INTRODUCTION:
There was a story of a man who had an experiment with the fleas.
Fleas are wingless insects with mouth parts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood living in mammals and birds or dogs.
He put some fleas in a jar with a covered top on it.
Obviously, the fleas jump and hit the top over and over again.
Then, as he watched them jump and hit the top, he noticed something interesting.
The fleas continue to jump, but they were no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.
Then, he continued his experiment by taking off the cover of the bottle.
He noticed that the fleas continued to jump, but they did not jump out of the jar even if there was no more cover.
He repeated it, but it was the same thing, they won't jump out because they can't.
His conclusion was simple.
The fleas have conditioned themselves in their minds to jump just so high.
Once they have conditioned themselves to jump that high, that's all they can do.
They give up and could not reach higher.
Many times, people do the same thing.
They restrict themselves and never reach their greatest potential even if they able.
Just like the fleas, they fail to jump higher, failed to reach their dreams.
They think that it is all they can do, that is all there is in life.
They don't know that God has much greater and better plan ahead.
If this is for you, I want you to read this verse carefully.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) " 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Many of you have memorized this verse.
In fact, you might have known this verse for many years already.
But still you have not yet discovered fully God's plan for your life.
You have not yet reached your maximum potential.
Just like those fleas, we only reach the barest minimum in life.
God wants us to believe that we can do greater things when God is on our side.
Because the text tells us also that "He knows" this plan for us.
That means, God knows or understands this plan from the very beginning to the very end but we don't know that.
His knowledge and understanding no one can fathom and is very much different from our own knowledge and understanding.
And then, it says here that the goals or purposes of His plan for us are: "to prosper us and to give us a hope and a future."
He does not intend to harm us in any way.
He intends to give us a great future where we could ultimately look back and appreciate altogether how it all unfolds right before our very eyes.
Brothers and sisters, God has a great plan for you and me.
He wants us to jump out of the bottle because it has no more cover.
The sky is the limit to what you can achieve.
Let me tell you another story.
Not about flies, but this time, a real person named Anthony Burgess.
He was 40 when he learned that he had only one year to live.
He had a brain tumor that would kill him within a year.
He knows he had a battle on his hands.
He was completely broke at the time, and he didn't have anything to leave behind for his wife, Lynne, soon to be a window.
Burgess had never been a professional novelist in the past, but he always knew the potential was inside him to be a writer.
So, for the sole purpose of leaving royalties behind for his wife, he put a piece of paper into a typewriter and began writing.
He had no certainty that he would even be published, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.
"It was January of 1960," he said, "and according to the prognosis, I had a winter and spring and summer to live through, and would die with the fail of the leaf."
In that time Burgess wrote energetically, finishing five and a half novels before the year was through.
But Burgess did not die.
His cancer had gone into remission and then disappeared altogether.
In his long and full life as a novelist, he wrote more than 70 books, but without the death sentence from cancer, he may not have written at all.
Many of us are like Anthony Burgess, hiding greatness inside, waiting for some external emergency to bring it out.
Ask yourself what you'd do if you had Anthony Burgess's original predicament.
" If I had just a year to live, how would I live differently? What exactly would I do?"
You can discover the potential that is in you.
Here is the truth.
Our eyesight is very much limited.
We only see what lies in the present.
When we have problems, our vision becomes blurred because the problem is being largely projected in our thoughts that dim our eyesight.
And so, we have no way to see His over-all plan for us.
We have no way to appreciate what He is doing for us.
If only God will give us the ability to see beyond our time and give us the chance to see our future, so that we can discover that His plan is really the best.
Then, there is nothing for us to worry about.
There is nothing for us to be depressed about.
But God does not allow this to happen, praise God.
He keeps us in suspense each day.
He wants us to trust Him one day at a time.
He wants us to go through the daily difficulties of life and overcome each problem we face.
He wants us to remain faithful until ultimately, He will bring us to the place where He wants us to go so that he could use us fully.
That is how God works.
And that is the topic of our message for us today as we look at the life of Gideon in Judges 7.
Let me refresh your memory.
At that time, Israel had been so wicked before the eyes of God.
Joshua had died many years before that and there was no real leader who could unite them to follow God.
And so, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Whatever seems good for them, they did it and followed after their own flesh and worshiped other gods made of stone.
Because of that, God was angry at their sin and He gave them over to the ruthless enemy, the Midianites.
The Midianites would come suddenly when they would harvest their crops and would take everything they had including all their livestock and their grains.
The Israelites were so fearful of the Midianities that they decided to dwell in caves, in mountain shelters and under strongholds to protect themselves.
And when they could not bear the atrocities and the sufferings any longer, they decided to cry out to the Lord and the Lord heard them.
It was then that God sent an angel to raise up a man named Gideon.
He was threshing the wheat one day when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him: "The Mighty Warrior."
Judges 6:12 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Gideon could not believe what he just heard.
How could he be a great warrior when he is the least in the family and his clan is the weakest in Israel.
No way. The angel might be making a big mistake.
But the angel of the Lord assured him of such calling and told Gideon that he will defeat the Midianites and that not one of them will survive.
God has a great plan for him but he does not know that.
He was just like everyone of us, who was not fully convinced at first.
And so, he asked for a sign and the Lord answered miraculously.
Eventually, he was fully convinced that indeed, the Lord called him to be the next Judge, the next Deliverer of Israel.
This is the ripple effect that we talked about last week.
The ripple effect of sin due to Israel's disobedience.
The ripple effect of prayer when the people cried out to the Lord for help.
And the ripple effect of a consecrated life when Gideon overcame the enemy by the power of God.
In the same manner, God calls you and He will look at you and He will tell you that someday, you too will become a mighty warrior for God.
You might think differently and reject this idea, but God assures you.
When He calls you, He will anoint you and He will prepare you and equip you for the work ahead.
You only have to be a willing vessel for God's glory.
You see the present which is incomplete, but God sees the future which is perfect and good.
But you must allow Him to mold your life one day at a time.
And so, we will look at the three things that we must do for God's plan to unfold before our eyes.
1. GOD'S PLAN REQUIRES HUMILITY.
2. GOD'S PLAN REQUIRES SUBMISSION.
3. GOD'S PLAN WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO HIS GLORY.
1. GOD'S PLAN REQUIRES HUMILITY IN EVERY SITUATION.
Judges 7:1-2 "Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained."
Here in Judges chapter seven, we find Gideon had already gathered about thirty two thousand men ready to go and attack the Midianities.
He though that he needed more men to gain a resounding victory over the enemy.
His plan is the more soldiers he has, the more chance of winning the battle.
His confidence is in his military strength - the artillery, the manpower, the infantry, the tanks and planes.
And that is our same line of thinking.
We thought that the battle is done in our own terms and in our own methods.
But God has a different plan.
He knew what would happen in the future and in the hearts of the people.
God knew that if He allowed Gideon to fight the enemy and succeed in doing so, Gideon might boast that it was his army that gave him such a resounding victory.
He might boast of his accomplishment rather than boast in the name of the Lord.
But God hates any self boasting and pride as if it was by their own strength that they have claimed victory.
He wants the glory to Himself and not to be given to someone else.
You see, whenever we boast about ourselves, God cannot tolerate it.
He cannot mold our hearts, he cannot speak to our ears.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Here are some verses that will tell us WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE HEART IS FULL OF PRIDE:
1. AN ARROGANT HEART IS SO DECEPTIVE. Gal. 6:3 (NIV) "3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves."
That word "deceive" means being misled or being dishonest with oneself.
This is a situation when a person has been so overtaken with lies that he does not know the truth.
He does not know who he really is, he does not know his strength and weakness.
For instance, a person might think that he is always superior over every one at work and will feel disappointed when the real truth will come out and he will get fired by the big boss.
That is why it is always important to always level up with the people around you.
2. AN ARROGANT HEART WILL BRING HIM LOW. Prov. 29:23 (NIV) " Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor."
That word "low" probably means being put down such as brought into public humiliation and criticism because of his own action in the past.
It said that an arrogant heart will someday bring him down.
3. AN ARROGANT HEART WILL BRING DISGRACE. Proverbs 11:2 (NIV) " When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom."
That word "disgrace" means state of shame and bad reputation, contempt and dishonor.
This is a picture of a person that has lost the respect and honor of his constituent and became like a disgraced politician or disgraced criminal.
4. AN ARROGANT HEART WILL BE PUNISHED. Proverbs 16:5 (NIV) " The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished."
And ultimately, punishment is the result of an action that dishonors God.
It could be in the form of imprisonment or disciplinary action.
And of course, we know that God Himself will punish an arrogant heart.
5. AN ARROGANT HEART WILL BRING DESTRUCTION AND FALL. Prov. 16:18 (NIV) "Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall."
Then, again, arrogance if left unchecked will bring about the destruction of his soul to eternal lake of fire.
It is not a good picture, my brothers and sisters of a person who is so overwhelmed by personal boasting and arrogance.
Just a mere thought of "my own strength has saved me," is considered an abomination to the Lord.
No wonder, God has to correct it right away among His own people, Israel.
And if you look at the other side, God requires humility.
1. IF YOU ARE HUMBLE, YOU HAVE WISDOM. Prov. 11:2 (NIV) " When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom."
This is what we always need.
Wisdom is insight into every decision we make.
It is the ability to caution yourself and say, "I must not boast about myself, but I must always boast about God!"
It all comes from the character of humility which we find in the character of Christ.
2. IF YOU ARE HUMBLE, YOU WILL OBTAIN HONOR. Prov. 29:23 (NIV) "Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor."
That word "honor" means attention, or credit that will not come from self, but from others who have seen your performance and they will be the one to esteem you with distinction.
And of course, if no one honors you, it is God who will give you honor when the time comes.
3. IF YOU ARE HUMBLE, GOD GIVES YOU MORE GRACE. James 4:6 (NIV) "6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
More grace is all we need because we make too many mistakes in life.
The more we humble ourselves, the more God gives us such grace and special favor.
And so, it is always better to act in humility rather than to boast about oneself.
When we are humble, we are more pliable to God's molding.
When we are humble, we learned that the fight is not about us, but it is the Lord's.
When we are humble, we submit to His will rather than allowing our own desire to prevail.
Somebody said that "Humility is the ability to give up your pride and still retain your dignity."
Brothers and sisters, Humility is the only way to victory.
And this is the opposite of what the world thinks.
That is why His plan is always different from us.
His plan is always the best plan.
Story:
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the Old Testament during the time of Daniel?
He was a powerful man who also worshiped false gods and idols.
However, God has a plan to reveal himself to King Nebuchadnezzar by allowing his faithful servants, Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach and Abedneggo to cross his path.
But because of his great human empire, he thought that he, himself was almost like a god.
He did not understand that God was the Only God and that He was in control of Everything.
And so, one day, as he looked over his magnificent kingdom, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"
It was pride.
Pride is thinking too highly of oneself.
He thought that he had built the kingdom by himself.
And so, God struck him for pride.
King Nebuchadnezzar was still speaking when a voice was heard from heaven taking away his authority.
He was driven away from his own people and wandered about like wild animals, eating grass just like cattle.
His body was wet with the dew of haven and he stayed that way until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle.
Even his nails became like the claws of a bird.
It was a great humiliation for a king.
All because he as being overcome by his pride.
However, at the end of that time, Nebuchadnezzar looked up toward heaven and his mind became clear again.
He now understood the great plan of God for his life.
He began to praise the Most High God and gave Him honor and glory.
He now understood the power of Almighty God and His kingdom that will never end compared to the kingdom of this world.
It was only then that he was put back on the throne and his his honor and glory as the king of Babylon were returned to him.
It was lesson learned the hard way.
You could read the entire story in the Book of Daniel chapter 4.
And so, ask yourself these questions:
Am I pliable to God's molding process?
Have I given up my pride and humbly submit my plans to His over-all plan?
Brothers and sisters, that is the reason why He called us.
That we always point to Him and not to ourselves!
2. HIS PLAN REQUIRES SURRENDER TO HIS WILL.
Judges 7:44 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink."
God declared that Gideon had too many soldiers.
And so, he wants those who tremble in fear to turn back and leave the camp.
Not only does God abhor boasting, but he abhors those who are fearful in battle.
God despises those who run away from the enemy when God tells them to stand and fight.
Because God knows that cowardice is extremely contagious.
The army will be severely affected when one soldier cannot stand fast in battle.
You see, God wants you and me to hold on to each other and boldly face the enemy with courage and bravery.
He wants to take away the fears from our hearts.
It said that about two thousand men left while about ten thousand more remained.
His plan is always different.
This is a very interesting story of how God separated one group from the other and made his personal selection of fighting men that will remain.
Notice what happens here.
First, with the remaining ten thousand men, they were brought to the water and told to drink.
And as each one drinks, God was looking intently at the manner each one drinks water.
There were two groups of men that were distinguished because of this.
Those men who lapped the water with their tongues and those men who kneel down to drink.
The text tells us that God chose those men who lapped the water with their tongues.
Why would God chose these men who would lapped with their tongues?
I tell you, I have difficulty understanding this verse myself.
I have to make a lot of research as to why God would choose these men than the others.
If you ask me, I would choose those who knelt down to drink rather than those who would lap water with their tongues like a dog does.
But God's thoughts are different from us.
His ways are much different from us.
Isaiah 55:8-9New International Version (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Finally, I read from the commentary of Derek Prince and he said that God focused on one single character requirement: Vigilance.
"Picture those who drank in the normal way.
They lay aside their shield from the left arm and their spear - or sword - from the right arm.
Then, they went down on both knees and buried their faces in the water.
In this posture, they were totally vulnerable to a surprise attack.
They could not see any approaching army, nor did they have their weapons ready to use.
In the time they took to get themselves ready, the enemy would have overcome them.
That is why God did not choose them.
What about those who lapped like dogs?
When a dog drinks, it does not bury its nose in the water, it stretches out its tongue and laps the water up into its mouth, usually splashing some water around.
How then should we picture the men who lapped?
They went down on one knee only.
Retaining their shield on their left arm, with the right arm they set down their spear or sword beside them.
Then, with a cupped hand, they scooped up the water to their mouths.
In this posture, they remained alert, constantly watching for any surprise attack.
Their shields were already in position and they could instantly pick up their spear or sword and have it ready to use.
There was no possibility of the enemy taking them by surprise.
Only 300 of Gideon's men passed this second test."
Quite an interesting explanation.
But whatever the reason might be, God chose differently than us.
We look at the outside appearance, but God looked at the heart of men.
There are many things we do not know, but we have to submit to His will.
Judges 7:77 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others."
The Lord told Gideon that with the 300 men, God will save them and give the Midianites into his hands.
Gideon could not do anything more than to surrender to God's will and sent the rest of Israelites home.
God's plan requires surrender to His will.
That word "surrender" actually does not appear in the verse but when he sent them home, it was a way of surrender, of giving up, of resigning and fully abandoning himself to God's will and purpose.
In this case, Gideon was a man starting with 32,000 followers ready to go to battle.
But by following God's plan, he saw his army reduced, his rank lowered and his pride crushed.
He needs to let go of his ego.
He needs to let go of his pride.
He needs to surrender Himself and allow God to take over.
And that is what God desires from each one of us as we allow God's plan to fully take place in our lives.
Here are the Scriptures on what God requires from us:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SURRENDER TO GOD?
1. SURRENDER MEANS SELF-DENIAL. Matthew 16:24 (NIV) " 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Self-denial might mean abstinence from those things that take away much of your time from serving God.
For instance, if that new hobby of yours or that new gadgets of yours takes a lot of your time that you cannot have quality prayer or Bible reading, you have to surrender that and learn self-denial.
You put less priority on your desires and more priority on His desire for you.
That is surrender.
2. SURRENDER MEANS NOT LEANING ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) "
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
Not leaning on our understanding means there are things that happen in our lives that we cannot explain or we cannot comprehend but we submit to Him in spite of these questions marks.
Probably you tried many times to start a business but you always fail.
You don't know what to do.
He might want you to be in the ministry rather than in business.
That is how God works and He knows us better than we do ourselves.
That is surrender.
3. SURRENDER MEANS AVOIDING BEING DOUBLE-MINDED. James 4:8 (NIV) " Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Double-mindedness means being indecisive, being uncertain of what path to take, being unsettled or unstable in many ways.
God wants us to be certain, to be decisive, to be determined in our steps.
He wants us to be strong, believing and confident.
That is what surrender is all about.
It's no about us, It's all about Him.
4. SURRENDER MEANS PRESENTING OUR BODIES TO GOD. Romans 12:1 (NIV) " Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
It means you finally say to God: "God, I want you to use my body for purity, for holiness and godliness. I don't want t use this body for immorality, not for the passions of this world, not for sexual desires outside of marriage, not for impurity."
This, my brothers and sisters is what surrender to God is all about.
Let me tell you a story:
Henry Heinz was born in 1844, to a German immigrants in Pittsburg, PA (Pennsylvania).
He helped support his family as a teenager by growing and selling vegetables in the family garden.
After graduating from college and getting married, he started a business selling horse radish.
In 1875, a national financial collapse drove the young company into bankruptcy.
Despite the legal freedom bankruptcy gave him, Heinz regarded each of the company’s outstanding debts as a moral obligation and personally paid back every penny.
Heinz went on to found the H.J. Heinz Company with its 57 varieties and became a leading American businessman.
A devout Christian, he was known for the generous treatment of his employees and his generosity to Christian causes. Throughout his life Heinz conducted his business and personal dealings with the same integrity that led him to pay back hundreds of thousands of thousands of dollars he technically did not owe.
He began his will with these words: “I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will as the most important item in it a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”
That means even before doing anything in his business, he would surrender it all to Christ.
No wonder, God prospered him so much.
The next slide are samples of his products.
That is what it means to have a surrendered life.
And so, ask yourself.
Have you surrendered your body to God?
Have you surrendered your emotion to God?
Have you surrendered your finances to God?
Have you surrendered your relationships to God?
Brothers and sisters, we are not our own, we are brought with a price.
His plan requires surrender to His will.
3. GOD'S PLAN WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO HIS GLORY
Judges 7: 17-18 17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
After Gideon dismissed all and retaining only the three hundred, the Lord has another plan for him.
The Lord saw in the heart of Gideon that he might be afraid to attack the 135,000 army of the Midianites with the three hundred men remaining.
How could they overcome the Midianites when the Bible says that their camels could not be counted like the sand on the seashore?
Probably, Gideon was downhearted at this time?
And God knew what was going on in the heart of Gideon.
In order to encourage Gideon's heart, God told him during the night to go down into the camp of the Midianities and to understand what was going on.
You see, there are many things we do not know happening around us.
Before we get discouraged, we need to trust God that it would work out for good.
So, Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the outposts of the camp and arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream .
"I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midinaite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed."
That loaf of barley was probably a symbol of Gideon and his men coming to them with such force to strike them down and destroy them.
The dream seemed to have little meaning in it; but the interpretation evidently proved to be coming from God.
He discovered that his name had filled the Midinites with fear and terror.
And so, Gideon realized that it was actually the Midianites who were overtaken with fear rather than he entertaining that fear.
You see, sometimes, life is like that.
You are so overwhelmed with fear against the enemy of your soul, but the truth is, the devil cannot hurt us unless the Lord allows him.
We are more than conquerors, the bible says.
We are overcomer in Christ Jesus.
We are mighty warriors enlisted for the Lord's army.
God is on our side.
The devil trembles when we call upon the name of the Lord.
They are the ones who tremble in fear, not us.
And so, with that truth being revealed to Gideon, he was greatly encouraged and he wasted no time to attack.
It was a sure pledge of success from God.
Without delay, he worshiped and praised the Lord and returned with confidence to his three hundred men.
He then divided the three hundred men into three companies.
He placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
With that, Gideon and his men reached the edge of the camp, blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.
Then, they cried out, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"
All the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.
The Lord brought about confusion upon them and the result was a resounding victory for Gideon and his army.
God got all the glory for the victory.
Neither Gideon or his army could go home and brag about what they did on the battle field.
All they did was to blow the trumpet and broke the jars.
The rest was God's doing.
You see, He must receive all the glory for all that happens in our lives.
GOD'S PLAN WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO HIS GLORY
This is what the life of a believer is all about.
WHAT DOES GLORIFYING GOD INVOLVED?
1. GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH WHAT WE EAT OR DRINK. 1 Cor. 10:31 (NIV) " 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
That means we have to eat food that give us the best nourishment for our bodes and extend our strength for we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
2. GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH OUR GOOD WORKS. Matthew 5:16 (NIV) " In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Every good deed the we do while we are on earth whether small or great in the name of the Lord will bring Him glory.
That is your investment for eternity.
3. GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH OUR CONDUCT. 1 Peter 1:14-15 (NIV) " 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;"
The word "conduct" means our character, our attitudes or our behavior to others.
It should not display any wickedness or ungodliness but holiness and purity.
4. GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH OUR WORSHIP. Rev. 4:11 (NIV) " “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Every time we worship God, we glorify Him.
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