by Elizabeth Burgard Fulgaro (c) 2011 www.holyspiritpress.org www.eaglesnestfoundation.org
Sunday is a divine pause to worship our King and reflect upon His majesty. Our worship is our gift to Him for we turn focus from us and onto God. And yet we are the ones blessed in the process for as we worship He writes His Truth upon our hearts, which fills us with His peace, hope and joy and causes us to be able to stand strong in all circumstances because we have learned who He is. The Israelites used to sing Psalms as they ascended the mountain to go and worship God as He instructed. We still ascend when we worship, but now spiritually by the power of His Spirit entering His throne room every time we choose to worship and praise Him. As a result, He fills us with His presence and power, thereby strengthening us for the battles which invariably come. It is God who is our strength; He is our shield. We only need to worship, seek to hear His voice and obey, then watch how He will use all things for eventual good. What a mighty God we serve! ~ Elizabeth
EXODUS 15:2,6-7,9-11,13,18 (NIV)
2The Lord is my Strength and my Song, and He has become my Salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3The Lord is a Man of War; the Lord is His name.
… 6Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow those rising against You. You send forth Your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
… 9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
10You [Lord] blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; [clad in mail] they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
… 13You in Your mercy and loving-kindness have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation.
…18The Lord will reign forever and ever.
WORSHIP SONG
ASCEND IN WORSHIP ~song & lyrics by Elizabeth Burgard Fulgaro (c) 2006
1) I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies
I will not be afraid
You are greater than he who comes against me
Mighty Warrior King.
2) I enter Your gates with thanksgiving,
Your courtyards with my praise
You are mercy, love and forgiveness.
I adore You all my days.
Chorus
I ascend in worship, ascend in worship, ascend in worship, descend in battle
Ascend in worship, ascend in worship, ascend
For Your glory, Victor and King
3) I boldly enter Your throne room; rejoice with the angels in You
My Refuge, Fortress, High Tower
I put my trust in You.
(Chorus)
“Ascend in Worship” is available on the ASCEND IN WORSHIP CD on itunes, at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ElizabethFulgaro and at www.holyspiritpress.org/store
WORSHIP PRAYER ~ when we address God, focusing on Him and adoring Him, our prayers and proclamations become declarations of worship which honor our King. According to His promises, He responds to our authentic worship with release of His sovereign power into our circumstances in the way He deems best.
Lord, You are the answer. In You we find the Truth of our existence, our purpose, and our eternal Dwelling Place in Your Love. Lord, God as we come and bow before You usher us deeper into Your heart. Show us Your Way, teach us to walk in Your paths. There is no other life we want than life in You and for You. The enemy has no power when we bow and worship You for You are eternal Victor and there is no other. Life no longer ends in death, but bridges into an eternity beyond anything we can imagine.
We delight that even in our battles here, You are with us. Heaven and earth collide in the spiritual realm, woven together in inextricable ways and this is our blessing for at every moment on every day, no matter what our circumstances, there are You with us. Where evil and ugliness confront us, You help us through, never leaving our side and redeem the suffering by using it all for good in light of eternity.
To You belong all things, in You all things live, move and have their being. You give us the work of our hands for it is You who has the perfect plan for each of us and the power to bring it to fruition. And so, we have no need of worry because You are. We can listen, follow and at all times rest in You.
We rely on Your Spirit. We are so thankful for the gift of Your Spirit – guiding, comforting, speaking, healing, flowing through us (who are sinners and so imperfect) to bring Your love perfectly to the world.
And so today we choose to remain at rest in You. We choose to rejoice and receive the gift of Your peace deeper. We lift our arms to You for we need not work today. We lift our eyes to You, for You are the only focus we need. We bow to You, for You alone are Lord, Savior and God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
END
Note to ASCENDING IN WORSHIP on Sundays: I have always loved music and worship music, but have not always understood worship. For many years it was just a word used to describe church service or a type of music. But that changed radically in Feb. 2004 when friends prayed over me to start hearing (thus composing) new songs from heaven. (Since their prayers I have composed over 350 worship songs and recorded more than 60.) Then in Feb. 2005 the Lord gave me a vision which implied worship changes things. I needed to understand what the vision meant. I needed to understand His way. After months spent in Scripture studying everything I could find about worship, it became clear that indeed God promises to respond to our worship with a release of His power, which changes things. Thus worship is not a song, service, drum beat or lifting of hands (though all of these things with a worshipful mindset can be worship). Worship is an attitude of heart which adores God in the majesty and sovereignty of who He is in our lives at all times. Worship is the ultimate expression of our trust in Him, because we choose to spend precious time contemplating the awesome wonder of all He is, without the need to ask Him for anything. It expresses to God we can abandon ourselves to worship Him because we trust He already has everything else handled – that which we can see and which we can’t.
Worship is not a Sunday activity, but a lifestyle. However, Sunday is the traditional day within most Christian circles to take a pause from our work which helps refresh us and honors God as our ultimate provider and protector from whom all good things come. Worship honors Him and strengthens us in Him.
On Sundays, to facilitate this “pause” before God, NUGGETS OF GOD’S WISDOM features Scripture and song lyrics to assist in laying down everything that burdens us and constrains the mind, to enter into blissful, restorative worship of the only One who can which writes His promises on our hearts.
To God be the glory forever and ever!
~ Elizabeth
PLEASE watch the new music video to “RESTORE” (with choir) on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piQYnPY1vIA&feature=related SHARE the link! Let’s worship together as we pray, seek His will, stand and re-take ground for Christ in our communities and beyond (for His glory)!
Elizabeth Fulgaro is a wife, mother, writer, inspirational speaker, worship leader, composer, singer & recording artist. She is also a Certified Financial Planner and Accredited Financial Counselor with a heart for helping Christians understand and steward their finances God’s way.
For books, worship cds, Bible studies and teachings written by Elizabeth Fulgaro or to schedule her to come speak to your group please visit www.holyspiritpress.org Worship music audio clips can be found at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ElizabethFulgaro For information on her work for the military and their families please visit www.eaglesnestfoundation.org Eagles Nest Foundation is a 501(c)3 corporation. Contributions are tax-deductible.
