Tag: Aggressive Church

Christian Music Appreciation: How Great is Our God

Christian Music Appreciation: How Great is Our God

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on How Great is Our God, a very well-known worship song written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reeves. The song was part of the DVD release of the live praise-and-worship Hillsong Worship album titled Mighty to Save.

If you want to discover and learn more about Hillsong Worship, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram) and here (YouTube). To learn more about Chris Tomlin, click here (Facebook), here (Instagram) and here (official website).

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of How Great is Our God, posted below for your reference are the lyrics composed by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reeves.

Lyrics:

The splendor of a king

Clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice

All the earth rejoice

–

He wraps Himself in light,

And darkness tries to hide

And trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

–

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see

How great, how great is our God

–

Age to age He stands

And time is in His hands

Beginning and the end

Beginning and the end

–

The Godhead Three in One

Father, Spirit and Son

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

–

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see

How great, how great is our God

–

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

How great is our God

–

Name above all names

You are worthy of all praise

And my heart will sing

How great is our God

–

[3x]

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see

How great, how great is our God

–

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the first section of the lyrics above: The splendor of a king, Clothed in majesty, Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice.

The above lines emphasize the greatness of God in Heaven. In His Kingdom, the Lord is the ultimate which is undeniably true and as His faithful children, we do our part honoring Him, praising Him, serving Him, rejoicing with Him and keep on having an eternal personal relationship with Him. God’s greatness also rewards us as we keep on having unwavering faith in Him. Do not forget that submitting to His Son Jesus is the only way to the Heavenly Father. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…

To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all.

1 Chronicles 29:11 (MSG)

And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,”

Nehemiah 1:5 (NKJV)

For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

1 Samuel 12:22 (ESV)

Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.”

John 14:6 (TPT)

Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All authority of the universe has been given to me. Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (TPT)

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!

Philippians 4:4 (MSG)

Next, take a close look at the next batch of lines from the lyrics: He wraps Himself in light, And darkness tries to hide, And trembles at His voice, Trembles at His voice

The above lines explain that the holiness of the Heavenly Father is true and eternal. God is great and His light shines upon His faithful children as well as the other souls who repented and submitted to His Son Lord Jesus to come to Him in the Kingdom of Light. Darkness, sin, destruction, poverty and other elements of the enemy have no place in God’s kingdom nor in the hearts of the children of God. With unwavering and unbreakable faith in the Lord, you can defeat Satan and his minions and stay high with the Lord’s holiness! Pay close attention to the following holy scriptures.

Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty—

[You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain or a tent,

Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,

Psalm 104:1-3 (AMPC)

Everything I am will praise and bless the Lord!

O Lord, my God, your greatness takes my breath away,

overwhelming me by your majesty, beauty, and splendor!

You wrap yourself with a shimmering, glistening light.

You wear sunshine like a garment of glory.

You stretch out the starry skies like a tapestry.

You build your balconies with light beams

and ride as King in a chariot you made from clouds.

You fly upon the wings of the wind.

Psalms 104:1-3 (TPT)

There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 (AMPC)

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

James 2:19 (NKJV)

Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.

[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.

[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:12-15 (AMPC)

Then Jesus said, “I am light to the world, and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.”

John 8:12 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the next batch of lines from the lyrics. Specifically, the following are lines from the chorus of the song: How great is our God, Sing with me, How great is our God, And all will see, How great, how great is our God.

The above lines emphasize again the greatness of God. It teaches us that as His faithful children, we should be ready to always recognize true greatness comes from the Lord and no other forms of greatness will ever come close to His. The greatness of the Lord is a lively reminder that we must dedicated ourselves to Him, spread His Word to others and help the lost and unsaved souls come to Lord Jesus to be with the Heavenly Father and realize His greatness. Read the hole scriptures below…

There is none like you, O Lord;

you are great, and your name is great in might.

Jeremiah 10:6 (ESV)

For God is the triumphant King; all the powers of the earth are his. So sing your celebration songs of highest praise to the glorious Enlightened One!

Psalms 47:7 (TPT)

The Mighty One has worked a mighty miracle for me; holy is his name!

Luke 1:49 (TPT)

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

1 John 3:1 (NKJV)

Death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah!

Romans 5:17 (TPT)

The time came to observe the winter Feast of Renewal in Jerusalem.  Jesus walked into the temple area under Solomon’s covered walkway when the Jewish leaders encircled him and said, “How much longer will you keep us in suspense? Tell us the truth and clarify this for us once and for all. Are you really the Messiah, the Anointed One?”

Jesus answered them, “I have told you the truth already and you did not believe me. The proof of who I am is revealed by all the miracles that I do in the name of my Father. Yet, you stubbornly refuse to follow me, because you are not my sheep. As I’ve told you before: My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me. I give to them the gift of eternal life and they will never be lost and no one has the power to snatch them out of my hands. My Father, who has given them to me as his gift, is the mightiest of all, and no one has the power to snatch them from my Father’s care. The Father and I are one.”

John 10:22-30 (TPT)

For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:5 (AMPC)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

The Lord has done great things for us;

We are joyful.

Psalm 126:3 (NASB)

The above lines emphasize that the Lord is eternal and He does not change Himself. He is always present to guide the faithful and provide for them. He is always there to fight battles that are too great for us to handle. God is always present to emphasize His faithfulness to those who dedicated themselves to Him. He is always present to spend time with each of us – His faithful children – and is always ready to welcome the souls who got born again after repenting to Lord Jesus and accepting Him as their Lord and Savior. Learn from the scriptures below…

The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy!

Deuteronomy 33:27 (AMPC)

For this is God,

Our God forever and ever;

He will be our guide

Even to death.

Psalm 48:14 (NKJV)

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28 (NKJV)

Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (NASB)

“I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father!”

John 14:12 (TPT)

Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All authority of the universe has been given to me. Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics: The Godhead Three in One, Father, Spirit and Son, The Lion and the Lamb, The Lion and the Lamb.

The above lines refers to the Holy Trinity composed of God the Heavenly Father, His Son Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Having the Holy Trinity is essential in our faith in the Lord as well as Christian living. The lion and the lamb mentioned symbolize our Lord.

Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

Matthew 28:19 (AMPC)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 14:16-17 (ESV)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29 (NKJV)

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Revelation 5:11-13 (NKJV)

And I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or to inspect it.

Then one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said to me, Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root (Source) of David, has won (has overcome and conquered)! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals!

Revelation 5:4-5 (AMPC)

The Lord also will roar from Zion,

And utter His voice from Jerusalem;

The heavens and earth will shake;

But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,

And the strength of the children of Israel.

Joel 3:16 (NKJV)

Finally, we take a close look at the following lines of lyrics of the song in two similar looking batches: Name above all names, Worthy of all praise, My heart will sing, How great is our God and Name above all names, You are worthy of all praise, And my heart will sing, How great is our God.

Our Lord’s name is the ultimate of all names. No name can be greater than the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the only begotten son of God sent here on Earth to lead humanity out of darkness. Jesus died on the cross carrying all of humanity’s sins and trespasses with Him, and a few days later He returned from the dead (conquered death), made His presence felt to the faithful and ascended to Heaven with the promise of returning in the future. Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the King of all kings and the One we must follow in order to be with the Heavenly Father in His kingdom. The Lord is worthy of all our praise! Learn from the following scriptures below…

Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord Yahweh,” bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!

Philippians 2:9-11 (TPT)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND

LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:16 (NKJV)

She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 (NASB)

I will exalt You, my God, the King,

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation will praise Your works to another,

And will declare Your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty

And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts,

And I will tell of Your greatness.

Psalm 145:1-6 (NASB)

For through the eternal and living Word of God you have been born again. And this “seed” that he planted within you can never be destroyed but will live and grow inside of you forever. For: Human beings are frail and temporary, like grass, and the glory of man fleeting like blossoms of the field. The grass dries and withers and the flowers fall off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever!

1 Peter 1:23-25 (TPT)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is God’s spiritual child and has been fathered by God himself. And everyone who loves Father God loves his children as well. This is how we can be sure that we love the children of God: by having a passionate love for God and by obedience to his commands. True love for God means obeying his commands, and his commands don’t weigh us down as heavy burdens. You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world. So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:1-5 (TPT)

Very clearly, the worship song How Great is Our God is a very holy song. Indeed, the lyrics composed by the writers are very biblical and it is safe to say that the Lord anointed them as well as their musicians to make this great praise-and-worship song. Musically, it is unsurprisingly beautiful to listen to and easily it is ideal to lead your fellow faithful Christians at church to the Lord with. How Great is Our God will easily fit in with your local church’s Sunday worship service music as well as during special worship events that involve the church’s music team. Ultimately, How Great is Our God will not only remind you of His everlasting greatness but also inspire you to deepen your faith in Him and help lead the lost and unsaved souls to Him through Lord Jesus!

In conclusion, posted below are YouTube videos of How Great is Our God for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, practice Christian habits (click here and here for reference), have private time with God, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Continue to live with God’s Word, seek God through His son Jesus, follow the light of Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. Also please consider making a donation to support my publishing of faith articles, CMAs and feature articles.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: Lord Your Goodness

Christian Music Appreciation: Lord Your Goodness

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on Lord Your Goodness, an original worship song of Hillsong Worship with lyrics written by Reuben Morgan.

If you want to discover and learn more about Hillsong Worship, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram) and here (YouTube). 

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of Lord Your Goodness, posted below for your reference are the lyrics composed by Reuben Morgan.

I will come to You with an open heart

And bring a sacrifice of praise

I have seen Your power in the holy place

And I have known Your mighty ways

–

I will remember Your mercy

And Lord Your faithfulness

–

Lord Your goodness and Your love will follow me

All the days of my life

I’m surrounded with the favour of the Lord

Always and forever

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the first section of the lyrics above: I will come to You with an open heart, And bring a sacrifice of praise, I have seen Your power in the holy place.

The above lines emphasize that we the faithful children must always come to Him with open hearts and that means being completely transparent and honest with Him as there is simply no hiding of darkness nor sin deep within. To be born again in Christ means having His Spirit – the Holy Spirit – in the heart and always prioritizing the Lord with complete honor and obedience towards Him. Remember when you were still living your old sinful life? You not only had a closed heart hardened by sin, you also had a heart that did not have the Holy Spirit which clearly means it was not a heart of worship. For the lost and unsaved souls thinking about coming to God, always open your heart first before coming to His Jesus for repentance and getting born again. If you are an unsaved or lost soul who still has unholy elements in your heart (note: homosexuality, political correctness, wokeness, idolatry, religion, Marxism, socialism, Communism, atheism, agnosticism, transgender obsession, terrorism, fascism and others), you must get rid of them all and you must reject Satan before you come to the Lord for salvation. Be ready to repent to Him. Once you have a fully opened, worship-oriented heart, praise is inevitable for everyone to do to realize the Lord’s power and holiness. Learn from the scriptures below…

But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (TPT)

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV)

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)

What joy overwhelms everyone who keeps the ways of God, those who seek him as their heart’s passion!

Psalms 119:2 (TPT)

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Hebrews 13:15 (AMPC)

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head over all.

Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hands are power and might; in Your hands it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name and those attributes which that name denotes.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13 (AMPC)

Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics: I will remember Your mercy, And Lord Your faithfulness.

The mercy and faithfulness of the Lord are undeniably true and real. While there are still lots of religious people who believe the falsehood that the Lord is always very strict and rarely grants mercy, His mercy is actually great and He is compassionate as well. The Lord is faithful (lasting loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships) and His love for His faithful children is connected with faithfulness, mercy and compassion. Lord Jesus proved it all to be true and real. Learn from the holy scriptures below…

And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:6-7 (NKJV)

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (AMPC)

The Rock, his work is perfect,

    for all his ways are justice.

A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

    just and upright is he.

Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

John 3:16 (AMPC)

By the time Jesus came ashore, a massive crowd was waiting. At the sight of them, his heart was filled with compassion, because they seemed like wandering sheep who had no shepherd. So he taught them many wonderful things.

Mark 6:34 (TPT)

There failed no part of any good thing which the Lord had promised to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Joshua 21:45 (AMPC)

This is why he had to be a man and take hold of our humanity in every way. He made us his brothers and sisters and became our merciful and faithful King-Priest before God; as the One who removed our sins to make us one with him. He suffered and endured every test and temptation, so that he can help us every time we pass through the ordeals of life.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (TPT)

For God’s Word is something to sing about! He is true to his promises, his word can be trusted, and everything he does is reliable and right.

Psalms 33:4 (TPT)

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

Psalm 145:8-9 (AMPC)

Celebrate with praises the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has shown us his extravagant mercy. For his fountain of mercy has given us a new life—we are reborn to experience a living, energetic hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics:Lord Your goodness and Your love will follow me, All the days of my life, I’m surrounded with the favour of the Lord, Always and forever.

As the faithful children of God, we have His favor, His love, His goodness and much more. To be faithful to Him and living by His Word (and spreading it) are our responsibilities as Christians. Our faith in Him must always be unbreakable and unwavering. We reject idols and reject unholiness because we are meant to be with the Lord and follow His ways in accordance to His Word. Never forget our union with Lord Jesus, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. Learn from the holy scriptures below…

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men!

In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Psalm 31:19-20 (AMPC)

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

Ephesians 2:10 (AMPC)

Oh, thank God—he’s so good!

    His love never runs out.

All of you set free by God, tell the world!

    Tell how he freed you from oppression,

Then rounded you up from all over the place,

    from the four winds, from the seven seas.

Psalm 107:1-3 (MSG)

Give thanks to God—he is good

    and his love never quits.

Say, “Save us, Savior God,

    round us up and get us out of these godless places,

So we can give thanks to your holy Name,

    and bask in your life of praise.”

Blessed be God, the God of Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting.

Then everybody said, “Yes! Amen!” and “Praise God!”

1 Chronicles 16:34-36 (MSG)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

God, everyone sees your goodness, for your tender love is blended into everything you do.

Psalms 145:9 (TPT)

Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.”

John 14:6 (TPT)

No one is holy like the Lord,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)

Jesus commented, “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!”

Luke 11:28 (MSG)

It is confirmed and obvious that Lord Your Goodness is a very holy worship song as the Lord anointed Reuben Morgan on writing the lyrics. The same can be said about others at Hillsong Worship who worked behind the scenes on making Lord Your Goodness. The evidence of holiness is spread all over the lyrics and brought to life even more musically.

As it is holy and captures the biblical messages about the goodness of our Lord, I strongly recommend the use of Lord Your Goodness for your local church’s Sunday worship service as well as in praise-and-worship events that involve the church’s music team. Lord Your Goodness is a lively reminder of not only of His goodness, but also of the love, blessings, care, attention and compassion towards each and every faithful child of His with established personal relationships with Him.

In conclusion, posted below is the official Hillsong Worship YouTube video of Lord Your Goodness for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, love on knowing you are loved by Him, practice Christian habits (click here and here for reference), have private time with God and pray in tongues to Him, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Continue to live with God’s Word, seek God through His son Jesus, follow the light of Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. Also please consider making a donation to support my publishing of faith articles and CMAs.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

2023

2023

carlocarrasco

Happy New Year to everyone!

The year twenty twenty-three – 2023 – is finally here. While we do not know for certain what events will happen to us in the next 365 days, we must always be faithful to our Lord and keep on living on and moving forward with His Word (the Holy Bible).

2022 is officially over and looking back to it, there are miracles and positive events that happened which we must thank the Lord for. I am personally thankful to God for His provision, His guiding light and His love for me in 2022. Along the way were blessings from Him such as my attendance of the Planetshakers worship event in September 2022, breakthroughs in my private sector job, further growth through my local church, having attended Sunday worship and the 17th anniversary of CHAN International Ministries in Bulacan province, and the continued global reach of my website and blog at www.CarloCarrasco.com to name some.

There were also big breakthroughs that happened in this very divided world we live in. I am thankful to our Lord that Benjamin Netanyahu return as Prime Minister of Israel as he and his coalition partners won a clear majority of the seats of the Knesset during their national elections months ago. Over in the United States, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade (legalized abortion) and I personally refer to that at the June 24, 2022 miracle in America. I prayed for Netanyahu’s return to power and the fall of Roe v. Wade, and the Lord answered! For those reading this, I encourage you to pray to the Lord in your room with the door shut. Pray in tongues to Him always.

Speaking of my website, I am thankful to our Lord and also happy to share with you what was achieved in 2022. For the full year of 2022, www.CarloCarrasco.com attracted over 160,000 hits (page views) worldwide and the Top 5 nations of users/readers were from my native Philippines at #1 followed by Cambodia (the host of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games), the United States, India and the United Kingdom. In terms of online visitors, over 122,000 worldwide were attracted in 2022. The single biggest month in terms of page views was December 2022 with over 17,000 hits.

With regards to how many hits were counted for my website in terms of lifetime (starting January 4, 2019), more than 800,000 hits worldwide were counted as of December 31, 2022. I am aiming for the milestone 1,000,000 hits mark.

As such, I would like to express my thanks to all the readers and Internet users who visited my website and blog for news, Christian teachings, Christian music appreciation, entertainment, special features and other content. I also want to thank the local government units, the homeowners’ associations, local churches, the local news media outlets and other private entities for sharing content and letting me magnify or publicize them through my website. For this new year, I have some new special feature articles planned for publishing.

To those of you who enjoy my website, be reminded that I am accepting donations online to keep it running and to keep more content coming in to not only entertain you but help you and enlighten you all. Visit https://carlocarrasco.com/donate/ to donate online.

For 2023 and the future, I urge all of you readers to never lose faith in the Lord no matter how good or bad your situation is. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and no matter what happens, we must always rejoice with Him.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)

If you are hurting and you need healing badly, come to Lord Jesus with unwavering faith in Him.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Mark 5:25-34 (NKJV)

Ultimately, Jesus is the way, the life and the truth that we must follow with unwavering faith.

Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.”

John 14:6 (TPT)

Always remember to maintain unwavering faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus to move on with 2023 and beyond. Reject the evil ways of the world, push the idols out of the way, and reject religion, atheism and secularism so that you can clear your path of faith in the Lord and make room for Him in your heart. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

Once again, Happy New Year!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

The Lord blessed the Philippines with Planetshakers

The Lord blessed the Philippines with Planetshakers

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my fellow Christians, music enthusiasts and all those who seek the Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! As I write this, I declare that I, along with many thousands of others, got blessed by the Lord through the Planetshakers Greater Asia Tour worship event I attended on the evening September 10 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

For the bigger picture, Planetshakers returned to the Philippines for the first time since early 2020 (shortly before COVID-19 lockdown happened) and they organized worship events for four consecutive nights from September 8 to 11, 2022. Indeed, the Lord blessed the Philippines with Planetshakers whose music and leading of worship are clearly anointed by Him.

For the newcomers reading this, Planetshakers is a Christian church based in Australia and their worship music team produced a lot of worship songs that became not only popular with Christians around the world but also became part of their worship of the Lord. I reviewed several Planetshakers worship songs on this website and I encourage you to take to read my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) articles of their songs by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

In relation to their Greater Asia Tour, Planetshakers’ newest album is titled GREATER and you can see more about it at https://www.planetshakers.com/music/albums/greater/

If you want to discover and learn more about Planetshakers, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram), here (Twitter) and here (YouTube). To know more about Planetshakers itself, visit https://www.planetshakers.com/

Before attending the Planetshakers Greater Asia Tour worship event of September 10, 2022, I should say that I literally wrestled a bit to secure an Upper Box ticker online at SM Tickets’ website when the tickets where first released on July 21, 2022. On that particular day, I was in a virtual line as there were more than 2,600+ others ahead of me on SM Tickets. That was a great reminder of how popular Planetshakers worship leaders and musicians really are among my fellow Filipinos. I did not see the long line as a problem at all as I kept faith that my turn will come and that a ticket with a good seat will be available.

After more than 30 minutes waiting, I had my turn searching for whatever available tickets I could find and all the tickets for the VIP section were already sold out which is not surprising at all. Thanks to the Lord, I got myself an Upper Box ticket and successfully used my credit card to complete the transaction. Eventually, all four nights of Planetshakers worship events here in the Philippines got sold out! I picked up my ticket at an SM Tickets branch a few weeks later at the near SM shopping mall.

On the evening of September 10, I went inside SM MOA Arena more than 90 minutes ahead of schedule. As I arrived, I noticed Planetshakers merchandise being sold as well as backdrops related to the church for picture-taking. I bought two posters before moving upstairs.

As I made my way going upstairs, I felt the excitement and high energy around me which is not a surprise since the Planetshakers worship event was expected to be amazing as it has been anointed by the Lord.

Planetshakers Greater merchandise sold at the ground floor of the SM MOA Arena.
The Planetshakers backdrop for picture-taking.

Finally, with the help of an usher, I find my assigned seat in the Upper Box section of the SM MOA Arena. While the foot space was little, my seat was comfortable enough and I had a diagonal view of the stage below. Already, I was thankful to our Lord and Savior Jesus for the blessing. This event was my 2nd time in life to see Planetshakers lead worship with music but it was my first time to actually attend a Planetshakers-led event. To be clear, I first saw Planetshakers live on stage during the Jesus Global Youth Day in 2019.

Another spot for Planetshakers event merchandise at one of the upper floors of the SM MOA Arena.

At a little past 8PM, almost all the seats were filled and then Planetshakers’ worship event started very energetically! The music was amazing and the lights on the stage and in other parts of the venue really dazzled! It was more than a raving experience…it was holy as the Holy Spirit in my heart moved within. As the music was played, I really experienced blessing from Him, I reached out to Him, expressed my thanks to Him for the blessings and emphasized the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

While my Upper Box seat was distant from the stage below, the monitors by the stage were clear enough to help me see who was speaking and who was on stage. Planetshakers co-founder and global senior pastor Sam Evans was there and so was Joth Hunt, their dance ministry members and the others.

The view from seat. Tremendous worship led by Planetshakers combined with music, dazzling lights and the strong faith of the attendees in the Lord proved this was an anointed event.

The worship songs played during the event was a mix of past and new (from the newest album GREATER). Each song played drew praise towards the Lord from the many thousands who attended. A lot stood up, raised and waived their hands to the Lord as the music played and the lights dazzled. The praise towards the Lord was undeniably real and powerful with Planetshakers helping lead attendees to Him. This reminds me of what was written in Chapter 150 of the Book of Psalm in the Holy Bible which goes as follows:

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6 (NKJV)

Very clearly, Planetshakers’ worship events are aligned closely with the above holy scripture. What I attended was a lot more than “just a concert”. It was truly worship of the Lord with Planetshakers’ worship music, modern instruments, strong focus and a strong leading of prayers to Him.

Speaking of prayers, I am very thankful to God that I personally witnessed Pastor Sam Evans leading prayers and got blessed that night. Whenever she leads prayers, it is always powerful, truly wholehearted, engaging and compelling! Pastor Sam Evans is truly anointed by the Lord to lead people to Him. The power and holiness of worship led by Pastor Sam Evans is even more tremendous when she is physically present with you. Her prayer was clearly done with all of her heart! This ultimately confirms the Lord’s blessing of the Philippines with Planetshakers and its sold-out worship events! More on the power of praying to the Lord and the truth about Him listening to us, learn from the holy scriptures below…

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).

Jeremiah 33:3 (AMPC)

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Jeremiah 29:12 (ESV)

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NKJV)

You are the Lord who reigns over your never-ending kingdom through all the ages of time and eternity! You are faithful to fulfill every promise you’ve made. You manifest yourself as kindness in all you do.

Weak and feeble ones you will sustain. Those bent over with burdens of shame you will lift up.

You have captured our attention and the eyes of all look to you. You give what they hunger for at just the right time.

When you open your generous hand, it’s full of blessings, satisfying the longings of every living thing.

You are fair and righteous in everything you do, and your love is wrapped into all your works.

You draw near to those who call out to you, listening closely, especially when their hearts are true.

Every godly one receives even more than what they ask for. For you hear what their hearts really long for, and you bring them your saving strength.

God, you watch carefully over all your devoted lovers like a bodyguard, but you will destroy the ungodly.

I will praise you, Lord! Let everyone everywhere join me in praising the beautiful Lord of holiness from now through eternity!

Psalms 145:13-21 (TPT)

During that same event, a prepared video was played recalling Joth Hunt’s bout with cancer a few years ago. Being hit with cancer is always difficult and even heart-breaking. Ultimately, Hunt did not give up as he kept his faith in the Lord. He never gave up on God! He recovered successfully from cancer and remains active with Planetshakers to this day! Hunts’ testimony and recovery are proof that the Lord will never abandon His children and only He can heal and restore you as long as you maintain unwavering faith in Him! Learn from the following scriptures below…

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

Isaiah 41:10 (AMPC)

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;

Save me and I will be saved,

For You are my praise.

Jeremiah 17:14 (NASB)

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:10 (AMPC)

More on the latest album GREATER – which itself is a key theme in the latest Planetshakers tours of worship events – there is biblical significance behind its title. It is a lively reminder about the greatness of our Lord and that we must always be with Him, follow Him and walk with Him in faith. The Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus our Lord and the Holy Spirit are always greater! Learn from the scriptures below…

Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable.

Psalm 145:3 (AMPC)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NASB)

For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.

Deuteronomy 10:17 (NLT)

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head over all.

1 Chronicles 29:11 (AMPC)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Go ahead—sing your new song to the Lord! Let everyone in every language sing him a new song. Don’t stop! Keep on singing! Make his name famous! Tell everyone every day how wonderful he is. Give them the good news of our great Savior. Take the message of his glory and miracles to every nation. Tell them about all the amazing things he has done. For the Lord’s greatness is beyond description, and he deserves all the praise that comes to him. He is our King-God, and it’s right to be in holy awe of him.

Psalms 96:4 (TPT)

Another shot from my seat. See if you can identify who is who on stage.

By the end of the September 10 worship event, I got very blessed by the Lord and I noticed many others around me left for home happy, thankful and positive. There were no signs whatsoever about disappointment and that is not surprising at all because the event was a blessing from the Lord. I felt great and deeply satisfied as I walked to the parking area to get into the car. I was overwhelmed with the Lord’s holiness and was really happy as I drove all the way back home.

Very clearly, Planetshakers and their highly successful worship events are big blessings of the Lord for the Philippines! In 2020, people prayed for His protection as COVID-19 swamped the nation. In 2021, people prayed to Him for social and economic recovery from COVID-19. This year, our faith in Him strengthened further which will lift the Philippines to emerge from the COVID-19 stronger and more confidently. Planetshakers’ events here in the Philippines are clearly part of the Lord’s plans for the Filipino people. As such, I urge you my readers to always pray to the Lord, ask for His plan for you, follow His Word and live with uncompromising faith in Him. Become a blessing to others as you get blessed by Him. Always remember that the personal relationship with the Lord is truly essential.

Always remember that God has plans for you and you only need to decide to let Him into your hear, to walk with Him, follow Him all the way and let His Spirit – the Holy Spirit – in your heart work in guiding you. Never forget that Jesus is our most definitive Lord and Savior and it is only through Him that we can connect with the Heavenly Father. That being said, the Planetshakers event I attended heavily emphasized Lord Jesus’ name as worship went on inside the SM MOA Arena. All our praise and all the glory are for God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Always have unwavering faith in the Lord! Always praise, honor and thank the Lord with all your heart!

At this point, I encourage you all to pray to the Lord wholeheartedly and with enduring faith in Him. For true quality time with Him, be in your room with the door closed and locked, then pray to Him. As the Lord blessed our nation with Planetshakers and their four nights of sold-out worship events, I also encourage you to pray for Planetshakers so that their ministry and network of church will continue to preach God’s Word and help people come to Jesus. Pray for Planetshakers’ co-founders Russell and Sam Evans so that the Lord will bless them as they keep on working tirelessly in serving Him and leading people to Him. Pray for Planetshakers’ pastors, musicians, dance ministry members and all their employees and stakeholders so that the Lord will bless them and support them as they organize more worship services. As Planetshakers keeps on serving the Lord and help lead people to Jesus, the following holy scripture below will resonate with the faithful and those who seek Him. I also encourage you to share the scripture to others…

Those who give thanks that Jesus is the Son of God live in God, and God lives in them.

1 John 4:15 (TPT)

In ending this article, I posted below the official music videos of worship songs related to Planetshakers’ latest album. May these enlighten you, delight you and motivate you to come to God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit without hesitation. Seek Lord Jesus first, follow His light and always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Live by Jesus’ eternal victory! Peace and amen to you all!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others as well as making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: I Will Run to You

Christian Music Appreciation: I Will Run to You

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on a decades-old worship song that pastor Darlene Zschech composed during her time with Hillsong Church and the Hillsong Worship team – I Will Run to You.

For the newcomers reading this, the previous worship songs I examined and analyzed in the CMA series that involved Darlene Zschech were Mercy on Display (with HopeUC), You Are Holy (Hillsong), The Potter’s Hand (Hillsong), Shout to the Lord (Hillsong), I Live to Know You (Hillsong), That’s What We Came Here For (Hillsong), Shout of the King (Hillsong) and In Jesus’ Name.

If you want to discover and learn more about Darlene Zschech, I encourage to click here (Facebook), here (Twitter), here (Instagram) and at https://www.darlenezschech.com/. Take note that Zschech has left Hillsong many years ago and is now with Hope Unlimited Church (HopeUC) and you follow HopeUC through social media by cliking here (Facebook), here (Instagram) and here (Twitter). Visit HopeUC at https://hopeuc.com/

As for Hillsong Worship, follow them by clicking here (Facebook), here (Instagram) and here (Twitter).

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of I Will Run to You, posted below for your reference are the lyrics. Words and music of this song were credited to Darlene Zschech.

Your eye is on the sparrow

And Your hand, it comforts me

From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart

Let Your mercy and strength be seen

–

You call me to Your purpose

As angels understand

For Your glory, may You draw all men

As Your love and grace demand

–

And I will run to You

To Your words of truth

Not by might, not by power

But by the Spirit of God

Yes, I will run the race

‘Till I see Your face

Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

–

You call me to Your purpose

As angels understand

For Your glory, may You draw all men

As Your love and grace demand

–

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the lyrics of the first paragraph of the song: Your eye is on the sparrow, And Your hand, it comforts me, From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart, Let Your mercy and strength be seen.

The above lyrics emphasize that the Lord is ever present and He will never abandon His faithful children no matter how divisive and chaotic this world is. As long we keep faith in Him, honor Him and follow Him, the Lord will keep us up with His mercy, strength and peace. This also means we should keep on pursuing Him wholeheartedly and without hesitation! To be with God requires being with His Son Jesus who is our Lord and Savior! Learn from the holy scriptures below…

And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14 (NKJV)

Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, I will also help you,

I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 41:10 (NASB)

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV)

But I’ll keep coming closer and closer to you, Lord Yahweh, for your name is good to me. I’ll keep telling the world of your awesome works, my faithful and glorious God!

Psalms 73:28 (TPT)

Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.”

John 14:6 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics from the 2nd paragraph: You call me to Your purpose, As angels understand, For Your glory, may You draw all men, As Your love and grace demand.

The above lyrics is a lively reminder that as creations of God, there is absolutely no way we could fully separate ourselves from Him. To be separated from Him is futile and only leads to darkness. When the Lord calls you, it is your destiny to answer His call which is undeniably a high call. Without the Lord, we are nothing, we won’t have glory and we would fall into darkness, sadness and wickedness. Answer the Lord’s call and come to Him. Run to Him and be with Him wholeheartedly! Never forget that God sent Jesus to save humanity and that alone shows how much He loves us and how faithful He is. We only need to answer the high call from our Lord and come to Him decisively with love and obedience. The Lord is always the holy one we must connect with. Learn from the scriptures below…

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NASB)

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15 (ESV)

But as for me, I will call upon the Lord to save me, and I know he will!

Psalms 55:16 (TPT)

By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

Ephesians 1:18 (AMPC)

With this in view we constantly pray for you, that our God may deem and count you worthy of [your] calling and [His] every gracious purpose of goodness, and with power may complete in [your] every particular work of faith (faith which is that [a]leaning of the whole human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).

2 Thessalonians 1:11 (AMPC)

“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you. “I promise that I will never leave you helpless or abandon you as orphans—I will come back to you! Soon I will leave this world and they will see me no longer, but you will see me, because I will live again, and you will come alive too. So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with me, for I will be living in you. Those who truly love me are those who obey my commands. Whoever passionately loves me will be passionately loved by my Father. And I will passionately love him in return and will reveal myself to him.”

John 14:15-21 (TPT)

There is no one holy like the Lord,

Indeed, there is no one besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NASB)

Exalt the Lord our God,

And worship at His holy hill;

For the Lord our God is holy.

Psalm 99:9 (NKJV)

Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics from the 3rd paragraph: And I will run to You, To Your words of truth, Not by might, not by power, But by the Spirit of God, Yes, I will run the race, ‘Till I see Your face, Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace.

The above lyrics collectively emphasize the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, His grace and our union with Him. The said lyrics, in my view, are the very essence of the Hillsong worship song. Learn from the holy scriptures below…

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [a]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 (AMPC)

Jesus commented, “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!”

Luke 11:28 (MSG)

Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (TPT)

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

Romans 15:13 (AMPC)

He gave us resurrection life and drew us to himself by his holy calling on our lives. And it wasn’t because of any good we have done, but by his divine pleasure and marvelous grace that confirmed our union with the anointed Jesus, even before time began!

2 Timothy 1:9 (TPT)

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Romans 5:8 (AMPC)

For God’s Word is something to sing about! He is true to his promises, his word can be trusted, and everything he does is reliable and right.

Psalms 33:4 (TPT)

Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 (AMPC)

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)

Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.

John 15:9 (NASB)

And it’s true: “Everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will experience new life.”

Romans 10:13 (TPT)

Indeed, the lyrics and title of I Will Run to You are holy and anointed! This Hillsong worship song is also musically beautiful and written to motivate your heart of worship of the Lord. That being said, I strongly recommend the playing of I Will Run to You during Sunday worship services as well as during church special events. I Will Run to You is clearly all about us – the children of God – to always come to our Heavenly Father through Lord Jesus no matter what happens. This Hillsong worship song is also a great reminder of our union with the Lord.

In conclusion, posted below is the official music video of I Will Run to You for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, practice Christian habits (click here and here for reference), have private time with God, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Continue to live with God’s Word, seek God through His son Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. Also please consider making a donation to support my publishing of faith articles and CMAs.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: Running

Christian Music Appreciation: Running

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on Running, an original worship song from Planetshakers released through their album REVIVAL (click here for the official page of the album) For the newcomers reading this, the previous Planetshakers worship songs I examined and analyzed in the CMA series were How I Praise, All, Great Outpouring, 247 365, Encounter Song and So Good. Let me share to you also that Planetshakers will be returning to the Philippines with worship events scheduled! In fact, Planetshakers has been touring internationally to lead people to the Lord with music and powerful worship!

If you want to discover and learn more about Planetshakers, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram), here (Twitter) and here (YouTube). To know more about Planetshakers itself, visit https://www.planetshakers.com/

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of Running, posted below for your reference are the lyrics. Words and music of this song were credited to Andy Harrison and Joth Hunt.

VERSE 1

Who You are is holy

Nothing in this world compares

Hidden in Your glory

Are treasures far beyond compare

PRE-CHORUS

Beauty on beauty, wonder on wonder

Lord there’s none like You

Closer and closer, You draw me in so

I will run to You

CHORUS

I’m running, running to You

I’m longing, longing for You

I’m pouring, my affection on You

‘Cause all I want is You, all I want is You

VERSE 2

Who You are is worthy

All creation bows to You

All You do is perfect

Every word is proven true

BRIDGE

Holy, holy Lord almighty

There is none like You

Worthy, worthy, You are worthy

There is none like You

TAG

All I want is You

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the lyrics of Verse 1 of the song: Who You are is holy, Nothing in this world compares, Hidden in Your glory, Are treasures far beyond compare.

The Verse 1 lyrics emphasize that our Lord is holy and His holiness can never be matched by anyone nor anything in this very divided world we live in. As God is our creator, He is also our source and the ultimate planner. Therefore, we only worship, honor and glorify the Lord. The Lord is the one we approach. Run to God, His Son Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! Learn from the scriptures below…

No one is holy like the Lord,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)

Keep exalting the Lord our God facedown before his glory-throne, for he is great and holy!

Psalms 99:9 (TPT)

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

Hebrews 1:3-4 (NASB)

Moving on, we have the Pre-Chorus lyrics which go as follows: Beauty on beauty, wonder on wonder, Lord there’s none like You, Closer and closer, You draw me in so, I will run to You.

The Pre-Chorus lyrics emphasize that the Lord God is much greater than us and the whole world we live in. The greatness of the Heavenly Father can never be matched and as He is our creator, it is only our destiny and responsibility to be faithful to Him, to honor Him and be with Him above everything else. All the glory, all the praise and all the prioritizing belong to the Lord! We move to the Lord because our rightful place is with Him! Do not forget that the Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to save us. Learn from the following bible scriptures below…

There is none like You, Lord;

You are great, and Your name is great in might.

Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

For it is Your due!

For among all the wise men of the nations

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

Jeremiah 10:6-7 (NASB)

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He also is to be [reverently] feared above all so-called gods.

1 Chronicles 16:25 (AMPC)

And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I show Myself holy among you in their sight.

Ezekiel 36:23 (NASB)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

But everyone my Father has given to me, they will come. And all who come to me, I will embrace and will never turn them away.

John 6:37 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the following lines from the Chorus: I’m running, running to You, I’m longing, longing for You, I’m pouring, my affection on You, ‘Cause all I want is You, all I want is You.

The Chorus clearly magnifies our purpose with the Lord and this, I believe, is the basis of the worship song’s title. As children of the Lord, we are meant to come to Him, open our hearts to Him and have unwavering faith in Him. Posted below are more holy scriptures about coming to the Lord…

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG)

Lord, you are so good to me, so kind in every way and ready to forgive, for your grace-fountain keeps overflowing, drenching all your devoted lovers who pray to you.

Psalms 86:5 (TPT)

Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.

If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.

John 14:6-7 (AMPC)

Jesus replied, “Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place.”

John 14:23 (TPT)

Next, the lyrics of Verse 2 are as follows: Who You are is worthy, All creation bows to You, All You do is perfect, Every word is proven true.

After that, here are the lyrics of the song’s Bridge: Holy, holy Lord almighty, There is none like You, Worthy, worthy, You are worthy, There is none like You.

Collectively Verse 2 and the song’s Bridge emphasize the greatness, the almighty power and love of the Lord. He is faithful and He always keeps His promises. He is also our Source, our Creator and the Way Maker. The Lord is worthy of all the praise and faith from us. The Lord is almighty and nothing else can ever compare to him. No idol and no form of opposition will ever come close to the Lord’s power and holiness. Learn from the following scriptures below…

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But you, O Lord, your mercy-seat love is limitless, reaching higher than the highest heavens. Your great faithfulness is infinite, stretching over the whole earth.

Psalms 36:5 (TPT)

For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

John 3:17 (AMPC)

Nevertheless in Your great mercy

You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;

For You are God, gracious and merciful.

Nehemiah 9:31 (NKJV)

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].

Genesis 12:2 (AMPC)

The Lord has done great things for us! We are glad!

Psalm 126:3 (AMPC)

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Psalm 63:3-4 (NKJV)

Come on, everyone! Let’s sing for joy to the Lord! Let’s shout our loudest praises to our God who saved us! Everyone come meet his face with a thankful heart. Don’t hold back your praises; make him great by your shouts of joy! For the Lord is the greatest of all, King-God over all other gods! In one hand he holds the mysteries of the earth, and in the other he holds the highest mountain peaks. He’s the owner of every ocean, the engineer and sculptor of earth itself! Come and kneel before this Creator-God; come and bow before the mighty God, our majestic maker!

Psalm 95:1-6 (TPT)

Indeed, the lyrics and title of Running are holy and anointed! This worship song by Planetshakers is a strong reminder about who our Lord is and why we are meant to be with Him, follow Him and honor Him eternally. As faithful children of God, our destiny and purpose are with Him. We are meant to come into His presence, be ready to follow His commands and preach His Word in this very divided world we are currently living in. Musically, Running is motivating and solemn at the same time. It is an ideal song to worship the Lord during Sunday worship services or during prayer events with the spiritual family.

In conclusion, posted below are the official music videos of Running for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, practice Christian habits (click here and here for reference), have private time with God, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Continue to live with God’s Word, seek God through His son Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. Also please consider making a donation to support my publishing of faith articles and CMAs.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Praise and thank our Lord for the June 24, 2022 miracle that happened in America!

Praise and thank our Lord for the June 24, 2022 miracle that happened in America!

carlocarrasco

We have great reasons to be thankful to our Lord and to keep on praising and honoring Him as a great miracle happened in the United States of America on June 24, 2022 – the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down Roe v. Wade (the 1973 legalized abortion decision) which paves the way for the states to ban abortion by means of legislation. That’s right, my fellow Christians, decades worth of prayers to overturn the wrongful 1973 SCOTUS decision have been answered and clearly Jesus is our Lord and Savior!

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is indeed a miracle from our Lord and it sends a clear message to not only people around the United States but also to governments around the world that abortion is evil and totally wrong no matter what abortion advocates believe. Take note that I previously encouraged readers to pray to our Lord to have Roe v. Wade overturned.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the CBN News article. Some parts in boldface…

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned its 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years. The ruling came in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The case challenged Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, and whether it was unconstitutional. It was enacted in 2018 but was blocked after a federal court challenge. 

The state of Mississippi asked the high court to uphold its law and directly challenged the precedent in Roe and the 1992 Casey v. Planned Parenthood that held that states cannot ban pre-viability abortions, those done before a child can survive outside the womb.

Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by pro-life advocates.

The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step.

Alito, in the final opinion issued Friday, wrote that Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that reaffirmed the right to abortion, were wrong the day they were decided and must be overturned.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision,” Alito wrote.

Authority to regulate abortion rests with the political branches, not the courts, Alito wrote.

Joining Alito were Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The latter three justices are Trump appointees. Thomas first voted to overrule Roe 30 years ago.

Chief Justice John Roberts would have stopped short of ending the abortion right, noting that he would have upheld the Mississippi law at the heart of the case, a ban on abortion after 15 weeks, and said no more.

Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan — the diminished liberal wing of the court — were in dissent.

“With sorrow—for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection—we dissent,” they wrote.

President Joe Biden said Friday he would try to preserve access to abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and he called on Americans to elect more Democrats who would safeguard rights upended by the court’s decision. “This is not over,” he declared.

As CBN News has reported, since Roe has been overturned by the high court, thirteen states have trigger laws in place to prohibit abortion. The issue will now shift to the state legislatures. 

Those existing laws have been estimated to possibly close approximately 202 clinics or 26% of all publicly advertised abortion facilities in the U.S., according to a recent study from Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a program within the University of California San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health.

According to the study, among all U.S. states, California had the most abortion facilities, with 168 open facilities as of 2021, followed by New York (89) and Florida (55). 

For further understanding about the fall of Roe v. Wade, posted below is the related Faith Nation video from the Christian Broadcasting Network’s CBN News YouTube channel…

The impact of the overturn of the 1973 Supreme Court decision is undeniably powerful on both sides of the spectrum covering countless Americans. Unsurprisingly the believers of abortion (note: the murder of unborn babies) have gotten louder, more violent and more chaotic as I write this. There in America, the LGBTQ people suddenly turned their pride events into reactions to the June 24, 2022 SCOTUS decision while Satan’s followers are raging over the same decision. Unsurprisingly, Joe Biden (a pro-abortion Catholic) and his fellow Democrats are disappointed and angry with the now landmark decision of the Supreme Court. Already the Democrats are fighting back to continue murdering unborn babies.

No matter what the pro-abortion people say, abortion is always wrong and evil as it is the act of killing the unborn child inside the woman’s womb. Abortion was never compatible with healthcare and it is easily the deadliest and highly sinful decision any pregnant woman can make within the concept of women’s choice or civil rights. No matter what the Satanic Left say, abortion will never make society better and it certainly will never solve the problem of poverty. In America, pro-abortion believers have turned violent and already there are churches and women’s pregnancy centers that got damaged physically. Very clearly abortion is evil! Abortion is always murder. Learn from the holy scriptures below…

You must not murder.

Exodus 20:13 (NLT)

He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’”

Matthew 19:18 (NKJV)

As for the pro-abortion mob, they are clearly living in sin and they are doing Satan’s work in this very divided world we all live in. People who are unsaved and lost often do not realize they are doing things the way Satan wants them and this means spreading death, causing more chaos and hurting the innocent. They move on to violate God’s rules and they chose to be worldly instead of submitting themselves to Him. Many of them don’t even realize the true values of being faithful and repenting to the Lord. For context, learn from the holy scriptures below…

And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,

Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. [They were] full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. [They were] secret backbiters and gossipers,

Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents.

[They were] without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless [and] merciless.

Though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32 (AMPC)

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelations 21:5-8 (NKJV)

Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion:

eyes that are arrogant,

a tongue that lies,

hands that murder the innocent,

a heart that hatches evil plots,

feet that race down a wicked track,

a mouth that lies under oath,

a troublemaker in the family.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (MSG)

When it comes to society and politics, the pro-abortion mob is quite vast. Other than the obvious abortionists, they have socialists, homosexuals, Marxists, Communists, anarchists, unpatriotic citizens, climate change fanatics, humanists, the woke fanatics, transgendered people, SJWs (social justice warriors), the so-called reformers and other types people who often vote for the Democrats. Is it any surprise that their members are so chaotic?

That being said, I urge you readers and fellow siblings under Lord Jesus to pray for the unsaved and the lost. Preach the Word of God to others and help lead the unsaved and the lost to Him so that they will have the golden opportunities to decide submit to Him, repent to Him and accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior. I know this is hard to do as the abortion believers and their Leftist allies are out there causing chaos in public but I urge you to still pray for them and tell them that the Lord is forgiving and it is only He who can restore them. Preach to them that salvation is only possible with the Lord. Share with them how you got saved and received the Holy Spirit.

I also urge you to pray for the victims persecuted by the unsaved and the lost as only God can lift them up and restore them fully. As I am writing this, there are people who are pro-life or those who do not believe in abortion who are getting harassed or even hurt by the pro-abortion mob members.

Going back to the strike down of Roe v. Wade, we must all be very thankful to our Lord and pray for the US Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the 1973 SCOTUS decision. SCOTUS Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett will forever be remembered for overturning Roe v. Wade which makes them admired figures of the pro-life people and also as targets of the violent abortion advocates. The legislators and officials of state governments who have already approved trigger laws on banning abortion are also being targeted by the abortion mob. The same can also be said about states that are about to move forward with banning abortion through legislation. That being said, these officials, legislators and leaders need our prayers for protection, for their continued work on public service and for peace to happen. We don’t know how long the abortion mob will keep on being violent and chaotic towards people who don’t share their views but we need to look up to God to shed His guiding light to all in order to bring back peace.

Once again, abortion is wrong and wicked. The killing of the unborn child is clearly evil and it violates God as well. Each and every one of us were created by the Lord and He established plans for us all even before we were born. Children are God’s gifts as well as the living expressions of His love for us! Learn from the following holy scriptures…

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

And before you were born I consecrated you;

I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NASB)

The Lord gave me this message:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

 Before you were born I set you apart

 and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NLT)

Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.

Psalms 127:3 (TPT)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)

So, dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape your notice: a single day counts like a thousand years to the Lord Yahweh, and a thousand years counts as one day. This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9 (TPT)

You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book.

Psalms 139:13-16 (TPT)

In closing this piece about the strike down of Roe v. Wade, I should remind you all that it is indeed a miracle that got realized in America. It was God’s answer to all the prayer for it to happened. The overturning of Roe v. Wade is proof that with God, all things are possible and the tremendous odds we face here on Earth can be dominated by the Lord! Let this remind you to always have unwavering faith in the Lord and thank Him always! Learn from the holy scriptures below…

For with God nothing will be impossible.

Luke 1:37 (NKJV)

Looking into their eyes, Jesus replied, “Humanly speaking, no one, because no one can save himself. But what seems impossible to you is never impossible to God!”

Mathew 19:26 (TPT)

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

Isaiah 41:10 (AMPC)

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10:27 (ESV)

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

Jeremiah 32:27 (NASB)

From this point on, I would like to reach out to all the lost and the unsaved people reading this. Did you waste years of your life as a pro-abortion activist? Are you feeling very regretful with being responsible for aborting many unborn babies? Did a religious and idolatrous extremist ruin your life? Have you been living in bondage for too long? Did the atheists, the humanists and the secularists fool you and abused you? Were you victimized by a crook? Have you been living as a homosexual or as a transgendered person? Are you still addicted to sex, drugs and other inappropriate elements? Did you spend an entire life worshiping statues, statuettes, images, people and relics? Are you a toxic person or one of those modern-day Leftist activists (Black Lives Matter, Democratic Socialists of America, the abortionists and others) who got fed up fighting for worthless causes? Did you kill someone and you have been living so long with the guilt?

All of the darkness related to what were mentioned above can finally end and you can decide to do it! How? You can save yourselves by submitting yourselves to the Lord Jesus willingly and realize He is the Light! There is no force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. For those who have decided to get born again now and gain salvation, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from a pastor.

Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Father God,

I thank You. I believe Jesus is Your Son. I believe that He died for me and redeemed me from all of my sins. He took my sins and, Father, thank You for loving me and You demonstrated Your love for me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Forgive me for all of my sins. Jesus, I open my heart to You. I welcome You to enter into my heart. I confess today that You are now my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiveness. I receive forgiveness. Thank You for Your blood that cleansed me from all of my sins. I will follow You, Jesus. Thank You for Your plan. I receive the Holy Spirit. And Holy Spirit, help me to follow the will of God in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. Remember that idolatry is evil, Purgatory is a lie, penance is a deception and Satan always used religion and unbelief to prevent people from being saved by the Lord. Also, do not ever hail Mary (the mother of Lord Jesus) because all the praise and honor belong to God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit only.

With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward and the best is yet to come! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).

With your new life realized, make an effort to get yourself copy of the Holy Bible (start with New King James Version), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a local Christian church that God has chosen for you (note: ask Him for a local church!) and find your place in the spiritual family (God’s family!).  Be planted when the Lord shows you the way! Worship the Lord together with them, stay planted as long as He desires and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God. When you are at home, be in your room with the door shut and have fellowship with our Heavenly Father. On a personal level, practice Christian Habits here and there. Remember the truth that God rewards the faithful abundantly, only He can lift you up and restore you fully,  and continue to be people of the Word. Declare your love for Him as well!

The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close to it for it is the Word of God. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future. His return is what we must always remember and keep living with holiness under the watch of God. We can do our part in building up God’s kingdom here on Earth by preaching His Word, blessing the Jewish people and saving the countless lost and unsaved souls around us by leading them to Lord Jesus. Living as a Christian is always about the personal relationship with the Lord, and it is certainly not about religion. Never let the idolaters, the idol makers, the ritual practitioners and other sinister forces manipulate you into becoming unholy.

In ending this, here are some videos of Christian worship music for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! 

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: God of the Breakthrough

Christian Music Appreciation: God of the Breakthrough

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on God of the Breakthrough, another original worship song from New Life Music. For the newcomers reading this, the previous New Life Music worship songs I examined and analyzed were Touch From Heaven and Now I’m Alive. Read about those CMA pieces soon.

If you want to discover and learn more about New Life Music, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram) and here (YouTube). New Life Music is part of New Life Philippines whose main church is located inside Alabang Hills Village in Muntinlupa City, Philippines. To know more about New Life Philippines itself, visit https://newlife.ph/

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of God of the Breakthrough, posted below for your reference are the lyrics composed by Chynna Cuna, Dem Mokamad, Jed Patricio, Gianna Bautista and Joed Avila.

VERSE 1

When the giants come my way

He is powerful to save

In the trials and the pain

His promises remain

–

PRE CHORUS

I will not be defeated

I will not be defeated

–

CHORUS

I’ll lift up my head

And shout His name

Open up the gates

And let Him in

–

VERSE 2

In the battles and the storms

You’re my victory

As I praise, I stand and see

That my God fights for me

–

PRE CHORUS

I will not be defeated

I will not be defeated

–

CHORUS 2

I’ll lift up my head

And shout His name

Open up the gates

And let Him in

–

King of glory enter in

King of glory enter in

King of glory enter in

King of glory enter in

–

BRIDGE

Walls come down

Healing now

Chains be loosed

God of the breakthrough

–

Hearts restored

Fear be gone

Faith arise

God of the breakthrough

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the lyrics of Verse 1 of the song: When the giants come my way, He is powerful to save, In the trials and the pain, His promises remain.

The Verse 1 lyrics emphasize that no matter the troubles or the odds we the faithful children encounter while living here on Earth that is so divided by problems (examples: external economic forces, war, political conflicts, etc.), we need not fear because we have the Lord to look up to not just to help us survive but emerge stronger, get restored and prosper as we follow His path and follow Him with unwavering faith. God is always faithful to us and He always keeps His promises as He created each of us with plans already made. Never forget that He sent His Son Jesus to redeem us, granting us a Lord and Savior to follow. Learn from the following scriptures below…

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

John 3:16 (AMPC)

Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Joshua 21:45 (ESV)

For God’s Word is something to sing about! He is true to his promises, his word can be trusted, and everything he does is reliable and right.

Psalms 33:4 (TPT)

Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 (AMPC)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)

But you, O Lord, your mercy-seat love is limitless, reaching higher than the highest heavens. Your great faithfulness is infinite, stretching over the whole earth.

Psalms 36:5 (TPT)

Next, take a close look at the following lines from the Pre Chorus: I will not be defeated, I will not be defeated.

The Pre Chorus lyrics are straight to the point. As God’s faithful children, there is absolutely no reason for us to be defeated because we are living in accordance to the Lord’s victory. We are living in His victory led by unwavering faith in Him and following Him through His Word without compromise. Under the Lord, we are more than conquerors! Learn from the following scriptures below…

Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!

Romans 8:37 (TPT)

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 5:4 (ESV)

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (AMPC)

Moving on, here are the lines from the Chorus: I’ll lift up my head, And shout His name, Open up the gates, And let Him in.

The Chorus lyrics form a lively reminder that we are to look up to our Lord, emphasize His name wholeheartedly and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in accordance to His will. Learn from the scriptures below (note: the Model Prayer is included)…

Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (AMPC)

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

    over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 37:7 (ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Mark 16:15 (NASB)

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures all generations.

Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV)

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His Mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, and because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Ezra 3:11 (NKJV)

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.

Romans 8:14 (NASB)

Moving on, here are the lines from Verse 2: In the battles and the storms, You’re my victory, As I praise, I stand and see, That my God fights for me.

The above words express that we only need to be still, to be fearless and confident in the Lord who fights the tremendous battles that are beyond us. No matter what evil lurks and no matter what danger surrounds us, we will succeed by standing with the Lord and carrying unwavering faith in Him. With God, nothing is impossible. With God, all enemies will fall down. Learn from the scriptures below…

Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the One fighting for you.

Deuteronomy 3:22 (NASB)

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Isaiah 40:31 (AMPC)

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4 (NKJV)

Not one promise from God is empty of power. Nothing is impossible with God!

Luke 1:37 (TPT)

So in the same way, God wanted to end all doubt and confirm it even more forcefully to those who would inherit his promises. His purpose was unchangeable, so God added his vow to the promise. So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change!

And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold,

Hebrews 6:17-19 (TPT)

Finally, we can now focus on the very title of this song – God of the Breakthrough. The title is indeed very true and truly powerful! The Lord is our Creator, our Provider (Jehovah Jireh), our Ultimate Love, our Miracle Worker, our Guiding light, our Protector, our Redeemer, our Healer and our Ultimate and All-Powerful Authority! The Lord loves the faithful and His care, blessings and guidance still continue! The Lord’s breakthroughs are undeniably real and I personally received the breakthroughs from Him shortly after I got born again. The breakthroughs continue to happen in the new life I am living and I learned to maintain unwavering faith in Him. To understand why our Lord is the maker of breakthroughs, read the following scriptures below…

“I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! For I will do whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name. And that is how the Son will show what the Father is really like and bring glory to him. Ask me anything in my name, and I will do it for you!”

John 14:12-14 (TPT)

Stretch out your hand of power through us to heal, and to move in signs and wonders by the name of your holy Son, Jesus!

Acts 4:30 (TPT)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,

    giving to the needy in reckless abandon.

His right-living, right-giving ways

    never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (MSG)

Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God. Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers.

Ephesians 6:17-18 (TPT)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NASB)

I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!

John 15:9-11 (TPT)

Very truly, the lyrics of God of the Breakthrough are holy and anointed! The song itself will remind you about the Lord’s victory and His guiding light. It is totally clear to me that New Life Music’s team captured strong messages from the Holy Bible when they composed the song. I believe they were led by the Holy Spirit during their work. Musically speaking, God of the Breakthrough is beautiful and powerful to listen to. That being said, it is a worship song that must be played during Sunday worship services as well as during special church activities. I also believe that this worship song – a part of the album To The Other Side – will remind people about their true identity…the identity in Christ.

In conclusion, posted below is the official music video of God of the Breakthrough for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Look up to Him and His breakthroughs! Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, practice Christian habits (click here and here), have private time with God, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Draw yourselves closer to the Lord, keep living with His Word, seek God through His son Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Christian Music Appreciation: Now I’m Alive

Christian Music Appreciation: Now I’m Alive

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on Now I’m Alive, another original worship song from New Life Music. For the newcomers reading this, the previous New Life Music worship song I examined and analyzed was Touch From Heaven.

If you want to discover more about New Life Music, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page) and here (YouTube). New Life Music is part of New Life Philippines whose main church is located inside Alabang Hills Village in Muntinlupa City, Philippines. To know more about New Life Philippines, visit https://newlife.ph/

To get started with Now I’m Alive, watch this official lyric video from New Life Music.

Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of Now I’m Alive, posted below for your reference are the lyrics composed by Faith Tugano, Kate Naranjo and Solomon Pagapong.

VERSE 1

Oh what love You have shown me

At the cross You have bled for me

My sins You erased

I am saved by Your grace

VERSE 2

I was lost but You found me

Broken – You delivered me

Forgiven I stand

Forever held in Your hands

CHORUS

Jesus, You have brought me back to life

Made righteous, pure and now redeemed in Christ

Jesus, You have brought me back to life

Now I’m alive

Now I’m alive

VERSE 3

No more fear No more shame

No longer bound No longer a slave

Jesus, You have won it all for me

CHORUS 2

Jesus, You have brought me back to life

Made righteous, pure and now redeemed in Christ

Jesus, You have brought me back to life

Now I’m alive

Now I’m alive

Jesus, You have brought me back to life

Made righteous, pure and now redeemed in Christ

Forgiven, set free, I’m alive in Christ

Now I’m alive

Now I’m alive

BRIDGE 1

Your love knows no end

Your love knows no bounds

Nothing can separate me from Your love

BRIDGE 2

No sin, No fear

No power can separate me

From Your love

From Your love

To begin with, let’s take a close look at the lyrics of Verse 1 of the song: Oh what love You have shown me, At the cross You have bled for me, My sins You erased, I am saved by Your grace.

The Verse 1 lyrics are truthful as they clearly reference the sacrifice of Jesus whom God sent to save us from sin. Jesus is our Redeemer, our Lord and Savior. For anyone who is still lost and unsaved, the way to establish a relationship with the Lord and get redeemed/saved is by getting born again. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…

For here is the way God loved the world—he gave his only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.

John 3:16 (TPT)

Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (NASB)

For sin’s meager wages is death, but God’s lavish gift is life eternal, found in your union with our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.

Romans 6:23 (TPT)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (NASB)

And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.

Acts 16:31 (AMPC)

Moving forward, take a close look at the following lines from the Chorus of the song: Jesus, You have brought me back to life, Made righteous, pure and now redeemed in Christ, Jesus, You have brought me back to life, Now I’m alive, Now I’m alive.

In my analysis, the Chorus lyrics emphasize the redemption and sacrifice Lord Jesus made to save us. Before the redemption happened, people were trapped by sin, idols, unbelief, rebellion, hopelessness and death. Jesus truly freed people from the darkness that clouded them. Remember that the Lord is always working on all things for our good and we only need to be faithful to Him, follow Him and believe in Heavenly things that are coming. Learn from the bible scriptures below…

Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace.

Ephesians 1:7 (TPT)

Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them, for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world.  They belong to this world and they articulate the spirit of this world, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and whoever truly knows God listens to us. Those who refuse to listen to us do not belong to God. That is how we can know the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

1 John 4:4-6 (TPT)

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Romans 5:8 (AMPC)

Jesus explained, “I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.

John 14:6 (TPT)

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Titus 3:5 (NASB)

Yahweh, you’re the bedrock beneath my feet, my faith-fortress, my wonderful deliverer, my God, my rock of rescue where none can reach me. You’re the shield around me, the mighty power that saves me, and my high place.

Psalms 18:2 (TPT)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Titus 2:11-13 (NKJV)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

Moving forward, take a close look at the following lines from Bridge 1 of the song: Your love knows no end, Your love knows no bounds, Nothing can separate me from Your love.

The Bridge 1 lyrics are about the love of the Lord which is very great and eternal for the faithful. To understand the meaning of the said lyrics and what His love is about, read the following scriptures below…

Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (TPT)

Who could ever divorce us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, even though it is written:

All day long we face death threats for your sake, God.

We are considered to be nothing more

than sheep to be slaughtered!

Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!

Romans 8:35-39 (TPT)

Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.

John 15:9 (NASB)

In this last analysis of the lyrics, I want you all to focus on the title – Now I’m Alive. As Christians, we are living under the watch, guidance and love of the Lord. We are alive – even spiritually – because Lord Jesus saved us and His spirit – the Holy Spirit – is in our hearts! We are the living faithful children of God dedicated to follow Him through His Word and the Truth! We are no longer trapped by darkness and sin because we chose to be saved by Jesus and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior! Learn from the following scriptures below…

Guard and keep [with the greatest care] the precious and excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us.

2 Timothy 1:14 (AMPC)

But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father’s] house as a Son [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house, if we hold fast and firm to the end our joyful and exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ].

Hebrews 3:6 (AMPC)

For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Ephesians 3:14-20 (NASB)

And it’s true: “Everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will experience new life.”

Romans 10:13 (TPT)

Indeed, the lyrics and title of Now I’m Alive are holy and anointed! While I am clearly not involved with the composition of the song, it is evident that New Life Music wrote it to be true to the Word of God. Musically speaking, Now I’m Alive is beautiful and solemn to listen to. Very obviously, it is a great song for Sunday worship as well as special church events. Now I’m Alive is also an ideal worship song to help the faithful strengthen their faith in the Lord.

In conclusion, posted below is the official music video of Now I’m Alive for your faith and viewing pleasure. While watching it and listening to the music, remember to be faithful and thankful to the Lord. Always remember to realize the good life from the Lord, practice Christian habits (click here and here for reference), have private time with God, get yourself planted in a local church (allow the Holy Spirit to guide you) and remember the truth that He rewards the faithful abundantly and He established plans for you before you were even created! Continue to live with God’s Word, seek God through His son Jesus, and keep on being the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Planetshakers’ newest album REVIVAL and latest music videos now available!

Planetshakers’ newest album REVIVAL and latest music videos now available!

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my fellow Christians, music enthusiasts and all those who seek the Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! There is something new and exciting to help you keep worshiping the Lord with and that is none other than the brand-new album of Planetshakers Church (Australia) titled REVIVAL!

REVIVAL was recently released and people around the world can avail of it through multiple online venues such as Planetshakers’ official YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and Deezer.

To understand REVIVAL more, posted below is the excerpt from Planetshakers’ official announcement. Some parts in boldface…

As the world faces one of its most challenging predicaments and the church globally faces restrictions in the free world that are surprising, to say the least, God declared over Planetshakers, as a movement, ‘REVIVAL!’

REVIVAL, the album was recorded live during the Planetshakers REVIVAL Conference held in Melbourne, Australia, during a brief break in the pandemic lockdowns.

“He then opened up a window of opportunity for us to join together as a church to hold REVIVAL Conference…It was raw, emotional and powerful! In the midst of restriction, God was not restricted. He moved in healing power—restoring, renewing, reviving.” exclaims Worship Leader and Pastor Sam Evans.

A view of the REVIVAL conference of Planetshakers and their unwavering worship of the Lord.

Capturing the pent-up, heartfelt roar of praise and worship that erupted during the conference, in perhaps the most raw live recording ever released from Planetshakers, REVIVAL is a full production experience.

“The songs we were singing and the declarations we were making were sothe opposite of what we were experiencing. We want to share this experience with the world with the hope of encouraging and empowering others to stand on God’s promise and believe in His ability to revive any situation with His mighty resurrection power.” continues Pastor Sam.

In relation to what was stated above, it is indeed true that when God’s children fall down, He lifts them up. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on people and societies around the world and the effects include the prohibition of on-site, indoor worship services in churches. Still Planetshakers successfully organized its REVIVAL conference when the situation in their city eased thanks to the Lord’s intervention and I still believe that in due time this pandemic will end because God will make a way for as long as we have unwavering faith in Him and continue to praise Him and glorify Him eternally. Learn from the following holy scriptures…

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Praise God in his holy sanctuary!

    Praise him in his stronghold in the sky!

Praise him for his mighty miracles!

    Praise him for his magnificent greatness!

Praise him with trumpets blasting!

    Praise him with piano and guitar!

Praise him with drums and dancing!

    Praise him with loud clashing of cymbals!

    Praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals!

Let everyone everywhere join in the crescendo

    of ecstatic praise to Yahweh!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1-6 (TPT)

Going back to Planetshakers’ music, REVIVAL’s worship songs include I Know You Can, Way Truth Life, All My Life, I Stand in Awe, Back to Life, Above The Storm, Free Indeed, I Gotta Praise, Running, In Your Presence, and Revival’s Here.

In ending this piece, posted below are the latest music videos of the songs All My Life, I Know You Can and I Stand in Awe from REVIVAL for you to enjoy. All praise and glory to our Lord! Be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

For other Planetshakers-related articles of mine, click here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com