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How do pearls form?

The creation of a pearl is the result of a biological process. It is the oyster’s way of protecting itself from foreign substances. When something foreign slips into the oyster, it is immediately irritated. The oyster’s natural reaction is to cover up the irritant to protect itself. It covers the irritant over and over again until it eventually forms a pearl.

When an “irritant” enters our lives, we can either allow it to harm us, or we can cover it with praise as a form of defense.

We can say to that irritant, “You have come to try to steal my joy, but I know that the joy of the Lord is my strength. So, I will praise God anyway with joyful lips, and by His supernatural strength, you will have no effect on me!”

As we continue to cover that irritant with praise, it becomes a pearl, a precious gemstone of testimony.

In Week 9 of the WORSHIP: Are You Making a Sound? 12 Week Bible Study, we talk about how WORSHIP is a gateway...

We have all experienced the calming effects of a good song.

Whether it is your favorite song coming on the radio after a tough day at work, or watching a mother sing a soft lullaby to calm her baby to sleep, we have seen and experienced how music has the power to pacify and soothe a troubled spirit.

Do you think this is just a coincidence?
The Maker of all things certainly knew what He was doing when He gave musical sounds the ability to turn the soul from distress to the harmony of peace and love.

In the same way, our worship and praise have the power to soothe our aching souls and to clear our hearts and minds from all of the clutter and noise.

In Week 10 of the WORSHIP: Are You Making a Sound? 12 Week Bible Study, we talk about exactly this topic and how worship prepares our heart to hear clearly from the Father. 

This 12 Week Bible Study on the power of worship and praise is now available as an online course! Watch this clip below from Week 10: Worship Prepares the Heart to...

PODCAST EPISODE: Are You Battle Ready? Part 4 - LISTEN BELOW! 

PART IV: TIME TO ARMOR UP! 

For the first two weeks of this study, we reminded ourselves of our POSITION as believers in Christ.

Last week, we focused on what it means to "walk worthy of the calling" and all of the practical ways in which we can live triumphant lives guided by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6 opens up with additional guidance on how to live Spirit-filled lives in the following relationships:

• Children & Parents
• Bondservants & Masters (Employees & Employers)

Then it will be time to armor up with the whole armor of God!

We are going to analyze each piece of the armor and how to use the whole armor of God most effectively.

The Purpose of Spiritual Warfare

We are to be prepared to engage in spiritual warfare as believers in Christ. Why?

• To release the power and victory of Jesus
• To push back the darkness
• To empower us and embolden us to SPEAK!
• That we may open up our mouths boldly and...

PODCAST EPISODE: Are You Battle Ready? Part 3 - LISTEN BELOW! 

PART III: WALK WORTHY OF THE CALLING

For the last two episodes, we've been reminding ourselves of our POSITION as believers in Christ, as part of our Are You Battle Ready? online Bible study series.

We must live fully convinced, by faith, of the power we have through the Holy Spirit alive in us.

Now that we know how to stand, let's walk worthy of our calling as it says in Ephesians 4:1-3:

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

At the highest level, to "Walk Worthy of the Calling" means to:

• Live ethically and morally by the leading of the Holy Spirit
• Strive for ongoing maturity by the equipping of the Spirit
• Help others move forward in love and unity

If we follow these standards, we will...

PODCAST EPISODE: Are You Battle Ready? Part 2 - LISTEN BELOW! 

Know Who You Are - PART II

To recap last week’s episode, before we can wage war, we need to know who we are in Christ.

Ephesians 1 says we are blessed with every spiritual blessing, sealed and authorized by the Holy Spirit, and that we are carriers of His power and glory.

Wow! But it doesn't stop there.

Ephesians 2 & 3 provide even more descriptions of who we are as believers in Jesus Christ.

As we go through and turn these verses into “I AM” statements, I want you to be reminded of your value, of your purpose, and to be fully convinced of the exceedingly great power that is able to work through you, in the Name of Jesus.

Let's go! 

Scripture References In This Episode:

• Ephesians 2
• Ephesians 3

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

JOIN THE WORKSHOP TODAY! 

If you’re like me and enjoy Bible study resources, downloads, and guides to review the Scriptures more in depth, I would...

PODCAST EPISODE: Are You Battle Ready? Part 1 - LISTEN BELOW! 

The Soul of Worship - Are You Making a Sound? Podcast is BACK for a new season in 2022!

I believe it’s an incredibly prophetic and ground shaking year for the Church and for our communities.

Wells of revival are breaking open and I believe a great outpouring of His presence by way of worship-saturated prayer is on the way!

But we have to be aware that the enemy is going to try to stop us, distract us, and discourage us so that this great awakening doesn’t occur.

So I’ve been led by the Lord to revisit a Bible study we did back in 2020 called “Are you Battle Ready?”

It’s a 4 part study on the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

For the next 4 weeks on the podcast, we are going to be studying Ephesians to learn how to mature in our walks in Christ in order to be able to battle against the evil powers of darkness.

Before we can be CALLED TO WAR, we must first learn how to...

PODCAST EPISODE: "CELEBRATE ME!" 

In this episode, let's chat about how beautifully David worshiped God with "all of his might" in celebratory gladness and how we too can delight the heart of God by releasing a joyful sound unto the throne.

Over the last few weeks, God has really been pressing on my heart the following words, “CELEBRATE ME!”.

It started around the same time as the Jewish calendar celebrates their New Year and I couldn’t help but be reminded that God is a God that never changes…And if He thousands of years ago established feasts and seasons of celebration, then that is what He still desires from His children, even today.

The most common expression of praise that say all of the time is Hallelujah.

The root word is Halal which generally means to boast, brag, celebrate, or rave about God.

Halle-lu-YAH - When we say Hallelujah we are celebrating Yahweh.

We are bragging about how awesome and powerful He is - how great is His love and grace...

If you're like me, you are holding onto some promises that God has made you.

You're believing and trusting that God will fulfill, but then you find yourself crying before His presence, wondering why so long? Or how will You do this, Lord? When will this come to pass?

And time and time again, God reassures me with this passage from Isaiah 55:

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

You see, God's Word is neither barren nor fruitless.

We can be as SURE as we are in the water cycle, that God will water and bring to LIFE every single seed of promise that He has deposited inside of us.

His Word will start budding in the right season and in the...

God will either provide a way out or the grace to endure. Both are miracles.

Read that again.

God will either provide a way out or the grace to endure.

Both are miracles.

Sometimes we only give God credit if He shows up in an immediate breakthrough kind of way.

Don't get me wrong.

Of course those are awesome, but let's also praise God for giving us the grace to endure long trials.

The fact that He's keeping you standing in the midst of the process is JUST as miraculous.

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

II Corinthians 12:9

So keep holding on to the promises of God, for they are YES and AMEN.

Stay strong in faith,

Sara-Marie

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I want to share with you today an excerpt from the introduction of my book, WORSHIP: Are You Making a Sound?, because I believe it's the reminder God wants to share with you today:

"Did you know that sound waves can change matter?

Perform a quick online search and you can find videos of people manipulating matter, breaking glass, freezing water - all with sound waves.

How did God Himself create and mold matter in the Book of Genesis?

By using the sound of His voice.

Or did you know that the sounds of nature increase the productivity of the surrounding land?

There are studies that prove that the sounds of birds chirping and insects humming contribute to the growth and development of plants in the area.

No wonder we hear the birds singing the most at the beginning of Spring!

The birds are literally awakening the ground with their songs of praise.

Nature leads a revival, year after year, with its sound.

If sound waves can break glass at the right frequency, and if the songs of nature...