“…In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11b

By Melanie Stone
The only way to know God is through yielding our hearts to Him as our Lord. When we worship God, we are positioning ourselves in surrender to His greatness and glory, reveling in our love for Him. As our hearts are bowed before Him in dependent childlike faith, we come to Him. He is always there with open arms, ready to receive His children whose hearts and lives are humbled before Him.

Our worship is the expression of our hearts to our God, not only in our singing, but in our lifestyle, in our attitudes, and our conversation.  Hearts that are yielded to God and to others in love and honor will experience the glory of God in their worship. True worshippers genuinely pursue the presence of God from their hearts. While it is helpful to have skilled worshippers leading us in songs that are culturally relevant, a true worshipper will be able to open their heart to God in worship in any situation.

Each person is unique in their expression of their worship to the Father.  While some might be reserved in their expression, others may want to shout or jump or dance. Our emotions are not always indicators of a heart condition, and emotion alone will not draw us into God’s presence.

When we worship God individually, we can experience God’s manifested presence in private. When we worship God collectively, we can experience God’s glory corporately. Our worship time in church services are not just to express our love for God, but they are also a time to lay down our own agenda and pursue a moving of God’s Spirit that will touch and change the lives of the people that are there.

Application: When we are surrendered to God, we will endeavor to follow the leading of God’s Spirit. We will seek God’s purpose for our worship, both individually and collectively - there are times when we are celebrating His greatness, times when we are in quiet adoration, times of consecration, times when we are still in awe of His wonders, and more. Look inside your heart, in your spirit, and seek to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as you worship the Lord and experience His glory. 

“Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:7

By Melanie Stone
The glory of God is the manifested presence of God – His greatness, His majesty, His splendor, His excellence, His power, His anointing, His fame, His authority, and His riches.  We all were created to know God and to know Him in His glory. Not everyone knows God, and others are at different levels of their understanding and experience of God; however, when we encounter God’s presence with a tangible anointing, there is a tremendous spiritual fulfillment of knowing who is the source of our life and knowing the splendor we were made to be a part of. 

I believe that God longs to reveal Himself to His children so that we can know Him in His glory. If God wants the world to know His greatness, then why does it seem that His glory is hidden?  Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin caused us to fall short of the glory we were created to know. In Colossians 1:27 it says that Jesus Christ is the hope of glory. Through yielding our lives to Jesus Christ, we can be restored to knowing God and restored to a life of knowing God’s glory. 

Our experience with knowing God is both individual and corporate, meaning that we have our personal experience with God, but we also can experience the presence of God when we come together collectively. The Holy Spirit lives in us, so God is always there to meet with us individually. Also, when we come together for the purpose of meeting with God, His presence can be manifested corporately. As a group we can experience the glory and the anointing of God when we collectively pursue His presence. 

God wants to be known. God wants us to experience His glory and His goodness.  He wants us to pursue Him to restore us back to knowing His presence and His power. He wants us to seek Him as the One who will meet any needs that we have. He made us to know His glory! 

Application: Moses was a man who pursued the manifested presence of God. In Exodus 33:18 he cried out to God, “Please, show me Your glory.” God answered His prayer, and Moses saw the glory of God. This should also be our prayer, when we are alone and when we come together for worship services, “Lord, please, show us Your glory!” 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

By Melanie Stone
Because God has given us authority on the earth, the words we speak are powerful. We can speak words that bring life and blessing. We can also speak words that bring trouble and destruction. Because we can cause blessing and cursing with the words that we speak, God tells us that we will be held accountable for every word comes out of our mouth.[1] Think about that – God is listening and weighing everything that we say, even words that are spoken in secret!

Matthew 12:37 says, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” In context, Jesus is saying that you can know a person’s heart by listening to the words they say. He compares it discerning a type of tree by looking at its fruit. If a tree bears apples, you know it’s an apple tree. If can learn a lot about a person just by listening to the words they speak. Whatever is on the inside is what will eventually come out, so if we want our words to change, we need to focus on changing our heart.  Before we do anything else, we need to receive salvation and allow God to give us a new nature. Then we need to guard our hearts, grow in God, and allow His character to be formed inside of us. You will also be known by the people you associate with. Be careful not to closely associate with people whose words are negative, critical, and complaining. Instead try to group yourself with those who speak positive, supporting, and encouraging words. 

The words we speak will determine our destiny.  Our words, even though they may seem insignificant, can set the direction of the way our life will go. In James 3:2-4, we read about the direction of a huge ship being determined by such a small part as a rudder. We also read about the direction of a large horse being led by a small thing called a bit. In the same way, the tongue is a small part of our body, but our words will set the course for our life, whether it is for our good or our destruction. 

Application: Notice the words that are coming out of your mouth and from the mouths of the people you associate with. Then take a look at your heart and give every part of yourself to God. Be intentional with the words you speak over your life and over the lives of others.

“…faith without works is dead.” James 2:20

By Melanie Stone
Jesus and His disciples were headed to Jerusalem for Passover. Along the way, Jesus was hungry. Even though it wasn’t the season for figs, Jesus walked up to a fig tree, expecting to find fruit to eat. When Jesus did not find figs on the tree, He told the tree, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” Then Jesus and His disciples went into Jerusalem where many Jews honored Him as their Messiah for the event that we now celebrate as Palm Sunday. That evening, Jesus and the disciples went outside of the city, and the disciples noticed that the fig tree had died.

Jesus then said to them, “…have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, be believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”  Mark 11:22-23

In Luke 17:5,6 Jesus made a similar statement. The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus responded, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ it would obey you.” A mustard seed is a small seed. It isn’t the size of a person’s faith that makes a person effective; it’s what we do with the faith we have.

What is faith? Faith is when we surrender our lives to God in dependency on Him. Faith is much more than simply believing in God. Demons believe in God. Faith is when we are relying upon God to the point that we will put action to it. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. If we are surrendered to God, we will obey Him and act on what we believe. Our behavior and our words will line up with what God wants because we are relying upon Him.

Speaking is an action. When we speak to a situation, it should be because God wills it, not just because we will it. The Holy Spirit will back up our obedience to speak in the authority we have as His representative.

Application: Dependency is more than praying a prayer and expecting God to move. Faith recognizes that God wants us to act in obedience to Him in what we do and in what we say. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in speaking God’s desires, and watch what will happen!

“(29) Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, (30) by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30 

By Melanie Stone 
When Jesus was on the earth, He demonstrated how to minister the anointing to His disciples. One way that we observe Jesus in His ministry was commanding God’s will to be done with the words of His mouth. For example, Jesus told the sick to be healed, the dead to rise up, devils to come out, and a storm to cease.  Jesus then authorized His followers to operate as His representatives, using His name to do God’s purpose.[1]

Then Jesus left the earth, commissioning his followers to carry on with His work. The purpose in His leaving was to be able to send the Holy Spirit to the church so that we could have the power necessary to fulfill their mission.[2]

Shortly after the Spirit was sent to baptize believers in power, we see two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John, using the authority that Christ had given them. In Acts 3:6 Peter commands a lame man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus. Peter did his part and the Holy Spirit did His part. The lame man was glad to be healed, leaping as he went into the temple and praising God.

There are many other New Testament examples of Christians, like you and I, ministering under the anointing of the Holy Spirit by operating in the authority given to us in Christ. The authority that we have been given is not our own; we represent Christ. The power that we have been given is not our own; it is the power of the Holy Spirit. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing; however, when our aim is to carry out His mission, we have all we need to do the works that Jesus did, and greater.[3]

 Application: Is there something that you have been praying about, but you’ve haven’t seen any results? It could be that God is putting the ball in your court, expecting you to do something with the authority He has given to you. His power will back up the authority He has given to you when you follow His purpose and command His will to be done.

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore…” Matthew 28:18-19a 

By Melanie Stone
Jesus came to the earth in human form for one main purpose:  to restore the position of mankind back to God through the removal of the penalty of sin. Jesus accomplished His mission by paying death’s ransom by becoming sin and dying on the cross. Once the debt had been paid, God was able to raise Jesus from the dead; and not only Christ, but God is also able to offer eternal life to all who call on His name, receive His forgiveness, and continually surrender to His lordship. 

Colossians 2:14-15 tells us that when Jesus paid off our debt to death, He also defeated the ruler of sin and death, who is Satan, and the principalities under his charge. Jesus stripped Satan of his authority over sin and death, providing a way of escape for those who choose to change their allegiance to Christ. The way to reign over sin and its effects is through being repositioned in God through Christ, our Redeemer.

After Jesus accomplished His task of defeating sin and death, His next assignment was to commission His followers. As His representatives, we are to fulfill His mission to reconcile the world to God through delegated authority and display His glory with the endowment of the Holy Spirit.[1]

We do not belong to ourselves; we were bought with a price. Each Christian is a representative of Jesus and a minister of His Gospel message.  In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus authorized and charged His followers to use His name to perform signs and wonders. Throughout the New Testament we see miracles performed by ordinary men and women using the name of Jesus and anointed with extraordinary power. They weren’t performing their own works; they were doing the works of Jesus as His ambassadors. It is not only our right; it is our responsibility to live, breathe and act with the authority and the anointing of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

Application: If you don’t see yourself as being worthy of Christ’s authority or power, realize that all He requires is the surrender of your heart and the trust of His love. Remember that God delights in using the unworthy or the despised to display His splendor. Your qualifications for ministry come from Him. 

Jesus said, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” John 12:49 

By Melanie Stone
Even though Jesus was God’s Son, when Jesus was on the earth, He operated as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. He walked on the earth as an example to us, to illustrate to us how we also should operate as representatives of God (II Corinthians 5:20). 

We know that Jesus had great authority when He walked the earth. In Matthew 7:29 we see that He taught with authority. In Matthew 8:28-34 we see that Jesus stood in authority over demons. In Mark 4:39 we read that Jesus took authority over nature in calming the storm. In Matthew 8:5-13 we read about the Centurion who understood Jesus’ authority over sickness. In John 11:42-43 we see that Jesus even had the authority to raise people from the dead. 

There is a main point that Jesus continually made regarding His authority, and that point was that His authority only came from being in submission to God. Everything that Jesus said, everything that Jesus did, was in submission to God. He did nothing on His own. Jesus was constantly in a state of surrender, yielded to His Father and following the leading of the Holy Spirit, even to the point of sacrificing His life at the cross. 

If you notice, Jesus did not perform miracles in the same manner in each case. His procedures for ministry would vary each time. Jesus came to teach us dependency upon the Lord. Jesus taught us that there is power and anointing available to the person who is in a submissive relationship to the Father (Acts 10:38). Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Together with God, yielded to His ways, nothing is impossible. Unlimited life and glory is found in dying to self.

 Application: To know God and the glory He wants us to experience, our lives need to be completely surrendered to Him. If we are holding on to our own will or a sin or an offense, we are not fully submitted to the Lord. We will hinder ourselves from not only knowing God fully; but also hindering the work God wants to accomplish through us for His kingdom’s sake. If there is something in your life that you have not turned over to God, release it to Him now. Submission is sweet and its rewards are immeasurable. 

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

By Melanie Stone
After God created life on the earth, He charged the care of the planet to mankind. God authorized both men and women to have dominion in it. Satan knew the authority that God had delegated to His children. Satan wanted Adam to turn against God, and through sin make a way so he could rule in the world. Instead of driving Satan out of the Garden of Eden, Adam knowingly chose to disobey God, driving a wedge of separation between the human race and our Father. Through sin, Satan gained the right and the authority to reign in the earth.[1] Since Adam, every person was born into sin and positioned in opposition to God.[2] Because of the spiritual condition of our sinful nature, we all have chosen to sin against God (Romans 3:23).

The human race needed a savior – another human being who was not born into a sinful condition, who could pay the penalty of sin on our behalf. Jesus had to enter the world as a human being, having a human body that gave Him access into the earth. God chose a virgin woman, Mary, to birth Jesus apart from Adam’s bloodline. He was born sinless and had right standing with God. Jesus chose to be punished and crucified in order to remove sin and restore our relationship with our Father. [3] Making the payment for sin, God was able to raise Jesus from the dead, giving Him all authority over sin and the Devil.

As long as we are in the earth in a physical body, we have the ability to choose to turn back to the Lord. If a person does not seek after God and surrender to His lordship, they belong to Satan and will suffer his punishment of eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. However, if we surrender our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ, we will be resurrected and spend eternity with our loving Father.

Application: Live eternally minded. Receive His salvation and share it with as many people as you can so they can make an informed decision about their eternal destiny. 

“God…calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” Romans 4:17

 By Melanie Stone

God has all authority; therefore, when He speaks, His words carry authority. His authority is back by His power. We can see God operating in His authority and power when He created the world by commanding it into existence with His words. In the first chapter of Genesis, God spoke into nothing, and life was created. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together” and “Let the earth bring forth grass” and so on. As He spoke, the world was formed. Hebrews 11:3 says “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”[1]

Romans 4:17 states that God, “calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” This refers to God’s word to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. His wife, Sarah was barren; however, God’s word came to pass and she gave birth to Isaac. Through Isaac, the Jewish nation grew. Through Isaac, Jesus was born. Through Jesus, the nations of the earth can know salvation through faith. God’s word came to pass.

Throughout the Bible God has spoken to the human race. We call them promises, but they are actually authoritative commands from the mouth of our Lord and Father. When God spoke His word, He also revealed who He is and what He wants for us. When we read the Bible, we can choose whether or not we will believe and depend upon our God and receive His declarations over our lives.

In Jeremiah 1:12 we read that God is watching over His word to perform it. God would not give a promise and then not fulfill it. Dig into the Word of God and find out what He has to say; then say it over your own life. God will be pleased by your faith and your respect for His authority.

Application:  If there is something that you know God has promised you, and you are waiting for the fulfillment of that promise, find scriptures in the Bible that pertain to your situation. Meditate on them; write them down, placing them where you can see them and speak them out loud over your life.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”  Psalm 25:4,5 (NKJV) 

By Melanie Stone
God is the source of all life; therefore God has the position and the right to establish His ways for ruling His creation. Because God is the originator and the sustainer of all life, He is the supreme authority of the universe that He created. Our life comes from God; therefore we need Him. How great it is to know that our God is a good father and that He cares for us. The God that we are dependent upon for life loves us and wants the best for us. Hallelujah! 

God’s authority is also the highest authority because of the tremendous power that God has to back it up. In Psalm 62:11 we read that all power belongs to God. Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” How comforting to know that when we are in need, not only is God able to meet our needs, but He also takes pleasure in showing us mercy in meeting our needs! 

God has all power backing up His authority, and He also has all knowledge and understanding to administer His authority effectively. He knows what is best for us. He knows what is best for the world. Unfortunately, not everyone chooses to go with God’s way. God’s ways are life; turning away from His ways will put us in opposition to God. 

Because God is the ultimate authority, there should be a healthy fear, or respect, for God and a grateful heart for His love and compassion. As we pursue to line our lives up with the Lord, we find that there is a fulfilling relationship with Him that makes us whole. In addition, we also find that there is tremendous power and authority that God wants us to know. 

 Application: God wants you to trust His authority in your life. Trust requires a yielded heart, a heart that will receive and follow God’s instructions. To really know God and have His power and wisdom operating in our lives, we need to continually search our hearts to surrender our control to His loving Lordship. Today spend some time rededicating every area of your heart to your Father with awe and respect for His ultimate authority.