Encouragement
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God in Zion.” (NKJV)
This psalm may have been written when David was in exile, far away from his home and longing to be in the tabernacle worshiping the Lord. As he thought about how he used to make the pilgrimage to worship, he relived the joy of being in the presence of the Lord. He knew what it felt like to be strengthened in the sweetness of the Presence.
Dear friend, Abba has called us to walk in His strength and power. He has called us to a path of progress and increase. He has a greater anointing and greater authority in store for you as he had for David, who conquered kingdoms and overthrew kings. Last week we saw how David received his anointing in the place of praise. Today, we can draw further keys for victory from these verses of Psalm 84.
• Set your heart on pilgrimage (worship). Pilgrimage was important to the Jewish people. They knew their lives were blessed when they travelled to the place of worship and brought their offerings before the Lord as He had called them to do. God wants us to be purposeful about worship. In John chapter 4, Jesus told the Samaritan lady that the Father was seeking sincere worshipers. He said to her (verse 23) “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him”. Friend, now is that time and hour! We cannot get by on an old routine of microwaved offerings. Jesus tore the veil and brought us by His blood into the inner sanctum. He opened our eyes and gave us a deeper revelation of His love. He has blessed us with His Spirit, who enables us to worship and draw ever deeper into His Holy Presence. Abba now seeks true worshipers, who will purpose to set aside a time and place to come into His presence simply because they love Him and seek after Him, and long for more of Him. He wants His kids to encounter His presence and hear His heart beat, to meet with all the awesome reality of Him and to be transformed in His presence to reflect His face. If you are seeking strength in the physical and spiritual realm, spend time worshiping the awesome El Shaddai. Seek encounters with Him. In His presence there is fullness of joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength! Things happen in a moment in the invisible spiritual realm during worship, which may otherwise take a very long time, because worship releases the heavenly realm and takes us beyond the boundaries of this finite life. Allow the Holy Spirit to woo you into worship today, and to help you to set your heart on pilgrimage!
• Make every valley a place of springs and pools. There have been many interpretations to these verses, but I share what the Holy Spirit has given me. Life has many ‘valley’ experiences, where we may feel that we are plodding on through difficulties and not seeing the light of day. These times are hard, and often lonely, and valleys can be painful places. However, your breakthrough is in your hands, dear friend; your miracle is in your mouth! Abba has given us the power to transform our valleys into a place of springs. He has given us the enabling to choose our response to life’s situations. We can change the atmosphere of the valley and make it a place of springs by raising up praise to the Lord, and lifting up His name. By inviting and yielding to the rain (and reign) of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can bring forth pools – places of refreshing, not only for ourselves but also for other pilgrims who are dry, discouraged and losing their vision. Decide today to stand up and initiate a transformation. You are not powerless and subject to your circumstances. Father God has given us the power to overcome through worship. Your consistent, sincere worship will bring down the rain and change the desert place, so start today!
• Know that you are on an upward path. You may not always see this, but God has called you to walk from strength to strength and from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). You are appointed and anointed and called to be an ambassador of heaven and a carrier of His presence. Until you and I appear before the Lord one day and stand before His throne there is much to do and higher levels to climb to. Each new day is packed with the powerful potential of divine destiny which is accessible to us all when we receive and unpack it in faith. We have been called to a path of increase and progress. Daddy called us to be the head and not the tail, a victor and not a loser, a prophet, a priest and a prince! He says to you and me today “Come up here”, as He beckons us upwards and onwards on this heaven bound path. He has heavenly encounters and revelations which we may not have considered or even dreamed about! You are heading for higher ground as you seek the Lord through worship.
Dear friend, you may have been experiencing a time of dryness and may have felt like you were wearily plodding through a dark valley. I pray today that the Holy Spirit will move upon you as you read these words, and that you will experience the sweetness of His rain refreshing and reviving you. Receive the healing power of the Lord upon your body, spirit and soul in the mighty name of Jesus, and may every arid place become a pool of living water, fruitful and productive, and filled with joy and peace. You are the very precious child of the King, and He desires to take you from strength to strength, and from glory to levels of glory in every aspect of your life and work. Be a place of springs, be a pool of living water!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 28 January 2013
www.risingonwings.org
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 749 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Minoli Haththotuwa or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 749 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.