TLT Worship Help for the Week

Father God, we worship You this morning.
We praise You.
We adore You, Yaweh and Adonai, our Lord.

You are worthy to be praised and worshiped forever. 
Let us bow down and sing a new song that You have planted within us through your Spirit. We give You glory, God, for in You we live and move and exist in our being.
You are our Creator and Maker. 

Father, we thank You for your loving kindness and tender mercy. We praise You, for your love endures forever.
 
And we glorify and magnify your holy name, Jesus, that is higher above every other name!

We thank You, Lord, for your wonderful, saving grace.
You have redeemed us back to the Father, allowing us to have eternal life, unending joy, and a more abundant life. You've sent us the Holy Spirit that we praise by utilizing your power and authority of your name.

You are truly our Savior, Messiah and Master, and there's none other. Hallelujah! The Way, the Truth, and the Life: that is You, Jesus. Thank You, Lord.

We look upon You and would like to listen to your voice.
You are faithful to your covenants, Lord Jesus; likewise, let us be faithful to all your words. Help us obey your commandments through the power of the Spirit.
We appreciate this opportunity to worship You like always.

Lord, remember all those who are under heavy persecution and oppression for the sake of their faith in You. Let your gospel advance through us and set them free from the devil's bondage.
For your glory and your kingdom, Lord!

Let us arise in your light and shine on them with your Gospel light.
In Jesus' almighty name, Amen.

MESSAGE FOR TODAY

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.." (Isaiah 58:6~9 NIV)

The religious people in the Chistendom all over the world are now observing Lent. Lent basically denotes the specific period of about 40 days (excluding Sundays) before the Easter, beginning from the day, so-called Ash Wednesday. Some of them do fasting in abstinence from various meats, drinks, and sex. Lent is originated from the Roman Catholic church. In other words, it is not based on Biblical standards.

Most of the ecclesiastical traditions including those refined and modernized seasonal feasts are from the institutional church system, not from the Bible. We don't even know exactly when Jesus arose from the dead. We just presumed the day perhaps fell about forty days before the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down.

So I assume it's more important to observe our hearts to be humble before the Lord, not before certain traditions or systems. Observing specific dates or feasts is not the real issue, but obeying His words is. We are observers of feasts no more in the terms of the Old Testament.

Some nominal Christians even mock their own tradition during the carnival, making the whole process of Lent very secular and ridiculous. Holy carnival? Is this a joke? Nonsense!
Christianity is not like that. What makes Christianity really Christian is the word of God, not traditions. But many people believe tradition is everything. As a matter of fact, they live in a world of make-believe. 

Religious customs don't make you holy. The text today gives us some clues of what real holiness and piety is about. The ancient Hebrews believed people with true godliness were those who were loved by God with "hesed" which means covenant love. And modern Jewish people also have the same beliefs. But now, God is the God of everybody who believes in Jesus Christ. Hesed is no more exclusive love for a single chosen nation people. Hesed is for everyone who is chosen by God in Christ Jesus.

In this regard, actual devotion is from helping others spiritually and physically.
Do you help someone to escape from the satanic matrix of this world system and turn to the Lord? If so, then you are truly devout. You are being "hesed-ed" by God.

Do you set someone free from oppression and dejection in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit? Then, according to the word, you are fasting in a true sense.

Do you loosen someone's yoke of bondage which Satan put on, through the blood of Jesus? Then you are really acting on the word of God.         

Here, oppression or enslavement isn't necessarily related to some political or physical situation. Rather, it is mainly spiritual, though some mental and physical results may be involved. In that sense, we are spiritual helpers-도우미(do-u-mi) for the victims of Satan. In the mighty name of Jesus, we can do whatever for the glory of God, including to help them to be set free.   

And that's exactly what the Lord came for(Luke 4:18,19). That's also what his Apostles would do(Acts 3:6,7). The key Jesus meant to give Peter was not the authoritative-looking gold key on some ecclesiastical seals, but the authority of loosening and binding of spiritual objects(Matthew 16:19).

You can break the yoke of bondage upon someone's neck and shoulders with the authority Jesus gave you through his Spirit. Believe it or not, you can do that; and that's what you are supposed to do according to his Word. God said: "Let my people go." That's what we are supposed to say to Satan. The Pharaoh was the prototype of Satan.

You can command evil spirits like this:

      Satan, in the almighty name of Jesus, I command you to loosen your hold upon this daughter of God right now. Let her go!

These are to be initiated before we go to the next stage of this "fasting" process. Human spirits are the most precious things in God's sight. That's why we've got to help their spirits first or abreast with meeting their most urgent necessity.

Then, you may ponder on how you can help people who are in need. 
Some in your community could be starving right now. Some may be without proper raiment. Some are in bad shape due to lack of basic but essential necessities. You can help them with your resources and prayers.

Remember: Always think about their spirits first.
That's how you truly fast for the glory of God.

God bless you all.