7 Things - Appetites Of The Heart

Here are 7 appetites that need to grow in the heart of worshipers - for some reason, I was captivated by these beautiful pictures of flowers today, and just placed them with each of these heart attitudes:

—Wonder (Is. 6:1-5)

Don't ever lose the sense of wonder and expectancy in the presence of the Lord. Be amazed at His beauty and overwhelmed by His grace

—Passion (2Sam. 6:21-22)

Don't allow the fires of passion to grow dim in your heart. Do whatever it takes to root out apathy and stoke the fires of devotion for the Lord

—Endurance (Job 1:20-21; Hab. 3:17-18)

Don't be one that gives up all the time. Set yourself for the presence of God and for His glory - no matter what it takes. Don't allow yourself to wallow in discouragement. Praise will bring you to His presence, His presence will bring you to joy, joy will bring you to the finish line

—Brokenness (Ps. 51 – a repentant heart 2Chron. 17:6; 19:3)

Don't allow yourself to have a hard heart. Be like David who was always quick to repent. Remain tender-hearted before the Lord.

—Appetite to hear—prophetic (Song 2:14)

Don't become dull of hearing - as worshipers, we must be in tune to the voice of the Lord - we are gatekeepers of His presence

—Righteousness (2Chron. 17:6; 19:3; Ps. 24:4-6; 29:2; 2Tim. 2:22)

Don't allow sin to rule your heart. Those with clean hands and pure hearts will have entrance into His presence

—Excellence (Ex. 35:35; 1 Chron. 15:22; 25:7; 2 Chron. 2:7; 34:12)

Don't ever settle for 2nd best - always give your best to the Lord and to His people. Excellence is different from perfection - it is an attitude of the heart...a desire to one's very best in all that we do

7 Attitudes That Need To Grow In A Worshiper's Heart

In order to grow in worship, we need to keep growing in these heart attitudes:

—Wonder (Is. 6:1-5) We must never loose our wonder and fascination with our most spectacular God. Isaiah looked with wonder at the spectacle of heavenly worship.

—Passion (2Sam. 6:21-22) David danced before the Lord with total abandon. He took off everything that got in the way of his passionate offering - including his royal robes and his pride.

—Endurance (Job 1:20-21; Hab. 3:17-18) Both Job and Habakkuk faced a season of extreme suffering, and yet both of them maintained their heart of worship. No matter what obstacles stand in our way, we can look to these examples of enduring love and worship for the Lord

—Brokenness (Ps. 51 – a repentant heart 2Chron. 17:6; 19:3) The Bible is full of examples of men and women who knew the importance of turning their hearts back to the Lord. It is imperative that we know how to find our way back to the Lord - no matter what has turned us away from our first love. In the end, David's sin was not the thing he was most remembered for, it was his broken and contrite heart.

—Appetite to hear—prophetic (Song 2:14) True worshipers know how to listen to the Lord as well as pour out their hearts to Him. Our love for God is less than half the story; we must be worshipers who have ears that are tuned to the voice of God and be able to tell of the wonders we have heard.

—Righteousness (2Chron. 17:6; 19:3; Ps. 24:4; 29:2; 2Tim. 2:22) Without a holy heart, we can never draw near tot he Lord. We must learn the secret of holiness - through holy living, repentant hearts and putting on the righteousness of Christ. 

—Excellence. Whatever God does, He does it excellently (Psalm 150:2 - we praise His excellent greatness!) Don't settle for second best - everything you do must be your best. Excellence is different from perfection. We may not always be perfect, but when we put our heart, soul and strength into our ministry, we will be excellent.