Music Monday: Holy Spirit

Music has been a huge part of my life, and sometimes songs come along that really strike a chord in my heart.  This new series on the blog, which may or may not appear every week, is a way for me to share some of my favorite songs with you.  Some will be new, some will be old, but they will all mean something special to me.  I hope that you enjoy them just as much as I do.

The first installment of Music Monday is the song "Holy Spirit."  I'm not sure who originally sang it, but artists such as Francesca Battistelli and Kari Jobe have recently made it popular.  I first heard this song about two years ago, and it has been my favorite worship song ever since.  To be honest with you, sometimes I can't stand listening to Christian radio stations because the songs get repeated over and over and even new songs tend to have the same message as the others that we have been listening to for years.  However, this song is different.

The lyrics of "Holy Spirit" are honest, raw, and full of emotion.  When I hear this song, I am reminded of the delightful times I have had with God.  Being in His presence is the most satisfying thing I have ever experienced.  Naturally, I want that more.  I know that God is always with me and even dwells within me, but there is something so special about inviting His presence into my space.  To me, that's what this song is, a cry to God to draw near.  The chorus is as follows:

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

Those lyrics outline the deepest desire of my heart.  Sometimes, the words come out as a desperate plea when I am reminded that I need God.  It's then that I beg for more of His presence to come, surround me, and become tangible.  We all have those moments where we need the world to wash away and be replaced by our God drawing so close that we can feel nothing but Him.  

The bridge of this song echos this same call to God:

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness

If you have never heard this song, check out the video below.  Don't just listen to it though, worship with it.  The lyrics are so powerful, and I don't want you to miss out on the ways God may use this song in your life.  If you have never experienced the presence of God, I encourage you all the more.  He wants to be real to you and desires to spend time with you.  No place or time is off-limits for God.  Go and invite Him to be with you.  

The Unlikely Bully

Growing up in this day and age is difficult.  We are constantly being compared to and comparing ourselves to others.  It's extremely degrading.  From the time we are little, we can't get away from the feeling that maybe we aren't good enough.  For the most part, I blame the media.  Being barraged by these thoughts and ideas from external sources takes a toll.  Eventually, we begin to believe it.

I have not been exempt from this trend.  In fact, I've been bullied because of my shortcomings, but not from others.  I became my own bully when I bought into all the lies that I heard from society.   If you hear something enough, you will probably begin to believe that it's true.  In my case, I was never directly targeted and people rarely pointed out things in my life that I should change.  However, I started having doubts about myself and began to mentally put myself down.

Self-talk, or how you speak to yourself, is crucial to how you feel about yourself.  Once I realized this, I began to change how I spoke to myself.  There is so much power behind the words in our head.  It can build us up or tear us down.  Maybe you don't even realize that you are hurting yourself through your own thoughts.  If that is the case, are the words you say to yourself okay to say to others or would you be considered a bully if they were spoken aloud about another person?  Putting your thoughts in a different perspective can help you to understand that it's not acceptable to treat yourself badly.  You don't deserve it, no matter what you've been telling yourself.  It's unhealthy for your mental state of mind. 

One excuse for self-bullying that I have heard is that it keeps a person humble, but I want to make it very clear that this is not true.  In fact, it seems that bullying exposes how self-centered a person can be.  When I realized the destructive thoughts I was having about myself, I also realized that I had a hard time taking my thoughts away from myself.  My own insecurities became difficult to look past and began to overtake my mind.  As I began to filter my thoughts to a more healthy way of thinking, much like having a filter for my mouth, I found that I was focusing much less on myself. 

Not only is self-bullying bad for you, but what do you think God would say about it?  He commands us to love one another, and I believe that includes ourselves.  He loves us and has seen all of the mistakes we have made, so why can't we also accept ourselves.  If you are struggling with this topic, ask God what He thinks of you.  Write it down and believe it.  Don't let your own opinions become more important that those from our creator.  If you have questions, leave them in the comments or tweet me @TheEmptyCorner and I will be sure to get back to you.

Confession #2: Loving yourself is more difficult than it sounds

Psalm 119:9-16

^{Since July, I've been slowly reading through the book of Psalm in addition to studying other parts of the Bible.  I decided to start doing this when I was feeling far from God one day.  In the time that I've been working through it, I have found that it is such a refreshing book to read.  Many of the chapters can be read as prayers or worship to God.  Others reveal struggles that were faced by the author and give comfort to me in the times when I don't feel very strong.}  

^{Earlier this week, I read Psalm 199:9-16 and thought it was so simple and so profound.  The question posed in verse nine is one that I think many people struggle with.  What should we be doing?  What should we avoid doing?  Yet the answer given here is so simple: live according to the word of God.  Like most things, it sounds easier than it is.  However, the author is so wise.  He immediately goes to God asking for help.  We must do our part and seek God, but He is the only one who can give us the power to live according to His word.  We cannot do it alone.}  

^{Let us go humbly to God and allow Him to work in our lives.  Dive into scripture.  Pray fervently.  Don't be afraid to sit before Him in silence.  Allow His peace to wash over you like only He can do.  If that all seems a bit too much, just read the Bible.  It is our guide for how to live our lives righteously.  If we love God and believe that He is good, we should also desire to serve Him with our lives.  The Bible also reveals the character of God.  We have such a powerful tool in the Bible, and it should not be wasted.  If you haven't picked yours up in a while, do it today.  God is not mad at you for allowing it to collect a little dust.  He loves you more than you can imagine.}  

^{Psalm 119:9-16}

⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
¹² Praise be to you, Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
    all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.

Forgetting God

Sometimes it feels like life is moving one million miles per hour and I'm left in the dust.  Then, there are those times when I'm moving so quickly, trying to get everything accomplished, that I leave behind the most important things in life.  Isn't it odd how that happens?  We do what we have to in order to get by and end up forgetting about or neglecting that which gives us life.  Well, maybe I'm the only one, but I'm guessing someone agrees with me on this.

Since going back to school from Christmas break, every week has been jam-packed with more work than I have time to do.  I stay up as late as possible for me, which means I'm out by midnight almost every night, and every waking moment is spent in an attempt to decrease my workload.  Not only is this exhausting, but it leaves little time for God.  Now, I'm not blaming professors for my poor time management, but I just want to put it out there that it happens.  Maybe you can relate, and if you do I hope you realize that you're not alone. 

I get caught up in deadlines, those little numbers I write in my planner that dictate whether or not I have time for a bit of freedom.  When I do have the occasional chance to relax a bit, I have to admit that I don't go straight to God.  He's the source of life, yet I reach for my phone as if that game I've been playing is going to magically take away my stress.  It never has before . . . but maybe this time, beating that level will fulfill my need.  I fall for it every time.  I'm currently shaking my head, wondering how I can believe such an obvious lie.  I think part of the problem is that there is no deadline for spending time with God.  No one is going to fail me if I don't read my Bible every day, so I don't treat it with the same priority.  There is some harm in that thought process, but our freedom is really a wonderful thing.  This freedom of choice He gives us is ours to do with what we please.  

I guess what I really wanted to do here was to shed some light on a situation because nothing good ever comes from keeping things in the dark. 

Confession #1: It's easy to forget about God