Forcing it

Journal entry from Friday, 7.6.12:

Dear Lord,

I woke up today and I don’t feel it. You know what I’m talking about. No desire in my heart for which to motivate me to jump out of bed and into Your Word. But even now You are helping me, showing me truth and igniting my heart once again. You are a great God and fully worthy of every ounce of praise I can give whether I feel it or not. Therefore, like David, I command my soul to bless You.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” –Psalm 103:1-2

God, I do praise You. Thank You for working in all the details of Dave and Allison’s water heater- You are so good. Thank You for giving me godly parents and sister and brother-in-law who seek to pursue You in all things. Thank you for my True Beauty girls and for ministry opportunities and for using me, of all people. Thank you for an awesome church family.

Please show me how blessed I am. Teach me to know Your ways, lead me in paths of righteousness for Your namesake. Thank You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness and for Your unfailing love.

Thank You for not forsaking me when my strength is spent, but instead pouring Yourself out for us. May we follow Your example and pour ourselves out for You- a living sacrifice.

You are good. And Your love endures forever. Blessing and honor and glory and power be Yours forevermore. Glorify Yourself today, God. Bring honor to Your name. Anoint this day and do great and mighty things which we don’t know. Amen.

What I learned

Sometimes You just don’t feel it. I didn’t feel it Friday morning and after complaining that I didn’t feel anything and had no desire to spend time with the Lord before work, I went to Psalm 103 where David literally commands His soul to bless the Lord.

“Not feeling it” is an excuse. A sorry attempt by the enemy to get our minds distracted from the One who gave us life to our measly selves. Satan will always take us back to ourselves and without the Lord’s grace we would let him.

This is why leading your emotions is so important, because God is no less deserving of everything we have to give Him when we’re not feeling it as when we’re filled to overflowing and having an over-the-moon flooding of the soul experience.

Despite our feelings, He is worthy. 

Therefore, as we get ready to corporately worship this morning, clothe yourselves in praise and bless the Lord, forgetting nothing He has done for you, and worship Him. Not necessarily because you feel it, but because it’s what He deserves, feelings or not.

You might say you feel like a hypocrite if you sing some of the songs at church because it’s you don’t feel it. That’s another scheme of the enemy- Satan doesn’t want you to praise, but those songs are still truth and God is still worthy even in the times where you don’t feel it.

Faith will never follow feelings. Feelings follows faith. Therefore, lead your emotions.

He gave everything, will we give everything to Him?

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

– Matt Redman

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning

It’s time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

 Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and the time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I will worship Your holy name

Lord, I will worship Your holy name

I will worship Your holy name.