True Worship

When people use the term worship in reference to church and God they usually equate it to singing songs and saying Hallelujah. True, that is a form of worshiping God but there’s a deeper level of worship that I think often gets overlooked. Worshiping something is simply the thing that’s in your life that takes up more space than God; something that you are symbolically bowing down too or giving of more attention and time too.

I use to own a motorcycle a couple of years back and I absolutely loved it. The majority of my time was spent either riding it, working on it, washing it, or thinking about riding it. During this time I had put God on the back-burner and gave His space in my life to the motorcycle. The bike was a representation of something that I worshiped and idolized. I was symbolically bowing down to it.

In the terms of God some people have been taught that worship is something that you do instead of it being who you are. As a result we go to church, sing songs, say Hallelujah and sit down and in our minds we have just worshiped God. In your mind if you think that your worship to God is something to be switched on and off then a renewing of the mind is getting ready to take place.

Isaiah 29:13 (NKJV)
Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

God is saying here that there are church folk that have been taught by generations of tradition and religion that worshiping God is all about singing songs and saying Hallelujah with your mouths. As a result of this incomplete revelation many people have made worship into tradition and at the end of the day their worship has become of no effect because it was done out of the ritual instead of love and when they get home they’re fostering conceit, jealousy, bitterness, rage, etc… in their hearts.

I think the greatest form of worship is becoming it. When I say becoming it I’m talking about not only singing praises but also honoring God in your heart by living your every waking, breathing moment with Him in you and you in Him. I’m talking about connecting your heart with His heart so you live in this state of being that can’t just be switched off like a faucet. Living your life in Him means operating out of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, praising God out of love and not tradition, and connecting with Gods own heart concerning everything in this life.

Let us all become the worship.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

A Church Without Walls

Over the past couple of weeks, God has been sharing with me concerning “church” and being a “preacher”. See, by me being raised in the church I had a preconceived notion of how everything should or would be, concerning these two topics. God has just been re-emphasizing that His church is much bigger than the building we go to on Sunday morning to sing songs, give an offering, and hear a word from the pastor. He was showing me that being a preacher is much more than just getting in front of a crowd, traveling the world and telling people about the gospel of Christ.

God is showing me that it’s a lifestyle, it’s something that I live everyday whether I’m in the building where we meet on Sunday’s or behind a podium sharing what God has placed on my heart. I think a lot of people have lost the true definition of church by traditionalizing it and categorizing it in their own minds. A But God wants all of our minds renewed so He can impart the true meaning of church into us.

If you consider yourself a believer in Christ than there’s a task at-hand of proclaiming Christ in your life. It’s something that should automatically happen if indeed Christ is in you and you are in Christ. I’m not saying that everyone should drop what their doing and become a Pastor, no not at all. God wants to use you in the avenue that you are already in; whether you are a nurse, doctor, lawyer, cashier, mental health aide, practitioner, etc… If you are indeed a walking, living, breathing proclamation of Christ then people will be drawn and you will show them the way.

I pray that this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Secret Place

Last night at church our Pastor gave an awesome message about the secret place, which really moved my heart, and I wanted to share with you what God spoke to me through this message.

Psalm 91:1…
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Dwell: Remain, sit, abide
Abide: To lodge, to stay permanently

Most of us know this scripture and can quote it, but is it a scripture that we put into action in our lives? So many times in life we get busy with our daily affairs, our families, etc, and we don’t always take time to meet God in the secret place. The place where it’s just you and him, where there is no distractions and no interruptions. Many times we have excuses as to why we do not do this, “I don’t have any place that’s quiet,” “I’m always running around after the kids,” etc. Of course there are things that can keep you away from this place with God, but we must take time out to meet God there. Whether you take a drive by yourself, whether you shut yourself in the bathroom, if that’s the only place you can be alone, whether you wake up a little bit earlier then everyone else, or stay up a little bit later, whatever the case may be it is crucial that we meet God and spend time with Him in the secret place. It is a realm in the Most Holy Place where it’s only you and God. It is a place where God can pour His heart into you, and you can bear your heart to Him. It is a place where peace dwells and where answers lie. It is a place where change happens. It is a place of intimacy; it’s a secret hide away for just you two.

Let’s liken it to a natural relationship so that we can really understand. If you are married and you don’t take time out to meet with your spouse, just the two of you, then you can grow apart, and your relationship can become distant. The same can happen with God, when you are not meeting with Him, you are distancing yourself from Him and without even knowing it, you may begin to feel dry or disconnected. If this is the case for you there is an easy solution, begin again. Go and meet God in that secret place. Take time to share with Him there, take time to listen to Him there. My Pastor said last night, to take a pen and a pad because He will speak to you there. I think that is a great idea because you never know what God will reveal to you in that secret place.

For those of you that have never went into that secret place, all I can say is it’s time to begin. Close yourself off from the world, maybe put on some worship music if you would like and just begin talking to God, invite Him in to commune with you, the more you do it the more comfortable it will become for you and you will begin to develop that intimacy with the Lord. It is an amazing experience.

God told me last night that the secret place is where it begins. We can listen to pastors and flood ourselves with outside information that we take in, but if we aren’t living from the inside out we won’t mature and grow in the way that He desires us to.

So take some time everyday and go to that secret place with God, it will bless you and it will bless the Father.

Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

The Best of You

I had an opportunity last week to speak to my church and what God had me share was on the topic of giving. I think one of the most important principals in operating in the Kingdom of God and in His system is giving. The main reason why we are all here today is because of giving, God gave us eternal life through His son Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in should not perish but have everlasting life."

The key word in that scripture is gave, God gave us His best from the beginning and He continues to give us His best everyday we wake up. The question is; have we been giving God our best? Have we been giving God our best in the area of our time, efforts, lives, money, etc…? It’s important to be in the mindset that when we give to God it’s not really to benefit Him because He owns it all in the first place, but when we give and when we give out of the correct motives and pureness of our hearts it benefits us because when we give, God is giving something back to us.

Now if you are someone that thinks you give your best every time than I say keep on doing so. I was someone that needed a little help in this area, and God gave it to me. He showed me that in the culture we live in we are taught by society since we are born the exact opposite of that critical principal of giving in Gods Kingdom. We’re taught that it’s all about us. In our society we are taught more about working hard and receiving than we are taught on giving. Now there’s nothing wrong with being a diligent worker and receiving because those too are also principals in God’s system. The problem comes in when we are taught about it so thoroughly that it hinders our giving, especially when it comes to finances.

The topic of finances is very delicate in the church because people don’t like to talk about money and the church, maybe because conviction comes into their hearts about the subject. Money and the church go hand-in-hand, there are so many things that the mature church can do with financial wealth. But before we can reach that point as one body in Christ we have to learn about giving the financial resources before we receive them. If you were someone like me that was a pretty selfish person this can be a hard lesson taught by God but trust the reward is worth it all. Two of the reasons we are hindered in giving financially is because of fear, and trust.

Fear hinders our giving because most have the mindset that when they give they will never get blessed or they don’t give because it doesn’t agree with there checkbook. If this is an issue for you, than the problem is really your trust in God. I trust in God so much to the point that if I have just enough money to either pay my tithes and offerings or buy food for my house than I’ll pay my tithes and offerings instead. I know for a fact that God will not leave me hungry, I know for a fact that God will not leave me without a roof over my head, and I know for a fact that I am His child and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Remember when we give to our church homes we’re not just giving to be giving. But in-fact every time we do give, God puts that towards our account with Him and He knows and remembers everything you gave. Paul told the Philippians that when they gave to him it wasn’t because he wanted a gift from them but he wanted to see them reap of the blessings that God gives for such love and generosity. (Philippians 4:17 NKJV)

Some of you might say that I don’t have a big amount to give; that doesn’t matter. If your best is only a dime and you give it, God sees your heart and you are rewarded for it. The amount of money is not important; it’s all about your heart. Is your heart in the right place for giving?

Some say, but I’ve been giving and I don’t see any rewards or blessings. If this is you I would ask you to check your motives in your heart. Why do you give? Is it just so you can get that new car or house or be blessed with money to start your business? If God didn’t give you specific instructions to give toward something you desire than you’re better off putting that money toward what you desire for yourself. I know that when I give I will receive, so why would that even be my motive for giving, because that’s something that happens automatically.

No, when you give your motive should strictly be love. When God gave His son for you He knew that as a result he would receive billions of sons and daughters as a result of His one sacrifice, Jesus. But His motive for His giving was strictly out of love. “For God so loved the world that he gave…”

So as we progress throughout 2010 I challenge and God challenges you to give your best every time you give and give because you love not because you desire something.

I hope this has been a blessing on your lives.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org

We Preach Christ

We have a video Life Word for you all today! Today we will be discussing the common thread that brings everyone in the body together...Preaching Christ. God bless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nnsFwfuao4

Daryle & Tracy Houston
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org