Redemption Centre -The Pastoral Files: OUR FATHER IS A PRIORITY!

After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

More than half of the prayer, taught to the disciples by the Lord, emphasized the Father!

In eating we do not eat the same thing every day.

We also do not cook the same things in the same way every time,

We vary our dishes and vary our methods of preparation

Why?

How about dressing? We do not wear the same thing every time

Some things may be our favorites but even then we vary a little sometimes.

Some say if it ain't broke don’t fix it, but maybe we have lived with broke for so long, it has become normal! So we resist all attempts to fix it, even to the point of resisting the Holy Spirit!

Joseph's coat of many colours was a source of envy to his brothers. It was a garment befitting royalty and showed the favor and affection Israel had for his son.

God has clothed us as kings and priests unto Him. He alone is worthy of all our praise

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Revelation 5:9-10 KJV

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:6 KJV

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 KJV

Remember Moses also said this about the children of Israel:

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Exodus 33:13-16 KJV

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalms 22:3 KJV

The wings of the cherubim embraced the glory of God, on the mercy seat which covered the ark of the covenant! May our praises likewise embrace Him in our midst as we worship Him!

There must be more than this

O breath of God, come breath within

There must be more than this

Spirit of God we wait for You

Fill us anew we pray

Chorus:

Consuming fire Fan into flame

A passion for Your name

Spirit of God Fall in this place

Lord have Your way

With us

Come like a rushing wind

Clothe us with power from on high

Now set the captives free

Leave us abandoned to Your praise

Lord let Your glory fall

You deserve the glory

And the honor

Lord, we lift our hands in worship

As we lift your Holy name

Chorus:

For You are great

You do miracles so great

There is no one else like You

Worship means to prostrate oneself, to lie low before God.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24 KJV

To worship God in spirit and in truth means to move beyond the outward demonstration and display, to an inner attitude and disposition. And here's a powerful message. The inner attitude will reflect, nay, it will radiate in an outward response and disposition!

Many think worship is merely stringing a few songs together, sometimes at random, and then singing them one after the other. The truly amazing thing is that many of us who have been in church for years think we have the process of worship , yet new saints enter into God's presence and worship God more that they do!

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:4-5 KJV

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9 KJV

Light of the world

You stepped down into darkness

Opened my eyes, Let me see

Beauty that made this heart adore you

Hope of a life spent with you

Here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that your my God

You're altogether lovely

Altogether worthy

Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days

So highly exalted

Glorious in heaven above

Humbly you came to the earth you created

All for loves sake became poor

Here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that your my God

You're altogether lovely

Altogether worthy

Altogether wonderful to me

Behold, bless ye the LORD,

all ye servants of the LORD,

which by night stand in the house of the LORD.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.

The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. Psalms 134:1-3 KJV

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

I will sing to Him a new song.

I will celebrate

Sing unto the Lord

I will sing to Him a new song

I will celebrate

Sing unto the Lord

I will sing to Him a new song

I will praise Him

I will sing to Him a new song

I will praise Him

I will sing to Him a new song

Meditating and studying the Scriptures is like peeling an onion. So is worshiping God! You can keep on looking at the onion in its skin and it won't mean anything. When you take off the skin and peel a layer something happens. You begin tearing up. As you peel more layers more tears flow. Each succeeding layer takes you deeper to the core and the heart. As the Spirit opens layers of the Scripture before you there is always something more. The more you stick at it the closer you get to the heart of God. The more it affects you. How's your peeling going?

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:18-23 KJV

When Moses asked God to show him His Glory, what did God say? What did God seem to equate with His Glory?

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. Exodus 34:5-8 KJV

Glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name,

Glorify Thy name in all the earth.

Father we love You

We worship and adore You