Lift It-TFK

Through all of life's ups and downs, there is one thing followers of Christ must do: PRAISE! When we learn to praise the Lord for everything we have and encounter in this life, whether it be good or bad, we start to see  and experience life through His Spirit. For it is only by His Spirit that we are able to praise Him. We out to have the attitude of the psalmist:

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul will make its boast in the Lord;

The humble will hear it and rejoice  Psalm 34:1-2

 

TFK also had the idea of continuously praising the Lord regardless of circumstances:

 In my temptation to walk away
And through the endless troubled days
There’s a hundred million ways
For me to release Your praise
And by and by, through the tears
And things You’ve taught me through the years
My whole life was designed by You
I’ll never know anyone half as true
So I lift it, I lift it up to You
And I’ll never forget the times that we’ve been through
So I lift it, I said I lift it up to You
And I surrender all of me, to You, to You, to You
Everything I’ll ever be, to You, to You, to You
I surrender all of me, to You
Everything I’ll ever be
To You

 

Begin your day lifting up praise to the Lord, end you day lifting up praise to the Lord and all throughout.

 

Those Nights-Skillet

Small group-people who get together to study the Bible and live life in community.

I grew up going to a traditional Baptist church with Sunday School and worship service. It was good but it never went deep; it never felt like community. I first became introduced to the idea of small groups in college through the BCM. We met on a particular day and studied the Bible. We also hung out, played intramural sports, and simply lived life together. (It was easy due to living on a small campus but that's besides the point.)  Being in that small group and in the BCM taught me what community from a Biblical perspective looked like. I have been in several small groups since college but the one that has meant the most is the one we just ended. My small group members lived out humble regard for each other like I have never seen before. Acts 2:42 describes this group perfectly:
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. This particular small group was born out of the darkest days of my life. Though they did not completely understand what I was going through, they climbed into my pit and literally became the arms of Christ holding me and letting me cry. We went through so many changes and life events together over the five years as a group. People got married, moved away, had children, lost loved ones, lost their way, found their way, and most of us went through healing of some sort.

The song that comes to mind with this group is Those nights by Skillet:

I remember when We used to laugh About nothing at all It was better than going mad From trying to solve all the problems we’re going through Forget ‘em all Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall Together we faced it all Remember when we’d Stay up late and we’d talk all night In a dark room lit by the tv light Through all the hard times in my life Those nights kept me alive We’d listen to the radio play all night Didn’t want to go home to another fight Through all the hard times in my life Those nights kept me alive This group of amazing, godly, inspiring ladies will hold a huge part of my heart. God worked in and through our group in miraculous ways. God created us for community-to have nights of laughing, crying, sharing, and loving the life HE gave us. I urge all followers of Christ to find other believers to share life with and lean on them when life isn't what its expected to be.

Awakening-Switchfoot

Last week found me living for nothing but deadlines,
With my dead beat sky but, this town doesn't look the same tonight
These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere
And I don't know if I've ever felt so alive, alive

I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating, I'm bleeding.
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to live like I know what I'm leaving
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating, I'm bleeding

Switchfoot reminds us how many times we go through our lives thinking that we are living but we are not. We think that getting the right career, spouse, family, friends, and milestones means we have lived a fulfilled life. However, they would be wrong. So many people realize their life is empty and vain. They are dead inside but don't realize it until God wakes them up.

For this reason it says,

"Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine on you

Eph 5:14

 

When we awake to Christ, we finally come alive.  So, dear ones I urge you if you have not awaken to Christ, sleep no longer and find out what you have been missing in life.

The Call-Least of These

 Then I said,

"Woe is me, for I am ruined!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts Isaiah 6:5

Most Christians think that only missionaries and pastors are called to spread the Gospel, but that is not true. All followers of Christ receive the call, most just do not answer it. There are so many people who have never even heard of Jesus, yet so many of us go on with our daily lives like they do not exist or wait for someone else to go. The band the Least of These feels this as well as they write in their song The Call: 

 

They don't even know

If they could only hear

If they could only hear

I've got five fingers on each of my hands to count all the commands that I've broken

Woe is me for i am a man of unclean lips

You set the coal upon my lips and take away my shame

Our lips are unclean because of the excuses we make of why we don't share Jesus. We must cast off our fear and apathy and answer YES when God calls us to go and share Jesus whether it be across the street or across the globe.

Where My Heart Goes-Colton Dixon

A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left. Eccl. 10:2

We can drive ourselves crazy when it comes to decisions. We want to be in God's will, but we often wonder what it is. We must trust that if we follow Christ then He will direct our lives. We need to be wise in our decision making but let it not consume us. When Christ is the center of our lives the. We can trust our heart because He is in control.

Colton Dixon sings of this :

Where does my heart go
When I have a choice to make
Who do I follow
When my character is at stake
Will I run from you or to your arms
Will I fight to be right where you are
‘Cause life is pulling me a million different ways
This is my song that I sing forever
You are my home, you are what I treasure
I want you to be where my heart goes
And if it all breaks
If it goes to pieces
You are the one that I will believe in
I know you won’t ever let me go
(You won’t let me go)
I want you to be where my heart goes
There’s no denying
What this world will promise me
But I have decided
You are the only thing I need
So take everything

Christ is everything we need. We should let go of our desire to control our lives and just live by faith in Him.

Masters of the Flattery-Sons

When the water rose above my knees, I took my flesh and I threw it to the sea. My darling I'm drowning in disbelief. Fire and brimstone is what they preached to me, but I see the fire they couldn't reach. With their hands outstretched every one of them was making amends with God, but the fire wasn't hot enough and now you're burning alive. Get your kicks while you can. We are the masters of the flattery for every man; Handing habits to the free and taking all that we can. I can't believe in this, not even if I try as hard as I can. I'll be the judge of who's wrong and who's right and who's rightfully damned. Don't play me like a member of your congregation. You're just as crooked as this "Christian" nation. Wait I have made a mistake. Take me back for Heaven's sake. I have found myself alone. Grace, you have made me a saint. How could you not know my name? I was lied to all along.

Sadly, there are many "preachers" who spread lies about God, the Bible, and the Gospel. They lie to the many people who listen to them. They use whatever tactics they can to persuade people that what they spew id the truth, but they are deceivers. Unfortunately, many people turn away from Jesus after seeing these false teachers for what they really are: workers of Satan.

Jude warns us to be on guard against these people in verse 16:
These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

As followers of Christ, we must know His word and surround ourselves with those who seek truth. The best thing we can do for those who have been hurt by false teachers  is to love them and show them grace. Let us never be that person who compromises the truth of God's word.

Constant-House of Heroes

It is good to give thanks to the L ord And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night, (Psalms 92:1, 2 NASB)

There is one thing I know: The Lord is constant. No matter what we go through, His love and faithfulness towards us never changes. Even if He disciplines us, it is out of love.

House of Heroes reminds us the Lord is constant
All thru the night
Your love is faithful to me
All thru the night
Your love is right here with me
All thru the night
Your love is holding me

All thru the night I was fallin'
Straining to see your light shinin'
You never gave out
You never gave in
You never quite gave up on me
You are my constant

Let us never forget that through the valleys and the mountains The Lord is our constant. He will always be there and his love for us will never change.

Made-Hawk Nelson

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139:14 NASB)

So many times the culture tries to convince us to hate ourselves: we're too fat, too skinny, too short, too tall, wrong hair or eye color, etc. they teach to try to change everything about us, but the truth is God made us and loves us just as we are. Our personality, quirks, and humor were given to us by Him.

Hawk Nelson reminds us that we were made beautiful by God

'Cause everything changes when you find yourself in His light
So tell me what you see, what you see
And I'll tell you what He sees
You're beautiful, wonderful
You're perfectly made, perfectly made
You're meant to be what you see
You're not a mistake, not a mistake
Brighter than stars that shine
You light up the Maker's eyes
And you'd believe if you could see
The smile on His face
The moment you were made

Don't let culture define you. See your beauty through the eyes of your Maker.

Rise to You-Jason Castro

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

There are times when we feel as if there is no way out of the mess we get ourselves into. But by God's grace, we do not have to stay in our mess. God always provides a way out if we are willing to reach for Him. Jason Castro sings about this in his song Rise to You:

It feels like more than I can handle
It seems so hard to be hopeful
And all I ask is for a different path
Every way I know is a struggle

Some days I feel so broken down
Just hoping I can make it out
But knowing that You'll see me through
I'm gonna rise to You
Give me all the strength I need
Get me off these busted knees
To do the things that I can't do
I'm gonna rise to You
Rise to You

We never have the excuse that we cannot overcome temptation because Jesus was tempted in every way but never sinned, therefore, we have an opportunity to chose not to sin but instead turn to Jesus and ask for help. Let us not get overwhelmed with the pressures of this world, but instead rejoice in the freedom found in Christ.

Pieces-Red

I've come undone
But you make sense of who I am
Like puzzle pieces in your eye

Then I'll see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole

Often times we think we can fix ourselves. Unfortunately, we end of messing things up worse than when we started. The Lord God is the one who made us and only He can fix us. We are clay in the hands of our Potter:

But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. (Jeremiah 18:4 NASB)

When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, He takes us as a broken mess and makes us into a vessel honorable to serve Him. We cannot do it on our own. So dearly loved, gives Jesus the pieces of your life and let Him make you whole.

Every Good Thing-The Afters

That it's a beautiful life we live
I don't want to miss the moments like this
This is a beautiful life You give
You're the reason for
every good thing, every heartbeat
Every day we get to breathe
You're the reason fo
anything that lasts, every second chance
Every laugh
Life is so sweet
You're the reason for every good thing
Every good thing, every good thing
There will be days that give me more than I can take
But I know that You always make beauty from my heartache

In a world of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy it can be easy to forget where our gifts truly come from-God. We get entangled in the grandeur of giving gifts while ignoring the One who is the giver of all good gifts.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17 NASB)

Whether it be sun, moon, stars or friends and family or jobs or whatever brings us joy, it is from God. He gives us our next breathe along with everything else we have. We should spend our days thanking and praising Him instead of imaginary beings.

Better Now-The Vespers

He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see John 9:25

John 9 tells the story of a man born blind. Jesus comes across this man and heals him, however, the Pharisees do not like it so they question the man and his parents repeatedly. The man answers the same way that he was blind but now he sees. Later he finds Jesus and becomes a follower of Christ. The man did not care of the agenda of Jesus nor the Pharisees, all he cared about was the fact he could now see. HE was better off now than he was blind. Once his physical eyes were opened, he spiritual eyes were opened as well and he received salvation. Needless to say, it was a great day for this man.

The Vespers tell this incredible story in their song Better Now:

Mama says I can’t be healed
Papa says I’m through
They say I can’t use my eyes
Will never be good as new

Oh but I’m better now
Why do you shake your head no
Oh but I met a man
Oh and He’s saved my soul

You don’t believe me when I say
The man you knew was blind
But Jesus told me He’s the light
Then Jesus healed my eyes

Oh and I’m better now
Why do you shake your head no
Oh but I met a man
Oh and He’s saved my soul

You ask again and again
Don’t you believe
Lift up your blinded heart
He’ll help you see

You could be better now
Why do you shake your head no
Oh and I met a man
Oh and He’s saved my soul
You could be better now
Oh well don’t shake your head no
Oh but I met a man
Oh and He’s saved my soul

Sweet Revenge-BarlowGirl

Did you see that I was hurt
Did you know that you had left me crying there
Now I’m holding all your words close till you feel this pain too, yeah
You live on so unaware
While I thought somehow this hate would heal me
But this hate is never ending and it’s only killing me

Oh sweet revenge you’ve lied again

I find I can’t get free till I release this vengeance that I seek
Forgive you, the only thing I want to live I’m ready to be free, to be free

We like to hold on to the hurts that others that have placed on us. We feel a sense of power as we plot our revenge. We do not realize, however, that revengence holds us captive. We are a slave to it as we hold on to it tightly, and the more tightly we hold on to it, it holds on to us. We become angry, bitter, and hateful. The love, peace, and joy of Christ can have no part of a heart that is vengeful. Therefore, God tells us to let go and let Him who is perfect in justice handle revenge.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord Romans 12:19

If we humble ourselves and see things from God's perspective, we will realize that ultimately He is the One being unjustly sinned against and He is the only One that is justified. The only path to freedom is to let go and let do what only He can do.

Hiding Place-Home is Calling

find me searching for You, I need Your grace
find me longing for Your embrace
only You will be my resting place
only You will be my hiding place

When life is hectic and we feel like we cannot go on, we have a refuge in the Lord. He will be a place of hiding where we find rest and refuge from the world. He is our comforter, sustainer, and deliverer.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. (Psalms 119:114 NASB)

Don't try to take on the world by yourself. Run to the arms of Jesus and trust in His strength and victory.

Life after Death and Taxes-RelientK

Never forget

There’s life after death and taxes

And forgiveness comes

Then all of the rest is what passes away

Death and decay can’t touch us now

Every breath that I inhale is followed by exhaling

Sure as the one who never fails, I know will never fail me

We know that Jesus loves us and died for us. Now it's up to us to believe and trust in Him. When we do we get life and death never touches us. Yes our physical bodies die but we live forever with Christ.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24 NASB)

Failure to Excommunicate-RelientK

Jesus loved the outcasts

He loves the ones the world just loves to hate

And as long as there's a heaven, there'll be a failure to excommunicate

So people think that Jesus only loves the people they love, but that's not true. Jesus loved everyone even those considered outcasts.

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately the leprosy left him. (Luke 5:12, 13 NASB)

Lepers were considered unclean and no one wanted anything to do with them. They were sent to the outskirts of the city so they affect the other people. Jesus didn't care about that and he didn't let fear about what could happen stop Him from healing that man. Many people today are considered outcasts-homeless, prostitutes, gang members, etc-but that should not keep us from sharing the love and healing of Jesus. We must cast off labels and go to those who are lonely, hurting, and lost.
We must be Jesus.

Crawl-Superchick

The inspiration for the song Crawl from Superchick comes from Psalm 13:1-2:

 

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart all the day

 

We have this great hope that God is not only near but He is with us all the way through. When we fall and when we crawl, He is there falling and crawling too. What a great God we serve!

 

How long will this take?
How much can I go through?
My heart, my soul aches
I don’t know what to do
I bend, but don’t break
Somehow I’ll get through
Cause I have You

And if I had to crawl
Well You’d crawl too
I stumble and I fall
Carry me through
The wonder of it all
Is You see me through

O Lord, where are you?
Do not forget me here
I cry in silence
Can you not see my tears
When all have left me
And hope has disappeared
You’ll find me here

When everything I was is lost
I have forgot, but You have not
When I am lost, You have not lost me
You have not lost me

East to West-Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns also deals with the idea of forgiven sins. In their song East to West, they explain why our sins are forgiven:

 

I know You’ve washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can’t live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I‘m not holding on to You, but You’re holding on to me
You’re holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don’t have to see the man I’ve been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

Because Jesus gave His life for ours, our sin was paid for through His death. They are removed from us as far as east from west:

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

If you start traveling east, and continue traveling east, you will never go west. And vice verses. Therefore, your sin will never find you again because of Jesus.

Ocean Floor-Audio Adrenaline

What happens when your sins are forgiven? According to Audio Adrenaline, they are sent to the ocean floor:

My misdeeds
All my greed
All the things that haunt me now
They're not a pretty sight to see
But they're wiped away
By a mighty wave
A mighty wave, mighty wave

They're all behind you
They'll never find you
They're on the ocean floor
Your sins are forgotten
They're on the bottom
Of the ocean floor

 

They may not be far off in their thinking:

 

He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

 

God does not hold our sins against us once we confess and repent. Therefore we should not hold on to them either. I have found that a symbolic way of letting go is to write them on a piece of paper and throw them into the sea/ ocean (or whatever body of water you have around you). Once you throw them in, you can never get them back. And so it is with our sin. So go ahead and watch your sin sink to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Collide-Skillet

There's something deep inside
It keeps my faith alive
When all you can do is hide from the fear that's deep inside of you
Something to hold me close when I don't know
There's something deep inside that keeps my faith alive

Where does faith come from? And where is faith when fear is haunting you? These are questions Skillet is asking.

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26 NASB)

We have faith because of who Jesus is and what He did for us. When faith and fear collide, we look to the cross knowing faith wins.

Secrets and Regrets-Pillar

no matter how hard you try to
you can't make the clock rewind to the moment that you lied to yourself
it never really mattered how they felt

your secrets and regrets are keeping you from going very far
and you can't let all this get you down and keep you living in the dark
cause all you're looking for
is love
you're living in the dark
you just can't get enough
your secrets and regrets

 

So many times we have secrets we try to hide from people. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can hide behind fake smiles and polite conversation. We are afraid that if our brothers and sisters in Christ knew the "real" us then they would judge us and turn away. Unfortunately , there are many in the church who judges others. But that should not compel us to keep it all buried deep within ourselves. There is One who knows all of secrets and regrets-the Lord Jesus. 

 

Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21

 

God knows everything about us, all our secret desires, thoughts, and attitudes. The beauty of this is that HE loves us despite them. HE longs for us to come to Him and give all our secrets and regrets to Him. When we do, we find forgiveness, freedom and we can stop living in the dark, but rather in the light of His love.

Thrive-Switchfoot

I'm always close but I'm never enough
I'm always in line but I'm never in love
I get so down but I won't give up
I get slowed down but I won't give up

Been fighting things that I can't see in
Like voices coming from the inside of me and
Like doing things I find hard to believe in
Am I myself or am I dreaming?

No I'm not alright
I know that I'm not right
A steering wheel don't mean you can drive
A warm body don't mean I'm alive
No I'm not alright
I know that I'm not right
Feel like I travel but I never arrive
I want to thrive not just survive

 

Life can be overwhelming at times.We tend to focus on the negatives things that surround us. We get caught in the comparison trap of I' so much worse off than everyone else so I deserve the most pity. So many of us never experience life to the fullest. We get caught in the hamster wheel of life and keep running and running with no joy or purpose. That is not life; that is existence. But we were made for more.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

 

We must stop listening to the lies of Satan. He is the deceiver who wants to keep us enslaved to a life a sin; all the while telling us that we are free. The full, abundant life comes only from Christ. When we surrender ourselves to Him, we find true freedom. We learn all about joy, peace, forgiveness and love. We cease to merely survive, we begin to thrive.