Worship God Daily
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. Therefore, I want men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.” 1Timothy 2:5,8 CSB
“… listen O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all you soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
::::::
Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth
Anything repeated twice or more in the Bible is important. The Great Command when described by Christ in the Book of Mark uses the Old Testament to spell out unequivocally that Loving God is of the utmost importance. The Hebrew word for worship is shachah. In its most common usage, it means to “cause oneself to lie prostrate.” For centuries people would bow to a person of higher status or a king to express complete submission. Following this example Christians must exhibit more than love for God, they should also express a complete submission to His rule over their lives. Psalm 95:1, 6 “O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” All directions and answers exist within Scripture. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 we find Paul discussion the gift of tongues and interpretation. He ends that statement in verse 25 “and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.”
And Christ in speaking to the woman at the well said this John 4:21-24 “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews [she was a Samaritan not a Jew]. But the hour cometh, now and is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father is spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We must remember that God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5b-6 “… for I the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Paul in his epistle to the Philippians 3:3 “For we are of the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” He speaks of the better position Christians have as they are “circumcised of the heart” unlike the Jews who insist on physical circumcision as a requirement of salvation. A circumcision of the heart is actually the best evidence of belief in Christ. The key thing about this quote is that once again we find the phrase “worship in the spirit.’
We are to worship God. We are to do it in the Spirit. It is a clear directive from Scripture. There are many other scriptures to support this. What is presented here should be enough to spur you onward. Then what? How is this done?
Understand the Holy Spirit
Worship and or prayer in the Spirit can be misunderstood. Actually, if we start with understanding just what the “Holy Spirit” is then things get immediately easier. He is the Paraclete … the Helper left us by Jesus after he departed the earth. He is within us to assist with understanding, discernment and guidance on living in God’s will. And He is the seal of our salvation because he cannot be within us unless we are believers. Pretty amazing once you think about it. We are spiritual beings who are flawed by our sinful nature. Yet, we have this helper who will take care of us if we let him.
Man has a spirit as does God, 1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” Therefore, once the Holy Spirit enters a man there are two spirits that may act together. When we yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirt our spirit works alongside God’s Spirit.
When we desire to pray, we are not effective on our own. Actually, we sometimes avoid prayer because we cannot say what we want to say. Here is where the Holy Spirit becomes our helper. Yes, we know about worshiping and praising and asking for help. But the doing of it is such a challenge for many. It is unnecessary. Listen to this from the C. S. Lewis Institute, “As it is clear that praying in the Spirit means much more than praying by the Spirit’s help although that is included. We pray by means of and in dependence on the Spirit’s help, but the Spirit is the atmosphere in the believer lives. So long as he is not provoked, he is able to guide us in our petitions and create in us faith that claims the answer, our prayers will then be in substance the same as the intercession of the Spirit within.” We “join hands” with the Spirit of God and experience along the same tract, about the same things and in the manner of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God in 7 Verses
Ephesians 1:13 “In him you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.” Belief in Christ as Savior gains your being sealed with the Paraclete
Ephesians 2:17-18 “And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” we have access via the Holy Spirit and through Jesus
Zecheriah 12:10a “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication…” the Spirit is spread over people leading them to prayer including supplication
Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father.” provides our sense of sonship and acceptance
Rom 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be understood.” He helps us overcome our ignorance, assisting with focus and proper intent
Dan 10:23 “But the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone with the kings of Persia.” A delay caused by interference … we are told that we should be patient for our answers
Ephesians 1:17 “I pray that the God or our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
No other person or group will be able to improve your prayer life better than the Holy Spirit. You will be able pray in God’s will in a manner He understands and will respond to with the help of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does not “overtake” us. He is called the Paraclete/Helper for a reason!
Prepare Yourself
Here are several tips that will help get you in the right condition to know and understand God and to allow the Holy Spirit to support you approaching God in prayer.
Begin with knowing God intimately. Study Scripture with regularity. It is the primary way to know our Creator. He has revealed himself within the pages of the Bible. Know from that what He offers us through belief in His Son. Start to recognize your own sin; admit to it. Learn the parables of Jesus for understanding.
Understand that worship can and does take many forms. Just read through the Book of Psalms to see what David did; He danced and sang and shouted and cried out and pleaded and raised his hands. He did not stand unaffected by his zeal and love for God. Did you know that worship can be done while prostrate, kneeling, bowing, lying in bed, from a seated position and even bound to a wheelchair. Situations and health issues should not interfere.
Wherever you do your worship do your best to focus. Ignore the outside world and put you attention on what you are doing. This is about you and God. Turn off your phone, ignore those thoughts that creep into your mind and focus. Shut that bedroom door. Get alone if you have to in the yard or the garage. He wants your undivided attention. Get to church on time and do not fret about where you will set. Again, regardless of where you are focus, focus, focus.
Always address your sins first. Confess, repent and stand on the Blood of Jesus. He is why we can confess and move forward. Remember He is at the right hand of the Father. Do not avoid addressing your sin, it all interferes with prayer and worship regardless of how small it may seem. Why let our transgression block God. Allow Him the glory of your being obedient.
Worship involves song. The Book of Psalms is all hymns. We have lost the musical notes but still have the lyrics. God is surrounded by Cherubim, singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” endlessly. We are told to sing in many places in scripture. Do it! And while listening and/or singing focus on the words more than anything else. You do not have to like the choir leader and his hymn selection, and it does not matter if you would prefer them singing something you like. Be reasonable please. Consider this, are you tired now of saying the Lord’s Prayer? How about when you read in the book of John and he retells the story of Christ praying for the church? This is about you and God and you communicating in song your love and adoration for Him and for His grace toward you!
><> <><
God looks for people who are worshipping Him and He will not receive what is offered if we are busy sinning and complaining about what is going on around us. It is about Him, not what we want. Can you go to a loved one and profess your sincere love for them, appreciation for them loving you if you keep trying to listen to the television? You know better. Focus on God who through His grace has made it possible to attain heaven through the death and resurrection of His Son.
::::::
We must humble ourselves and trust in the Spirit that our pleas and worship will be in God’s will.
We Worship with the Holy Spirit at Our Side
Job 32:8 “But it is the spirit of man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand”
Ecclesiastes 12:7 “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God.”
1 Corinthians “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who knows a person’s thoughts accept the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the spirit of God.”
Acts 7:59 “… and as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Hebrews 12-9 “Besides this, we have earthly Fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits?”
Sitting, kneeling, or being prostrate all work in offering prayer.
PRAYER POINT: LET GO - LET GOD
“COMMIT TO THE LORD WHATEVER YOU DO AND HE WILL ESTABLISH YOUR PLANS” - PROVERBS 16:3 Start the day in prayer and be honest with God about what you feel and want, then seek His will. Stop strivng. The farmer does not strive. He attends to the necessary and gets to work expecting the harvest.
“THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU AND YOU WILL ONLY BE SILENT.” EXODUS 14:14 Be silent in your world and enjoy the knowledge that God has all things in control. Do what you are supposed to do as if only you can accomplish it. And pray as if it can only be done by God. He wants to work through you.
“CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU.” 1 PETER 5:7 Instead of hitting your head against a wall, hit the floor on your knees. Hold God’s hand as you venture forth. Turn to Him in your disappointment and frustration. He is you partner.
“THE RIGHTEOUS CRY OUT AND THE LORD HEARS THEM; HE DELIVERS THEM FROM ALL THEIR TROUBLES.” PSALM 34:17 As a Christian you are never alone. By believing you invite Christ into your life. His footsteps are embedded in yours. Hold his hand. Trust the promises of your deliverer Jesus Christ.”
“YOU ARE ALTOGETHER BEAUTIFUL, MY DARLING, THERE IS NOT FLAW IN YOU.” SONG OF SOLOMON 4:7 Christ and God love you as you are and where you are and the Holy Spirit who dwells in you prays for you constantly. You are the Bride of Christ. As such you are one of those cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb. Perfect only through the blood of Jesus sacrifice!
“BUT AS FOR YOU, BE STRONG AND DO NOT GIVE UP, FOR YOUR WORK WILL BE REWARDED.” 2 CHRONICLES 15:7 You are a steward of the gifts and talents God has given you. You know the correct way to do things. Get to it! Praise, worship and petition are accepted by God. He pursues a relationship with you and is your anchor in this evil world.
><><><
Worship is a Private Matter
“Whenever you pray you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And you Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6
