The Power of Worship

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]The Power of Worship

Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

 Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him,  “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. 

Matthew 4:1-11

 

The issue of worship is the central subject in the Scriptures. It is much more than singing songs. It is much more than singing songs. It is much more than talking to God. How you worship determines how you believe. What you believe determines how you worship. 

 

In the passage, after Jesus had fasted 40 days, He was hungry. When the devil approaches Him, he tempts Him with hunger. This gives us insight that Satan will never tempt you where you’re strong. He will always tempt you in an area that you’re weak in. The devil never tempts you where you’re strong. The enemy is going to attack you in the area where you act like you have no problem. 

 

The temptation of presumption 

 

As believers, we sometimes think that we can put things that we want on God. When we want something, we justify or make it seem as if it’s God’s will for us to have it. If you listen to people pray, they often simply pray their Christmas lists. “I want this. I need this. I wish for this.” And whatever you want, you will lay it on God as though it’s God’s will for you to have it. 

 

Often in the church, it is not what God wants for us. It is what we want for ourselves that we pray for. We often don’t have a lot of depth and understanding of how to pray. You have to understand that some of the things you want are not for you. Some of the prayers that you prayed are senseless prayers. A lot of times, you are driven in your prayer life by your emotions. You pray for stuff that you really are not ready to possess. 

We often commit the sin of presumption. The enemy tempts us to think that we can make what we want God’s will. For example, many people ask a blessing for their marriage to a non-believer, thinking that God told them that their partner would become a believer once they are married. This is an example of the sin of presumption. Unfortunately, many will never listen to what the Word of God says but will insist that they know what they heard, that God “chose” that person for them, only to divorce years later. 

 

The reason that God does not answer all our prayers is that some of the stuff we’re asking for is literally not for us. When God says no, He always has something better for you. What you want today, you may not want tomorrow again. 

 

God gives us what He wants us to have. 

 

The final temptation

 

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him,  “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Matthew 4:8-10

 

Jesus never tells the devil, “This is not yours. This is mine. It belongs to me, and I can give it to whoever I want to. It’s mine now.” Jesus does not challenge this satanic plane. Even in the face of Pilate, Jesus showed that no one has the power to take His life. Jesus had to lay it down. In other words, anything that is said that’s wrong, Jesus will quickly correct. But He never questions the devil’s authority over the kingdoms of this earth because Jesus understood, and He agreed that what the devil was offering Him indeed belonged to the enemy. 

Don’t misunderstand, God owns the earth. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. We’re not talking about the planet. We’re talking about the kingdoms of this world, which the enemy owns. Even if the enemy thinks he owns the kingdoms of this world, Jesus will take these kingdoms back. Satan can say that he owns these kingdoms because when Adam sinned, he gave up his right to have dominion over the earth that God had given him. Through disobedience, he voided his right, and the devil became the prince of this world. 

 

What Satan is saying is that if Jesus will bow down, it means that He will give the enemy His worship. This is what most Christians never learn about worship. To receive God’s greatest blessing on your life, you must discover worship because worship is acquisition. If you want to be blessed greater than you could ever imagine, be a worshiper. 

Many people experience blessing even if they’re not a believer because they know the principle of sowing and reaping, which is applicable in the world we live in. Sometimes, folks are just blessed because they understand and apply principles, though they may not understand or be related at all in the family of God. 

 

God’s law says that you have to reap. You can’t mock God on this. You have to reap what you sow. 

 

Worship equals acquisition 

 

Get this in your spirit: Worship equals acquisition. When you worship God, you transcend normal limits. When you worship God, things that do not belong to you become yours. On the other hand, worship also releases stuff to you that the enemy tied up. 

 

When you worship God, He will speak to prisons and say, “Let go of that person.”

When you worship God, He will speak to credit reports and say, “Disappear, bad credit, so they can have a new beginning.”

When you worship God, He will speak to property owners so you can afford to buy their property. And God will tell them to bring the price down because He wants His children to own. 

When you worship God, He begins to release things to you. 

 

Many don’t understand that when you begin to worship God, houses, money, property, and freedom from debt will be released to you. Spiritual chains are broken off of you and your family members. The power of worship destroys bondages that cannot be overcome all of a sudden. 

 

We gather to worship God. But, when we worship God, we don’t walk out the same way we walked in. When we come in and worship Him, we walk out believing our bills have been paid. We walk out healed. We walk out not as debtors or renters but as owners. 

 

Worship is demonstrative

 

To offer worship means you must bow. You must humble yourself before the King. Worshiping God demands intimacy and affection. You can’t be still. You can’t be rigid. You have to express your love for Him. This will move you from one level to another. God is living in you. So, you must show your love for Him. Expressing our worship will let us know that God’s presence has shown up. He will show up for you, walk with you, talk with you, reach out, and touch you. He will let you know that He loves you. When we bow to Him, we show that we are interacting with Him. We show that He is real. 

Worship as warfare 

 

The power of worship will transform you to become what you worship. You become like the person or the thing that you worship. The most acceptable way of serving God is worship. You are a free moral agent. You can worship whoever you want. You have the privilege and the choice, but the only person who actually deserves worship and the One to whom it belongs is the Lord God. He created you to worship Him. You can offer your worship to anyone but it legally belongs to your Creator, the Great I AM. 

 

When you worship God, you enter the spiritual realm. God is spirit and that’s the only way you can worship Him—in spirit and truth. He is looking, seeking, desiring, and wanting people to come to the revelation of why they were created. 

 

Let’s look at Matthew 4:11

 

“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

 

When dealing with warfare — the kingdom of darkness versus the Kingdom of Light, many of us don’t realize that what comes out of our mouths is that we are acknowledging what the enemy has done to us rather than declaring what God has already accomplished for us. When we talk about our dire circumstances, our sickness, or our hard times, we instead worship the enemy. We do not understand that where the focus goes, the power flows. But when you worship and bow to God, you will see His presence in your life. He can change your circumstances. His goodness, mercy, and love will follow you. 

 

If you want to know how to deal with any attack, even if it’s from the devil himself, just go to worship. He does not have a choice. He has to leave. This is greater than deliverance. You don’t need oil. You don’t need a prayer line. All you need to do is worship the Lord. The enemy will flee from your home, your finances, your health, and your family life.

Worship is power. Break the chains of the enemy and focus on God. He is fighting for you. Give God the glory, honor, and praise. Do what you were created to do. You can do more by throwing your hands up and bowing before God. You can accomplish more by coming into His presence. 

 

When we worship God, we are fighting the enemy on a higher level. We overcome the kingdom of darkness through worship. Those attacking you do not have the right to stay in your presence because you have come into the Holy of Holies. Keep worshiping God with your whole being. And watch Him move in your life and in your midst. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]