Psalm 111 Praise as Practice

Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in prayer and meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God.

Psalm 32 Acknowledging Our Sins

Do your sins define who you are? Are they opportunities for you to learn and grow? Or do you hide your sins from yourself and others to maintain a facade? To sin is merely “to miss the mark” and we are all constantly doing that. How we process our missteps is just as important as the actual sin.

It is important to remember that we must acknowledge our sins before we can be healed of them. What does that mean? It does not mean that we wallow in them, feel guilty about them, give them power over us, or punish ourselves over them. It merely means that we must delve deep enough within our consciousness to know they are there. We cannot heal a trait that we do not recognize. As the psalmist says, we try to hide our iniquities from God. In reality, God is omniscient and so we have really only tried to hide our sins from ourselves.

Psalm 103 Gratitude

It is important to approach each day with an attitude of gratitude.  Gratitude is not something we express only when things are going well or only for those experiences we enjoy.  We must be grateful for everything.  That includes the challenges we all face.  If we can take a Christ-like view of our lives we will see blessings in every situation, no matter what the appearance is.  This is the secret to health, happiness, and prosperity.

Psalm 93 God in the Center

The one fact is God. All other things are circumstance.

- Unknown

If we think about it for a minute, it is a strange thing that so often we feel distant and removed from God. How is it that we experience isolation from a God who always is, has been, and will be in our presence and in our midst?

Psalm 26 Integrity

What does the word integrity mean? Most of us think of this word in terms of either being in accordance with worldly standards or some standard we have set for ourselves. This psalm explores an alternate meaning for the word. It is not of our own strength that we claim integrity. It is when we know that God is before us and behind us every step that we can rest in our faith. To stand in integrity is to conform unwaveringly to God’s standard or God’s will through attention to the Christ presence within us.

Psalm 1 The Path to Happiness

So often we find ourselves very unhappy although we are following the culturally prescribed path to happiness. The media tells us if we buy more things, we will be happy. Our friends and family tell us that if we become powerful lawyers, doctors or CEOs we will be happy. These worldly things may bring a semblance of happiness, but it is always transient. Any time that we look outside of ourselves for happiness, we will inevitably be disappointed.

Psalm 84 Worshipping in the Temple

Once we have turned our attention Godward, we are transformed. When we have had a taste of the Truth it becomes irresistible to us. Even though there are many challenges to be met along the way, when we have experienced the joy of letting go and letting God, it is impossible to forget. There is such happiness and harmony when we go with the flow of Spirit rather than resisting. What a gift it is to learn that God truly has only our best interests at heart! When we put ourselves completely into God’s hands, we can have all of these things with no effort of our own.

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to orient our lives around our relationship to God.

Psalm 48 The Fortress of Love

Love is the most powerful force in the world. This statement sounds idealistic, at best, and insane, at worst, in world of materialism and greed. But those who have attained some level of spiritual understanding know that the power of love can conquer all evil (ungodliness). If we take the time to observe, we can easily see that love has the ability to transform any circumstance. If we can remember to apply the force of love in all of our challenging situations, we will be astounded at the level of security it provides.

Psalm 104 Creativity

We have the opportunity to participate in the field of Divine creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Psalm 22 The Dawn

All of us suffer through experiences where the appearance of things can make us question our relationship with God: whether God is still near us and whether we are worthy of God’s attention. We know better, but at times we are overwhelmed by the enormity of our circumstance. When we are awash in negative thoughts, it feels as if that they have gained control of us. We become overwhelmed because negativity literally dominates our energy (the bulls of Bashan) and can easily run rampant over us until it consumes us. Our vital energy becomes spent (I am poured out like water), our heart is melted, and our mouth is dry. We are as good as dead, for we have lost touch with the current of Life and Spirit. It is always darkest before the dawn.

Psalm 111 Praise As Practice

Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God. Christianity is a practical daily application of Universal Truth, not theory.

Psalm 100 Present in Praise

Have you noticed that it is difficult to praise God when we are focused on the past or the future? The only moment in which we can truly experience the Divine is now. This poem calls every fiber of our being in to joyous praise. We are to be fully present in the present. Giving thanks to God should be done with gladness not fear or moroseness. Singing is an activity that draws our whole being into praise. When we sing the sound causes vibrations within and around us, creating harmony. Also singing relaxes the left or analytical brain. It allows us to be fully present in the moment.

Psalm 139 God is Great! God is Good!

Image via WikipediaWhen we sit back and truly contemplate all that we are, we cannot help but be mesmerized. Each beat of our heart takes so many interrelated processes working in exact harmony, we know that it is impossible that human being could create something so perfect. If we sit and observe the precision of nature, we are filled with a profound reverence for life and for God. We can take comfort in the immanence and steadfast love of God. We should take time to contemplate our lives and marvel at the wonder that is our existence.

Psalm 119:105-112 Discipline

It is not through intellectual understanding that we follow God. It is through surrendering to the Divine that we attain wisdom and understanding. Knowing God is not an overnight process but a lifelong one. Age does not necessarily bring wisdom, for one who is obstinate may have lived many years, but has not learned the true lessons of life. We can only hope that each day, in fact every minute and second, that our mind is open and receptive enough to learn all of the new lessons before us. When we follow the law it is a sweet thing because we can rest in the comfort of God’s protection and in the Truth.  8KQGVYRRHRJQ

Psalm 13 In God’s Time

Image via WikipediaHow long? This is the eternal human cry. Waiting on God is one of the greatest challenges every believer faces. We must recognize that we are part of God’s plan not vice versa. It is our responsibility to maintain our faith in the divinely ordained outcome in every situation. Often we believe we are praying correctly for what we want in our lives but we get overly specific. Instead of letting go and letting Spirit reveal Its gifts to us, we become attached to a particular outcome. When we engage in this state of mind, quite often we give up and say that our prayer did not work. We delay the gifts that God has in store for us with wavering faith.

Psalm 104 Creativity

Image by Robert Pratten via FlickrWe have the opportunity to participate in the field of creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Psalm 93 God in the Center

The one fact is God. All other things are circumstance. -Unknown

If we think about it for a minute, it is a strange thing that so often we feel distant and removed from God. How is it that we experience isolation from a God who always is, has been, and will be in our presence and in our midst?

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. First, there is the time of rapid advancement in which we have a lot of activity going on and our progress feels very real and measurable. These times can be experienced as a high because we are in the flow and we can feel it with every fiber of our being. We feel the Presence and Power of God in a tangible way. These are the times in which we are acutely aware of Divine activity in our lives.

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Image via Wikipedia Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation.