The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me a great deal about worship over the past week or two. It has become painfully clear to me that I have somewhat neglected my worship to God. It just has not been as "real" as it has been at other times in my past. I have to confess that I had let myself become so busy with the affairs and business of the church, that worship has been taking a back seat in my life and I fear in my church. This cannot go on. I know that when you worship God, the moment you step into His presence, His power, ability and Spirit are released into our lives, and when that begins to happen, no matter what we are facing or going through, we win.
I am reminded of the words of Christ in John 4:23 where He says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
Let's face facts. Our churches today are full programs and talented singers, artists and so on. Many churches classify their entire service as a worship service, but all too often, there is very little worship that takes place. As a result, seldom is anyone really changed in those services.
In worship, be must approach God with our heart much more than with our mind. In the verse I just quoted, He is telling us that there are a lot of temporal worshipers... those who attempt to worship God with their mind and abilities. But these end up being mere spectators in a worship service because they only approach God with their intellect. And this is offensive to God. He will not respond to mere intellect and talent. Whoever worships him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth.
The truth is, one can never experience true worship until we learn to worship from our spirit. Until we do, worship will be burdensome and will seem like a waste of time or foolishness. (Ever hear someone complain that the music was too long? It is foolish to them, because they are not worshiping!) You see, a person can know that there is a God of the universe who created everything and know that Jesus died to give us life and know him as Savior. They can know that Christ has saved them and cleansed them, but the problem lies in that they try to thank Him out of a mental attitude, and mental ascent is not true worship, but rather it is meditation.
For true worship to take place, there must be a reciprocal communion take place. God's presence must be manifest to you and in you. One cannot get into the deeper things of God with our minds alone. As believers, we must approach God, engage our heart with his and be filled with His life. To put it into a more simple term, we must be "plugged into" God's heart and receive from Him His nature, character, goodness and His mercy.
I've come to realize in recent days that there has been a famine in my life and seemingly in my church, and I realize that when there is true worship then there cannot be famine, because God has promised He will keep us alive in famine. (Read Psalm 33:18-19)
I am convinced of this:
If you want to become more like God, there is only one way. Worship Him with all your heart.
If you want to operate more in God's anointing and power, there is only one way. Worship Him with all your heart.
The interesting thing is, when we begin to worship with our heart, we cannot quit. The draw is too intense. We want to be in His presence more and more.
The more you worship Him, the more you desire to be in His presence.
It's addicting!
Anyone looking for a new addiction?
No comments:
Post a Comment