Power in Your Singing?

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

2 Chr 20:29-30 The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Rest and peace is a supernatural gift. Wouldn’t you like to have rest and peace in every area of your life? Wouldn’t we all! God actually gives us a weapon that the enemy of our soul fears and that helps bring rest and peace. What is it? Singing unto the Lord. For real! I’ll tell you more.

There was a season for many years in my life when my children were young, where I didn’t listen to my choice of music or tapes in my car for over ten years. My kids loved to listen to children’s tapes that had stories or music about God’s Word. They’d listen and sing along over and over and over again. Then they moved on to contemporary Christian artists.

There was this one clever and cute song that named all 66 books of the Bible. Because we sang this song so often, it taught us the 66 books without really trying to learn them. What was funny was if someone ever asked if any of us could recite the books of the Bible, we could but we’d always find ourselves saying them to the melody of that song. That’s what helped bring it to our remembrance. To this day, if I needed to quote all 66 books I would probably instinctively draw on that tune while thinking through them. That is the power of music. Music has many benefits besides entertainment. It can and does teach us. It glues to memories. Some music gets our heart pumping when we exercise. And many of our old favorite songs feel like a memory jogger through our personal history. What was God’s intent for music? It was for all I just mentioned but, it was first and foremost created to lift us up into supernatural places of His presence and peace when used to worship God. If you’ve never had that experience through music, I can understand. I never did till my late 20’s. But once you do experience it, you come to realize the power available within it. Worshiping God has this power to help you step back from the worries and cares that consume your thoughts and steal your joy. A secret that some have discovered is that music – worshipping God sincerely and intimately from the heart can lift up tour soul and help bring you into the presence of God.

I began walking down this road by just buying some worship tapes (now CD’s) and singing along. Then I stumbled upon something powerful. Something I learned to do to help lift me above the cares of the day was to go into the Psalms and focus on a verse about God’s greatness. Then I just begin to create a melody for it. Today I am singing my own melody to the words from today’s Fresh Manna verse. “Oh it is God alone who gives me rest – rest on every side – Oh yes its God alone that gives me rest – rest on every side!” It’s simple but it powerfully reminds me that rest and peace are supernatural and come in supernatural ways by His hand.

Read this story. It is one of the most remembered battles in all of history because of the way it was won!

2 Chr 20:12-30 O our God, won’t you stop them? We have no way to protect ourselves against this mighty army. We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you.” As the people from every part of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there… “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours,but God’s! Tomorrow, go down and attack them… But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem! Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’” Then King Jehoshaphat fell to the ground with his face to the earth, and all the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. Then the Levites of the Kohath clan and the Korah clan stood to praise the Lord God of Israel with songs of praise that rang out strong and clear. Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and called them to attention. “Listen to me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Believe in the Lord your God and you shall have success! Believe his prophets and everything will be all right!” After consultation with the leaders of the people, he determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song “His Loving-kindness Is Forever” as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord! And at the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves, and they destroyed each other… And as had happened before, when the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God fell upon them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Rest and peace is supernatural and God brings it. Psalm 8 teaches that songs of praise help stop the enemies in our life. You’ve just read that this is true. Find ways to worship the Lord and watch the work that it does in your life!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Just For Fun: Honestly – This is the Most Amazing Video I’ve Seen

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1778399

We’ve All Been Seduced and Here is Proof

Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Galatians 6:8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

How times have changed. How Hollywood has seduced us. How we’ve been the frog in the kettle that has been killed by the slow boil without realizing it. The Production Code was known as the standard of guidelines that Hollywood was to use as boundaries from 1930 through 1968. Look how far backward we’ve gone and how far we have slipped into moral degradation

The Production Code enumerated three “General Principles” as follows:

1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

• Specific restrictions were spelled out as “Particular Applications” of these principles:
• nakedness and suggestive dances were prohibited.
• The ridicule of religion was forbidden, and ministers of religion were not to be represented as comic characters or villains.
• The depiction of illegal drug use was forbidden, as well as the use of liquor, “when not required by the plot or for proper characterization.”
• Methods of crime (e.g. safe-cracking, arson, smuggling) were not to be explicitly presented.
• References to alleged sex perversion (such as homosexuality) and venereal disease were forbidden, as were depictions of childbirth.
• The language section banned various words and phrases that were considered to be offensive.
• Murder scenes had to be filmed in a way that would discourage imitations in real life, and brutal killings could not be shown in detail. “Revenge in modern times” was not to be justified.
• The sanctity of marriage and the home had to be upheld. “Pictures shall not imply that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing.” Adultery and illicit sex, although recognized as sometimes necessary to the plot, could not be explicit or justified and were not supposed to be presented as an attractive option.
• Portrayals of miscegenation were forbidden.
• “Scenes of Passion” were not to be introduced when not essential to the plot. “Excessive and lustful kissing” was to be avoided, along with any other treatment that might “stimulate the lower and baser element.”
• The flag of the United States was to be treated respectfully, and the people and history of other nations were to be presented “fairly.”
• The treatment of “Vulgarity,” defined as “low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects” must be “subject to the dictates of good taste.” Capital punishment, “third-degree methods,” cruelty to children and animals, prostitution and surgical operations were to be handled with similar sensitivity.

How do we turn back the hands of time to a higher standard more closely aligned with the petition of scripture for righteous living? We personally pray and personally accept responsibility to change with God’s help.

Production_Code

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2009 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/