Psalm 96

  

I put this video with my post because I absolutely love it! It shows the struggle internally with thoughts of "what will people think? what will people say?" and you can tell that God wins the battle in this mans heart! He can't help but sing out how much he loves his King!!

Psalm 96 - Praising the Lord!!

Today in class, my teacher asked us the question, "If I were to ask your friends if your praising God in all your actions, if I were to ask them if they can tell that you are joyful and different and that your life is constantly singing of Gods glory, what would they say?" I think that this is such an amazing question. As Christians, we need to be showing the love and kindness of God in every day life all the time. As people, we are all relentlessly pursing something. But is it God? Are you pursuing Him in everything you do? I can openly say that I fall short of this all the time! We need to consume ourselves in our relationships with God!! You may be wondering... How do I relentlessly pursue God? An AMAZING example of someone who did this is Paul!! 2 Corinthians 11:25-29 says, "25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?" Paul went through intense suffering and persecution, but he REFUSED to stop relentlessly pursuing his God! I don't know if your like me, but I am afraid of dieing! I can't wait to go to heaven, but I am constantly worried about leaving the earth when there is so much more I want to do! I know its so silly, I shouldn't focus on the world but on going to see my Daddy in Heaven! So Philippians 1:21 Paul says "For to me, to live is Christ. To die is gain" WOW! Paul is LOOKING forward to death!! He says the only reason for him to live is Christ! I don't know about you, but this is definitely the life I want to live! In Psalm 27:4 David shares that his priority is to seek to dwell in the Lord's presence ALL the days of his life. daily pursuit of God is key. We need to get to know Him! To pursue Him and to build a relationship! To praise Him at all times through are actions, words, and thoughts! We need to know God like we know celebrities! Some ways we can get to know Him are seeking wise council, spending time in His word, worshiping Him, being obedient, etc. I want to fall in love with my God more and more everyday, and the only way I can do that is by spending time with Him! I think one of the major issues with pursuing God relentlessly is when we get a road block. By road block I mean that whenever we have a "dryspell" with God, whenever our precious boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with us, whenever we are persecuted for our faith, etc. When we get knocked down. WE JUST LAY THERE! We feel sorry for ourselves, we mope around, we ask God, "why did you do this too me?" instead of getting back up again! Some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs says, " We lose our way, We get back up again It's never too late to get back up again, One day you gonna shine again, You may be knocked down,  But not out forever,  Lose our way, We get back up again,  So get up, get up, Your gonna shine again, Never too late to get back up again, You may be knocked down, But not out forever."We are not going to grow closer to God unless we get back up again and trust Him! You will get knocked down, I don't have a doubt in my mind that whoever is reading this WILL get knocked down. But we need to have a relentless mindset. Jesus was relentlessly focused on his goal when he came to earth. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that we get more passionate about getting a love letter, or a present, or a TV show, then we get for the KING OF KINGS who loves us more than we can imagine. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't get excited about a love letter or a present. But did you ever think about getting ecstatic about the the ULTIMATE love letter that is God-breathed. Or getting thrilled about the ULTIMATE present of God's amazing grace? A song by Charlie Hall has one verse that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, it says, " Now a child of my King, leaving old I am made new. cause you first chased after me, now Im chasing after you."My challenge I give myself everyday is to CHASE after my God. Now I challenge you. Will you praise God in every day? Will you pursue him every day? Or will you be like every other teenager? Will you be relentless?

Psalm 96:4 "Because the Lord is great: he should be praised at all times."

"I have found my love, and my heart is dancing"