Day 5 Of The Character Traits

Day 5: The Spirit of Worship

When the Spirit of God dwells in you, you will have an intense desire to worship Him. Worshipping may be somewhat of an abstract concept, but it comes down to showing a deep respect and love for God. It goes hand in hand with praising, sacrificing and honouring Him. Since these activities are 100% God-centered, you can't truly worship God until you've died to yourself. Then the Holy Spirit will lead you and direct you in your worship.

We need to worship God daily as this is where we find the power we need to stand against the evil forces in the spiritual realm (Eph. 6:12). When we worship God in the Spirit, we are praising Him in a way that we cannot do in the flesh. In 2 Chr. 20 we read about an impending battle between Judah and her enemies. But instead of sharpening their swords, we read about their praise and worship. Time after time the prophet tells them, "Do not be afraid or discouraged,....for the battle is not yours but God's and then we see the people's reaction to this in verses 18, 19 and 21: "...and all the people of Judah and jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord,......stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel with a loud voice....to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of His holiness....saying: "give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever.'"

It's important for us to note here that they are rejoicing, not so much in the fact that God delivered them from their enemies, but in who He is. They are praising His character, His loving, gracious nature. This is the key to worshipping God. We must worship Him for who He is. If we focus on Him, it is possible for us to praise Him even in adverse circumstances, even in times when things are not going so well for us. If you feel overwhelmed by whatever is happening in you life, it's time to worship God for being in control of your out-of-control situation. If you are ill, praise Him for being your Healer. If you are in financial need, praise Him for being your Provider. I don't care how bad things are in your life, you can always praise Him for loving you first, for giving His life for you so that you might escape death and have life, for giving you His Holy Spirit to guide you, and for the knowledge that He hasn't given up on you yet!

Praising God for Himself is the heart of worship and it will bring you closer to Him than anything else. When you worship Him in the Spirit, focusing on Him alone, His glory will come upon you like a precious wedding gown. It will envelop you completely and if physical eyes would be able to see it, it would seem like a fire around you. To experience the glory of God like this, is to be desired more than anything else on Earth.

After my quiet time one night, God asked me to bring Him a sacrifice of praise. Instantly tears started rolling down my cheeks as I had to admit that I had never before brought my King a sacrifice of praise. My back had always been too stiff to bow down to Him, and decorum has always prevented me from shouting in celebration of Him! God wants to be adored like this. He says in Lk. 19:40, "...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!"

I want to encourage you today to take the initiative and cast off all your preconceived ideas about worship. Let's bow down to Him, lift up our hands and shout with the angels, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty..." (Rev. 4:8).

He is worthy of this spirit-filled worship!