couple not only couldn’t have children but shouldn’t because of the nature of Nate’s treatments. The two prayed about it and rejoiced the day the doctors were wrong, remembering that night when everything changed and the conversation they had about their future.

On the day of their ultrasound, however, their physician was unable to detect a heartbeat. Upon hearing the news Katelynn admits her faith waivered. At that moment she just wanted to be done. Done with disappointment. Done with health scares. Done with hoping and waiting. Nothing seemed to be working out in their favor, but through the battles, they persevered and found faith to keep trusting God.

David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

1 Samuel 17: 37

She had her miscarriage in March and in May she found out she was pregnant again. She says Huxley is her rainbow baby. Not only is he a rainbow baby because of the miscarriage, but because of the storm they endured. During the illness, Katelyn had read a book entitled Goliath Must Fall. She started thinking about their story as though they were David and the situation was Goliath. The cancer would only fall with the help of the Lord. They would have a child, but only with the help of the Lord. When Huxley was born they named him after her dad, whose middle name is David.

Katelyn doesn’t believe this is a coincidence.

She sees God’s hand in every detail of their life.

One unexpected blessing was a friend Nate made while taking treatments in Danville. This friend just happened to have a daughter who watched children in her home. When Katelyn had to return to work after Huxley was born, she found an unexpected peace leaving her rainbow child with the woman who introduced to her through this divine appointment.

Katelyn and Nathan Hodges now have a beautiful family with three healthy children: Huxley, Kollins, and Parker. She hopes that one day when their kids are old enough to hear their dad’s story, they will use it to build their own faith in Jesus for whatever battles they may face in their lives, after all…Goliath must fall.

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” Hebrews 12:28

Falling in Love For the past couple of days, there have been with posts made by people near the high school Repentance in my hometown about a stray dog. It is the Anita Tilley

I’m a hopeless romantic and have been accused of being hopelessly naive many times. I believe in the power of love to change things.

cutest little white dog, but it is covered in mud. It’s precious and it fits both my stories.

My first reaction was, that’s a beautiful baby underneath all that mud. The only thing that stopped me from going after her was that she belonged to someone else.

This morning my first thought was two of my favorite Bible stories in the Bible. The first is Luke 15:11 known as the Parable of the Prodical Son. These two passages collided in my head laying in my bed and my prayer became “Lord, help me fall in love with repentance.”

Repentance is such a beautiful word. It’s full of gratefulness, and remembering. I have sensory issues and hate having my hair wet and the feeling of that hair laying on my head changing from warm to cold. I’m miserable, and yet I look forward every day to getting into a warm shower. The warm soapy water comforts me and releases tension built up in the day. the second story that collided with the prodigal was my favorite passage in Ezekiel 16 where God reminds Israel where she was when he found her.

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She would never be happy till she found her home because that’s where she found warmth and value. I glanced outside at the fog and immediately envisioned the prodigal wrapped in a warm robe, sitting in front of a warm fireplace with a hot bowl of soup in his hands. Every now and then as he looked at the bowl, the sparkle of the ring his father had placed on his finger reflected the firelight’s glow.

That ring reminded him, “I belong, someone sees value in me although an hour ago I was crawling out of a pig pen, smelling of pigs. Do you know how many people that passed me? That looked at me and said, ‘You stink. Get away from me.’ Here in my father’s house, I have food, comfort, and love. All I had to do was come home.’”

At the end of Ezekiel 16, I find myself asking “What if? What if Israel had truly learned repentance?” Lord, let repentance be written across my heart that I might always find my way home. I challenge you to open the doorway home.

Step through and feel the familiarity of home. The door you need to look for is labeled repentance.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name..

Psalm 103:1

Worship and Slug Bug Shannon Yarbrough

God and I play a game together all the time. It is oh-so super spiritual….It is the most powerful and anointed game called “Slug Bug”! Spoiler alert- He lets me win!

For the longest time I would tell Him “Slug Bug, green (or whatever color)”.

But I was a little intimidated to say “no returns,” after all He is God and I can’t imagine telling Him no to something.

However, now I boldly proclaim “no returns”. It’s amazing how many Volkswagen Beatles someone sees when you are looking for them. Especially when it involves the possibility of punching someone’s arms and getting away with it, but it is what it is, and this is an opportunity too sweet to pass up!

After all, it is the name of the game.

In so many ways this is worship to me.

Looking for opportunities in your every day to worship our Heavenly Father and lift our arms to Him. Worship is seeing Him all around us and having the deepest longing to connect with Him. You can’t move forward with what you are doing until you have reached out and touched Him, and connect with our Lord in some way. He is in the forefront of our minds and something inside of us drives us to Him. That’s worship.

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What about Psalm 121? “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”

Worship shouldn’t be defined as a specific type or style or even by how we posture ourselves, but in recognizing that a moment with the Lord has just landed in your lap and your Heavenly Father has come along side you. He has whispered in your ears or He has opened your eyes and you see Him in your spirit. Your heart is pricked and your soul is lifted up to Him. You just HAVE to whisper, “Thank you Jesus, Hallelujah” Some moments last for a while and others are fleeting. But you know that those moments are coming back around again. There is a peace inside of you that says to hold tight, keep your eyes open and when you don’t even expect it the sweetest peace of the Lord steps into your moment and the process starts all over again.

Worship moments arrive in all variety of ways and places. As you are laying in your bed and the house is silent but He is with you. When you are going about the mundane choirs of life but your spirit man has hidden the Word inside and all of a sudden something makes you think of that Word you had treasured back. Then there worship is again. That moment that there is a connection between the two of you and your spirit Has to just worship again.

When you keep an open mind to look for worship moments you will find that your entire day/life is FULL of them. You start to understand that worship is derived from your daily walk with your Father and Him with you. Your relationship with each other grows. There is a connection between the two of you that words in this world just can’t describe. It is something just the two of you know together.

Here is something else to think about.

Your Heavenly Father praises you back.

“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.” Zephaniah 3:17 You are worshipping Him and He is praising you back. He rejoices to be with us. It is His greatest longing to praise us back. His praise to you will ALWAYS exceed your worship to Him.

So remember that worship will come in many ways throughout your life time.

Embrace those moments! Understand that if you are shouting and dancing, that is worship. If you are still with Him, that is worship. When you have no words but you know He is the WORD, that is worship. As you laugh together with Him, that is worship and as you mourn that is worship.

As you are driving around and see Volkswagen Beetles everywhere and you laugh with Him, that is worship. When you have a hundred thousand accolades to pour out on Him, that is worship and when you breathe your last breath heading home to Glory, THAT IS WORSHIP! Worship in a nut shell is just being in the same ship He is in and going in the same direction. Now that is worSHIP! P.S. For weeks now I have been singing the song, “Where could I go but to the Lord”. It has been my “go to”. As I was looking up scriptures for this devotional online and typed in “where could I go but to the Lord” for a scripture. I honestly didn’t think about what I have been singing for days at this point. Then a video popped up with Elvis singing this song…Y’all, I wasn’t even trying to find this song. My heart had been singing it but it didn’t click what I was searching for. The moment that song came on His presence filled my room. He and I had a “moment” for sure! He is faithful to move into your moments so He can have a “WORSHIP” MOMENT with you. GLORY!!

The Greatest Worship Kim Hon

When you think about worship, what do you think about? Do you think about people in church with their heads bowed, praying to the Lord? Do you think about someone singing and playing instruments?

Maybe you might think about someone with their hands raised, and tears streaming down their faces? The truth is, that worship means many different things to many different people. So, then, what does God say about worship, and are we really worshipping like we should?

First, let's look at what the various dictionaries say worship is. The New Oxford American Dictionary states that worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

Merriam-Webster defines that worship is to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power; to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion. The Britannica Dictionary states that to worship is to honor or respect someone or something as a God. Lastly, Cambridge Dictionary defines worship as to love, respect, and admire someone or something very much.

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Next, lets look at scripture and find out what God says about worship, as well as what people close to God say about worship. The very first instruction of worship is given to us in Exodus 20:2-3.

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me.” Here, he tells us plainly that we should not worship anything or anyone other than him, as he is our only God. This is truly the greatest form of worship; to believe! In Psalms, David gives us a few examples of worship and how we should worship our amazing God. Psalms 81:1-2 says, “Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob. Sing! Beat the tambourine, play the sweet lyre and the harp.”

Psalms 100 says “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us and we are his We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever; and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”

I absolutely love the previous Psalms verses! David was not afraid to show his love for God by dancing, singing, shouting, and playing music through the streets. He made no qualms about who he gave credit to for bringing him to the place of greatness from where he once was. Can you imagine going from hiding in caves, being afraid of losing your life to being the greatest human king (aside from Jesus) that this world has ever seen? Wow! Just wow! When I read these verses, my heart actually leaps in my chest, longing to be so fully overtaken by the Holy Spirit that I don’t have any qualms or worries about what the public would say if I decided to run through the streets singing and dancing at the top of my lungs while others played instruments and praised the God of gods, and the Lord of Lords!

Oh, that our hearts would be so free and so overtaken by the Spirit of the Lord that we would no longer bear the burden of worry of what others think, that we would only worry about loving on the Lord and exclaiming our praise and love for him! Can you imagine what that would feel like? I feel that my heart would almost burst at the seams! Can you imagine how happy that would make him? Instead, we go through life day by day worshipping him only in church or occasionally in our homes, when we are called to worship him without any heed for what others think or say about us.

Have you ever been around little children and just watched them? They spin and sing and run and dance. They don’t care about the people around them; they just do what their heart is telling them at the time. How fitting it is, then, that in Matthew 18:3, Jesus himself tells us “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus himself tells us that we should be as little children.

He is telling us not to worry about what the world thinks, but rather to listen to his voice only and praise and worship him freely and with a pure heart. Zephaniah 3:14 says “Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

How fitting that he would tell us that we need to rejoice with all of our hearts.

Sometimes worship looks like singing with your hands in the air. Sometimes worship is singing and dancing in front of the Lord, giving him all of your joy and praise.

Sometimes, the most precious form of worship is a soul who has been crushed that chooses to cancel how they are feeling and continue or begin to follow the Lord anyway. However we choose to worship the Lord in any moment in time, God just wants our hearts and our love and a personal relationship with each and every one of us. So, today, let us each take a look at our lives and decide to live more childlike and give our all to God each and every moment. I promise that you will not regret it.

Love without Question Allene Duvall I declare that if nothing else, I personally have grown in understanding of how I worship, where my worship comes from (Spirit within) and how my soul expresses itself when my spirit engages in worship. The realization of the many ways I worship and how that worship manifests through my flesh (or settles quietly deep in my soul) has become almost a continual thought!

As I started my journey to seek clarification and revelation of “worship” and to be able to verbalize exactly what it is, when and where it occurs as well as how it occurs, Finding no definitive wording! I realize worship is the broadest form of declared love! I find myself weeping as I’m drawn into “worship” of the almighty God! It is an internal state where I enter into a spiritual realm (the throne room of God in His Presence!).

“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 who satisfied thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-4).

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This “private worship” I call “going to the bedroom”! Such an intimate time with my Lord none can share nor is there words to describe. To enter the spiritual realm where God inhabits and invites me to come be with me for a while, just can’t be explained! Sounds that come from my mouth during this time, usually expressions in my heavenly language that may have begun in understandable declarations in English.

Often times tears of joy, humility, or a feeling of being blanketed in God’s Glory cover me when I know I’m in the presence of the most High God, creator of the universe and lover of my soul!

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

There are times of worship where I join with others, a public worship, that includes open prayer and praise. I define praise as a joy that explodes outwardly because we enter into His presence and God comes and enjoys with us!

The Word of God actually indentifies several acts as worship: - C.S. Lewis states, “...obey his voice, walk in his ways, turn from evil, and serve him as acts of worship.”

“Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name!”

Deuteronomy 6:13 “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.”

Deuteronomy 8:6 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”

Deuteronomy 10:20 “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:7 The book of Psalms is full of David expressing “worship” and his bowing down in Spirit. His words many times expresses my heart and “stirs up” worship within me, causing a total awe of who my God is! The God who has spoken All things into existence and declares that He recognizes ME! David pours his heart out many times in worship and intimate conversation with God. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

Psalm 95:6

“Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:1-3 I’ve learned that worship whether in public, private, in service to others, in tithe and offerings or daily walking in obedience it is all due to an internal state that is ever presence! This everpresent internal knowing opens the door that connects to the presence of God. When I turn total attention to the creator of the universe I enter His throne room with humility and boldness.

Absorbed in God Pam Perry David worshipped God. He sang songs, wrote poems, prayed, praised, and even danced. As Solomon finished dedicating the temple, fire fell from Heaven filling the temple with God’s glory. Immediately, the Israelites bowed their faces to the ground praising God. In the gospels, a woman anointed Jesus with precious oil, and a widow gave the Lord her last coin. In the early church, Paul and Silas sang exuberant praises to God even when shackled in the inner prison. Each of these faithful acts of worship, along with the many others recorded in the Bible, required the worshipper to deny selfish desires and acknowledge the sovereignty and holiness of Almighty God. Each worshipper became absorbed in God: obedient, reverent, and single-mindedly focused on Him. Do these examples fully define worship, or is there more? This question leads us to the 22nd chapter of Genesis, which begins: “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham…And He said, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.’”

God didn’t tell Abraham this was a test. God simply gave him an instruction: sacrifice your son. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Abraham thought or if he faltered. It only says that Abraham rose early the next morning, saddled his donkey, clave the wood for the burnt offering, and left, traveling with Isaac and two of his young men to the mountain where he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:3).

Abraham made no allowance for himself or for Isaac. Abraham obeyed God. After three days, Abraham, Isaac, and the two young men arrived at Mt. Moriah. Upon arrival, Abraham spoke these words to his two companions: “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5b).

On the journey toward the top of the mountain, Isaac realized there was no sacrificial animal and asked, “My father, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7)?

Despite the undisputable anguish in Abraham’s heart, he replied, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

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There was no evidence to suggest that Isaac would live to walk back down that mountain and join the two young men.

There was no evidence to suggest that God would provide a lamb. In fact, the opposite was true. God had told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him, and Abraham fully intended to obey. Why, then, did Abraham respond with such positivity? Did he really believe the words he was saying?

Yes, he did. Abraham had an intimate relationship with his Father God. He communed with Him often and had put Him to the test many times, choosing to obey God even when another route seemed easier. Abraham knew God kept His promises, and He had promised to establish His covenant through Isaac and his seed (Genesis 17:19). Abraham spoke of Isaac’s return and God’s provision with confidence. Abraham believed God. All too soon, Abraham and Isaac reached the top of Mt. Moriah. Once there, Abraham built the altar, bound Isaac, and laid him upon the altar on top of the wood.

He then “stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son” (Genesis 22:9-10).

In Abraham's heart, the deed was done. In a matter of seconds, Isaac would die.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of Heaven: “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me” (Genesis 22:12).

Then, by God’s provision, Abraham turned and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. He took this ram and offered it on the altar in place of his son (Genesis 22:13). Abraham passed God’s test. He gave God his son of promise. Abraham sacrificed his all.

What is worship? Is it merely singing a song of praise, bowing our heads in prayer, or offering a ram given to us by God? Is it more? According to this biblical account, worship is much more.

Worship is living daily in obedience to God, believing He will fulfill His every promise and giving Him all our hopes, our dreams, our days, and our lives to use as He sees fit. Worship is following God, even when it doesn’t make sense.

Worship is loving God more than we love ourselves. Worship is inviting God to open the storehouses of Heaven and drench us with His blessings and grace.

“And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham…By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 17:15-18).

With your heart clean and full of praise and your mind stayed on God’s blessings, ask Him to lead you in the way everlasting, His way. Ask Him to show you the potential He placed within you. What will you do when you have more energy? How will you impact God’s kingdom and the people you love? How will your life be different?

It seems like such a simple prayer: Search me, O God. However, when you dare to commit to regularly praying this prayer and trusting God with the results, you will find abundant life. God will set you free from the strongholds that are binding you.

He will propel you to the life He has in store for you, enjoying all the delicious goodness waiting there for you as you serve Him with renewed joy and vitality. Will you pray today?

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

Isaiah 12:5

From His Presence Rhonda Woody God is always directing our future. About a month before I was asked to write this, I began reading Malachi. I had read it many times before but this time was different, I couldn’t get past the first chapter. I read it over and over, again and again. What was God wanting me to see? Could I actually be guilty of any of these things? I soaked in every scripture of chapter one and measured my life by it.

As I moved on to Malachi 1:6 (Message Bible), things got more serious. “Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where's the respect?

GOD-of-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet; “You priests despise me! You say, Not so! "How do we despise you?” “By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship…”

Whoa! Surely my worship has been none of these things. Okay God, you’ve got my attention.

Here’s where things got real. So, I began to search my own form of worship. I noticed that during “praise and worship” time in service, I would start out worshiping God but then it automatically turned to praise. At this point I needed answers, “God I need you to be more blunt with me,” was my prayer. That morning I went to the altar and poured it all out to God. I asked Him to remove any and all preconceived religious ideas, thoughts, and actions from me, “Empty me, Lord, and then fill me back up with only You.” When I finally got up from the altar, I was as empty as I could be, in a good way. I was fresh, moldable, and a clean slate. Then God started filling me back up with His word, His love, a fresh direction, and a renewed purpose!

Then, God reminded me how He will bless me.

How he will protect me from all things that can go wrong. He will protect me from things that I can’t even protect myself from. He will guard me and prosper me in ways that I can’t do for myself, that’s an amazing promise! But I have to choose. Do I trust him with this promise? For example, If I trust Him I will tithe. Tithing is second nature to me, it's a scheduled and recurring form of worship and trust, that I freely give God. It tells Him that I trust Him with my livelihood. Or what about my words? I tell God daily what an honor it is to so freely get to come before Him. I tell Him how much I love Him and honor Him. Now that’s worship! Right?

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We cannot limit worship, you can’t put it in a box, or do it justice with a song.

Worship affects everything we do. It is how we work, conduct ourselves in relationships, how we handle problems, everything we do is worship. Whether it is shoddy worship or worship that pleases GOD, our worship is everything we are at this very moment and it is everything we can become tomorrow.

“I figured it out!

Pleasing worship to GOD comes from the inside out, not the outside in! It is not something that we talk ourselves into or something that we can feel. It's a state of being. I Corinthians 6:19 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of GOD, and ye are not your own?” Notice that it says”which is in you” If He is there, He is there, He doesn’t come and go. We are His temple and He abides in us. By living a life of continuous worship we will find ourselves operating from His presence.

Not worshiping seeking His presence.

The priests, in the Old Testament, job was to offer sacrifices. Peter tells Christians that we are part of the royal priesthood, so if in the Old Testament priests offered sacrifices, then under the new covenant, what do those that are part of the royal priesthood offer God?

I spent the next week in prayer, reading my Bible and soaking in all of God I could get. Then, one night at 10:45 pm I sent a text to a dear friend who had encouraged me through this journey. It read

Worship is the fundamental purpose of why we are redeemed. We are saved so it will rebound and glorify God. I Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you show the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into the marvelous light”

The sacrifices we offer to God is a sacrifice of praise and a life of worship.

It’s our entire life not just worship with our lips or the four songs we sing at the start of service, it is our entire LIFE, submitted to God in obedience, striving to be like Jesus. All for His glory and to share the gospel.

GOD REMINDED ME HOW HE WILL BLESS ME. HOW HE WILL PROTECT ME FROM ALL THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG. HE WILL PROTECT ME FROM THINGS THAT I CAN’T EVEN PROTECT MYSELF FROM. HE WILL GUARD ME AND PROSPER ME IN WAYS THAT I CAN’T DO FOR MYSELF, THAT’S AN AMAZING PROMISE!

Romans 12:2 “and be ye not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Submitting our entire life to God’s glory in obedience to Him. We were saved on purpose with a purpose so that we can “proclaim the excellency of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We cannot possibly live a life of worship if we are not kingdomminded.

It's not enough that our character and conduct is Christlike, but that we proclaim Christ to those around us. Worship is a living mission so that more and more people are called into God’s family, this gives God glory! This is worship!”

Worship is the most important priority in our existence, it lines our spirit up with His spirit.

Worship is spirit to spirit and it pleases God. John 4:24 “God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” So, by living a life of pure undefiled worship you will find yourself operating “from His presence and not for His presence” It is more valuable than anything else in our lives and it has the greatest impact on our lives and the lives of others.

Malachi 1:6 (Message Bible), things got more serious. “Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where's the respect? GODof-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet; “You priests despise me! You say, Not so! " How do we despise you?” “By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship…”

I Corinthians 6:19 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of GOD, and ye are not your own?”

I Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you show the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into the marvelous light” Romans 12:2 “and be ye not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” John 4:24 “God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Worship Mindy Alvarez What does the Bible say about worship?

Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer, God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

God is our friend, but he is also our sovereign Lord. To approach him without purpose or value shows lack of respect and sincerity. When you come to God in worship, do you approach him casually, or do you come as though you are an invited guest before a king?

Matthew 2:11 “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Our true fulfillment is achieved when we praise and worship God. When we focus on God and spend time in his presence every day, praising and loving him, we repel depression, find peace and joy in our hearts. Let us worship God!

Numbers 28:1-2 “The Lord said to Moses “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them “Make sure you present to me at the appointed time my food offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me.”

Psalm 81:1-3 “Sing for joy to God our strength shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodies harp and lyre. Sound the rams at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day our festival.”

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Set Free Marylou Forrest

The Savior died That I might be free To live the life He set for me I was deep in sin With no way out The evils of life Were all about Then I met a man Who showed me the way To change my life For Jesus every day There is nothing better Than serving God The reward is eternity In His precious love

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