For Those Who Want It...
There's a certain place in worship that can be reached where you literally care less about where you are and what's happening around you and get absolutely lost in the presence of God.
It is still possible to be aware of your earthly surroundings at that point, but concurrently ... you are mentally & spiritually just in another zone...
It's the place where your brain responds to the stares (you feel like) you're getting with questions like: "Who cares if they're watching? So what if they talk bad about me? They don't know how incredible God is!!! They don't know my story!!! God deserves it all!!! I can't hold back because of them!!! He's just TOO good!!!"
It's a place of SUCH abandonment in worship that your heart, voice and total body literally go into full blown freedom with no reserves at all to mankind.
King David found this place... (read story here), I've finally found my way to this place... and I feel the compassion of the Holy Spirit drawing me to help you come, too.
It wasn't always this way for me! There was a time when I was so spiritually weighted by the strains of life (You know, bills & boys & insecurities due to comparison, etc...) that I could barely sing a worship song, let alone dance around.
I didn't think God was that good to be honest... but out from that place, came this blog...
"I Vow To Praise You" … (read it when you have an extra sec.)
Overflowing from that place... came this one.
I used to often sit and watch videos of Bethel Church worship services on YouTube. YouTube will play for literally hours of spontaneous worship and there was one individual that I couldn't help, but always notice from Bethel Live videos.
Her name is Steffany Frizzel-Gretzinger...
I don't know Steff, never met her in my life, but it's like my Spirit would instantly connect the minute I saw her in worship. I was literally ALWAYS drawn to the screen and completely in awe of the way she completely let go of herself and didn't mind looking crazy because of her freedom in worship!! She jumps, she randomly screams, she runs around, she stops singing just to cry… like i can’t explain it, but her passion for God is endless and it would draw me… every time… and still does to this day.
I remember watching this specific video, "Give Me Jesus" and seeing her tears at the end of the song and just wondering how come I "couldn't" get to that place....
I wrote in my journal this letter to God that day just simply asking "how come I don't feel this way...? What's wrong with me...?"
I mean, Steff just looked so entirely gone... like almost out of her body... So passionate about the words that she was singing and just so undone in general... her worship was so beyond what I felt, but I wanted it.
So all I could do is pray ... pray and cry... because I desperately wanted myself to get to that place…… God, where am I? Where are You? What have I been doing?
The truth is that every one CAN definitely get to that place... and it doesn't take long. It only takes a change in you.
First... It requires a change in perspective... we must truly believe in God's goodness ... regardless of what you see. We have to BELIEVE that God is good, that His plans are good and that He's FOR us and not against us!
God is not out to get you... so much of what we go through as humans is the result of man's freewill decisions. When people make the wrong decisions, it often affects more people than just themselves... it trickles down to family, friends and even random people around them...
Don't know what I mean? For example: One person decides to go on a killing spree in the middle of an airport or school or release a bomb into a crowd of thousands of people or fly an airplane into a building causing thousands to die...
God didn't plan that !!!!! The enemy had influence in the lives of the individuals who made those decisions! And yes, sure the all powerful God can stop things! BUT He doesn't always stop it because it's man's freewill, BUT He CAN cause man’s mistakes to be used for GOOD and He be glorified!
The scripture says "and we know that ALL things work together for the GOOD of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
That's YOU, my friend. It's working for your good and in the BEST way for Him to still get the glory!!
He's intentional! (Aye! Turn Up!)
Some of you may even argue that it wasn't man's influence that caused you pain... maybe a natural disaster or some sort of earthly tragedy...
But while I can't justify God's decisions ... (because His ways & thoughts are higher than ours...) I CAN justify His sovereignty. He's the Creator and that's more than enough reason. Plus, He has perfect plans for us.
He makes no mistakes... He loves His children. Bottom line.
So BELIEVE THAT!! That's step one.
Secondly, get into His word. Learn who God is and how He loves you and build an intimate relationship with Him.
After that, worship God. Worship from that place. Cry out to Him for forgiveness of not feeling like you were able to trust Him with your heart and your life and then give Him ALLLLLLLLLL… like, I mean ALL. Literally withhold NOTHING!!! Surrender your entire being before Him. He's waiting on you…
Once you've found that place... you will instantly dive into a deeper love for Christ by way of a deeper revelation of Him and His love for you. Practice seeing the Lord in every situation instead of only the good ones…
Then my last suggestion, friend, is to get around people who are CRAZY passionate about the heart of GOD !!! Like, not the people who just want Him to provide houses and cars and thank Him on Easter and Christmas, but get around the people who are DYING to KNOW Him. Like, literally… dying to themselves DAILY and are committed enough to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to see the will of God happen in their lives and in the earth. THOSE are the people that will lower you down through the roof to get you to Jesus… just like it happened in the Bible.
Then for real, my real last thing… there is a river flowing in the Spirit realm… No one, but God knows where it’s going… but it’s a safe river. The hand of God is so safe. The will of God is safe. Yet, it requires us having absolutely NO control and no say. That’s the clincher. No oars allowed... No matter how fast or slow it goes, no matter what height or depths it takes your life through… we are to just JUMP in and flow!! Trust God and flow… abandon fear, doubt, anger, shame, guilt, unforgiveness, all of it and just flow. Jesus is in the river and He defeated all of that!
The natural tendencies of the flesh is to say “no way”… but ask yourself this… if jumping in this river meant new life, high faith, deep passion and FULLNESS of joy, etc… would you jump…?
…For Those Who Want It.