This week we will be singing songs that help us to recognize our need for God and our need to celebrate what He has done for us! Here is the set list for Sunday 3/14/21 at Eagleville Bible Church:
Stand in Your Love
Key Scriptures:
- 1 John 4:18,
- Ps 62:2 (NIV),
- Rom 8:11,
- Isa 28:16
Fear seems to be running rampant in our culture today, and I love songs that point us back to the truths of God’s word in order to free us from the grip of fear in our lives. Shame, fear, and anxiety can all work together to keep us in a state of spiritual paralysis and that is not at all what God has in store for us. Jesus says in John 10:10 that He came to give us life more abundantly, or to the fullest, and when we are kept in a state of paralysis because of the chains of these strong emotions on our lives we will not be able to enter into that full life Christ came to purchase for us.
Love is the key to freedom! To be specific, Christ’s love is what will free us from fear. 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear, and the one who has been perfected in love no longer fears. So, if you are caught in the trap of fear, shame, anxiety, unforgiveness, and a list of other debilitating emotions, it is going to be my strong recommendation to go back to the Word of God and read every passage that talks about the love of God upon you (see 1 Jn 3:1-2, 1 John 4:7-10, John 3:16, Rom 8:38-39, Eph 3:14-19, Zeph 3:17, and so many more!). He loves you, and His love is designed to free us from any and all chains that are holding us back from experiencing the great life that Jesus purchased fro us on that Cross.
When Christ was raised from the dead, His life is now our life! Gal 2:20 says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”, and if that is the truth then we should truly be experiencing awesome freedom in our lives. There is power in the Name of Jesus, power that can save us, resurrect us, and free us from anything that is holding us back in our walk of faith!
Take me to the top of the page
Oh How I Need You
Key Scriptures
- Jer 29:12-14(a),
- 1 John 4:7,
- Ps 88:13,
- Ps 73:28,
- Ps 9:10,
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:12-14 tells us that when we seek God with all of our heart we will find Him. What does it mean to seek the Lord? I think praying, fasting, reading the Word, going to Church, worshiping Him in song, etc., are all part of the believer’s acts of seeking God. If this is true, then I think it is important for all of us to ask the question, “How am I doing in these areas?”.
I think it is so easy to get caught up in the rat race of life and all of a sudden realize that we have become distant from God and find ourselves in a position of longing for the One our souls love. Hebrews 2 talks about our tendency to drift, but the important thing is for us to recognize when we have drifted from God and then to come back to Him by seeking Him again with all of our heart and soul! He will reveal Himself to us when we do this, and I think that all of us would love for God to reveal himself to us!
The Psalmist said that in the morning he will seek the Lord, and I believe that is communicating the priority of seeking God first before anything else! Prioritizing God is key to experiencing His presence in our lives, and I agree with the Psalmist in Ps 73:28 that says, “But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.”.
So, all it will take for many of us is just a few subtle changes in our schedule in order for us to experience the light of Christ and direction of the Spirit in our lives, so that when we cry out to God, “Oh How I Need You”, we will recognize His voice and leading more readily and follow Him wherever He leads us! The reality is that we do need God in every area of our lives, each day, so let’s get to crying out to Him and seeking his presence in our lives right now!
Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.
Psalm 9:10 (NET)
Take me to the top of the page
Graves into Gardens
Key Scriptures
- Eccl 1:14,
- Ps 63:5,
- Matt 5:6,
- Isa 61:3
- Ps 30:11,
- Ps 106:9,
- Eze 37:1-10
- John 15:15
This is a new song to us here at Eagleville Bible Church. I haven’t introduced it yet because I didn’t really understand exactly what we are singing about when we declare these words. I finally understand the whole of the song, and I can’t speak highly enough of the message we are singing!
Nothing is better than God and His ways in our lives. We sing this line repeatedly in this song, and I agree whole-heartedly that there really is nothing better in our lives than God Himself! When we have God actively working in our lives, then we will see miraculous changes in our lives, sin destroyed, and relationships restored! When God is at work in our lives, then who is able to stop Him? Nothing, and No-one!
The same God that was with Moses when he was faced with the Egyptian army coming after him and the children of Israel and God opened up the Red Sea for them to cross over on dry ground, or the same God that told Ezekiel to breath on the valley of dry bones and they came to life and formed an army, or the same God that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead – this God is alive and working in all of us who believe!
When we come to Jesus in faith, we die to ourselves and allow Him to work in us, producing a great garden of restoration in the life that has been put to death for the glory of God! You see, every one of us who is putting certain areas of our lives to death that do not align with the Gospel will see new life spring up each time we do that! It is the idea of pruning bushes in order to promote a better and healthier plant in the end. That is what God is doing for us!
Whether you are experiencing a mountain top view right now, or are traveling the deepest of valleys, you can rest assured that God is with you and that He is going to turn those nights of mourning into dancing, those acts of shame into glory unto His name, those ashes that we keep on ourselves into crowns! God desires to be your source and strength, so please just call upon Him and allow him to do the impossible in your life!
to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3 (NET)
Take me to the top of the page
Whatever May Come
Key Scriptures:
- Ps 55:16,
- Ps 20:5,
- Heb 11:1,
- Matt 6:33-34,
- Isa 51:3,
- Jer 33:11,
This song has been such a help to me over the past month or two! I have experienced a couple of very challenging situations recently and this song has been there to help remind me to call on the Lord and to rely upon Him to draw near to me during those hard times.
We are called to be people of faith that believe in the unseen God to hear us and answer our prayers when we call upon Him in our times of need. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and being convinced of what we do not see. So, when we have circumstances in our lives that are painful, scary, or anything else, we need to rest in the fact that we have a God that is near to us and with us in all things! All it takes is for us to fall on our knees and to call upon the Name that is higher than any other name – Jesus Christ, to deliver us from whatever may come!
The Scriptures are great to remind us that no matter what we are currently struggling with, God is going to redeem those situations for our good and His glory. So, please trust Him as he works all things out for the good for those who love him and are called according to His purposes (see Rom 8:28).
Once again there will be sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” For I, the Lord, affirm that I will restore the land to what it was in days of old.’
Jeremiah 33:11 (NET)
Take me to the top of the page
Endless Light
Key Scriptures:
- Ps 113:3,
- Rom 5:8,
- Eph 3:19,
- 1 John 4:9,
- John 15:13,
- Ps 148:13,
- Ps 66:4,
The hope of every heart, let Your name be lifted higher as we live for Your Glory! I just love this song and its declaration of God to be glorified through lives that are surrendered to Him.
We are surrendered to Him because it was Christ that laid Himself down for us! It says in Galatians 2:20 that we have been crucified with Christ, it is not us who live but Christ who lives in us. The life we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us.”. Everything we do now is in response to the love of God, shown in Christ, for us, and our hope is that as we live our lives He will receive the glory that only he deserves!
God made our hearts whole! There is a line in the 2nd verse that says, “From a wounded heart to a life made whole”, and I know that this is why I worship my Savior, because I know that He made my life whole in Jesus! I also know that if all of us who have been made whole would collectively declare this testimony the whole world would join together in lifting up praises to the only exalted God! (By the way, we sing God be exalted a lot in this song, and I want you to know what exalted means. It mean to lift up, to set on high, to raise, to promote).
Take me to the top of the page
Summary Statement
As we look to God to be near to us and to answer our calls to Him for help in life’s various trials and joys, we need to remain steady in the love of God and declaring to others around us of how He is turning the nastiness of our lives into opportunities for His praise! God is always deserving of our dedication and worship!
God bless you!
