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From Lessons…

Canadian Smoosh Team during Ice Box Days

This week you will find me over here at Lessons from the Field where I have fun putting my lessons in written format!  I may toggle back and forth now and again!

“I live in International FallsMinnesota. People have said to me “why would you want to live in that ‘God forsaken’ part of the world? After all, our slogan is the “Ice Box of the Nation.” Can you imagine being in one of the coldest parts of the lower 48? Funny thing is I love to tell people when they ask that I love where I have been planted!” Read more… 

Worship, It’s a Tool!

In the church I attend I have had the privilege of leading worship and it one of those sweet things that I love to do for my Abba Father.

I have always known that worship is a powerful ‘thing’.  How do you describe just what it is?  The word itself is a verb as it is used to describe something that we do.  We worship when we give of our time and talents, when we turn our hearts in adoration to our Lord and focus on all that He is. Our godly actions of time, tithe, devotion and ministry (just to name a few) are all an act of “worship”.

Now let’s look at worship as a noun when it becomes a tool, yes, it is a tool.  It is used to accomplish some vital things in our surrounding as well as in our heart.  When noted in the Old Testament, the tool of worship is used to prepare the atmosphere so to speak, in preparation for battle.  Familiar verses in 2 Chronicles 20 tell us of a time when the singers (worshipers) were used to prepare the atmosphere for victory.

They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa ; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.”  When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said,”Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”Then they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.

God then stepped in and overwhelmed the enemies and whipped them all out.  I also believe that when we begin our time of worship in the Lord’s house that we accomplish the same purpose because we focus on the Lord and we vocally express in word and song our thanks to Him and acknowledge that His lovingkindness is everlasting.  This clears the air so to speak, to make a way for the presence of the Lord to be welcomed in our midst.

Now lets look at how worship is a tool that is used to change us.  I can personally testify to how the Lord did a big work in my heart as I learned to worship Him.  Adoring Him for who He is according to His Word and praising Him for all He has done and will do.  In that sense, the Lord has and does use worship to realign who we are.  It is in times of intimate worship that we are able to see ourselves–after looking at our perfect Father–like Isaiah saw himself, as a man (woman) of unclean lips dwelling in the midst of people of the same.

Isaiah 6:5-7  “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Wow, once in the presence of the Lord, I am able to realize just how unclean I really am!  So this tool of worship can start the process of ‘cleaning’ me up as I see Him and His holiness.  Now, a vital part of this ‘tool’ is that God now uses it to also equip us for our seasons of difficulty. Not only will we be ineffective for His service and use but we also will not be able to withstand the seasons of trial.  Worship, and all that it does for us–being saturated in the Lord’s presence–is that which will equip, empower and allow us to stand firm in seasons of difficulty.  So Oswald Chambers says it very succinctly “If you have not been worshiping as occasion serves, when you get into work you will not only be useless yourself, but a tremendous hindrance to those who are associated with you.”  It is here that the act of worship becomes the tool used to enable us to continue on for Christ’s sake.

Father, I want the deep work done in my heart for your glory only.  Show me Your face and then I will have the courage to keep on until Christ returns.  Show me Your face and I will be able to withstand those times of difficulty that will come my way.  I humbly ask for Your presence to invade my life that I might be Your worship warrior for today, for right now, in Jesus’ name.

The Toxic Root of Bitterness

I love being outside, digging in the flower beds, cleaning the beds up 

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and planting…it is just therapeutic.  While doing so I pray, or ponder the deeper things in life, ha!  But sometimes I have stewed, stewed over an offense that I have had with another person.  I would become obsessed with the wrong they had done either to me or another person.  Why you can almost make yourself sick with poisonous thoughts and wrong thinking that bubbles forth and becomes literally toxic!

God gave me a great analogy of the root of bitterness.  Those of you who garden know all about that nasty quack grass.  I don’t know its horticultural name but I could just call it miserable, nasty, persistent, obnoxious…you get the picture.  The more you till it the more it breaks into smaller pieces that root and grow.  With its sharp little pointed ends it determines to push through anything except maybe a rock.  But even a rock can be skirted around.  It is all but impossible to get rid of it without a chemical invasion!


When we hold on to our bitterness, it becomes like that nasty weed as it pushes its way into our hearts and then begins to grow tentacles until it has overtaken our thoughts completely.  When we are consumed with ill thoughts of others we release poison
ous thoughts toward them and we become stifled spiritually.  Even our physical body can become poisoned!  God’s Word issues this warning in Hebrews 12:15 “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…” This warns us that the root spreads, causing trouble and will even defile others!  When you have troubles with someone you may spread your ill feelings by “venting” to someone else which in turn may influence them away from the one you are in conflict with.  You spread and grow your bitterness to gain a reason to hang onto the offense instead of bringing it to the Lord and asking for His help in resolving the issue.  If one of the keys to right living is to love one another as Christ has loved us then what in the world do we do with toxic thinking toward others?  


I had a huge issue of unforgiveness toward a father who had abandoned my mother and me, and honestly, I didn’t even realize it was there!  As I continued to grow in my faith, I wanted a better understanding of my identity in Christ.  I became a strong proponent for the Freedom in Christ Ministry and God used Victory Over Darkness to help me realize that I needed to be cleaned up.  After being a Christian for at least 13 years, I knew there was more to this journey than I was seeing.  As I cried out to the Lord wanting to know Him more I was led to go through the “Steps to Freedom” after working through the book I had read.  It was a very difficult step to take but I did.  I was amazed to discovering that I had a wall the size of the Wall of China wrapped around my heart that came from bitterness toward the father whom I never knew.  Basically, I pretended that he didn’t exist.  During my four hour time of confession and renouncing I realized that I had to forgive this man.  It seemed unreasonable to forgive someone who is dead and gone, someone you will never see face to face, and tell him that he is the reason you looked for love in all the wrong places and got all messed up…you can see what was beginning to be unloaded.  But the bottom line is I did the right thing, I forgave him for abandoning us and I let it go.  The result became an opportunity to draw closer to God because my bitterness wasn’t in between my Father and I any more!  I walked as light as a feather the week following knowing there had been a huge breakthrough in my life.

King David says it so well in this portion of the Psalms:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Psalm 51:10-12 (NASB)

Are you willing to let go of your stuff?  Ask God to reveal any root of bitterness that may be poisoning you.  You will grow closer to the Lord and you will see joy return to your heart by dealing properly with any offense you might be holding on to.  Friend, the journey with our Lord is exciting!  Don’t short change yourself by clinging to stuff that is holding you captive.  I would love to hear from you if you have struggled with unforgiveness.  Please email me at kimberlydnyborg@gmail.com and let me hear of your decision to release!