Mighty Warrior of God

I am doing the Esther Bible Study by Beth Moore and is it ever powerful. Yesterday I was reading in week 4, and I am getting ready to study the "for such a time as this" part that is by far the most famous quote from the book of Esther. I would like to quote somthing that was written because it hit me like a ton of bricks. It is from chapter 4 and is the conversation that Esther and Mordecai are having about what is going to be happening and that she needs to go before the king and ask for mercy for her people. Beth writes, "Esther's superficial life is about to be shattered, and a woman much deeper than her skin was about to be unearthed. If we're blessed, the same will happen to each of us. As painful as the process may be, that which shatters our superficialty also shatters the fetters of our fragility and frees us to walk with dignity and might to our destinies. We are not the fragile flowers we've considered ourselves to be. We, like Esther, are the warrior princesses of God."

This so impacted my day yesterday. God brings about things and situations in our life that really shape who we will become through Him. And most of those things are not easy to follow through with or deal with but they are for our good and will bring many blessings into our life as long as we do our part and praise and delight ourselves in the Lord.

It doesn't matter if the things that come into our life may be hard and unbearable, our Lord has allowed them and it is up to us to make the decision to rise up and praise him in the bad times as well as the good times because it is for our good. I've wrestled with that phrase "for our/my good" alot in the past and sometimes still do it but I've found that in time I can see my good in it. As a female, I think that I did have the mentalty that I was not strong and mighty and that I wasn't going to make it through some the the issues that I have had to survive in the past. But reading that quote yesterday really concreted in to me that I was a mighty warrior princess. I am strong because the Lord has made me that way. Doesn't it say in the Bible "when I am weak, I am strong"? Because it is where I go to find strength that makes me strong. I ran to the Lord and clung to him for dear life and He made me strong and able to take the next breath or the next step. I can now see that weak and strong go hand in hand and dignity walked right up beside me. Praise the Lord for all the trials that we are going to face, because they turn us into the Mighty Warrior Princess that the Lord has named us through His Son, Jesus.

Worship as a Way of Life

The search is on for aspiring to this lifestyle. Is it possible? What goes into this state of mind? Well, I think that the Lord is putting this idea in front of me pretty consistently these days. I have been reading books that just happen to cover this topic unknowingly to me when I picked it up, the worship music that I've been listening to talks about it all the time, though not that the music is new to me, it has been what I've listened to for years, but something about the way that I hear the music is new. I have also listened to sermons via DVD that have covered this topic.

I have found that in the searching for this lifestyle it has lead me to needing more; more time in studying the Word, more conversations with Jesus throughout the day, more from church, and more of that driving force that leads me to the throne. It has lead me to study new concepts of worship, like fasting. It has drawn me to seeking more power from the Holy Spirit within me and what that power is capable of doing in me, through me, and for me. It has me trying very hard to see God's hand at work around me all throughout the day. This lifestyle has lead to reaching for a state of mind that is totally focused on God throughout the day and really concentrating on the goodness of what God has really done in the universe. I have discovered that in the big scheme of things, I am really small, and yet in the very bigness of God, I am important and so dearly loved.

What are the ways of worship that lead to this lifestyle? I allow Jesus to sing over me which leads me to sing to Him. Jesus reminds me throughout the day that he loves me by bringing to mind Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, I am mighty to save. I am taking great delight in you, I am going to quiet you with my love, I am rejoicing over you with singing." I have changed the pronouns to first person, cause that is the way I hear it. And it brings me to sing back to him all those praise and worship songs that I love, like: We Fall Down, Beautiful One, Majesty and so on. It seems lately, that no matter what time I happen to be awakened during the night a song of worship is going on inside my head until I fall back to sleep or when I awaken up in the morning, I am still singing that song.

Another way of worship that leads to this lifestyle has been studing the Word and Prayer time, it has gotten bumped up a notch and I can't seem to get enough of it. I also talk to Jesus all the time because he is in the room. We have conversations together. I hear his voice on a very regular basis.

I also notice that I crave seeing him work in everyone's life. I want to hear what he's doing, what you're working through, what your needs are, how you enjoy being with Him throughout the day.

And the last thing, we worship with trembling hands raised high, voices singing and praising the name of Jesus, head bowed, knees that hit the floor or even laying flat on the floor because we can't look into the face because we are not worthy and also by dancing before the Lord. We worship him by talking to our children about him and when we talk to others about him. Then there are times when I can't even express what I'm feeling with a praise and worship song or bible verse because the word just doesn't exsist yet and I get so overwhelmed that I'm just beside myself.

Worship as a way of life can exsist but it does take some effort and a want to. But if you want to the rewards will by far over ride the negatives. So go for it, you won't be sorry.