Worship Resources
The following websites are excellent sources for worship planning, but also for personal and corporate worship.
Worship Resources International
The following are interesting worship blogs that will stimulate you to reflect upon and think more deeply about the central activity of our church: Worship.
Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin
Guide to Prepare for Communion
The following are some of the features and manifestations of the self-directed life. The Holy Spirit alone
can interpret and apply this to your individual case. As you read, examine yourself in the very
presence of God.
Are you ever conscious of:
- A
secret spirit of pride; an exalted feeling, in view of your success or
position; because of your good training or appearance; because of your
natural gifts and abilities;
- an important,independent spirit?
- Love of human praise; a secret fondness to be noticed; love of supremacy, drawing attention to self in conversation; a swelling out of self when you have had a free time in speaking or praying?
- The stirrings of anger or impatience, which, worst of all, you call nervousness or holy indignation; a touchy, sensitive spirit; a disposition to resent and retaliate when disapproved of contradicted; a desire to throw sharp, heated flings at another?
- Self-will; a stubborn, unteachable spirit; an arguing, talkative spirit; harsh, sarcastic expressions; an unyielding, headstrong disposition; a driving, commanding spirit; a disposition to criticize and pick flaws when set aside and unnoticed; a peevish, fretful spirit; a disposition that loves to be coaxed and humored?
- Carnal fear; a man-fearing spirit; a shrinking from reproach and duty; reasoning around your cross; a shrinking from doing your whole duty by those of wealth or position; a fearfulness that someone will offend and drive some prominent person away; a compromising spirit?
- A jealous disposition, a secret spirit of envy shut up in your heart; an unpleasant sensation in view of the great prosperity and success of another; a disposition to speak of the faults and failings, rather than the gifts and virtues, of those more talented and appreciated than yourself?
- A dishonest, deceitful disposition; the evading and covering of the truth; the covering up of your real faults; leaving a better impression of yourself than is strictly true; false humility; exaggeration; straining the truth?
- Unbelief; a spirit of discouragement in times of pressure and opposition; lack of quietness and confidence in God; lack of faith and trust in God; a disposition to worry and complain in the midst of pain, poverty, or at the dispensations of Divine Providence; and over-anxious feeling whether everything will come out all right?
- Selfishness; love of ease; love of money?
open to the searchlight of God's Word and pray. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV).
The Holy Spirit will enable you, by confession and faith, to bring your “self-life” to the death. Do
not patch over, but go to the bottom. It alone will pay. Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord, Oh, to be lost in Thee; Oh, that it might be no more I, but Christ that lives in me.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, NIV).