Disappearing Fog

While on Holiday, we ran into some fog going down the highway.  Immediately everything slowed down and people began to travel at a very slow speed.  Obviously, due to this obstruction of sight  what had once been very clear, was now very confusing and tense.  Now my eyes were straining to look for any cars that were braking or unexpected twists and turns in the road.  Moments before, we were on a casual and clear drive, only to be met by a drive that had me leaning forward in my seat, squinting in order to see what was only a few feet in front of me.  Life can be a lot like that.  You are cruising along and everything looks like smooth sailing, and then out of nowhere fog sets in.  There are times when you can see it coming and then there are times when it happens suddenly.  In the valleys of life, it can be even worse.  Fog forms when a cool air mass blows through warm moist air that has high dew points.  It causes the moisture in the air to condense.  Fog also forms when you have cool ground temperature and warm air blows over snow or ice.  Fog is like those times we have such clarity about life that decisions we need to make seem to be obvious.  However, there are times when making decisions become very difficult because of the fog that settles in.  The mental fog slows us down and causes us to focus in.  In fact, everything in life seems to revolve around just getting through the fog.  So as believers, how do we deal with the fog of life?  The Bible tells us that "God is not the author of confusion (fog)".  So, if we are walking through fog, we can conclude it is not coming from God or His Word.  The Word of God and a relationship with Christ are actually the source of true clarity.  However, Satan will use the philosophies, world views, and wisdom of the world to try and bring confusion (fog) into our lives, our decisions, and our direction.  You must guard you mind and heart to prevent the cool winds of the day from blowing over the warm soil of your heart.  Know this, "If you have confusion it is due to thought patterns or a belief system that is contradicting the Truth.  The moment you submit to Truth, the Fog will disappear.

Globally changing -- Eternally Constant

We live in an ever changing world that is growing at an unprecedented rate.  Currently there are over 7.5 billion people around the world.  Less than 1 billion of them are on their way to Heaven.  Christianity is the fastest growing religion across the globe.  Yet, in this country we struggle to see the transformational power of the gospel through all the fog of warfare that we are in.  Do not lose heart in doing good.  In this country we must understand that the church may be in the process of being pushed up against a wall and stuck between a rock and a hard place, but God is still on the throne.  I believe that it is in these moments when we realize there is nothing else that we can do, that we look up and God splits the Red Sea and slays the enemy in the process.  Know this, we are not being set-up to be overcome by the enemy. He has already been overcome.  We are being set-up to experience a sovereign move of God in this country.  Now is the time for the Church of Christ to get their heads out of the News and the Internet and, rather, put their thoughts on the things above.  Remember, God is advancing the Kingdom of God on a Global Scale. In doing that, many of the spiritual forces that were focused on nations like Africa for so long have been kicked out of African nations and those spirits have found solace among those in this nation.  The church must rise up and proclaim “No Vacancy”, commanding all forms of darkness and evil to leave this nation.  There are some who would think that this is all a bunch of meaningless talk and that spirits and evil are just a figment of our imagination. I want to be very clear! Satan is real. Demons exist, and they are coming for anyone who chooses to ignore their existence or even invites them in.  The only way to escape the oppression they bring is to give your WHOLE LIFE and WHOLE HEART to Jesus.  Do it today; do it now.  Once you do, you will understand the authority we possess in Christ. Then, it will be clear how the church blesses a nation by its power to cast out principalities, spirits, and authorities trying to reside in homes, cities, and countries.

Many years ago my dad and mom would take my siblings and I to my grandparent’s cabin in Waupaca, Wisconsin.  We used to love going there to swim in the lake and hike through the woods.  Yet there is something that still stays with me about going to that rustic old cabin.  It was the water.  That's right the water!  It wasn't just well water it was water from an Artesian well. It was  water that was crystal clear, constantly flowing, very cold, and tasted great.  One of the first things we would do when we got there, after all the hugs and hellos was to get a drink from that water.  Before we would leave we would drink to our capacity. (Which meant we would often be stopping on the trip home.)  In the Bible it says that there is a river that flows from that spring that brings Life.  True life!  This river is wound through the Garden of Eden and it is seen in Ezekiel, later passing through the side of Jesus on the cross. Then this river would b eventually seen by John flowing in the New Earth identified in Revelation.  David said in Psalms 36:8 "The pleasures of God's river are our domain."  This water is real and is meant to satisfy the deep longings of the Human Spirit. We don't have to wait until eternity to drink it. In fact Jesus said whoever believed in Him would have the river flow into them, through them, and out of them. When the river comes out of us, it comes in the form of worship.  This would be a river that came from the Father and eventually going back to the father.  

Are people searching for God?  This is an interesting question that I presented to a group of believers at a recent prayer meeting.  What is the objective of our pursuit in fasting, prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and so on?  For many Christians, there is a very clean and easy answer to that question.  God, stupid! Surely I would agree that God should be the center of our pursuit and therefore we know that God is pursuing us.  However, is God really our center, our ultimate, and the numero uno desire of our heart? If we could only have one desire met, what would that desire consist of?  Of Course we would say something Godly.  What would that desire be if we were assured that God would never know?  Too many of us refuse to admit openly what that desire is because God is watching. No amount of cover up can hide those desires because God can see right through the veil. A few days after Jesus fed the 5000 families, he came across a large group of families that he had fed.  They were searching for Him.  Although that sounds spiritual, Jesus pointed out something that I believe is common among the Church of Christ today.  Listen to His words, "You came so that you could get fed, not because of who I am."  God in the flesh was standing right in front of them, yet they were more driven to get their physical needs met.  In the church today, the pursuit is often focused on community, fellowship, becoming better people, meeting financial needs.  All of these are not bad but they were never meant to be pursued.  In fact, Jesus said he would provide all of that to us. JESUS WANTS TO BE PURSUED!  JESUS WILL BE PURSUED!  He is our Groom and we are the Bride of Christ.  Pursue the man of Jesus because He has promised that He will be found.  Seek and you will find, Ask and it will be given to you, and knock and He will let you in.  Don't be deceived any longer.  Ask the Lord to show you where your heart worships. Ask God to take you to the place where He is.  There is no question that you will discover a mystery that you did not even know existed.

Many people throughout the world serve all kinds of gods that they have given definition to.  In fact, their gods have left them with the responsibility of creating god's image, identity, and character.  However, there is a God that has defined for us who He is by sending His direct representation to become man. He did this so that there would be no question of the image, identity, and character of this God.  His name is Jesus. He is the One and Only God.  And it is from this God that I would like for you to receive a revelation. It is this God that gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.  Think about Abraham for a moment when He became old. God gave Abraham a promise and Abraham believed even though his wife, Sarah's womb was dead.  Romans tells us, "Yet he did not WAVER through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his FAITH and gave GLORY TO GOD, being FULLY PERSUADED that God had power to do what he had promised."  Today I want to encourage you to be fully persuaded that God will fulfill His promise in your life.  However, it is important that our speech and life be walked out with expectant faith that does not waver.  God will not be moved by manipulation, whining, and self pity. He is moved only by our unwavering faith.  Remember without faith it is impossible to please God.  So, what promise has God given you? I know the facts may say one thing, but I am here to tell you that the truth says you will see that promise take place.

Recently I made the switch from being a PC user to solely using APPLE products.  It was not an easy transition because I have become very familiar with the software that operates on the PC system.  Making the transition to Apple meant that I would have to transition to new Software, which was very different from what I had learned to appreciate.  Not only was the software different, how you even worked on the Apple system meant relearning basic operations.  

While I was thinking about the difference between two operating systems, it reminded me of the radical change of operating system (Nature) that occurs at Salvation. The Bible says that when we come to Christ He rips out our old nature, heart,and operating system and replaces it with a new heart, perfect nature, and Spirit operating system.  With this new Spirit operating system you are able to comprehend and understand things about God that either did not make sense, or just left you ignorant.  In fact, those who do not operate in the Spirit see the mysteries of Heaven as foolishness.  A fact that is easily illustrated by many people around you that view your character, integrity, love, and faith as being weak minded and disillusioned.  Yet we know these mysteries to be truth because they can only be spiritually discerned by people operating in the Spirit.   

So are you taking full advantage of your new operating system, your new nature. the spirit living inside of you.  There are so many secret mysteries and revelations that the Creator of the universe is waiting to show you.  The Bible promises that if we seek we will find. So isn't it time for you and I to download the mysteries of Heaven so that we can experience the blessings of Heaven on Earth?

Well the announcement is out and Apple is releasing the next new tech item that everyone is in a frenzy to put their hands on, the I-phone 5.  Isn’t it amazing how we have to do almost anything to own one of these toys and in 6 months we are ready for the next version to come out.  We are a culture that moves from craze to craze trying to fill that unquenchable desire to maintain the excitement we feel when we get the next greatest thing.  Yet as we release all that passion into the next empty purpose, we miss the real distraction that is occurring in our lives.  Each of these quests to accomplish the next greatest move or buy the newest thing, rob all of us of the perspective that people are going to Hell all around us.  And we will sleep outside a Best Buy to be the first to by a cell phone that from the moment you buy it is losing value.  Rather than being inconvenienced so we can preach the kingdom of God to people, where the moment they get saved that person’s value increases.  There is no other pursuit with lasting rewards like the pursuit of a Soul.  Today I would like to encourage to ask yourself, “What is the pursuit of my life?”  In order to find what should be the answer for our life we need to look at the life of Jesus. His only pursuit came down to one phrase, “Seek and to Save that which are lost.”  When He died we inherited that pursuit in the “Will.”

Have you ever heard the statement, "Seeing is believing"?  Well that is not always the case.  In fact, many times you can be looking right into the eyes of God and not even really know it.  In the Book of John, we see an interesting dialogue between Jesus and His disciples.  Now, we know that the disciples left their careers and families to follow Jesus wherever he went because they believed in him. So it is interesting when we read in John 16:30, "Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."  Jesus is getting ready to go to the Cross and finally after three years the disciples say, "We Believe". Wow!  From the time the disciples started following Jesus they believed in this idea of who he was and what he was going to do.  However, as they walked with him, that belief system was constantly being challenged and downright contradicted on a daily basis.  They were trying to hang on to beliefs that were just not true. It wasn't until they had the “OHHHHH moment” that they were completely able to believe in Jesus. Many Christians are trying to put the reality of Jesus in their physical, limited, and in this world box. The scriptures often don't fit in to that paradigm. We believe in Jesus, but we interpret him through our lens of limitations.  It is when we look through our glasses and ask God to heal our eyes that we will share the same kind of moment that Disciples had. OOOOOHHHH!

GOD CARES!  For many people they would shout an amen or quickly agree with this statement.  Yet, so many of the decisions we make pay little attention to the fact that God really cares about what we are doing and what is going on in our life. The picture of the cross clearly proves that God wants to be involved with all the details of our life.  All too often we forget that God really does care about our bills, families, job, dreams, and our life. So the question must be why then do we get stressed out about things that are often out of our control? For most of us it will come back to the simple fact of trust.  Trust!  Do we trust that God really cares about what happens to us? Do we walk in faith that if God is for us, nothing working against us will prosper?  First, every believer must understand this simple fact before they do anything else. They must believe that God cares!

One of my favorite times on the calendar comes every four years and it is not Leap year or the Presidential election.  It is the Summer Olympics!  As the whole world turns their attention to the Olympic Games in London, they will watch athletes compete in 302 events from 26 sports and 39 disciplines. Many, if not most of these athletes have dreamed of competing in the Olympics since they were a little child.  Now after many struggles, steep financial investment, countless hours of training, and constant mental preparation, they have reached that goal to be the one who will represent their country at the Olympics. However, most of this journey has been run in silence, in empty gyms, and training with no cheering fans to push them on.  It is only themselves, their determination and the dream.  The Bible says that we are running a race and that we are to run it as someone who intends to win.  Much of our race will be run behind the scenes in prayer closets and in empty rooms where no one is there to see our training.  With only a dream of what is ahead which is Heaven, and the reward that awaits us there.  One day Hebrews says, that there is a great crowd of witnesses that will be the cheering section as we come to the end of our race.  After running the final few feet we will cross the finish line not to receive a gold medal, but to hear the voice that created everything say to me, "Well done good and faithful servant".  That my friend is the dream that compels me, and I pray it is the dream that motivates you as we run this race together.

Recently, I was sitting with my brother and his little three year old son, Pierce.  While my brother and I were talking we could not help but notice that Pierce was struggle to get his toy to work properly. Regardless of how many times my brother or I would try to help him by showing him the way the toy was to operate, he would just push us away.  He wanted to figure it out on his own.  Although we could of saved him a lot of time and even some pain, he was content to independently handle it on his own. God's children can be a lot like that. God has provided us with many blessing so that we can experience the abundant joy that He wants for us.  However, there are times when we fail to understand the proper place for blessing in our life. Like pierce we struggle along trying to figure it all out on our own, only to fail again and again.  

The prophet Jeremiah makes a powerful statement in Jeremiah 31:33 "......I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I WILL BE THEIR GOD."  Can you hear the longing inside of God for us to treat Him as God?  To depend on Him and not our own independence? To lean on him for everything? To live a life that revolves around Him?  God says, There will be a people that will completely abandon their independence in order to live a life solely dependent on God (Abba Father).  Ask yourself this question, "What arena of my life has the spirit of independence caused me to avoid total dependence on God?"  Once the Holy Spirit shows you that area, immediately repent, don't wait, and began the steps of surrender.  When you let go you will began to recognize changes in your life that can only occur because the Hand of God will pick up what you let go.

Isn't it interesting that you seldom, if ever see any commercials about the water company? The Richfield water authority isn't on the television or radio trying to convince people that water is relevant for today.  You don't see them marketing city water because water will always be relevant in peoples lives.  You never see the electric company trying to sell the relevance for electricity. Electricity will always be relevant.  The same is true with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There are all kinds of books and magazines whose authors are trying to convince people that the gospel is relevant for their life.  They try to sell the gospel like a salesmen pointing out all of the grand benefits without ever mentioning the many sacrifices.  However, it has produced more people in the Kingdom of God so it must be right.  Really! Is the size of the audience proof that something is right or is it merely proof that it was easier to get to that place?  Friend, the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not need to be sold.  It will sell itself.  The Gospel does not need a makeover to be relevant because the true untouched gospel of Jesus Christ never stopped be relevant.  People just stopped serving it in exchange for a cheap imitation that is void of love, humility, power, and transformation.  That kind of gospel will never be irrelevant.

A few months ago I was driving through the countryside when I came along a tractor pull a manure wagon through a field.  Quickly I rolled up the window because I knew it would not be long where I would catch a scent of the appealing smell of manure.  Of course there is nothing appealing about it at all.  Yet this farmer understood something about the benefits of spreading cow waste all over his field.  Manure serves as a nitrate that puts nutrients back into the field and actually causes the field to become more fruitful and productive.  Even though at the time it is spread it can be messy and stinky, when the harvest comes it is worth it.

It is important to recognize a principle that can relate to our lives.  You don't have to live long to find that there are all kinds of people who are spreading their manure over us.  It stinks and it is messy, not to mention it is a very unpleasant process to go through.  Many times we cry out to God for him to stop those who are being critical of us, making accusation and even lying about us.  Yet it continues and we wonder why God allows it to happen, when all God has to do it zap them with a lightning bolt.  Well it is probably better that God is not tossing lightning bolts on those who deserves them.  I might just find my name on that list.  Rather it is important for you to recognize that like a father God is allowing the criticisms, accusations, lies to become like manure that will in the end produce a great harvest.  A great harvest of souls, miracles, and revelation in your life.  So the next time you smell something in your life that is reminiscent of manure thank God for the fertilizer and know he is just preparing your field.

There are all kinds of prayers that we pray. There are many prayers that are petitioning God to meet a desperate need. Prayers that are meant to communicate with God our deepest emotions. Other prayers that just thank God for who He is and His divine nature. Then there are the prayers where we ask God to reveal His will in our life. We cry out for God to use us for His purpose. For many people they become discouraged by the seeming silence that rings from heaven to that prayer. The truth is God will use anyone who is not only willing but able to be used. If you had two stoves, one is hot and one is cold, which one would you use? We need to be hot, on fire for God and you will find that God will make frequent use of you.

Whether you are in a family, church, neighborhood, or workplace every human being shares a common goal.  Acceptance! They want to live in an atmosphere where they are accepted for who they are.  However, they often feel like they live in a place where they are judged for their failures, put down for their weaknesses, or stepped on to advance others.  Rather they want to be a part of something that picks them up when they are down, celebrates them when they succeed, and stands by them no matter what.  If that is what you are looking for you are not alone.  That is pretty much what most human beings see as utopia for relationships. So, if that is what most if not all humans desire in life then why does it seem to be impossible to create?  Here is the brass tax; this is what we want others to provide for us, but it is not as easy when we are the one providing it for others. Sure, we want others to turn the other cheek when we mess up, or to overlook our weaknesses and failures. However, when the roles are reversed and we are on the receiving end of their weakness and shortcomings we lash out with immediate rebuke.   

So how do we begin to turn the tide in our lives in order to create an atmosphere that is less judgmental, tense, confrontational, and contentious? The answer is very simple: "Sow an attitude or atmosphere of acceptance and you will reap an attitude or atmosphere of acceptance."  When you sow you will reap what you sowed multiplied back to you.  That's it! What kind of seed are you sowing into the lives and relationships that you possess?  Well if you are not sure, take a look at what you are reaping from the relationships that you possess.  It never fails, if you sow drama in relationships, you are going to reap drama.  If you have a critical spirit, people with critical spirits will be drawn to you and eventually they will turn their critical eye on you.  If you don't like the fruit in your life, change the seed you’re planting. You can start today.

Welcome to Bethel's Rock! We are glad that you are with us today.  We want you to feel comfortable and part of our family so join in with us as we take this time to spend with our Abba Father.

Where ever we go in the world people are watching us.  Even when we don't realize it, there seems to be a peering eye watching to see how we respond in every situation. Can you imagine what it was like for Jesus everywhere He went?  In Luke 14, we read that the Pharisees carefully were watching every move he made. They were ready to pounce on any misspoken word or deed that did not somehow align with their viewpoint of things. Wow! Can you imagine what that would be like? There are some people reading these words right now that can relate with Jesus. Everywhere you go you feel like you are being analyzed for any weakness that can be found.  There is no question that anyone who is running for public office can relate to this passage. What about the Christian that stands for a standard of morality, love, and self-control?  In this world, these qualities are faintly seen and there is a cynicism that they even truly exist anymore. Yet, Christians are a light of contradiction to this kind of thinking. All around us there are people that are carefully watching you and I.  You often don't even know they are there, but they are analyzing your words and actions to see if they line up with each other.  About ten years ago I had the opportunity to climb the Eiffel Tower.  Once we made it to the top the tower it began to sparkle because of the lights that were installed a few years earlier.  As soon as the tower began to sparkle an amazing thing happened.  The city of Paris then began to sparkle from the flashing of camera lights going off around the city.  Even though the flash was miles away, it was a light that you could see shining through the darkness.  The person taking the picture had no idea that someone on the tower just observed their action.  In this dark world your flash of Christ-likeness will be seen by many even though you will never meet them.  

Graduation season is upon us once again.  We have a whole new group of students that are moving from one stage of life into an exciting new adventure.  Recently I went to the University of Minnesota to have a Root canal and crown down on tooth #3.  (Knowledge gained by being a dental training institution).  The young man who was doing the work on my tooth had been in school for eight years.  Needless to say, he was more than ready to move on into the next stage of his life.  

Really life is a collection of stages that we go through. Life in the Kingdom of God is no different.  Corinthians tells us that we are to graduate from glory to glory.  Peter tells us that we are to attain certain characteristics in increasing measure.  We call it Spiritual Growth.  That Growth will give us all we need for life and Godliness. For many Christians, however, they are content to live for years at the same place in their Christian walk.  They never experience deliverance from bondages, operate in the signs, experience wonders and miracles that God intends for their life, and never increase in the understanding of God's love for them and for others.  They never graduate to the next level of a knowledge, relationship, and position with God.  It is important to understand that every new stage we enter releases us into new intimacy with the Creator of the universe and a revelation that was but a mystery.  Although before you can handle these new mysteries you must show that you understand and comprehend the revelation that you have already been given.  Therefore, just as in school we are given final exams and tests, it is the same spiritually. We need to demonstrate that we have spiritually grown to a place where it is time for a Spiritual graduation.  

So it begs to ask this question: "When was the last time that you went through a graduation in your spiritual life?"  Ask yourself when was the last time that you felt excited about your connection with God?  These are times when although you had some anxiety you chose to move forward in your pursuit of God. In doing so, God revealed new understanding of the mysteries of the Word of God. These experiences are graduations from what has become stale and a movement into a new stage that will be exciting and fresh.  If you are a Christian that has lost your excitement, take this advice.  It is time to graduate!  When you continue to progress and graduate from level to level you will never experience boredom on your Spiritual journey.

In Luke chapter nine, Jesus sends out the disciples to all the lands to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Upon their return we hear of all the amazing things that they were able to do by the authority and power of Jesus. The lame walked and the blind were able to see!  

A few verses later when Jesus is speaking to the masses and dinnertime is approaching, the disciples point out that the people are hungry and should be sent home so that they may eat. Jesus response was, "You feed them." You would suspect that after the spiritual high that the disciples were coming from that they would be all about this, but they weren't. In fact they stood around confused. In their search they return with a few loves and some fish. Most of us know then that Jesus went on to bless and feed EVERY PERSON THERE!

But here is what I want to draw your attention to. There are things that we experience where God does something utterly amazing in our lives or loved ones, and then within days, even hours we are quick to forget about that which he has done for us. It happened with the disciples, and it happens with us. We can't forget abut the things that God has promised and done for us. We walk as if we have never seen or heard.

Let us walk with a holy confidence in the God that we serve!

May the awe and wonder of God serve as a constant reminder of the things God has done in your life!  

Divine Appointment

Have you ever asked yourself, "What would life be like if I believed 100% of what God said in His Word would happen in my life?" (That would be far from boring)  Have you ever walked past people in wheelchairs in the grocery store or your place of work and thought I should pray for them to be healed?(Most people don't even notice them)  Why is it that we walk by so many opportunities everyday to demonstrate the love and power of God to people and yet we are kept silent? People in the world are calling out for God to show Himself, yet the Body of Christ stays seated in their own little world.  God's Will is for His love and power to be shown to the LOST sheep. He is calling us to be His vehicle to them.  We are His portal into their life.  How much longer will the Church stay silent?  How much longer will we walk right past one DIVINE APPOINTMENT after another and miss our opportunity for God to flow through our lives?  Church today is our season, it is our moment, it is our time to be a voice in the darkness.  It is our time to preach the message of love, to walk out life with others, and to demonstrate the authentic Power of God through deliverance, signs, wonders and miracles.  Today it is my prayer that your eyes will see the Divine Appointments that are all around you.  To see with the eyes of Christ!  Now is the Time and You can do it!

We have an old upright piano that sits in our living room.  For a long time it served as a piece of furniture, rather than something used to fulfill its purpose.  However, Bailey has shown some interest in it and is actually using it.  Therefore she has been getting lessons on that piano so she can learn how to play songs beyond 'Chopsticks' and 'Mary had a little Lamb'.  Well the other day her piano instructor mentioned that the piano was extremely out of tune and the piano was not producing a sound that it was created to make.  So last week this man came to our door with his briefcase full of wrenches and tuning forks, along with a computerized gage that identifies the perfect pitch for each cord.  I watched as he would push the key and then turn the wrench ever so slightly until it was perfect. You could even hear the sound change as he turned the wrench. Now if you familiar with the inside of a piano you know that there are many cords and little nuts that need to be adjusted.  The Tuner patiently went through each cord and brought it back into tune. You see although the piano played the note it could not bring itself back into tune. That could only be accomplished through the hand, ear, and wrench of the Tuner.  When the tuner was finished that piano made a sound that it had not made in some time. As the man played a beautiful melody with every key sounding perfectly, it then made the tune it was created to make.  We are a lot like that old piano.  We were created to Worship God and to live a life that is in perfect tune with God.  However, there are all kinds of things that are pulling us out of tune.  Yet God like the patient tuner, patiently brings our lives back in tune when we allow him to open up our insides.  Now I know that there are many people who are content to just be a piece of furniture, filling up space in some basement. You would rather God just let you be seen and not heard or played.  Friend your heart has become disillusioned and apathetic because you have allowed Satan to bring confusion to you about your purpose.  Please understand God created you to make a beautiful noise, to be played, by the creator of the universe.  God wants to play a beautiful song with your life, but first you must let Him bring your life into tune. You cannot tune yourself any more than that piano could.  It needed the tuning hand and ear of a tuner, and so do you. Don't become a piece of furniture in God's house, rather become a Grand Piano that is has its ivory's tickled by the fingers of God every day. Every person must live with the knowledge that every time God makes a little adjustment in your life he is only preparing you to play a great masterpiece.

Matthew 9:8 "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men." When was the last time that we were so awestruck by God that we could not think about anything else? When was the last time we were so taken by his amazing glory and wonder that all we could talk about was about Him? Through out the Bible we see people who did amazing things, people who laid they're life on the line for the gospel and people that could not help themselves when it came to talking about Jesus. They wouldn’t stop talking about Jesus even if it meant for them being flogged or beaten. The church of Jesus Christ traded in their worship of a Sovereign God for the temporal glory of this world.  The sad part is that many people do not even recognize that their worship of pleasure has not only robbed them of God's promises and power, but of experiencing something that cannot be described or even weighed.  This is the awesome Glory of God.  Church, there is a worship, a level, an experience with God that can change your life in moment.  The disciples wanted to build a house in it.  Moses refused to go anywhere without it.  And John the Revelator ended his life experiencing it.  It is available to us.  It is available to you and to me. In order to discover these secret things you have to deny the pleasures of the flesh, the enticements of the world and connect to the Father through His Word, worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.   

God your first, the best of your praise. He wants your best.  Let's give God our First in every area of our life.