Worship: A Key in Spiritual WarfareSample

[IMAGE CONTENT] ### Who Are We Battling? You were the seal of perfection… The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. Ezekiel 28:12-13 As we look at worship in spiritual warfare, it’s important to realize who and what we are battling. Although we can’t know this conclusively, many Biblical scholars believe that the adversary of our souls, Satan, was once a beautiful, beyond compare angelic being created by our Father. He was likely the chief worshipper, leading the heavenly hosts in praising the Most High (Ezekiel 28:13). Nevertheless, the devil’s hideous pride in his own beauty caused violence and profanity in God’s presence. Simply stated, the enemy wanted to be God; therefore, the Lord Almighty cast him out of heaven along with those angels who rebelled with him (Ezekiel 28:14-17). We are introduced to the devil in his fallen state in the Garden of Eden, as he tempts Adam and Eve with lies that God is holding out on them. The couple’s decision to listen to the serpent and their choice to turn from the Father ushered in a whole host of calamities: * Humanity’s separation from God and spiritual death * Violence and evil unleashed upon the earth * Adam and Eve’s dominion over planet earth was given over to Satan But God… Those two Bible words change everything. Jesus—God incarnate—came for our rescue. Through faith in Him, we are restored in relationship to the Father, and our once-dead spirits are born again of the Holy Spirit—spiritual CPR. Although violence and evil are still stalking the earth until Christ’s return, we, as believers, now have God’s Spirit dwelling within us and His spiritual gifts to overcome. We have also been given the power and authority of Jesus’ name to bind and cancel the works of the devil, a finite being, and his minions – the fallen angels now termed demonic spirits (Luke 10:17-20, Philippians 2:9-11). What gifts we have been given by our loving Abba-Father! We also see why the devil hates our worship of our beloved Savior as we turn the enemy on his head with our praise. The position of worshipper that he once held in God’s courts is now a key to vanquishing him and his demons. What a mighty key it is! What spoke to you regarding today's lesson?