We Love Acapella (W.L.A)

Still robbing God? Some Sundays ago, I stood there teaching and leading songs at the Lord's church in Asaba. When you lead, you see a wide array of singers: happy, interested, motivated, detached, disgruntled and even mute. Malachi 3:8-9 (AKJV)  Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Hebrews 13:15 (AKJV)  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. I got wondering if God really would accept what we bring as an offering today. What was an oblation of bulls and rams have been substituted with songs of praise in this new covenant. I think it's easier and even better. For we now have an opportunity to pour our heart felt feelings of gratitude as we make melody in songs to our great God. Those of old robbed God. They offered what the...

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. (James 4:8) (KJV) When we hear the term "headquarters" what normally comes to mind is the "meeting place," or "the place where everything is going on," or even "starting place". Or we can even say the term "headquarters" denotes the place where needs can be met or perhaps protection can be found. Certainly at "headquarters instructions can be given before proceeding further. It is a place of authority. If in this particular juncture in your Christian experience you feel lost, or in the dark, or can't quite find your direction, I challenge you to worship God. I believe that worship is an avenue, along with prayer, that will get us to Headquarters. The throne of God is the meeting place or the place of authority when we find ourselves in need of instruction before we move forward. When mi...

And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." And while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad." But Paul said, I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner . (Acts 26:22-26, NASB) When you know your God-given purpose everybody won't stand with you. It isn't because they don't like you or don't want you around - it's be...

I cry out to God without holding back. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I pray, with hands lifted toward heaven, pleading. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of miracles and wonders ! (Psalm 77:1-2(b); 13-14(a)), NLT) Why do so many of us come into God's presence unprepared? By "unprepared" I mean we have spent no time in His presence during the week. So when Sunday comes we expect to be pumped up by the choir, the preacher, the praise team, etc. But we've got it twisted. I know this may come across hard, but stay with me. There is a vast difference between a huge department store and the dollar store. Everything is cheaper in the dollar stores, whereas in the huge department stores you're going to spend much more because the quality of the product is better. It cost more, but you made the sacrifice to have it because the b...

                                             “We are bound to thank God always for you, Brethren, as it is fitting.” Whether we shall praise God or not, is not left to our opinion. Although the Commandments say not, “You shall praise the Lord,” yet praise is God’s most righteous due and every man, as a partaker of God’s bounty, and especially every Christian, is bound to praise God, as it is fitting. It is true we have no authoritative rubric for daily praise. We have no commandment left on record especially prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving. But still the law written upon the heart teaches us with Divine Authority that it is right to praise God. And this unwritten mandate has as much power and authority about it as if it had been recorded on the tablets of stone, or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai! The Christian’s duty is to p...

1 . In your prayer time, ask God what He wants to say during the worship . When choosing songs, resist the temptation to select songs just based on their sound — whether they ’ re energetic or mellow. Instead, ask God to give you a vision for what He wants to do in the worship service . Write it down and prepare for it just as seriously as you would if you were preaching the sermon . Lead every worship service as if it ’ s the greatest opportunity of your life! 2 . Use the Scriptures during worship . The Bible is the foundation of our faith and should therefore not be neglected during worship. One great way to use the Scripture is at the beginning of the praise and worship segment to bring a word of encouragement to people . In doing this , you ’ re directing people ’ s attention to God and His Word . Their minds may be burdened and full of anxiety and care, but as they begin to look at Jesus , their focus is changed, and it’ s easier to lead them into the presence of God...

True worship is honoring God above all, putting Him at the center of our existence and giving our life away to serving Him by serving others just like He first served us.

". . .and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat. . ." Joshua 6:5 (NASB) In wartime, and say what you will, we are in a time of spiritual warfare, God never leaves us to our own human devices. Our deliverance will always come through obedience to His plan. Jericho, a highly fortified city, stood between the Israelites and their Promised Land. God had already given them the city, but there was yet work to be done on their part. What is standing between you and your deliverance? Between you and your blessing? Between you and the fulfillment of God's promise to you? A war cry is loud, aggressive, deliberate, and historically has often been accompanied by some musical instrument, i.e., horns or drums. A war cry is not necessarily intelligible. But it is a strategic move that lets the enemy know we're not fighting without divine help. When a war cry is amp...

"The worship experience must begin with an affair of the heart.  It does not consist of outward forms, rituals, and ceremonies as the Samaritans and others perceived worship.  Likewise, shouting, moaning and groaning do not constitute worship.  God's presence comes when we surrender .  Surrendering to the Holy Spirit allows our yielded spirits to move to new levels of awareness." --Dr. Jerome E. McNeil, Jr. (b. 1949, d. 2012); from his book, The Pain of Change - Transitioning a Church Through Worship and Prayer Read more about Donna R. Patrick

I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:2 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more . Psalm 71:14 (Both passages from the NIV) What would you do if you knew today was your last day on earth? A question like that usually invokes a great deal of thought before answering. Too often we take the praises of God for granted - as something we do only on Sunday morning, or when God has shown Himself in some supernatural way. But our praise to God cannot be "occasional." There is no qualifying language in ". . .at all times" (Ps. 34:1). In Psalm 150 the writer does not distinguish the gender, nationality, or denomination of the praiser; the writer merely says, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Well guess what? That's you. That's me. A person suffering from sleep deprivation is physically tired, mentally drained, and very likely unpr...

But if I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can't do it! But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten . (Jeremiah 29:9, 11, NASB) (emphasis mine) The prophet Jeremiah felt God was toying with him. God had given him a very unpopular message to deliver, and thereby Jeremiah became a very unpopular messenger among the people of Judah. The people didn't like what he had to say, they talked about him, he heard the rumors being spread about him, and he just felt like God was doing him wrong. But he basically said, "I can't keep quiet. If I try not to speak His words are like fire shut up in my bones." Some of us, like Jeremiah feel like God has done us w...

AN EASY AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO KEEP YOUR VOICE IN SHAPE. It is fine to skip your routine indoor practice time, but you want to keep your voice in tune. One easy and quick way to maintain your voice on the go is to hum. Simple isn't it? Yes...and that's the point. Singing and practicing doesn't have to be drudgery. It does require regular work and time put in to keep your voice in good shape and to strengthen it. Humming scales, doing the hum-slide exercise (humming from the top to the bottom of your range and then from the bottom to the top) humming your favorite song, improvised humming are all important ways you can maintain vocal power, flexibility and control. Hum for 5 minutes the first time you begin the process...then a half-hour or so later, hum for about 10 minutes...take a break and throughout the day, hum off and on for 5 - 10 minute increments. Try to build the number of times you hum throughout the day during the week until you can hum 10 - 5 - 10 m...

Have a fulfilled week. Keep praising Him in songs #WLA

All nations whom Thou has made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; And they shall glorify Thy name. For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds; Thou alone art God. I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Thy name forever . (Psalm 86:9-10; 12 NASB) Of all of the uncertainties of life, all the things we can potentially worry about, all the things and people we can never be sure of, there is one thing we CAN always be sure of; and that is God is God . He was God in the beginning and He will be God at the end. God's Word gives us every assurance of that. I love the book of Isaiah because all through that book God is speaking of Himself; He's letting us know unquestionably that He is God and there is none other than Him. That fact alone gives us reason enough to praise Him. The above passage reminds us not only did God make the nations but all of them will worship Him. They will give glory to His name. But the...

I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul . (Psalm 31:7, NLT) Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord's temple. . .He said: Lord God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You . (2 Chron. 20:5-6, Christian Standard Bible). "Lord, I'm just not feelin' this today." When was the last time you said that while you were sitting in church?! I've been there, and I would bet the farm you have too. That's one of those things we find it hard to admit because it makes us look less holy. Perhaps for the real judgmental Christians, we are immediately placed in a backslidden state after making such an admission. No matter how big your Bible is, or how many times you attend church service, there are da...

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (I Cor. 6:19-20) For believers who understand how deep worship really goes, today's title resonates with them. Why is that so? It is because for the true worshiper this is their reality. Worshipers have come to grips with the fact that their worship is not wrapped up in THEM, but in God. True worshipers know with all that is within them that God is the object of their worship regardless of circumstances; whether joy or pain, confusion or order, anxiety or peace, or well-laid plans that seem delayed. For the worshiper it isn't my outward position that governs whether or not I worship God; it is about what's happening on the inside of me. Remember that worship starts with the Father. We must never forget that. He is th...

There are numerous people within our world that absolutely love to sing and are grasped by the proposal of training their voice. Celebrate the gift of singing you have, as all of our voices are unique and beautiful in their own way. Enjoy your time practicing and training your voice!! Learning to care for the voice is a must for all singers . Vocal care and hygiene is a necessity. If the voice is pushed too hard by improper singing from the throat or a lack of breath support or singing without awareness, damage to the vocal chords can result. If you push your voice and over-work it, not only can Laryngitis occur, but nodes or vocal burn can impact the vocal chords, often requiring a need for total vocal rest, sometimes lasting several weeks. If you want to keep your voice in good shape, extend your range, learn to manage your breath, have more stability in your voice and more access to a variety of emotions... sing scales that you like and work on them daily. Vocal exerci...

"The reasons some people sit in church Sunday after Sunday and miss worship are many and varied.  One of them is tradition, or 'religious experience.'  There are people who come to church on Sunday simply because it seems to be the right thing to do; surrendering to God in true worship never enters their minds." "My prayer is that you will, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, raise your level of participation in the worship service from merely  a religious experience to an experience of God's holy presence.  When you seek God's face in worship, you will no longer sit in church for a religious fix, but standing or bowing to meet God and encounter His holy presence." From, It's In Your Praise! , pg. 75 By Donna Renay Patrick

You shall have no other gods before Me . (Deuteronomy 5:7, NASB) In business settings, when a deal did not go as planned, or if a job was lost because of some organizational change, it is often said, "It's not personal; it's just business." Those words are very seldom any consolation to the receiver. Sometimes as I have visited various churches I feel like I'm actually visiting a movie set in Hollywood, and waiting for the words, "lights, camera, action!" from the director. That is not a slight to any church that uses varying degrees of technology to enhance the overall worship experience. But I believe we have to be careful how we mix the business of worship with the personal ministry of worship. While I am aware there is a business side to church, we have to keep the main thing the main thing. Worship is not business to God - it's personal. God's Word is very clear in saying we are to worship God only. He alone is ...

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. " (Isaiah 29:13, NIV) No, I'm not talking about the worship leader - the one playing the instrument, singing, out front leading at the beginning of church service, etc. I'm talking about the lead worshiper, but with a slightly different perspective. You don't have to lead a ministry to worship, but you need to be a worshiper to lead a ministry. Why? Because worship was never our idea, it was God's. In I John 4:19 we see that we love because He loved us first. Worship is a love relationship. It is also about relationship and revelation. As worshipers we acknowledge God for his supreme authority, and from that acknowledgment comes obedience and service. Worship lies at the heart of what we do as leaders. God gave us our leadership abilitie...

so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do." (Isaiah 55:11) Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) In my book I devote several chapters to the reasons why some people sit in church every Sunday and miss worship. I mention things like an improper view of God, guilt, traditionalism, unconfessed sin, and a few others. All of these can create a barrier that makes it difficult...

“Life is not always what we expect. But, when we praise and trust God in the midst of it all we can make it through anything.” ― Amanda Penland

By Lorene Troyer...W.L.A Contributing Writer. Many Christians are living defeated lives because they have never learned how to tap into the power of praise and worship. Worshipping God demonstrates your love and faith in His ability to take care of your problems. When you keep your motives pure and praise Him because you love and desire to please Him, He is able to release blessings in your life. Below are are some of the benefits you’ll experience as a result of praising God. You will have greater peace in your life. By praising God, you release your faith in His ability to take care of you and your needs so you’ll worry less and sleep better. Your family will be blessed for your sake-some examples of this may be your 'husband and children being protected from harm, your husband getting a raise at his job or making decisions that impacts your family in a positive way. As you faithfully continue to praise God, increased blessings will start to appear ...

Bless the Lord, Oh my soul Oh my soul, worship his holy name Sing like never before, Oh my soul I'll worship your holy name The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning It's time to sing your song again Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me Let me be singing when the evening comes Bless the Lord, Oh my soul Oh my soul, worship his holy name Sing like never before, Oh my soul I'll worship your holy name You're rich in love and you're slow to anger Your name is great and your heart is kind For all your goodness, I will keep on singing Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find Bless the Lord, Oh my soul Oh my soul, worship his holy name Sing like never before, Oh my soul I'll worship your holy name Bless the lord, oh my soul Oh my soul, Worship his holy name Sing like never before, oh my soul I'll worship your holy name And on that day when my strength is failing The end draws near and my time has come Still my s...

The most acceptable service we can do and show unto God, and which alone he desires of us, is, that he be praised of us. • Martin Luther The world can be saved by one thing and that is worship. For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. • William Temple

"Praise the Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above." Psalm 148:1 Words & Music: The Book of Psalms , 1831, adapted by William J. Kirkpatrick , 1899 Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, From the heavens praise His name; Praise Jehovah in the highest, All His angels, praise proclaim. All His hosts, together praise Him, Sun and moon and stars on high; Praise Him, O you heav’ns of heavens, And you floods above the sky. Refrain Let them praises give Jehovah, For His name alone is high, And His glory is exalted, And His glory is exalted, And His glory is exalted Far above the earth and sky. Let them praises give Jehovah, They were made at His command; Them forever He established, His decree shall ever stand, From the earth, O praise Jehovah, All you seas, you monsters all, Fire and hail and snow and vapors, Stormy winds that hear His call. ...

It is delightful to worship God, but it is also a humbling thing; and the man who has not been humbled in the presence of God will never be a worshiper of God at all. He may be church member who keeps the rules and obeys the discipline, and who tithes and goes to conference, but he’ll never be a worshiper unless he is deeply humbling. (Worship: The Missing Jewel, 4,5).

Praise and worship go way beyond the songs we're familiar with, songs we dislike or songs we disapprove. It's all about any type of songs that touch God's heart because He's the creator of nations and tribes and His desire is for every nation and every tribe to praise and worship Him in spirit and in truth. That's the God we serve. Euginia Herlihy.. ‪#‎HimAloneDeservedOurPraise‬ .

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of . (Matt. 12:34NIV) Worshipers aren't always popular. Those who worship God with intentionality can be some of the most misunderstood people. Why? It's because the worshiper understands that worship is a matter of the heart, and that means you will guard your heart (Prov. 4:23) and not allow those things contrary to God's plan and purpose for your life to contaminate your heart and your spirit. What does the person who has answered the call to worship look like? God has called us to obedience (Deuteronomy 28). God's Word is full of instances where God rewarded those who are faithful to Him in obedience. God has called us to worship Him - all of us. No denomination, level of spiritual maturity, age bracket, or socio-economic status exempts any of us from the worship of God. Humility. The intentional worshiper understands humility. Wors...