Christian Music Appreciation: How Great is Our God

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 Godget 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

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/

I Love Israel: Thousands of Christians celebrate with Israelis in this year’s Feast of Tabernacles

Something significant happened in Israel recently. This year’s Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated big-time as thousands of Christians from around the world joined the Jewish people and Israelis in the event which itself is a comeback from the 2-year-old COVID-19 crisis that affected everyone, according to a Christian Broadcasting Network News (CBN News) report. The revival of the Feast of Tabernacles as well as Israel’s gradual return to normalcy prove that the Lord God is at work and watching over.

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

This week, Israelis and Jews around the world are celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles – or “Sukkot” in Hebrew.

Thousands of Christians have come up to Jerusalem to join the gathering of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).

After two years of limited tourism to Israel because of the COVID pandemic, over 2,000 Christian pilgrims from more than 70 nations came here to take part in the Feast of Tabernacles.

THE ICEJ has celebrated the feast for more than 40 years.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a fall harvest feast on the biblical calendar that also has a prophetic purpose hidden within it and that is the second coming of the Lord. So, we are here celebrating every year in anticipation of the coming of Jesus here to Jerusalem and it’s always this glorious celebration of Christians, the Body of Christ from all over the world,” ICEJ VP David Parsons told CBN News.

Sharren Haskel, a member of Israel’s parliament, came to welcome the pilgrims and why their presence means so much.

The Jewish people throughout history didn’t have many friends,” said Haskel. “They had a few but not many. And to see thousands of people, Christian leaders and believers that are coming here to celebrate with us – people who are advocating for Israel – who are bringing that message that Israel is a light in the Middle East. How we bring those shared Judeo-Christian values of freedom and liberty and equality. And it’s important to me to show them that it’s not taken for granted.

Haskel also mentioned in her message the prophetic fulfillment of the Feast.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of a future time when all the nations would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot,” Haskel told attendees. “Look around you now. We are the living proof of the accuracy of the Bible and the truth of the Word of God.

She continued: “The prophecy speaks about bringing people from all around countries, all around the globe from different nations, from different religions and celebrate here in Jerusalem. You can feel it in the air. You can see those people, how important it is for them, and how important it is for us to fulfill it, to celebrate it.

For many pilgrims, the feast is a time of joy.

Andrea from Bolivia told CBN News it’s a “miracle” to be here.

“It’s the Promised Land. I’m so happy to be here,” she said.

“It’s hard to describe. It’s really something you have to experience and to be here in person in the eternal capital of the nation is just profound,” said Ashely from Zimbabwe.

Jenni, who is also from Zimbabwe, said it is a “privilege to come and take part in worshipping the King at the Feast of Tabernacles.”

One of the highlights of the Feast of Tabernacles is when Christians from around the world join Israelis for the annual Jerusalem March.

“What a joy to be here in Jerusalem. I’m telling you to see the nations going up is a fulfillment of prophecy and I just love it every time and it’s amazing to be here after two years,” Adam, a parade attendee, told CBN News.

For Israelis, the Christian presence touches their hearts.

“They came here to support us. I don’t have words to bring my happiness,” said Gershon.

Haddasha Sharoni described the feeling as “amazing.”

“The vision is coming true. The vision that we read just now in Shabbis Zechariah is coming true that all the countries are coming to Israel and Sukkot,” she said.

For added insight, posted below are two related news videos of CBN News’ YouTube channel. Watch them and pay close attention to the details.

The revival of the Feast of Tabernacles this year was not only expected in relation to the recovery from COVID-19, it is also biblical. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:16 (NKJV)

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord.’

Leviticus 23:33-34 (NKJV)

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar which he had built before the [temple] porch or vestibule,

A certain number every day, offering as Moses commanded for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the solemn feast days three times in the year—the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, of Weeks, and of Tabernacles.

2 Chronicles 8:12-13 (AMPC)

Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.”

John 7:2-3 (NKJV)

Along the way, it is essential for us Christians to love and bless the Jewish people in accordance to our Heavenly Father’s declarations. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…

And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].

Genesis 12:3 (AMPC)

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Numbers 6:22-27 (ESV)

The Lord will never forget us in our need; he will bless us indeed! He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron, his priest.

Psalms 115:12 (TPT)

Pray and seek for Jerusalem’s peace, for all who love her will prosper! O Jerusalem, may there be peace for those who dwell inside your walls and prosperity in your every palace. I intercede for the sake of my family and friends who dwell there, that they may all live in peace. For the sake of your house, Yahweh our God, I will seek the welfare and prosperity of Jerusalem.

Psalms 122:6-9 (TPT)

Be thankful to the Lord for the revival of the Feast of Tabernacles, for the gradual recovery from COVID-19 and for Israel and the Jews. Thank the Lord also for the return of Christians to the Holy Land and the new opportunities for them to deepen their faith in Him even further! Thank the Lord also for the new and upcoming bible experience tours! Be thankful as well for the enduring and strengthening Israel-Philippines ties!

If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.

Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Always stand in support of Israel!

In ending this I Love Israel piece, posted below are Israel-related videos for your viewing pleasure and enlightenment.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider 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

I Love Israel: The enduring partnership of Israel and the Philippines discussed

Recently, the Manila Times had a virtual interview with Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss. Content of that interview was published online by the newspaper and it sure contains lots of details about the strong ties between Israel and the Philippines.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the article of the Manila Times. Some parts in boldface…

The Manila Times (TMT): Could you give us an overview of Philippine-Israeli bilateral relations? What is the direction of our bilateral relations?

Ambassador Fluss: I would like first to say that I want to congratulate The Manila Times for its anniversary — 124 years is long, many years. So, congratulations.

Generally speaking, the relations are, I would say, very good and warm. Historically, we always remember 1928, the Philippines giving a safe haven to 1,300 Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi rule where most countries, not all countries, closed the borders for refugees.

And the Philippines during the time of President [Manuel] Quezon showed the gesture of giving the message of helping those who are in need. And it is something that we appreciate very much.

And the second thing I would mention, which is very important to us historically, is 1947 when the Philippines voted in support of the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel, voted in the United Nations. This gives the foundation for the political foundation for the establishment of the State of Israel.

For this reason, until today, Filipinos do not need a visa to enter Israel and I think this is one of the reasons why we are seeing a really very good flow of people, movement of people between our two countries because it is easier with no visa.

Hopefully, when we see direct flights between our two countries, and I am very optimistic it will happen sometime next year, I think Manila-Tel Aviv will be a very busy line.

First of all, there is always a very good sense of people feeling very comfortable, very interested, very warm to each other I think it comes from similar values — the importance of family, value of family, value of charity, of helping each other, the community, I think these are the issues that we share between our societies, our two countries.

Today, we just had a JCM, the joint committee meeting, which is an annual political meeting between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel and the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) here. We did an overview of the relations.

And generally, things are going well between our two countries — friendly, warm, open discussions.

TMT: In terms of trade and commerce, are there new avenues that we can explore to further enhance our economic cooperation?

Ambassador Fluss: I’ll say my vision as the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines is to create bridges of innovation and technology between our two countries, which means one side to transfer the knowledge, what we’re doing in Israel.

Because Israel is known as a global hub of innovation. I want to share this experience and to help the Philippines in creating its own system of innovation where you can have local innovation, entrepreneurship. And to support that, I’m working on both government-level and private sector, academia, and also introducing relevant Israeli technologies that can support the development process here in the Philippines.

In this regard, we had a delegation in the Philippines last week of companies in the agricultural sector who came to a big agricultural expo in Davao, which is the “food basket of the Philippines.” We participated there. I was there in Davao last week.

There is a lot of interest in Israeli technologies and this is also part of the vision and one of the main goals of the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) is enhancing agricultural productivity and food security, and we are trying to support these efforts. The State of Israel is a leader in agriculture technologies.

So, for one side the economy and trade, so more business delegations. We are also looking at another delegation coming to the Philippines on the area of water. We are also planning to have an exhibition on Israeli innovation in the Philippines, which will be presented here. We have Israeli experts to talk about Israeli innovations.

During the pandemic two years ago, the Israeli Embassy expanded and we opened a trade and economic office in the embassy which shows Israel is now investing more in promoting the relations between our two countries in this sector.

To read the rest of the interview, I encourage you all to visit https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/10/11/tmt-anniversary/ph-israel-an-enduring-partnership/1861565

Ambassador Fluss confirmed that Israel-Philippines ties are in a really good state not just diplomatically but also socially and economically. This past September, it has been confirmed that the State of Israel will assist farmers in the Ilocos Region by sharing their solutions to modern agriculture which should boost the local productivity. Ambassador Fluss visited the province of Ilocos Norte for the first time and met with the officials there.

Be thankful to the Lord as Israel-Philippines ties continue to grow stronger. As such, I encourage you all to not just read Manila Times’ interview with Ambassador Fluss but also pay close attention to the many details recorded in the interview so you can have a clear view about the state of Israel-Philippines relations. That interview is a blessing from our Lord. Keep on praying to Him to have the two nations rise high strongly and stand out among all nations of this very divided world we live in. Pray to Him that no enemy will ever succeed on opposing Israel and the Philippines. The evil ones will be exposed and will fall down in due time.

If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.

Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Always stand in support of Israel! Israel-Philippines ties are essential!

In ending this I Love Israel piece, posted below are Israel-related videos plus one Philippine news video for your viewing pleasure and enlightenment.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider 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

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 Godget 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

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 Godget 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!

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 WordDeclare 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/

Pray for the leaders for it is pleasing and acceptable to our Lord

Here in my native Philippines, the incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (popularly referred to as BBM), was recently proclaimed as the duly elected winner of the presidential contest of this year’s general elections. He won with a majority of the votes counted with 31.6 million which was more than double over his closest arrival Leni Robredo (who was endorsed by people trapped by religion, idolatry and rituals) who ended up with 15 million votes. Marcos and his successful running mate Sara Duterte will take office as President and Vice President respectively on June 30, 2022.

Along the way, President-elect Marcos appealed to the Filipino to pray for him and wish him well. To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine Daily Inquirer report. Some parts in boldface…

Now that he has been proclaimed as 17th president of the country, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appealed to Filipinos: “Pray for me. Wish me well.”

“Beyond that, I promise you that we may not be perfect but we will always strive to perfection. Thank you very much,” Marcos Jr. told reporters following his proclamation as winner in the May 9 presidential race at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City on Wednesday.

I am inspired by this responsibility that has been given me… Ask you all, pray for me, wish me well. I want to do well because when a president does well, the country does well. And I want to do well for this country,” he added.

Marcos Jr. further said: “I am humbled because for anyone in public service or in a public life, the most valuable thing you may receive from a fellow citizen is their vote.”

“Because embedded in that vote are their hopes and their aspirations for the future. But also embedded in that vote are the trust and the confidence that they give to you to take them to that aspirational future,” he also said.

For the newcomers reading this, President-elect Marcos is the son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos (he served from 1965 to 1986, died during exile in 1989 in Hawaii) who has a very controversial legacy to say the least. For decades, the Marcos family has been hit by criticism and hatred in relation to the legacy of the first President Marcos.

More on the incoming President of the Philippines, Bongbong Marcos’ appeal to the Filipino to pray for him and wish him well so that the entire nation will do well is a big reminder for all of us Christians to return to the Holy Bible which contains a very important scripture that we should pray for our leaders as it is acceptable and pleasing to God. I am talking about the holy scripture in 1 Timothy 2:1-3. To start with, posted below is the scripture from the New King James version of the Holy Bible…

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (NKJV)

Verse 2 of the above scripture emphasizes that we must pray for those who are in authority over us if we wish to reap the benefits of good government, which is a prized gift from the Heavenly Father for the church’s welfare and advancement of the gospel. While the word “kings” is mentioned in Verse 2, it is not limited to kings or monarchies here on Earth. In fact, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 applies to any form government and any head of state in this divided world we live in. That being said, we must pray for our leaders from as high as the top of the national government right down to the lowest parts of the national government, the regional government, the local government and the civic groups, the homeowners’ associations/federations and other forms of authorities on the community level.

As for the newly elected officials, we must also pray for them as they prepare themselves to take office. As it is acceptable and pleasing to God, we must set aside political ideologies, set aside favoritism and kill off idolatry to pray for current leaders and the next batch of leaders so that they will open their hearts to the Lord and look up to Him for His guiding light so that they can govern properly, make the right decisions and lead our communities and the nation to prosperity, opportunities, positive changes and happiness.

For more holy insight, posted below are versions of 1 Timothy 2:1-3 in the Message, Amplified Bible Classic Edition and The Passion Translation.

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (MSG)

First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,

For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.

For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior,

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (AMPC)

Most of all, I’m writing to encourage you to pray with gratitude to God. Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion. And pray for every political leader and representative, so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. It is pleasing to our Savior-God to pray for them.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (TPT)

Always remember we only worship the Heavenly Father, His Son Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, not people, not paintings, not statues/statuettes and not whatever new forms of idols come out. Idolatry, which is common among fanatical and extreme followers of politicians when it comes to politics in any nation, is always an abomination to our Lord.

Going back to praying for our leaders so that we can reap the benefits of good government and more blessings from our Lord, posted below is a very meaningful and truthful holy scripture to pray with…

Now then, you kings, act wisely!

    Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

Serve the Lord with reverent fear,

    and rejoice with trembling.

Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,

    and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—

for his anger flares up in an instant.

    But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Psalm 2:10-12 (NLT)

Psalm 2:10-12 clearly shows that our leaders are subject to our Lord who is absolutely watching them all the time. Community and government officials who wield power have responsibilities to live up to and they should make themselves transparent and accountable not only to the constituents but also to the Lord Himself. Any leader or official who becomes corrupt and gets crooked will be subject to eternal judgment by God. There is simply no hiding and no running away from the Lord no matter how big or how much government resources leaders wield.

Leaders who wield power over the people should always remember that the Lord is always the greatest authority over them and there is no way they can match His authority. As they serve the constituents, leaders are destined to serve the Lord high above them. Like all other people, leaders belong to the Lord as it is written in the Holy Bible. Learn from the four translations of Psalm 22:27-28 below…

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s

And He rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:27-28 (NASB)

All the ends of the world

Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations

Shall worship before You.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s,

And He rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:27-28 (NKJV)

All the ends of the earth shall remember

    and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

    shall worship before you.

For kingship belongs to the Lord,

    and he rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:27-28 (ESV)

From the four corners of the earth,

the peoples of the world will remember and return to Yahweh.

Every nation will come and worship him.

For Yahweh is King of all, who takes charge of all the nations.

Psalms 22:27-28 (TPT)

Finally, I want to encourage you to pray that the next batch of leaders are righteous people. If any of them is not yet righteous, pray for them to help them become righteous under the watch of our Lord. Righteousness on the part of the leader is essential. Wickedness is absolutely an abomination! Learn from the scripture below…

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;

But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

Proverbs 29:2 (NKJV)

For the future of the Philippines which will have several newly elected and re-elected government officials on all levels taking office on June 30, 2022, I encourage you all to pray for the incoming leaders starting from the top with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos as President, Sara Duterte as Vice President, the Marcos administration’s Cabinet, the Senators, the House of Representatives members, provincial governors, provincial legislators, city government officials, town officials and others. I encourage you to let go off your biases, your emotions and pain to pray for the incoming leaders so that they will all look up to the Lord and follow Him accordingly so that they will govern cleanly, clearly and will lead the entire Philippines to a brighter, more prosperous future.

To the people who voted for the losing candidates of the 2022 Philippine general elections, I encourage you to let go off your bitterness and hatred, and pray for the incoming leaders to obey God as they take office and will function in the years to come. Pray for the leaders – the current and the incoming ones – so that the Philippines will rise stronger from the COVID-19 crisis and more new jobs will be created for the many people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Look up to the Lord for His guiding light and His path to the brighter future. Always remember that the Lord’s authority is always higher than that of the entire forms of government in the Philippines! The Lord’s authority is always higher than that of the Philippine President and any other government or civic leader. Come to the Lord as He is always worthy of all the praise!

From this point on, I would like to reach out to all the lost and the unsaved people reading this. 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 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, Antifa, the abortionists and others) who got fed up fighting for worthless causes? Did you kill someone and 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! 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 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 WordDeclare 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 fool 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

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 Godget 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

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 Godget 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/