Categories
Examining Biblical Scripture

What is Worship

Let us praise GOD:

“Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (I Chronicles 16:29)

A la sha bat, shabat. Sa ba tal a ka bala ka ta ba la… (tongues)

Oh God, you are my LORD. Glorify Your name, forever.

Worship unto our King, the ultimate King of Glory.

You know, worship is for the King of Glory, to raise Him up, to lift Him up, that He may be glorified.

It is not about ourselves, but about Jesus, about the LORD Father, about the Holy Spirit who inspires us and guides us.

There are wonderful worship songs, and there are beautiful songs that inspire us and comfort us. But these are not the same.

Praise songs lift up God and thank Him. Worship songs dig deeply into our souls (minds: will, emotion, intellect) and our spirits (heart = newborn spirit). We praise and we worship to expand the Kingdom, to bless our Lord, to sing with the angels.

Worship is not about us. Songs about us are brilliant to help us to grow, and to explore or express our pleasure of Him. But worship is all about God and His glory, to bring heaven down to earth, to raise the presence of God into our midst. It’s not about us at all.

So, when we worship as a group or congregation, may we let go and let God lead us. Instruments and voices together, raised up to give him praise and thanks, letting go of what we look like or how we sound, all for the thanksgiving of God – this is the worship we long to offer to Him. Let us do so together, let us do so in solitary, let us do so, that He may be glorified in the earth and the demons be disbursed. Amen.

Ready: Make room to worship God, even alone at home.

Set: Make God the center of your attention.

Go: Raise your voice, movement, all of your focus and worship Him.

Categories
Examining Biblical Scripture

Worship as a form of Spiritual Warfare

‘Music has charms to soothe the savage breast.’ (William Congreve) And it can do so much more!

Ready: We sing songs in church, and that’s nice. But what is worship really all about?

Set: Whether singing old hymns or new tunes, worship is a serious issue. Worship is much more than singing songs at the beginning of a church service, or enjoying a praise CD in our cars on the way to work. Although those experiences can be fulfilling, worship is a lifestyle and as we engage with our Heavenly Father, we can offer a sweet fragrance to Him and simultaneously thwart the enemy’s intentions. When we walk in a lifestyle of worship, we enjoy peace of mind, freedom of expression and joy in the Spirit.

Is worship a form of spiritual warfare? This question, “Is worship a form of spiritual warfare,” is one of the most commonly asked questions by today’s Christians.

If the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, faithfulness and self-control, then any exhibition of these fruits will be sweet to the LORD and sour to the enemy. There are prayers of intercession, and declarations to transform our present circumstances to God’s will; there are prayers to heal hearts, overcoming poverty and oppression, and to protect the land and its heritage. But one of the most basic battles we can wage against the enemy is to enjoy this life and whatever circumstances we face (Philippians 3:1). As we worship the LORD in Spirit and in Truth, it pulls down the enemy every time!

1. Celebrate your life, with or without a music track.

Go: Enjoy every moment of the LIFE the LORD has given you today, knowing the weapons of our warfare are not physical but spiritual.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:14)