Category: Melissa Eberts, Worship Leader

Writing this article is very bitter-sweet because it will be my last as a worship leader at Fee Fee Baptist Church. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve this church in this capacity. Please know I will miss you all greatly and will continue praying that God sustains you and brings your pastor in His perfect timing.

In praying about what I’d like to encourage you with, the words “continue to worship” come to mind. No matter your circumstances, I want to encourage you to continue to worship your faithful God. Remember what He’s done for you. He is with you on the mountain, and He is with you in the valley. He is with you in every season of your life. Worship Him, as a living sacrifice, which is your “reasonable form of worship”. (Romans 12:1)

January 2024 starts a new year, filled with so many new possibilities. Pray and ask God what He has for you specifically this year. Maybe He wants you to read His Word more? Maybe He wants you to grow in your relationship with Him? Maybe He wants you to invite your neighbor you’ve been praying for to church? We all have different parts to play in the kingdom of God, so be sensitive to what God is speaking to your heart in this new year – and say “Yes” to Him!

Please know this Heart of a Worshipper will be praying for you, and I ask that you pray for me too. God Bless You!

The end of the year is upon us, and I can’t think of a better thing to do than to think back through this past year to remember all the great things our God has done!

Maybe you had a magnificent year, full of blessings and prosperity. You can think back to many wonderful times the Lord has been faithful. But maybe when you think back on your year, you’re full of heartache and brokenness. Guess what – the Lord can work with that too.

Let God be God in your trials. In your emptiness. In your hopelessness.

It’s the times we’re really open and honest with ourselves that God can work with our vulnerability and mold and make us in what He would have us be. It’s then that He can create “beauty out of our ashes. Strength for fear. Gladness for mourning. Peace for despair.” (lyrics from Beauty for Ashes by Crystal Lewis)

It also reminds me of another song:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

When we think about eternity, the problems in this world fail in comparison to the life awaiting us with our Lord and Savior! Friend, turn to Him. He is the true reason for ALL our seasons of life – especially during this Christmas season! Give it all to Him and watch as our faithful God makes something beautiful from our lives.

There’s a song I’d like to share with you that’s been on my heart for a little while now. It’s called Trust in God and it’s by Elevation Worship. Here are the words:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.
He’s been my fourth man in the fire time after time.
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on calvary is more than enough.

I trust in God, My Savior
The one who will never fail, He will never fail.

Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps.
So this is my story, and this is my song.
I’m praising my risen King and Savior all the day long.

I trust in God, My Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail.
He didn’t fail you then, He won’t fail you now.

I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered.
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered.
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered.
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust Him.

No matter what you’re going through, you can remember that God is faithful! Seek the Lord. As you seek Him, believe that He will speak to you through His Word and His Holy Spirit. As the song says, “He didn’t fail you then, and He won’t fail you now.” I encourage you to listen to this song and let the words wash over you and strengthen your spirit.

Psalm 34:4, “I sought the Lord and He answered me. And delivered me from all my fears.”

What do you think about when you think of worship? In my mind, I think of something I adore. I place that something or someone on a pedestal. It gets all my attention!

What comes to mind when you think of worshipping God? For me, I submit my will to His. In my heart of hearts, He is God and I am not. What He says goes. He is the boss!

When we gather together to worship on Sunday mornings, our singing is an act of worship. We’re praising God for who He is and what He has done. But we shouldn’t worship once a week and then think our worship is over until the following Sunday. Our act of worship on Sunday mornings should be a reflection of our outward expression of worshipping Him throughout the week with our lives!

Romans 12:1 says, “I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true worship.”

Paul didn’t say, “Meh, once a week for a couple hours is good enough worship for God.” He says to lay down your lives as a sacrifice. If you are sacrificing yourself, that tells me that worship may not be easy all the time. To be holy and pleasing to God and living our lives accordingly, might take some sacrifice and giving of ourselves. To give of our time when we’re busy. To give of our money when we already had it budgeted out. To give of ourselves for the Gospel when we’d rather do our own thing.

How do we do this when it’s hard? We read on to verse two: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So that you may know and discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2)

When we renew our minds to God’s Word, our minds change from what we want – to what He wants! Let’s worship God with everything that we are – including our minds – and be a living sacrifice for Him!

What are we looking at? Today, we’re going to talk about what we choose to focus on. Let’s look at Matthew 14:22-33.

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Well into the night, He was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning.

 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Peter was ready to walk out on the water, and did what Jesus said to do. However, the Bible says, “when he (Peter) saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and began to sink…” How often do we believe in faith that the Lord will do something in our lives, only to look at our circumstances and then shrink back? The Bible continues and says, “Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

Our worship breaks through unbelief. When we take our eyes off of who we are and focus on who God is, THAT’S when our faith breaks through!

There’s a worship song that has been a favorite of mine for a long time. It’s called “Pieces”, and it’s by Steffany Gretzinger. Here’s a YouTube link if you’d like to listen to it:

The chorus is about the Lord and it says:

You don’t give Your heart in pieces

You don’t hide Yourself to tease us

This song speaks of God and how His love is pure. He doesn’t give part of Himself or hide Himself from us, but gives us everything. He GAVE us everything at the cross. He gave His whole self, and He is available for all who call on His Name!

Sometimes the cares of this world or the troubles in this life can deter us from seeking His face. But He holds NOTHING back from us. Be encouraged today that He holds nothing back from You! The more you seek Him; the more you will find Him.

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart.”

Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me.”

When life get hard, press into Him. Jesus became human on this earth, and He sympathizes with our weakness. (Heb. 4:15) There is nothing you can tell Him that He doesn’t already know. Humble yourself, and let Him know what you’re thinking and how you feel, And then watch His overwhelming love and grace pour over your life. His Spirit will give you the strength to live this life “abundantly”. (John 10:10)

  Prayer & Worship

Don’t forget to join us on Sunday, August 13th at 6:00 p.m. for a special night of prayer & praise

Calling all worshippers! We will be having a special night of worship and prayer on Sunday, August 13th, starting at 6pm. It will be combined with Sunday Night Connections, so be sure to bring your entire family to worship with us and enjoy some food and fellowship afterwards. Along with worship, there will be prayer throughout the service, and the focus will be “Back to School”. We will also be praying specifically for teachers, students, schools and the entire school year.

We had a worship night last year, and we thought a great time to have another one would be right before the new school year starts again to set our focus on God. Let’s show our families that God is our top priority and how important it is to have Him be first in all we do. Let’s also encourage our teachers and students to be a light wherever they go – including school!

The Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

People are supposed to see our good works, the Bible says, so that they may glorify our God in Heaven. Our job is to do good works for others to observe them and glorify God!

We can be a model of Christ’s love to those around us. (John 13:34-35) We can be ready to give an account of the hope that is within us. (1 Peter 3:15) We can be ready to pray with anyone who asks. (1 Timothy 2:1) We can also be willing to give sacrificially when we see people in need. (1 John 3:16-18) These are some examples of being the hands and feet of Jesus. He physically doesn’t step down from Heaven to do it – so He uses people like us,

His Jesus followers, to do it for Him. Isn’t it exciting that we can be used by God to carry out His will?

Please join us for worship and prayer on Sunday, August 13th! The band and I are really looking forward to worshipping with you – we’ll see you there!

Hi Church! I awakened with this verse in my spirit, and I wanted to share it with you all: Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Each day is such a precious gift from God! Today is a wonderful opportunity to thank Him for who He is and what He’s done for us.   I will be honest and say that sometimes it’s hard to rejoice. Life’s circumstances can be overwhelming and the first thing on our minds is to worry instead of pray. To complain instead of rejoice. But my Bible says He heals the brokenhearted. He heals the sick. His mercies are new every morning. He loved us before we were even born. He clothed us in righteousness because of what Jesus did on the cross. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is faithful, even when we are not. He is my ever-present help in time of trouble. He restores my soul. He sets captives free. His forgiveness is boundless. His glory is matchless. He is the Prince of Peace. My provider. My strong tower. And my King. The beginning and the end. He defeated sin, hell and the grave. And He prepared a place for us to be with him one day and forevermore. We have so many reasons to worship Him today! We have so many reasons to rejoice! Will you purpose with me today to rejoice in God our Savior? Let who He is flood your mind. Meditate on His goodness. Talk about Him with your friends and family. Give Him credit where credit is due. He is worthy of all our worship. Lord, we are thankful that you made this day. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Let’s talk about humility. One of the ways we can worship our King is through a heart of humility towards Him and others.

What does it mean to be humble? Humility comes from throwing away any sense of pride and instead embracing a heart of service and gratitude. It’s realizing without God, we are nothing. (John 15:4-5) It’s recognizing that God knows better than we do, and embracing His ways over our own. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Let’s explore a few verses in the Bible that speak about humility:

1 Peter 5:5-6 says, “…all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.”

In Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to, “live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Lastly, Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the Lord.”

The Bible is clear: God is looking for us to be humble in heart. He is right there, ready to give us grace when we submit ourselves to Him. He even encourages us to give all our worries and anxiety over to Him, because He deeply loves us.

If you’re ready to recommit to the Lord with a heart of humility, go ahead and pray this prayer with me:

Heavenly Father, as an act of worship, I submit myself to you with a humble heart. Please forgive me for thinking my ways are better than Yours. I choose today to cast all my cares on You, as your Word says, because You tenderly love me. I recommit myself to seeking Your face and listening to your Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me in all truth.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Today, we’re going to look at worshipping the Lord by magnifying Him and His Word.

What does the word “magnify” mean when it comes to the Lord? To magnify the Lord means to recognize and speak of His greatness. Psalm 34:1, 3 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song. I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”

There are many Psalms that speak of magnifying the Lord and His greatness! Let’s also take a look in the New Testament in the book of Luke, where Mary, the mother of Jesus, magnifies the Lord through her prayer. You can read the entire prayer yourself in Luke 1:46-55, but I wanted to highlight a portion here:

Mary says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She goes on to speak of His greatness and how the Mighty One has done great things for her.

Friends, that’s how we are instructed to speak about our God! He is so great and so mighty! He is SO deserving of our praise! When we choose to speak of His magnitude, our problems here on earth seem to fade in comparison. This makes me think of a song called, “Be Magnified”. Here are a few of the lyrics:

I have made You too small in my eyes
Oh Lord, forgive me;
I have believed in a lie
That You were unable to help me
But now, oh Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong
And in my eyes and with my song
Oh, Lord, be magnified!