Praise for Freedom

[cbwing0]

This is a testimony to the power of God in my life as it has worked recently.

First, I should mention that (until today) I had not worshipped God except in spirit for nine years. For some reason, I just stopped one day when I was 10. I had various excuses for it over the years, but I never sang in church or did anything to worship God in a public manner.

Of course I hid behind other works, such as knowldege of God's word, striving for good character, etc.; but the fact of the matter was that worship was seriously lacking from my life. All of these are good, but they do not replace real, God-centered worship.

Of course I was convicted every time I read a scripture about people praising God with their lips, or during the the musical segments of church services. This was rooted in self-centeredness, putting my own desires (if indeed it was entirely from within myself) before the clear commands of God.

Then last wednesday, I was in a bible study on the topic of worship. Normally I have a lot to contribute to the discussion, but that night I had nothing to say. At the end of the study, the campus minister asked us how we could improve our worship, and all I could say was that worship was a weak point in my Christian walk, and that I needed to improve in it.

The campus minister emailed me and asked to meet on friday. I explained my situation, and we both agreed that it was a problem. Yesterday was a night of prayer at our church, so after the main service, he took me to a room to pray.

And today during church, I worshipped God for the first time in 9 years. Praise God!

Perhaps some of you have had similar experiences, or are dealing with the same problems. If so, I would encourage you to confess to an elder in your church, and ask him/her to pray for transformation in your life.

I will leave you with a passage from the Psalms, which no brings me joy rather than conviction: "May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous" (Psalm 119:171-2).

[wiggins]

I'm glad for you cbwing0! God is good!

[Little T-chan]

That's wonderfully fantastical!!! Praising God is really a good thing, so good for you cbwing0!!! ^_^

[PotBelliedCow]

Congrats, cbwing0! Be sure to keep it up, good friend. God makes sure everything comes out right in the end.

[true_noir_chloe]

Praise God, cbwing! I'm enjoying reading these testimonies today and seeing how God mightily works in our lives. I'm glad you know what worship feels like now, and may it just overflow from you, even in the quiet times, when you sit alone and your heart bursts forth with worship while you are overwhelmed by His presence and love for you. ^_^