As I was on the plane flying to California the other day I was inspired to write out some thoughts on keys to worshiping and experiencing Jesus every day. Obviously, these aren’t the only keys and core values in worship but just some that I highly value.

Dependence – Realizing that you actually need Jesus. Without Him, you are poor in spirit and completely barren and lacking. He is the source of all life. Without Him, nothing has existence. You were created to hunger and thirst for Jesus alone. As you come into agreement with this, you will allow Jesus to move more and more powerfully in your life. Dependence reveals what you really put worth and value in. As you trust Jesus, you will automatically be putting your worth in Him or worshiping Him.

Yield – Make room for God. Realize that His ways are higher than yours. What you suppose is not always His way. Your yielding in worship acknowledges that He is the Lord. The heart that yields to the Lord cries “Father, have your way!” Yielding allows Holy Spirit to freely do what He does best – reveal Jesus and draw us deeper into the heart of the Father. As you yield to Him, you acknowledge that He know what He’s doing!

Sacrifice - The Father wants all of you, every part. Open your heart to all of God and watch Him move more than you could of ever imagined. He desires a sacrifice of praise. True worship is a gift of love that actually costs you something - your whole life and nothing less. He died and shed His blood for every ounce of your being. Offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice.

Desire – Desire is what you truly want and long for. Jesus doesn’t just want you to need Him, He wants for you to want Him. You pursue and focus on whatever you desire most! Don’t worry, you don’t even have to work up that desire because it’s already in you. Whether you know it or not, Jesus is the deepest desire of every heart and creation. He’s the desire of the nations! He intentionally created us to yearn for Him. Just simply realize it and then go deep in worship from that place.  Desire makes the heart burn and the Father wants us to burn for Him in worship! He uses desire to set us ablaze in the Spirit!

Expectation - Break out of your box of “this is the way it always goes” Don’t just go through the motions. Tradition isn’t inherently a bad thing but it is when it limits God and causes the move of God to be stagnant in your life. Be bold enough to expect God to things that only He can do. Expect the impossible to happen. Expect God to take you deeper into the goodness of His Presence every time you experience Him.

Maturing in Childlikeness - Jesus came to launch us into the glorious inheritance and identity of being a son/daughter of God. It’s okay to be a kid in His Presence. He loves it! He gave us His Spirit so that we could continuously approach and experience Him as “Abba, Father” or “Daddy”. Kids trust without hesitation or reservation. Kids have an acute sense of wonder and awe that always draws them into deeper waters and newness. Kids are innocent and pure in their worship and devotion. Kids realize that they aren’t the kings of the world and have a source that is bigger than them. Kids aren’t afraid to try new things and go new places.

Simplicity – Don’t strive and work to be so “super-spiritual” all the time. Stop trying so hard. You’re going to wear yourself out if you don’t relax, abide and just be natural. Sometimes the most powerful worship is the most simplistic. Sometimes the only word that will come out in worship is holy, because that encompasses so much. There are other times when you’ll come into His Presence and you don’t even have to say a word. He just wants you to be with Him. 

Unending Thanksgiving – Rejoicing in the Lord all the time. Every circumstance. Every situation. Thanksgiving positions us to receive and reap more blessing, favor and abounding grace. Thanksgiving defeats sorrow. Thanksgiving supersedes heaviness and yolks of bondage. Thanksgiving frees us from our disappointments and regrets. Thanksgiving overtakes despair, hopelessness and depression. Thanksgiving recognizes the active move of the Spirit and lifts high the testimonies of the Lord’s goodness, causing us to launch even deeper into all that He has in store. Thanksgiving prepares the way for more. Know that God doesn’t just bless you in worship but he wants you to pour out praise that will bless his heart, too! Praise, thanksgiving and worship are the greatest rewards that Jesus can receive for His sufferings and sacrifice on the Cross.

Awareness – Using the eyes to see and the ears to hear that He’s already given us as new creations. The more we see and experience Him, the more we are drawn to worship Him. Open your eyes to God all around you. He’s in everything. Awareness lets us actualize reality. Wherever you’re at and whatever doing, be intentional about continually turning your gaze and full focus on Jesus and just watch that lift you and boost you throughout your day!

Rightful Response – Everything God does demands a response. Praise is rightfully responding to what Jesus has done and is doing. Worship is not a one-way street. It’s impossible for us to grasp all that Jesus has done for us and not respond to Him by giving Him all we are in return. Jesus laid down his whole life for us and desires the reward of his suffering, which is us laying down all that we are for him. Focus in on what He’s done for you and let that move you to the point where His praise is continually on your lips!

Adoration – Take time to sit in that secret place with Jesus and just gaze upon His beauty and splendor. He wants to you behold Him in all of His goodness. Just be with Him. Adoration recognizes Jesus as the “Lover of your soul”. Adoration is the simple expression of the overflow of love. When you see Jesus in all of His wonder and beauty, it will be natural to adore Him because that’s what you were created for. 

Delight - God doesn't want you to ever worship him because "you have to" but because you actually want to. Worshiping and knowing Jesus is a delight not a duty. Religion says its a duty but relationship says its a pure delight. Psalm 16 declares that "In His Presence is the fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore." That is a perfect picture of a life filled with worship. Worshiping Jesus is not a burden! It's pure bliss, pleasure and joy! He himself is pleasure! Jesus came to restore us back to a place of Eden with HIm, which means pleasure in Hebrew! Scripture says that His love is better than wine! He desires for us to be unendingly overwhelmed by His goodness as we worship Him! He wants us to enjoy Him in all of His goodness! The core of delight in worship cries "oh taste and see that the Lord is good!" 

I randomly post things on my Facebook page that Holy Spirit shows me. Last week, I was prompted to post the following to encourage and empower friends to live victoriously in who they already are in Christ!

Beloved friends - please don't let the enemy deceive you into believing you're evil and that you must war against/overcome yourself or "the flesh". Scripture clearly reveals that our old nature/flesh was put to death when we were co-crucified with Christ (Rom 6.6) and now we are new creations all together (2 Cor 5.17) - This means your old nature/flesh is already dead!! Now we are partakers of His divine nature (2 Pt 1.4) and no longer wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph 6.12).

Needless to say, the status could be offensive to some who have previously thought or been taught otherwise. I sat back and watched as people either “liked” it, were encouraged/empowered or debated/discussed what they believed was true out of Scripture and experience. You have to understand. I don’t post things to offend or stir up conflict. I simply post what the Lord has been pouring into and stirring in my heart and soul so that others might receive in the same manner. At the end of the mini-discussion, I posted these two responses, going a lot more in-depth on what I believe in regards to who we are in Christ as result of the Cross.

I am too convinced by Romans 6 that when we were actually and literally (not just metaphorically) co-crucified with Christ, sin really was conquered. Why else would Jesus call us more than conquerors (Rom 8.37)? I am that impressed by what Jesus did on the Cross – to believe that when He said sin won’t have a hold on us anymore, he meant it and we can actualize that here on earth and live victorious lives that don’t give sin any credit or room to reign! Focus and meditate on verse 2 where Paul states that how shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Clearly Paul is exhorting believers to stop being powerless and susceptible to sin. This verse states that sin shouldn’t be an issue anymore like it used to be when we were “walking in the flesh”. Over and over again in Romans 6 Paul continues to declare that we really are dead to sin and alive in Christ. Look at verse 6 where he says that “our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin”. This is huge!! I think it’s important to note that just because we’re dead to sin doesn’t mean we don’t have the ability to sin. We can choose to go against our new nature and walk in sin instead. I think in Christ we no longer have an obligation to sin but that doesn’t mean we can’t sin. I believe that all sin is independent living from God, our source – choosing not to abide in the victorious, conquering power of Christ that’s already freely residing in you. Verse 14 says that sin doesn’t have any dominion over you anymore. If that is absolutely true than why are we still struggling with sin? I think the majority of the Christian experience with struggling and warring with sin for a lifetime has resulted because preachers, teachers and pastors have used bad theology to assure Christians that their entire lifetimes will be one long weak battle with sin and they won’t conquer sin until they get to Heaven. Jesus didn’t die for us to just live for “sin management” or just to see victory in Heaven one day! He came to set us free completely!! We have to understand that sin wasn’t even the main reason why Jesus came – granted, it was the main thing keeping us separated from the Father, but He ultimately came to restore right relationship with us and tear the veil of sin and unrighteousness that kept us from Him and His Presence! We have to realize in the light of Scripture and reality of the finished works of the Cross, that it should no longer be natural to sin, because the truth is that’s not are new nature! I fully believe that it should be more natural to live righteously and holy than sinfully. Remember – we’re not fighting for victory, we’re living out of a place of already established victory in Christ. We have nothing more to gain or work for than what the grace of Jesus established and poured out to us fully when he said “it is finished”. The enemy honestly wants us to believe that sin has power but in the reality of Jesus, it doesn’t at all. Look at Colossians 2.15, it says that every demonic power, evil and principality has already been stripped and dethroned of its authority when Jesus triumphed over it on the Cross. This is really good news!! The reality of Heaven that we can grasp now on earth is that we’re not fighting for anything – we’re simply resting and believing in the power of Christ that has already won the battle long ago.

 I hope you see where I'm coming from. I'm not being arrogant or saying that I have it all together. I'm just really for seeing people walk in the victory of Christ that is freely theirs! I'm passionate about reforming the false mindset that has consumed most of the American church and convinced them that they are weak and powerless with Christ! My experience has been that the more I believe that Christ really has overcome sin and rendered it powerless, the more I walk and manifest the righteousness, holiness and purity that Jesus already sees me as through the blood! I've never seen more breakthrough or victory over sin since I started believing that a couple of years ago. The truth is that the more we believe the falsehood that we're still bound and prone to sin, the more we actually will be! It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Proverbs 23.7 nails it when it says "as a man thinks in his heart, so he is." How you see yourself, dictates how you will live and act! The more we really agree with the victorious finished work of the Cross and walk in our true identity (right with God, etc) and inheritance (freedom, victory, power, etc) as sons, the more we will not even have to worry about giving into sin! I think it's as simple as repenting or changing the way we have previously thought about who we are and actively and restfully agreeing and aligning our awareness (heart, mind and spirit) with who Jesus has already made us into! The key is seeing yourself as who He already sees you as and says you are – that’s true identity!! He no longer condemns us (Rom 8.1) so we can be assured that He doesn't see us nor call us sinners anymore! No matter how much we miss the mark, mess up or refuse to believe truth, He still sees us through the perfect sacrificial blood of Jesus that reconciled, justified and redeemed us once and for all! He sees us no different than Jesus! Our identities are no longer associated, linked and dependent upon our actions! If they were, He couldn't truly call us and see us as sons, saints, friends and more than conquerors! Believe it and be set free! Of course, we are all on the journey and process of discovering and walking out those truths in Christ here on earth, but the more we believe it, the more we manifest it/Him powerfully!

I just want to start out this blog by posting and recommending my favorite songs to worship and encounter God to.  I thought it’d be cool to post this because randomly people ask me who my greatest influences in music/worship are. So check them out – I believe they’ll encourage and empower you to know and experience Jesus in deeper measures as well. These are the 30 most powerful and anointed songs I’ve ever heard and worshiped to (which was really hard to do because I hate picking favorites):

(In no particular order)

1)  Spontaneous Song I – Kim Walker

2)  I Need You More – Kim Walker

3)  Praise the Lord Oh My Soul – Kevin Prosch

4)  Kiss the Son – Kevin Prosch

5)  Sons & Daughters – Jason Upton

6)  Fly – Jason Upton

7)  One Thirst – Jeremy Riddle

8)  Always Faithful (Prophetic Song) – Cory Asbury

9)  Spontaneous (You Make Me Happy) – Jenn Jonhson

10) How He Loves – John Mark McMillan

11) Blow Mighty Breath of God – Chris McClarney

12) Intimacy – Jonathan David Helser

13) Beautiful – Phil Wickham

14) Fill Me Up – United Pursuit Band

15) Our Father – Marcus Meier

16) Fire Fall Down – Hillsong United

17) I See Heaven – Bryan & Katie Torwalt

18) You Made a Way – Matt Gilman

19) You Won’t Relent – Misty Edwards

20) Forever and a Day – Anthony Skinner

21) My Romance - Rick Pino

22) We Prepare the Way – Rick Pino

23) Hope’s Anthem – William Matthews

24) Abba - Jonathan David Helser

25) Jesus, You’re Beautiful – Jon Thurlow

26) I Will Exalt – Amanda Faulk

27) Better is One Day – Matt Redman

28) Worthy, You Are Worthy – Matt Redman

29) One Thing Remains – Brian Johnson

30) Hijacked Into Paradise – Godfrey Birtill

Top 30 Most Powerful Worship Albums:

1)   Here is my Song – Kim Walker

2)   The Medicine – John Mark McMillan

3)   Throne Room Worship – Rick Pino & Kari Jobe

4)   Weapons of Warfare – Rick Pino

5)   Be Lifted High – Bethel Live

6)   Here is Love – Bethel Live

7)   We Cry Out – Jesus Culture

8)   Your Love Never Fails – Jesus Culture

9)   Love Never Fails – Chris McClarney

10) Defender – Chris McClarney

11) Let Me See Your Eyes – Cory Asbury

12) Forever and a Day – Anthony Skinner

13) Key of David – Jason Upton

14) Faith – Jason Upton

15) EP – United Pursuit

16) Live at the Banks House – United Pursuit

17) Facedown – Matt Redman

18) Here on Earth – Bryan & Katie Torwalt

19) Beauty is What Remains – Andrew Ehrenzeller

20) Relentless – Misty Edwards

21) Hope of Heaven – Dave Fitzgerald

22) Hope’s Anthem – William Matthews

23) Love Came Down – Brian Johnson

24) The Reward - Jonathan David Helser

25) Ascend the Hill – Ascend the Hill

26) Look to You – Hillsong

27) United We Stand – Hillsong

28) Reckless Mercy – Kevin Prosch

29) Healing Waters – Klaus Kuehn & Kari Jobe

30) Beautiful You – Rita Springer

With all of that good stuff listed I want to transition into presenting my heart/beliefs on incorporating spontaneous, Spirit-led and prophetic worship into corporate times of praise and worship. It’s not a coincidence that most of the songs and albums that I listed above have a good amount of spontaneous worship moments. If you know me, you know that I strongly believe that spontaneous times of worship are essential to seeing the Spirit move in power in any time of worship. I don’t think that corporate worship should just be a “sing-a-long” time. If you think that corporate worship is just a nice time of singing songs and listening to music, then you’re missing the point altogether. I also don’t believe that we should know exactly what Holy Spirit is going to stir up and do every time we walk into a church service/building. Where is the power and mystery of God moving among His people when we can predict exactly what a public meeting with God will look like – same exact thing week after week? What ever happened to those Acts 2/Pentecost type of worship experiences where we’re just waiting on Holy Spirit to move and He powerfully comes in blowing like a wind and falling like fire and does a new thing (and completely blows us away and overwhelms us)?

You see – I believe that the most powerful and Spirit filled worship comes from a place of making room for Holy Spirit to have His way. Let’s not get too used to doing worship “our way”. He wants it His way. This type of worship is rooted in yielding to His ways, which are higher than ours (see Isaiah 55.8). Sometimes we just need to realize that God has a whole lot more in mind than our typical hour and a half nice and comfy church service. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not condemning anyone. I am however strongly exhorting God’s people to expect greater encounters, measures and manifestations of power when they all gather together in unity and eager expectation, passionately worshiping and with an awareness of God’s Presence. I’m not even saying that some church traditions and structure is bad, all I’m saying is that we need to let the River of God freely flow and allow His Wind (Spirit) to blow us into new places in worship/experience and sometimes that means doing things differently than we have previously done them. Yes, I believe that He is able to use any amount of time to accomplish His will, whether is be one hour or five, but I think we, the Church in America, need to yield more to Holy Spirit. What happens in most worship services? Typically, one fast peppy praise song up front to “warm the people up” and “break the ice,” another faster pace song and then maybe a medium paced song to transition and then the slower more intimate/deep/contemplative songs at the end, usually lasting an average of 30 minutes. I believe the problem is that we don’t have enough time to process the words we’re singing from our heads to our hearts/spirit and step deeper into intimacy with Jesus – that’s exactly why some people in the Church approach corporate worship as just a concert or time of music rather than a powerful corporate encounter with Jesus. I believe there are times in corporate worship where it’s essential to sit in reverence just soaking in the majesty, beauty and holiness of God. There are also times when the Holy Spirit is moving so powerfully within hearts through a song that it’s absolutely necessary for the song to continue past it’s designated “time limit” so that God can accomplish all that He wills in that moment.

With all of that said, I do believe that spontaneous worship should play a role in our corporate worship times. In fact, it is very Biblical to see spontaneous/unrehearsed times of worship break out. Lets take a look at 2 identical passages of scripture: take your pick, either Ephesians 5.19 or Colossians 3.16. In both passages Paul exhorts the believers/churches to sing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your heart.” Here are three simple definitions for each of the types of corporate worship listed: 1) singing psalms – a psalm is simply a song of Scripture; 2) hymns – no this doesn’t just mean old Charles Wesley hymns (as wonderful as they are). Think about it, in the days of Paul their understanding of hymns wasn’t as we traditionally understand them today. In the original context, a hymn is simply a man-made song of praise of worship;  Lastly, 3) spiritual songs – a spiritual song is a spontaneous song inspired by and full of the Spirit. Paul clearly says that spiritual songs are a part of worship in the Church. In the Ephesians 5 passage, I believe that Paul strategically delivers that exhortation after He commands the people to “be filled with the Spirit” in verse 18. There’s a reason the verses are connected to each other. I believe that it’s because when you’re filled with the Spirit (radically aware of God’s powerful Presence) you can worship most freely and all of the different aspects of worship will manifest adequately. Spontaneous worship is also Biblical, because it is synonymous with the Old Testament phrase “singing a new song to the Lord,” which is found in Scripture more than twenty times.  Singing a new song is simply declaring a “fresh” or “original” song that flows out of your heart during times of worship. It doesn’t have to be complicated or super-theological – sometimes the simpler the better. It could simply be exactly what you’re feeling about Jesus that very moment. It’s incredibly powerful. I love singing songs that others have been inspired to write to the Lord but there’s something powerful and unique about singing a song that’s never been written or rehearsed to the Lord in the moment. I believe it releases a certain part of your heart to Jesus, very similar to what David mentioned in Psalm 42.7 when he talked about “deep crying out to deep”, which refers to us worshiping from the depths of who we are and connecting to the depths of God.

Now, I have heard several people talk about how spontaneous, prophetic worship and singing spiritual/new songs is too hard to do in a corporate setting or too distracting. I have definitely seen times when this is true, but I’ve also had some of the most powerful experiences in worship services where spontaneous, Spirit-led worship is very present and flows easily. Honestly, it depends on where the people are in their intimacy with God. If you don’t know how to enter in on your own the other six days of the week, then you’re probably going to have problems in a worship service, too. The truth is that you shouldn’t be fully dependent on any man to direct you in worship (I’m not saying worship leaders are unnecessary, just that you ultimately are the one who’s responsible for encountering Jesus in corporate and private worship). So if there are times when the worship leader goes off into something spontaneous and you can’t keep up, I’d recommend not trying to “keep up” at all in regards to singing or forcing something to happen – instead, just try soaking and resting in the atmosphere and reality of who Jesus is and what He’s doing in the room at the moment.  There are moments of corporate spontaneous worship where not everyone will be singing the same thing. There are also times where Holy Spirit will give the worship leader a spontaneous chorus for everyone to sing and dwell on. There are also times when God will speak prophetically through the worship and he/she will sing what they hear Holy Spirit saying and communicating to the people. However, it is true that, there are times when spontaneous worship is fitting and other times when it will distract and lead others in the wrong direction – I can’t tell you when the exact right or wrong times are. That’s when your discernment and wisdom from the Holy Spirit come into play. The most important thing is to just be open to ALL that God is doing and wanting to do in the service and how you can co-labor/partner with Him and ushering in the power of His Presence. Does that mean that every song we lead/sing should last 20 minutes, or else God’s not on it? NO!

If you want to grow in leading worship that incorporates more spontaneous, prophetic and Spirit-led worship, then I would first recommend that you practice living that out in your own secret-place encounters with Jesus. That’s where everything begins and flows from. Just start by focusing all that you are on Him and His goodness and love (His character). If you play an instrument, then find a place in your house or outside where it’s just you and Him. Start playing whatever chords you feel like and sing what’s on and in your heart for Jesus. If that is too general, then try singing specifically about what you’ve felt that day specifically for God or just focus on what Jesus has been actively doing in your life. Then respond with simple praise. You can also try focusing on what Holy Spirit is stirring in you and saying to you at the moment, then respond by interacting with Him in return with songs just for Him (just like a conversation).  You can also look at it as if you’re singing your prayers directly to Jesus (which He loves!), this has helped a lot of people step into spontaneous worship!  If you don’t own a musical instrument or know how to play one, it’s still alright! Just turn on your favorite worship tunes and start going deeper with Jesus in the same ways I listed above. If you’re feeling bold, you can just hum or sing a cappella (without any music) in spontaneous worship to Jesus.  Also, try turning to your favorite Scripture passages and singing those word for word to the Lord.

 Not only am I writing this from theological study, but also more importantly, from experience. With that said, a good majority of my songs have been birthed out of spontaneous times of worship with Jesus, whether in the secret place or corporately.  There are random times throughout my busy schedule when a song just flows out of me as I realize the relentless and powerful presence of God stirring and working inside of me. I can truly say that when you actively worship Jesus all the time (spontaneously throughout your day at any given moment), you’ll always have a song to sing because He’s always doing something. He’s always revealing more and more of His goodness and glory. The most anointed songs are rightful responses to who He is, what He’s done and what He’s doing. Spontaneous worship will be natural as you walk this life in an acute awareness of the nearness of God and the unlimited access that you have to experience His goodness, perfect love and unending grace.

 Lastly – just a note for worship leaders: The truth is, what will ultimately empower you to lead powerful times of worship in the Spirit is just simply abiding in Jesus 24/7. If you’re not grounded in intimate experience with Jesus than it doesn’t matter how seemingly crazy/radical/spontaneous/cutting edge or prophetic your worship leading is. Bottom line is that everything we do in ministry should be rooted and overflowing out of the resting, abiding secret, intimate place with Jesus. Try that first and then you’ll see powerful things happen when you lead worship corporately. 

Don’t let anyone deceive you into believing that you have to obtain/gain more of the Holy Spirit. There’s so much manipulation in a ton of ministries/churches today that will try to convince you that you have to continually get more. Whether you realize it or not you are already filled with the fullness of God. You can wait, strive, pray, and go on all the 40 day fasts you want but none of those things will fill you with the Spirit more than you already have. It is solely by Jesus’ grace demonstrated through what He finished on the Cross that we are filled and not by our works. Getting baptized or filled with the Spirit is simply just coming into a deeper realization/awareness of the power of Jesus Christ, the hope of glory, that already lives in you. Your work is to simply believe in the power of Jesus that you already have full access to just like Jesus says in John 6.29: "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Your belief allows the power of the Holy Spirit to manifest in your life. What we need to be asking Jesus for is a greater/deeper awareness of the power of the Spirit that already resides in us. Dwell on Colossians 2.9-10 (amplified version):

"For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--and reach full spiritual stature]."

Whether you’re Charismatic, Non-Denominational, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian or whatever you’re already filled with His power via Holy Spirit – you just need to realize it!

         The root word of worship is worth. The core of worship is what we assign worth and value to. Whatever you value and love most is what you worship most. I would dare to say that whatever you’re spending the most time doing and thinking about is what you’re worshiping. Our ultimate call and goal in worship is to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22.37). He wants us to give him every part of ourselves! So what does it look like to truly worship God from the depths of who we are?

         In John 4.24, Jesus gives us a basis for what true worship looks like. He says “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The first part of worship is worshiping in spirit. Often times, we settle for worship that only scratches the surface. How many times have we gone to worship services and just sang songs because that’s what you’re supposed to do? God desires for us to go deeper and deeper in giving Him our whole hearts and entire beings in worship. Worship in spirit looks like Psalm 42.7, which says “deep cries out to deep”. God wants more than our words or songs! He wants the depths of who I am to connect and interact with the depths of who He is! He never wants us to just “go through the motions”, but to actively engage in His Spirit with ours! The second part is worshiping in truth. I believe that means to worship with belief and awareness of the truth and power of His Word, works and character. For example, when we’re worshiping (all the time), we shouldn’t worship out of defeat, powerlessness or striving because we know from the promise of Scripture and what Jesus has already accomplished on the Cross that victory is already freely ours! We also know that we can always worship in freedom because wherever the Spirit is there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3.17). We need acknowledge the promise and reality of God’s Presence and nearness when we worship. We need to approach worship knowing that there’s nothing we can earn or work for because grace (Jesus) has already purchased and freely given them to us! If we approach God believing that He is angry and disappointed in us and wants to punish us then we are not worshiping in truth! We must know the Word and promises of God if we are going to worship Him in truth!

         I believe that there are three main parts to worship – Revelation, Recognition and Response. Revelation is simply God continuously revealing and showing Himself to us in a powerful way. It looks like what Paul prayed for the Church in Ephesus when He prayed that the Lord would “give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened (opened)” This is essential because knowing God is the heart of worship and we have to see and experience Him to truly worship/know Him. We must continuously make ourselves available to the spirit of revelation working and operating in our lives. We know through Scripture that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth because He was sent to lead us into all truth (John 16.13). We can’t just be satisfied with what we’ve formerly known, experienced and encountered because there is always more of God to know and see!

          The second part of worship is Recognition. We have to be actively aware of who God is and what He’s doing. Unfortunately it is possible for God to reveal Himself to us and for us not to realize or notice it. Let us not be like Jacob in Genesis 28.16 who said at the end of His encounter with Heaven, “surely God was in this place and I did not know it”. The key to recognizing God is maintaining an acute awareness of His Presence and nearness all the time. Intentionally and randomly take time out of your day to just stop and sit in the reality of God’s Presence in you and all around you. There are times when you just need to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46.10). I guarantee that this will change the way you live and worship!

         The third and most important part of worship is response. I believe that the response is the majority of our call in worship. If we’ve truly seen the goodness of God and realized what He’s done for us it’s impossible for us not to respond and give Him everything we have and everything we are. I think a good and simple definition of worship is “rightfully responding to God”. Every time God moves in our midst, He longs for our hearts to move and respond back to Him! A good example of responding is 1 John 4.19 where it says that “We (can) love because He first loved us”. Worship is a beautiful process of receiving the love of God and in turn pouring all of our love back to Him!         

         So what does a life of response look like? I believe that a life of worshipful response looks a lot like Romans 12.1, where Paul exhorts us to “present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice” to God. He doesn’t just want our word or songs, He wants every part of our lives – our thoughts, actions, decisions, etc! Live your life as a burning sacrifice and altar of worship to God!  I want to assure you that your sacrifice is most definitely worth it. I’m reminded of a Bill Johnson quote where he says that “there’s no better trade off than me giving all I am to receive all that He is”. This is so true – there’s no better deal than surrendering my life to receive the fullness of His life! The world will try to lie to you and get you to believe that giving your whole life in worship to God isn’t worth the cost. The world will try to convince you that you’ll miss out on all the pleasure, fun, excitement and what not, but we know that in Jesus all of our desires and needs are completely satisfied and fulfilled! His love is better than the wine (pleasure) of this world (Song of Solomon 1.2)! Jesus is everything but boring! What the world has to offer is only but a counterfeit of true life found in Jesus!

         I want to encourage you to live a lifestyle of worship. It’s so incredible! Don’t just look at life with Jesus as a checklist of doing good things or just being “a good church-attending believer”, but radically lay down your life and give all of yourself to Him! Practice His Presence every day! Experience His goodness wherever you’re at! It’s a shame if we think that all God wants is our attention and worship in a 2 hour church service every week. What are we doing to commune, worship, love and experience God the other 166 hours in the week? Live a Psalm 34.1 type of lifestyle that shouts and proclaims “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise will continually be in my mouth!” Worship is what we were created to do! It should be the most natural part of our life. Don’t look at it just as a commandment or obligation but as a delight! 

I recently received a message from a worship leader asking me what I do to prepare to lead others into worship. I thought it might encourage a few people if I posted my response:

My view on being prepared to lead other people in worship is simple. the key is abiding and just knowing Jesus (John 15). All the time. You have to stay connected to the Source of Life (Jesus) as much as you can if you are going to be properly prepared to lead and minister. You have to actively dive deeper and deeper into God’s heart. The key is relationship. The more intimately you know Him, the more you can lead others into intimate encounters with Him. The key is to spend a ton of time in the secret place – just resting in Him, listening to Him, enjoying Him, reading and believing His Promises through His Word, allowing Him to stir and move in you and then rightly responding by pouring out your heart and life to Him in worship. Out of that place (the overflow of intimate relationship with Jesus) you will be most aware of who He is and what He’s doing and that’s what will bring all the power and anointing to your ministry. As you have freely received from the Lord, freely give it away to whoever you minister to or lead in worship (Matthew 10.8b). That's it - to able to minister, you first have to be ministered to (by the Father). The best part is that as you abide it’s just natural to lead others into His Presence! You don’t have to overly pump yourself up to get ready and “put on your super-spiritual worship leader cap”….you just meet with Jesus and flow in the Spirit like you do all the time! 

I would also say that actively being aware of God is a huge key to being prepared to lead others into His Presence in worship. You have to be aware of His nearness and goodness if you're going to lead others into His Presence. Being close and intimate with Jesus in relationship automatically heightens your awareness of Him but it’s also important to take intentional time during the week to just fix the eyes of your heart and mind on Him and His goodness and allow yourself to realize His nearness – in the most routine, normal and mundane places (like at school, work, while driving, etc). Practically, I think that looks like just slowing down your day randomly to realize the power of Jesus in you and focus on His goodness, wherever you’re at.

            This past season of my life has been so good but tough. Every week is different and not everything has gone the way I thought it would. It’s really been a season of transition where I’m waiting on the Lord and believing in His specific promises for my life. A lot of times, I have to shake off striving, doubt, discouragement and unbelief. My circumstances definitely aren’t perfect but each day I have to choose to continue to feast on the Lord’s goodness and believe His promises are always “yes and amen” for me.

I’ve found that most people really love and cherish the sweet promises of God for their lives but dread and struggle with the process that always comes attached with the promise. Although our God is the God of the now, He is also the God of tomorrow. He is the God of the journey. You see, the process is a completely Biblical concept. Take a look at Abraham and how God came to him when he was 75 years old. God promised Abram a blood line that would cause him to be the father of the nations. Although it seemed impossible, I’m sure Abraham rejoiced in this! I’m sure he was eager to see that word and promise come to pass. The truth is that Abraham and Sara didn’t have Issac until 25 years later but He was counted as righteous before the Lord because he simply believed (Genesis 15.6). How often do we think that when God speaks He is going to do every single thing He promised immediately? I want to challenge you to find joy in the midst of waiting on God and trusting Him. Trust and believe Him with all your heart and delight in the midst of the process. Don’t fool yourself – God has intentionally put the desires of your heart in you for a reason! Delight in Him as you go and as you wait and the process will be a whole lot easier. Enjoy the journey and the process – embrace the time of growth (even when it’s so stretching and tough) that you will go through as you wait on the Lord. Don’t lose hope if God’s prophetic promises don’t come to pass right away – we must continue to build ourselves up in faith by declaring what He has said! Find God in the midst of your transition and seasonal shifts. He is who He says He is and He is nothing but faithful to fulfill His word!

            I want to change gears here and talk about how to fight off discouragement, despair and striving while we are in the midst of the journey and process with God (because it’s so vital). 

            I think the main reason why we so often get discouraged is because we focus on what God isn’t doing more than what He is doing and who He is! We take our eyes off of Him and when we do, we fall into unnecessary discouragement, despair, depression and hopelessness. We let our vision for the future and for our destiny/calling shrivel up when circumstances test and challenge us. As sons and daughters of the Most High we must know what our Father is doing in our lives in the current moment and we must continue to experience His goodness in the present moment to continue to walk in faith and stay encouraged!

Ask yourself – How is God wanting to move in my life now/today? What testimony/act of God has happened in the past that can fuel me and encourage me to keep pressing on in the journey? What lies am I believing about where I’m at now and where I’m going? Are there any areas in my life that I need to allow God to penetrate with His love, goodness and faithfulness? What situations/circumstances in my life do I need to change my perspective on?

             Too frequently we let our circumstances and experiences shape and mold our faith, theology and beliefs. While God does want to shape the way we think and see Him through experience, the thing that should have the ultimate influence on our faith and beliefs is not our experiences, feelings or earthly circumstances but the Word of God, which reveals His truth and reality! Don’t always let your experiences and feelings sway, dictate and overly influence your faith. Let your faith (rooted in the promises of God and His Word) influence and impact your circumstance and feelings! Don’t let what God meant for your good, growth and transformation become a “dry season” or “wilderness” where you don’t experience or grow in God at all. I think too often we stumble into unnecessary “dry seasons” and “wildernesses” because we aren’t truly connecting with will and heart of Heaven. This often happens because we take our eyes off of the goodness of Jesus and the heart of the Father in the moment.

            Seriously, where did the concept of spiritual “dry seasons” come from? I’m absolutely sure that the Gospel proclaims that we are never lacking anything, no matter where we are! The key to staying encouraged, built up in faith and living in the overflow of His abundance in whatever season you’re in is to continue to “fix your eyes on things above.” This is an exhortation that Paul gave the Church of Colossai in Colossians 3.2.

            Paul also states several times in the Epistles that we aren’t citizens of this earth – we are from another realm/world. We are seated in Heavenly Places with Christ because that’s our home (Ephesians 2.6). The key to living a life filled with never ending joy, peace, love, etc is to always stay connected and aware of our source (Heaven). Remember – our model is Heaven, not earth. We live out of Heavenly Places! The things of this world don’t have the final say on how I live – Heaven does! That’s why Jesus told us to continually pray that His Kingdom (Heaven) would come to earth and invade our lives. If we are constantly tapping into what the abundant resources of Heaven then we will never ever be lead into a spiritual dry season here on earth! Love, peace, joy, etc never run out in Heaven! The truth is that there is no such thing as a “dry season” in Heaven! It’s an insult to think that the River of Living Water that flows from the Throne of Heaven into your very heart would ever run dry, run out or cease from flowing (John 7.37). I think these are exactly the keys to what we need to thrive in the midst of waiting on God’s promises to be fulfilled.

It is true that wildernesses may come in this life here on earth, but I think we’ve had the wrong idea/view of what a wilderness really is. Scripturally a wilderness just means that our earthly circumstances will be challenging and stretching. A wilderness does not mean that my Heavenly resources will be lacking or that my Father will depart! I’ve talked with a lot of people that think that the wildernesses of their lives are times when God is withdrawing His goodness and presence from them in order to test them. I don’t think this is the case at all – Because:

1) the Father will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13.5, Matthew 28.20) – it’s His promise to always be near to us

2) Look at the promise of Isaiah 35: “Waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And the scorched land will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water”. This prophetic passage reveals that even in the wildernesses and hard times of our lives we will be able to thrive and walk in the abundance of Jesus!

Simply look at how Jesus handled His 40 day wilderness: every time he was tempted to be discouraged our doubt the faithfulness of the Father and His promises…he boldly declared the truth and that released victory and strength in the midst of the challenge (Luke 4.1-13). I love how Scripture specifically says that as Jesus came out of the wilderness he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit  (Luke 4.14) – that must mean that he left better, stronger, more filled up with the power of God than when he started!

I think the key to thriving while being in a season of tough times, transition and waiting on the Lord is to have the Father’s perspective (Heaven’s view). Look at where you are and see how God is using every little thing for your good (Romans 8.28). So continue to learn how to fix your eyes (or awareness) and mind on things above! This is the key to seeing the River of God flood your life even in the midst of trials, tribulation and extended processes. Dare to believe and trust God for every word and promise He has ever spoken to you. Stand on the Word of the Lord and claim and declare each of His promises specifically for you and watch them transform your mind and change the way you view your situation! Persevere in faith and continue to walk into the fullness of what God has for your life!

(these are some thoughts that I had in the midst of a facebook thread that started when I posted my beliefs on the finished works of Jesus on the Cross and the flesh/sinful nature being put to death so we don't have to sin anymore on my facebook page - to see the entire post thread and comments/thoughts from other friends then visit my facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/thenatemoore)

Romans 6:5-7 says that “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin."

That simply says that sin has no right or dominion to enter into our new life in Christ because it has already been defeated, dethroned and voided through the crucifixtion. 

Saying that we still have a sinful nature is cheapening the regeneration and renewal that Jesus freely performed on us when we received His death and resurrection. 

Seeing sin and temptation leave your life is as simple as believing that your sinful nature is entirely dead and buried with Christ and now through His powerful resurrection you are now a partaker of the divine nature of Jesus. 2 Peter 1.4 says “He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” So when you received Jesus, God actually wiped out all of your desires for evil and sin along with your sinful nature and replaced them with His divine nature! 

Good news! Because you are a partaker in the divine nature of Jesus Christ, God sees you just as He sees Jesus! This means that you are no longer a sinner but completely redeemed and transformed into a holy and righteous saint, son/daughter of God! You are no longer condemned (Romans 8.1) if you read a few verses further in Romans 8 you see that Jesus in the flesh was condemned on the Cross so you wouldn’t have to be! You are no longer condemned as a guilty, wretched and weak sinner but are now counted as the righteousness of Christ as a purified and holy son of God! The truth is that we don’t glorify God most by viewing ourselves as sinners but by acknowledging His redemptive work on the Cross to transfer us into His Kingdom as a sanctified saint! Our identity is no longer in our actions or sins but in but what the Father God sees us as through Jesus’ blood sacrifice on the Cross. If we are in Jesus (saved), right now we are exactly, 100% who He says we are! So see yourself as God sees you through Jesus Christ! 

My main point is if Jesus died to kill your sinful nature/tendency/habits/addictions/fleshly desires why are you still trying to live like they are alive? If God sent Jesus to wipe away and forget our sins and transgressions and change our identity from sinner to saint/son why are you still calling and viewing yourself as a sinner? Don’t try to work, fight and overcome sin because Jesus has already done all of that for you – simply receive that reality and revelation and watch transformation flow into your life! Bottom line – if you have sin in your life then repent (change the way you think/live), radically cling to the already established victory/power/grace of the resurrection of Jesus that gives you endless freedom today and move into greater things than struggling/battling with sin! Jesus didn’t just die to save and free us FROM sin BUT ALSO to save and free us INTO a glorious life filled with the abundant goodness of His Presence that comes from intimately knowing Him!

Friends - be encouraged and strengthened today, for Jesus is a God of abundant, immeasurable, overwhelming, ecstatic JOY! Don’t be burdened, weary or depressed! These surely are not fruits of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Instead, let the light burden and easy yolk of the Lord Jesus Christ release you all of the unnecessary pressures, stresses and anxieties of life!  Let's continue to be filled and lifted with the joy of His love which comes from the realizing the nearness of His Presence (Psalm 16.11) I love this: Martin Luther said "if I’m not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there" I really believe that our God, Yahweh, is a God of laughter, joy and delight! He delights in us delighting in Him! laughing is simply an overflow of the ridiculous joy always welling up inside your very spirit! So let it loose! You don't have to have something to laugh at to be able to laugh...Be so joyful that laughing just spontaneously happens as your enjoy and feast on the abundance of the House of God and enjoy eternal life now!

 Another great joy quote comes from CS Lewis who said that "joy is the serious business of heaven" This is dead on! I know it seems somewhat ironic because we don’t typically associate the words joy and serious together but God is 100% serious about seeing us walk in supernatural joy! He already paid the full price for you to freely walk in victorious joyful bliss when Jesus died on the cross and defeated death, depression, hopelessness and sorrow! Think about the unseen reality of Heaven now (where there is not an ounce of pain, crying or mourning - Revelation 21.4) and let that overtake the reality that you see daily, and let that overwhelm you now!  Wherever Jesus is, he brings supernatural, intoxicating and childlike joy! Let us not be so overly serious that we fail to encounter the God of pure joy, delight and laughter! Quit asking God to give you joy and go ahead and start walking in it because he's already freely released his joy to you forever by putting His Spirit in you which is the actual manifestation of every good part of Jesus!

Lastly, let what Isaiah prophesied lift you, fill you and encourage you to walk in freedom and joy for the rest of your life in Jesus' name:

“Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  (Isaiah 51.11)

 let it be so.

The past few months I’ve been really consumed by the revelation that it’s Christ in me the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). How could we ever forget this? I’m glad that Jesus didn’t just die to wipe away every sin but to also make a way for me to be a carrier and temple of His glory and goodness. That’s the truth. That yes, Jesus did die to bring atonement for my sin but even more he died so that I would encounter His glory, His presence, His nearness, His goodness, here and now and that He would intentionally set me up to release His glory!

I think that we as sons and daughters of God can walk in so much more power and fruit if we would just realize the power, which is Jesus Himself, that’s already living inside of us. We have to get rid of the false mindset that believes and says that one day in the upcoming future we will have supernatural access and see powerful breakthrough – instead we have to believe that the Kingdom of God is here and now! That’s why Jesus prepared the way for the type of powerful lifestyle by always preaching that Kingdom of Heaven was in us and at hand/near/within reach (Luke 17.21, Matthew 3.2)! In fact, Jesus frequently declared this as He performed miracles all throughout the Gospels. It’s true! Jesus didn’t just die so that one day we would encounter the power, glory and beauty of Heaven when we pass away from our earthly bodies! He actually died so that we could tap into the power of His Presence, the Kingdom of Heaven and the eternal realm of His glory here and now – right where you’re two feet are standing! What a waste life would be if we thought we were just supposed to struggle through life without any tangible and overwhelming outbreaks of joy, peace, power, love and freedom that come with entering in the Presence of God just hoping that we would see those things in Heaven one day. Jesus ripped the spiritual veil that separated us from the power of His Presence once and for all and continues to call us deeper into a lifestyle that beholds and demonstrates all of these things!

 With that, I think a lot of times we manipulate the power and Presence of God almost making it seem far off inaccessible, ignoring what Jesus has already done and promised - like we have to twist God’s arm to convince him to move powerfully, show up and touch someone. Most times that is rooted in a works mentality, which focuses on what I have to do to earn the movement of God. You see, it’s not about what I can do to attain a place with God but all about me coming into the tangible reality and freedom that His grace that He has already poured out on the Cross releases every good thing that He is and has (His healing, joy, peace, love, etc)! And it’s even more about realizing that I can’t earn any of these things in my life because they’ve already been paid for and given over to me as a part of my inheritance by the finished works of the Cross! Don’t get me wrong – I definitely believe in the anointing of God coming upon people and equipping them to minister supernaturally but lately I’ve more been in a place that focuses less on different anointings and  hyping them up and more on the simple and raw power of Christ in me which can release and reveal His glory everywhere I go. I think so many people spend so much time waiting and praying and asking for God to anoint them when the simple truth is that if Christ is in them then they are already more than capable to flow in the anointing and power of God and actively move, operate and walk in powerful fruit! Once again, don’t get me wrong – I completely believe that there are times in every believer’s life where God calls us to wait on Him and out of that place he floods us with more of His Presence and baptizes them in His Spirit and fire but I also believe that out of that place God gives us a simple view of the reality of Jesus living in us.

The core of "the Christ in us hope of glory" belief is the finished works of Jesus on the Cross. The truth is that Jesus died once and for all for everything we could every want and need over 2,000 years ago and there's where our hope and rest comes from. This truly is good news because it means that we don't have to try to strive, work for, earn, beg, or hopelessly plead for what Jesus has already freely poured out by His blood and supernaturally placed in our very spiritual DNA. That's where the most powerful breakthrough comes - knowing that He's already done it, which means that I already have a 100% guarantee that I can walk in everything that He died for (which once again includes divine healing, joy, peace, love, freedom). A lot of us Christians pray like Jesus is still hanging on the cross – like He hasn’t paid for our healing or wholeness yet.  I am fully convinced through what God has already said in Scripture and through an overflow of personal experience and breakthrough that Jesus not only can but wants to heal us, fill us with joy and cover us with peace because that’s who He is and what He died to give us access to! So I think that we can see Christ in us the hope of glory most powerfully manifested when we rest in the the pronouncement of the “tetelestai” which Jesus declared on the Cross right before He died - which is the Greek phrase meaning “it is finished.”

Lastly, I have such a desire rising within me to see people walk in the reality that they actually are carriers and hosts of God’s Presence, Temples filled with His glory (manifested goodness) just as God says in His Word! If we truly realized what we carry inside of us we really could change the world one person and situation at a time, day by day! I think this is the key to seeing God’s promise in Habakkuk 2.14 come to pass in our day, which says “The Lord will fill the earth with knowledge (or experience) of the glory of the Lord (the Presence and manifest goodness of God) as the waters cover the sea.” The Lord actually revealed to me last year that my view of the promise of this verse was all wrong. I used to read this verse and picture and dream about what the glory of the Lord invading and filling the earth looked like! I imagined it to be something like a heavy glory cloud (something like in 2 Chronicles 7) coming down from Heaven and filling the earth and then a giant mass of people would come into salvation and encounter with Jesus because of that supernatural manifestation and wonder. Then one night the Lord changed my mind and showed me that He was actually going to fill the earth with His glory through me and many others who realized that God’s glory (and joy, peace, healing, love, freedom and all the things that Jesus died to freely give to us) lived in me. And because I encounter and receive and am filled more and more of God’s Presence and glory, I can continue to actively minister and give those things away in my conversations and daily interactions because I have received them. You see, just like the Bible says – we can’t truly give something way until we’ve received it or encountered it (read the last part of Matthew 10.8) How do we receive these things? I think one way is to simply come to a resting place of agreement with the Spirit of God and what He is inside of you, which is Christ in you the hope of glory.  So I want to exhort you to continue to realize the power of God stirring inside of you and filling you. I believe that Jesus and all of His glory are yearning, burning and just waiting to leap out of you – through your words, and actions!

I've observed that somehow a majority of people believe that once they start seeking Jesus that everything and everyone turns out to be the same, like an ever-repeating mold of clones and replicas! False! I am convinced that the more we know Jesus the more we should flow in creative power, which sets us apart from the world! Think about this – we should be the most creative, innovative, unique and inspiring people that walk the planet, simply because we know the Creative, Elohim, Himself! Because He is holy and set apart He will cause His people and children to be holy and set apart since we are made in His image and are continuing to transform into His image! The Creator has intentionally made us in His image so that we ourselves would be inspired by God to create and see God powerfully show up in the midst of that process! My prayer is that the Church and Bride of Christ would walk in creative power that radically pulls Heaven to Earth and beckons and attracts the world to come and experience the goodness of Jesus – in every area of society – news, education, entertainment, business, government, science, neighborhoods, churches, etc! Christianity shouldn't be made out to be a bunch of clones stiffly following a list of rules and laws but instead a body of people that walk in the outrageous and offensive freedom of Christ which enables them to flow in an incredible array of talents and gifts that reveal the glory of the Lord! After all, Psalm 139.14 declares that we were fearfully and wonderfully made which means that God specifically spent time and effort on uniquely breathing life into each and every one of us! Think about how vast and endless the character, nature and being of God are! It only makes sense that He would use His most cherished creation to reveal Himself through. Let’s believe for the transforming power of Jesus to equip us to influence the world to see Him in the most expressive, artistic and experimental ways! The more we walk in who we truly are (our gifts, talents, etc), the more He shines through us and draws all people to Him! I long to see the people of God innovate the world’s culture! I want to see the world recognize the specific anointing that God is placing on each of His sons and daughters to walk in true freedom of expression! I can't wait to see Christians be the most recognized and honored inventors! I think too often we (me included) have settled for a limited extent of Godliness and Holiness but have stopped short of His life-breathing, creative power to inspire and move us to create as well! The best part of it is that Jesus Himself is our inspiration! He won't give any inspiration or innovative idea apart from Himself. That's why I am free to be who I am when I am with Him most! So the more that we are abiding in Jesus, the more we are going to spill out with creativity! So let's abide, Church! I can’t wait to encounter and see more of the glory of the Lord through people just simply responding to what God is doing in them and allowing themselves to release and produce what God has deposited and stewarded in them! Let's be bold enough to dream and believe God to release immeasurable and creative wonders through us, using our vocations and jobs to manifest the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth! So today, receive the freedom of the Spirit of the Lord living inside of you, which releases you to specifically be the person that God has intentionally created you to be from the very beginning of time! Let's start intentionally asking Jesus how we can creatively and experimentally change the world! Lastly, be encouraged by Ephesians 2.10, which says: "For we are God's masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

Hello to whoever you may be!

First of all, thank you for stumbling upon my new and improved website. I'm really pleased with how it's come together and how easy it will be for me to update. I'll be frequently updating all of my upcoming ministry dates as well as the the "News" section of the website, which will serve as a place for my most recent thoughts, revelation from the Lord, testimonies and ministry updates. I'm actually going to try to update this part of the website as much as I can. I thought it'd be a cool place to release and share some things that I've been discovering and experiencing with the Lord! So keep checking back for more updates! 

Hey everyone.  My site is currently under construction.  Please be patient with me while we get the kinks worked out.  Thanks for your continued support and interest!