Baroni Bloggin’

Rita and I are having a great time here in Kuwait. Here are some of the thoughts that I shared in one of the meetings earlier today:

Two months after I resigned the only salary paying job I ever had as an adult, I found myself in a worship conference in Singapore as a “musicianary”. I told the attendees that I had always hoped for the right circumstances to be in my life so that I could just coast for the rest of my life.

I said that if I could just have the right financial circumstances or an encounter with God on a mountaintop that would make me forever peaceful, maybe that would bring contentment at last.
Then I told them that I knew that there wasn’t such an encounter or set of circumstances.

Why?

Because then I would trust in the encounter or circumstances and peace, a resting place, can only be found in a relationship with a Person… His Name is Jesus!
(By the way, God provided for us and our family wonderfully at that Christmas-time trip to Singapore!)

Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread (natural circumstances or provision-my paraphrase) alone- but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

In this day of the rapid proliferation of (mostly) useless words, it is easy for us to forget that words have power. God’s Word is what created the universe and holds it together!

In the encounter on the stormy sea when the Lord came walking upon the waves toward the disciples and they didn’t believe it was flesh and blood Jesus, but a “ghost”; Peter asked Jesus, “If it is really you, Master, then bid me come to you on the water.”

Jesus said one word: “Come!”

P.S. Look for our Freshword Teaching Series to be available any day now as downloadable MP3s at our online store!

Jesus said…”the Kingdom of God comes not with observation (natural perception), behold- the Kingdom of God is within you.”

George Warnock, in his powerful book, “The Feast of Tabernacles” talks about the great privilege that those who have received Christ and are led by the Holy Spirit have been given.

These new creations in Christ, the sons of God-

See the invisible

Do the impossible

So many times I am reminded that I have lived far beneath my calling and empowerment as a son of God. As Simba’s father Mufasa in the Lion King reminds his wandering son:

“You have forgotten who you are”

and

“You are more than you have become”.

As I study the power of thoughts and words. I am reminded often that the realm of spirit is more real than the realm of the temporal, “earthy”. The Apostle Paul writes:…”for we look not at things which are seen but things that are invisible, for the visible things are temporary but the invisible things are eternal.”

Reality is far beyond the physical realm. It includes (of course) the physical, but the “sense” realm is just the beginning. That’s where faith comes in. Faith calls things which are not as though they are through the power of the word of God.

We carry great capacity to bless- by our presence (or more specifically God’s Presence in us), by our words, and by faith-motivated actions. Sometimes, in fact most times, we are not aware of the power of our presence, words and actions. That’s probably a good thing as it relates to our pride, but not so good as it pertains to our lack of intentionality to live, as the Reformers said, coram Deo - before the Face of God.

Conversely, we can also bring damage and death by our presence,words and actions if we are not aware of the realm beyond the natural. Even believers in Christ can unwittingly be used by the enemy to speak word curses and bring “dis-ease” and strife if we are not aware of the importance of our God-given ability to influence the atmosphere and peole around us.

This is not to say that I advocate a paralyzing legalism or acute self-consciousness. Jesus said “You shall know the Truth and the truth shall make you free.” Through the death, resurrection, ascension and indwelling of Jesus Christ in us by the power of the Holy Spirit we are free to live without fear, alert to His goodness, and make a difference for the exalting of God by merely being!

There have been many words given over the last 20 years or so about a “New Sound” being released in the earth.

I believe those words are true and I believe that the sounds from heaven are even now filling the earth.

These sounds are heard with more than just the natural ear. These sounds are perceived by the spirit man. The sound of heaven is not a particular musical style, it is the sound inspired by the Holy Spirit and filled with the very Voice of God!

Imagination and creativity is stimulated by hearing these sounds. The sound of humility, power, love, joy and peace is being released today by the purpose of God. Are you listening?

The Shepherd is singing
Do you hear His Voice
The song of the Shepherd
Makes the sheep rejoice

We have wandered in the desert longing for the Living Water
Now the Shepherd sings His song calling us to Him
So we follow along
Singing His song
‘Til the Saviour like a Shepherd sings us home!

Godrest and Godspeed!

David Baroni

There is a time to ask for cleansing from the Lord. The Psalmist David, after the exposure of his sins of adultery and murder by the prophet Nathan, humbled himself in genuine repentance and cried out to God: “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
God heard his prayer.

After a period of fasting and mourning and prayer for the critically ill son of David and Bathsheba, the child died. Instead of wallowing in remorse and grief, King David immediately rose up and began to live life again. The time for asking, the time for mourning was over.

In today’s church, many times it seems like the people of God fail to discern that there is a time to stop asking God to cleanse us. There is a time to appropriate by faith His forgiveness and cleansing and instead of prayers of petition and pleading, offer up shouts of gratitude and proclamations of victory and of the goodness of the Lord.

“Religion” is always asking but never receiving. That kind of false piety presents its subjects as permanent victims. There is a pretense of humility- but that kind of posturing is in actuality a manifestation of faithlessness.

What if my toddler spilled her milk intentionally in a show of disobedience. I lovingly and firmly discipline her, instructing her that that kind of behavior would not be tolerated. She cries tears of genuine contrition and, of course, I let her know that she is forgiven. I forget the offense and finish the meal.

How would I feel if, after granting her a “clean slate and absolution”, she continued to wail and sob and cry, “Please forgive me daddy, I’m sorry… please forgive me- I am so sorry… Oh Daddy i’m so sorry, please forgive me.” I know the example may seem a bit melodramatic, but that is what much of the church is doing with our songs of “woe-is-me”, “I’m
unworthy”, “please forgive me for being such a dirtbag”. Many times it is not the lyrics to the songs themselves (which can be great prayer-songs for genuine repentance and forgiveness), but the timing of when to sing them. The church as a whole is too sin-conscious and not enough goood-news conscious!

Lest you think that I am advocating arrogance or pride before a Holy God, please re-read the first paragraph. My point is that I would think a healthy relationship with God is evidenced by the belief from His sons and daughters that our God is quick to forgive and plenteous in mercy and has sufficient grace and mercy to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then, forgiven- and with an attitude of humble thanksgiving- we can be about our lives; showing forth the praises of He Who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light!!

Godrest and Godspeed in 2008,
Pray for Pakistan, Kenya,Greece, Iraq, Iowa and New Hampshire!
David Baroni

Let It Be Done To Me
David Baroni/ Wayne Tate

The angel of the Lord appeared to Mary
Saying “Do not be afraid for you have found favor with God
For behold, you shall conceive and bring forth a Son
And call His Name Jesus, the Holy One
Then Mary replied
“How can this be since I haven’t known a man?”
Then the angel said to her
“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you
For the Lord will fulfill
Yes the Lord will fulfill what He has promised
Then Mary said

Oh Lord Let it be done to me according to your Word
Oh Lord, Let it be done to me, I believe what I have heard
For with God nothing is impossible
And in Him I put my trust
Oh Lord Let it be done to me according to your Word

And just like Mary we magnify the Lord
And our spirits rejoice in God our Savior
For He Who is mighty has done great things for us
Holy is His Name Holy is His Name!

Oh Lord Let it be done to us according to your Word
Oh Lord, Let it be done to us, we believe what we have heard
For with God nothing is impossible
And in You we put our trust
Oh Lord Let it be done to me according to your Word

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
David Baroni

Rita and I were having one of our frequent conversations and were discussing, among other things, the family finances. We have the usual household financial obligations and sometimes things can get tight.

As we talked, our focus gradually turned from areas of need to the many places where we could see, very plainly, the goodness of God in our lives. (…and even the things that I think are areas of need, upon closer examination I can see that I have much to be thankful for.)

So here is a partial list of the true riches in my life:

Three beautiful, healthy, godly daughters who love me and welcome me into their lives.

A bright, loving son-in-law who takes care to love GOd and to love my daughter well. (He’s handsome too!)

My life’s companion, Rita. She and I have been married for over 27 years and we are closer to each other now than ever. We have grown through the hills and valleys of life and are best friends. We have even learned how to have conflict in our marriage and not see it as the end of the world- no small feat given our family backgrounds!

Songs and music that people all over the world have been encouraged by.

A nice home that resonates with laughter of our family and friends.

Friends from all over the world- from Kuwait to Nigeria, Italy to the Phillipines, Greece to Ukraine, Singapore to Australia.

A loving Father Who is the Creator and King of the universe and loves me unconditionally. He even loves me enough to discipline me and though “no discipline for the present seems joyous, yet the peaceable fruits of righteousness are enjoyed by those who receive the loving discipline of the Father.” (paraphrase mine.)

Yes, in this time where we celebrate the Word was made flesh- I am grateful that Jesus came to the stable of my heart and was born in me- and I reborn in Him!

God Bless you friends!
Merry Christmas
David Baroni

“The Power of Song”

There is a saying in the creative community here in Music City, USA, where I live: “It all starts with a song.”

This saying, of course, was intended to convey the importance of having a good song to start with in the creative/commercial process of going into the studio, producing the project, marketing it to radio and television, and trying to make sure the artist performing the song gets maximum exposure and sells records.

I believe that the people of God would do well to remember the importance of His gift of song to us.

God, our Father and our Creator, caused the universe (which means “one word”) to come into being by the power of His Word, His Voice.

He spoke creation into being. Some theologians suggest that God sung the universe into existence. Talk about a song!

Words are powerful. The words we speak can affect change in the people who listen to us. Proverbs says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it (to talk) shall eat the fruit thereof.”

How many times have you replayed in your mind words that were spoken to you or about you- some good, some maybe not so good.

Music is also a very powerful gift. Music can change the atmosphere, can penetrate our defenses and affect emotional, spiritual and even physical changes in the hearer.

So what if you combine Holy Spirit-inspired words with Holy Spirit-inspired music? You have the power of song.

Most believers have no problem believing that they hear from God (indirectly at least), through the pastor’s sermon, message or homily. I believe that, though the above is an important means of receiving the Word of the Lord, there are many ways that God speaks to us today.

God speaks to us through His creation: “the heavens are telling the glory of God,” through our spouse (though sometimes we don’t like what we hear!), through our friends, children, circumstances, quiet time with His Word and also through corporate song.

Psalms 133 talks about the blessing of God’s people being in unity. When we sing “God-breathed” songs together corporately there is at least a threefold blessing that is received and given.

1. The power of the words that we sing. Many songs are filled with powerful truth and can give us a clearer revelation of Who Jesus is and Who He is in us! There is a creative power that is released as we lift our voices in faith and declare in song the words inspired by the Holy Spirit

2. The power of the music. David played his instrument before King Saul and the evil spirits tormenting Saul had to flee. Holy Spirit inspired music brings the atmosphere of heaven to earth and helps us to hear the inaudible sounds of the Kingdom of God come to earth!

3. The power of unity. In the west, where the exalting of individualism has too much importance, it is refreshing and vital that we remember that we belong to something much greater than ourselves. Again the 133rd Psalm: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers (and sisters) to dwell together in unity. It is like the oil that flows down the beard and the robes of Aaron (we are a royal priesthood through Christ). For there (the place of unity) the Lord commands the blessing: even life forevermore!” (Emphases and parentheses mine)

If one person singing a song can melt a hard heart and help others to focus on the Solution instead of the problem, just imagine what power is released when many of us lift our voices together in love and praise to our God through Jesus Christ. Indeed, those praises become a throne for the King of kings as He makes Himself known in our midst.

“The Lord is our Strength and our Song!”

God will move us from fear of calamity to the Fear of the Lord.
From love of this world and distractions to the Love of God.

Perfect Love casts out fear.

There is an unholy spirit of fear that tries to attach itself to the child of God. That spirit of fear is manifested in worry, terror, a sense of foreboding or expectation of disaster or disease. It can be debilitating and draining and cause one to forget who he or she is as a royal citizen of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Whatever you feed grows. If you feed the spirit of fear by too much television news, or being around fearful people all the time, or neglecting to hear what God says about you and about circumstances, fear gains a stronger influence in your life.

There is, thank God, an answer for unholy fear. That answer is to be filled with the “Fear of the Lord”.

The fear of the Lord is healthy. It is to be desired. The fear of the Lord is not terror or false humility- it is simply and profoundly to have a deep respect and reverence for Who God is. To be in His Presence and on the quest to know Him by His Spirit and Word is to learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

To be a recipient of grace is a wonderful and overwhelming thing. It is not, however, a license to be casual in our dealings with the Almighty.

Some may say to have the fear of the Lord is an old-fashioned, unenlightened way of relating to God. That is not what is taught by the Word of God:

“The fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.”
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Blessed is the man or woman that fears (has proper esteem, reverence and respect for) the Lord. My FATHER is the King of the Universe. I know that He loves me unconditionally and will never reject me. I am safe in His love. As I get to know Him better, my awe and respect, yes my “fear” of Him grows as well. It’s a good thing. Indeed a necessary thing to fear the Lord.

As I was praying and playing piano before the Lord this morning I realized that God in His goodness was giving me the grace to put off the unholy fear that has been subtly (and sometimes more overtly) paralyzing me, and receive a fresh baptism of the fear of the Lord.

We become like that which we behold.

I have been allowing myself to be consumed by distractions, a love for entertainment for example. It isn’t that I have been watching things that are blatantly sinful, it’s just that I have allowed myself to be distracted by the unimportant in an attempt to fill up what only God can satisfy. I am asking the Lord to refill and refocus me on Him. Ministry doesn’t ultimately satisfy, good works, money, even cherished relationships can’t fill up the part of me (and you) that is reserved for God alone.

“…we with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2nd. Cor. 3:18

So Lord, thank you for replacing unholy fear with your Holy fear, and replacing earthly distractions- other loves- with Your Love. Your Perfect, Mature Love.
Thank you for giving us a singleness of heart.

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after- to behold the beauty of the Lord and to dwell in Your Presence forever.”
Perfect Love casts out fear.

“River of Grace”
David Baroni/Kingdomsongs Inc./ BMI/ CCLI

Baptize me fresh in the River of Grace
My spirit is thirsty for more than just a taste
Tired of wading these shallows, I want to swim
So open Your arms Lord ‘Cause I’m diving in (into)

The River, the River of Grace
Into the River, the River of Grace
For it washes, restores and forever outpours
From Your Throne to Your own
It’s the River of Grace

Baptize me fresh with Your Spirit Divine
I’m tired of living a life that’s only mine
I want to be like a fountain that flows
Bringing Jesus wherever I go (just like)

The River, the River of Grace
Into the River, the River of Grace
For it washes, restores and forever outpours
From Your Throne to Your own
It’s the River of Grace

Baptize me fresh in Your Word and Your Fire
Fill me with passion, and a Holy Desire
I’m done with distractions, Only You quench my thirst
Lord I hear You say “Jump!” now I’m diving headfirst (into)

Chorus :
The River, the River of Grace
Into the River, the River of Grace
How it washes, restores and forever outpours
From Your Throne to Your own
It’s the River of Grace, the River of Grace

Bridge:
Oh that healing, Living Water
Refreshing Your sons and Your daughters

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding- in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6)

“…Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:5)

These verses speak volumes to us about how to live life. I used to think the first verse from Proverbs was an admonition to unbelievers- thus I concluded that since I did that once, (trusted the Lord for salvation), I didn’t need to pay attention to the verse anymore. I erroneously concluded that I automatically trusted in the Lord without leaning to my own mind.

Now, however, I see that it is very easy for believers to live in our own strength, walking out the plans of our own minds and think that we are flowing in God’s purposes- hence the loving warnings of the scripture to consciously put on “the mind of Christ” and not live merely in the natural but to be naturally supernatural.

It is safer to step out of the boat on a Word from God than it is to keep rowing through the storm with the oars of our own strength and plans.

It is God’s creative Word that sustains, directs and provides for us.

“I beseech you therefore brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice… and be not conformed to this world’s mold, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Godrest and Godspeed,
David Baroni
P.S. Coming soon, my first book: “The Jazz Preacher”!