Let The Worshippers Arise ... To Fight!

Once again, the Lord has me thinking about fighting. Maybe its my nature - or my personality - who knows?  At any rate, the various weapons provided for us has been on my mind lately.

There is a song that says: "Let the Worshippers Arise." Many times when I hear it sung people stand and raise their hands to heaven, showing their love of and to God. That is all well and good, but I'm thinking there is a deeper meaning in these words. I believe that worship is one of our greatest weapons.

Psm 34:7 (Amplified)  The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him (who revere and worship Him with awe) and each of them He delivers.

 According to the Bible, he delivers each of them who revere and worship Him with awe. Not just one or two - He delivers each of them.

Psm 34:8 (Amplified) O taste and see that the Lord (our God) is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.

Could it be that when we worship and take refuge in Him we are happy, fortunate and to be envied because while we are worshipping, the Lord is delivering us?

After Royce's accident he had almost a year of Physical Therapy every day. The sessions were exhausting and painful for him. He would come home and I would settle him on the bed with pillows under his arms and hands; put on worship music and leave him alone with God.

And then he would cry. And worship.  And thank the Lord for his healing; for his very life. During those times the presence of Jesus in his room was overwhelming. Sometime I would slip back in and lay as close as possible just because the anointing and presence was so wonderful. We both needed healing in our own way.

The more Royce worshipped, the more the Lord healed; which made Royce more grateful and he worshipped more; which made the Lord heal more. Well, you get the picture. It's called relationship. Give and take. Loving and being loved. Royce wasn't worshipping so the Lord would heal him. He worshipped because he loved the Lord and was grateful for his healing and love.

He didn't sing; he was too tired for that. He did listen to worship tapes but the true worship was coming from his heart. The Lord seeks those to worship Him in spirit and in truth; to revere and worship Him in awe. If you are one who has been taught to open your heart and let your true feelings and emotions rise to the Father; if you can pour out your love along with your pain until your focus is on Jesus and He is utmost in your heart and mind, then you are a worshipper.

Worship has many faces. When we give of ourselves to others in an act of love to the Father, we worship. When we humble ourselves before Him in adoration without a thought for ourselves, we worship.  We worship with our time, our possessions, our energy, but always we worship from our heart.

It is interesting: we never, ever worship to get something from our Father, but we never worship in truth without receiving something from our Father.

"Let The Worshippers Arise."

Standing

Its one of those seasons when it seems everyone I talk to is in the midst of a spiritual battle of some sort. Recently, we have heard a little of everything from depression to health issues, to broken relationships to addictions - the enemy is very busy these days. I know that is his job, but does anyone besides me wish he would just stop it???? Just give it a rest!!

But, since he is committed to killing each and every one that he can, we have to suck it up and stay committed as well. Lately I've been praying out of Ephesians 6 where Paul lays out the armor of God. Right off, let me say, it is a good thing we don't have to "suit up" every morning or the enemy would do me in before I even have my coffee. Mornings are not my best time.

Last night was one of those lay awake and stare at the ceiling times, so I took the opportunity to pray over some situations. Once again, the armor of God came to mind and I started to picture a soldier arrayed in God's armor. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take  your stand against the devil's schemes. Eph 6:10&11

Seriously, if I have all that armor on in the natural I'm going to need a spear or a gun or some sort of weapon to hurt someone. Stand??? Stand??? That's it?

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph 6: 12 & 13

What is the "everything" you have done? Put on the helmet of salvation; imperative and non-negotiable.  Belt of truth - walk in it, speak it, love it. Breast plate of righteousness  - our righteousness is in Jesus Christ which covers our hearts and protects our vital spiritual organs. Shield of faith - to defend ourselves from the enemy's nasty arrows. Reading the Bible and using it as the sword of the Spirit to refute all the devil's ungodly claims.

And finally, this is my favorite part, walking in peace. One of the greatest ways to defeat the enemy is just to keep our peace. Don't argue with him, don't try to convince him, just speak truth, cover your head with salvation, protect your heart, read the word to him and keep  your peace. I love it!!

Now, if only it were as simple as it sounds. And of course it should be but for me it never is. I remember years ago when I was first saved I bought a beautiful plaque for the wall over my desk at work. It read:

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

HA! Anyone who came close was in danger of losing their peace and shattering mine. What a riot it was until I realized I had made a statement that my baby stage Christianity was not able to carry off. That was my first experience in not letting my mouth get ahead of my brain. We are told to stand; not back down; speak the truth; but walk in peace. So, the "declaration" came down and I learned to let my life speak for me. Humility and peace walk hand in hand.

I leave you with this thought - the armor sounds clunky and uncomfortable but when we wear it with the love and humility of Jesus Christ it fits like a glove and when we stand in peace and truth the enemy fears us more than we will ever know. As long as we refuse to tuck tail and run we are covered. Remember, there's no armor for our backsides!  Ouch!!!

We Are Here For Him

One thing I have learned during the difficult seasons of my life is that we are on this earth to glorify and serve God, not the other way around. Strangely, that makes the hard times easier. It keeps things in the right perspective. Our Father never enjoys our suffering, but when pain does come,  it is not useless or wasted. We can be fully persuaded that He is working together a greater weight of glory, whether it is in us or in someone else. Every circumstance is used to grow and develop us and His kingdom on this earth.

Suffering is horrible, painful and debilitating, but it helps to hold on to Romans 8: 28 & 29: 

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Unless I am mistaken - that includes every born again child of God. Great sufferings are not something we even want to mention but they do happen. People die, children leave home, economies fail, pain enters our lives. As I get older I realize pain happens to all of us more often than we like. The only way to get a grip during these times is to look from His viewpoint and remember - always remember - He is not only our loving Heavenly Father, but He is the God of all the universe. That knowledge is wonderful when things are going beautifully in our eyes; when the sun is shining and all is well with the world. It not so comforting when hard times hit and the bottom falls out of our lives. At those times we would prefer to blame someone else for our pain. Of course the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but when I am in the midst of such pain I really do not care who caused it; I just want it to stop!

We are however, His servants - He is not ours. We knew that when we signed on, but His faithfulness and love, his compassion and provision, sometimes causes us to forget that we are here for Him. To do His will. To further the purposes of His kingdom on this earth. To become more like Him. To serve Him and others.

 If we can get that deep in our spirits and accept that we are part of a much greater work than just our own lives, it will help us to accept the storms of life. We are not alone in this walk; we are encompassed by a great cloud of witnesses in the spirituals and a great army of saints on this earth.

Our vision is limited to the present and a dim view of the past. We cannot see the future and only when the Lord opens our spiritual eyes can we get even a suggestion of what the future holds. We cannot see into the spirit world except by His decree.

According to the scripture, we are called to:

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15.

Its no secret there will be times of weeping as well as times of rejoicing. If we are being made into His image and he instructs us to share the feelings of each other, then I am certain He does the same with us. Our pain does not please Him, but neither is it wasted.

His priorities are different from ours. He sees beyond our flesh and works in our spirits and in the spirits of those around us.

God, give us strength and courage to remember who is the boss.