Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

What does doing the works of God mean to you?  If you are a Christian, it can mean any number of things. I have walked with the Lord long enough to realize a few things about doing His works.   I fully believe that the Lord's works are done first and foremost in our hearts.  Out of this connection, or as Oswald Chambers puts it, "comradeship," His works flow outward.   What I mean is, it is much easier to put the proverbial cart before the horse, the cart being outer good works.  The true work, what Jesus is after, lies within our hearts.  When the Lord takes up residence in our hearts, via the Person of the Holy Spirit, He comes to rule and reign there.  When we allow Him to rule in our hearts, that is how His works are accomplished through us. Now this is actually the harder work, because it is not tangible or quantifiable.  And Lord knows, we are a results-driven society! But remember, the Lord is after our hearts.  Always.  This is Scriptural (see I Samuel 16:7).  The

This is a favorite verse among many Christians.  I think it is because there is so much hope and power in it.  We can't ask of God too much because He is limitless in His power and abilities. But it's easy to stop short and only dwell on the "exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond all that we can ask or think" and leave out the rest of the verse which says, "according to His power that is at work within us." His power, not ours.   So the key becomes are we letting His power work in and through us?  Fully?  What are some things that "clog up" the works? 1. Self-sufficiency 2. Pride 3. Wanting control 4. Continuing in sin  5. Holding grudges 6. Gossip 7. Strife 8. Laziness And the list goes on, which is basically a list of walking in the flesh, not the Spirit. Oh everyone wants His power, but few are willing to lower themselves, humbles themselves, and admit their frailty and weakness in order to access His power! We want the Lord to exceedingly an

I am learning that everything that threatens to derail us, get us out of the Spirit and walking in the flesh, we can use it instead of lose it! We don't have to lose our cool, our composure, or our self-control. I know how fierece some battles can be, friends.  But the Lord of our souls has promised to always lead us in triumph!  Always!!  This is an astouding promise from our God! When I see troubles and problems and upsets from a fleshly perspective, I lose.  Every time. I am asking the Lord for His perspective on everything.  And though evil still comes at me and tries to get to me, I want to truly watch the Lord Romans 8:28 (used as a verb) every single attack that is aimed at me.  In the moment.   If I use the "heat of the battle" as an opportunity to let Christ lead me in triumph, then the enemy will back off!  Why?  Because his schemes are not working.  Oh, he will keep trying, devil that he is.  But we can keep winning, too!   Please remember this:  the enemy is a