It is so vital that we be hungry for God in our lives. Keeping yourself in a state of consistently growing is so important to your Christian walk. Do you want something new? I mean something new, something fresh? Something beautiful! You know if your horse is dead, you need to get off of it. Do something different! If what you're doing is not working, then hey, get off of it and do something different! I believe God is all about change, don't you?
If you want a crop that you've never had before you have to plant seeds that you've never planted before. If you want something that you've never had before in your life, then you have to do something that you've never done before. We want a fresh move of God!
You see, if you want God to do something new in your life, then usually you've got to do something new. The Bible says, "Draw nigh unto God and He'll draw nigh unto you." If you want God to hurry and move in your life then you need to hurry and move toward Him! Isn't that right?
If you want a quick move of God, then repent quickly. Believe Him quickly. Obey Him quickly and you'll get a quick move of God. Amen!
Worship is an act of your faith!
Worship is so powerful for our daily lives.
• Praise Him in the church.
Hebrews 2:12 says, "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."
Psalm 35:18 "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."
Psalm 150:1 "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power."
These are just a few of many scriptures that I could use in reference to praising God in the church.
• Praise Him outside the church (translated "all the time").
1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice evermore."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice."
Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
The Ultimate act of faith is worship according to Hebrews 13:15. It says to us, "By Him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."
We have a responsibility as the Body of Christ, to worship God. We can see that in the few verses we've given so far. Worship is not all there is to our walk with the Lord. It is not everything, but it's a vital part of our relationship with God. It's not what we know, it's what we do that counts.
Praise and worship is also the gateway to the supernatural. It opens up the door for God to move, touch, and speak to you. Worship creates that supernatural connection that we all hunger for in our lives.
You can't please God in your flesh. John 4:23-24 says, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
Romans 8:8 tells us that, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." In the Old Testament, men used to have to go to the temple, but now we can all worship. In the OT times a priest did the communication. Now, because of Jesus, we have a constant flow of communication if we make the connection. Praise and worship is the key to keeping your communication lines open to the promptings of the Lord.
Let's talk about the power of our focus.
Let's look at Psalm 133:1-2.
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (2) It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments."
In verse one we see a clue of the power of focus. There's nothing like saying the same thing. ONE FOCUS, on ONE THING, at ONE TIME. We can do that by singing and worshipping God.
In verse two we see the results of the right focus. That ointment, (or the anointing) starts out as a drop, then a flow, then it coats everything that comes in contact with it. It gets stronger as it flows. The anointing comes, not just so you can get blessed, but so other people can get help too.
You bring His presence and His anointing on the scene when you worship Him.
Four Goals That You Should Seek In Worship
• Begin by rejoicing and stirring up the joy.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. In His presence is fullness of joy. Right? In Children's ministry you don't come in boring, you come in with joy. (Example: "If you're happy and you know it.") You don't come in heavy.
Isaiah 12:3 "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."
There's a connection from heaven when you worship. Joy unspeakable. But YOU stir up that joy by putting a smile on your face. Putting feet to your faith. Taking action. Faith without works is dead. If your horse is dead GET OFF OF IT!
• Get into thanksgiving and praise.
In its purest form, being thankful is a response to the goodness of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says,"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Giving thanks: that's the will of God right there for you!
• Endeavor to worship God.
When we say that we endeavor to worship, that simply means you and God in communion and fellowship together. One of the ways we endeavor to worship is by lifting up holy hands.
Look at your hands and say this, "These are holy hands." 1 Timothy 2:8 tells us to lift up holy hands. Lifting up your hands to worship is an act of great reverence and consecration because it pulls a part of your flesh (that you use for yourself) and you take that focus away from your body and you point it toward your Creator. There's a difference between "praise" and "worship".
Clapping during the worship times, those quiet moments, was a big issue at one time. If Billy Graham, or even the President of the United States walked in, we would honor them with a standing ovation. But there is something different when God shows up. We need to be humble and lift up holy hands and praise the one who conquered death, hell, and the grave for you and me. The one who has delivered us! Period! Oh, when the Lord shows up, He is Holy. Holy is the Lord!
• Take the time to worship so that when you get out into the world you have a source of power.
You see, in the dark hour, and before you are in a dark hour, you must worship Him. Quit being controlled by your feelings or what the circumstance looks like or what your emotions are telling you, and praise your Deliverer!
Acts 16:25-31 reads, "Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, "Stop! Don't kill yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."
They sang praises at the darkest moment, in the lowest part of the prison. Theologians say that was the place where the sewers ran. They say that old Paul and Silas could have been waist deep in unspeakables! Oh, but at the midnight hour they sang praises! The whole prison heard them. They were LOUD! Then, the "suddenly" happened. It would do you and me a whole lot of good if we'd just praise Him at all times! That way something good is always happening to me!
God is always faithful and always present. Ready to move if we would just open up that door corporately and personally.
Abraham Lincoln
It's been said that President Lincoln had an appointment one day with a very elderly lady. As she entered the President's office, he arose, seated her, and asked, "How may I be of service to you, madam?"
The little lady said, "Mr. President, I know that you are a busy man. I have not come to ask you anything. I simply came to bring you this box of cookies, for I heard that you enjoy them so much."
A silence followed in which tears overflowed the eyes of the President. Finally, he raised his head and spoke to the little lady. "Madam, I thank you for your thoughtful gift. I am greatly moved by it. Since I have been President of this great country, thousands of people have come into this office asking for favors and demanding things from me. You are the first person who has ever entered these premises asking no favor and indeed, bringing a gift for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Church, we need to always be aware that our existence is not so that we can have a new car or house, money, etc. God cares about us, and He will always bless us. But our existence is to have fellowship with our creator.
So many requests...as President Lincoln said. So many requests, and our Father simply wants our companionship. Amen.
Prayer: Father, I choose to be thankful! I choose to worship and adore You. You are an awesome God! Thank You for saving me and delivering me! Amen.
