IncreaseSample

Increase in Worship

Worship is not a song, it's not a church service, or the radio bumping during morning traffic. Worship is a lifestyle. Living for Christ, displaying His love and mercy, having a grateful heart, and even trusting by faith that God said it, therefore He will do it. Complete and total surrender to Jesus, our Messiah. Have you found yourself crying when you hear worship songs: raising your hands, closing your eyes, and worshiping God with a broken heart and empty worship? I have, and in these moments, I would pray, “God, heal my heart, fix the broken things, make right all the wrongs, God turn it around.” We can find ourselves pleading our case.

God spoke to me during a church service: “Surrender all to Me.” My response was a quick “Yes, God! I am surrendered to You.” Again, I hear “Surrender all to Me.” This time, the voice was one you would use with a child, as if to say, “I know the answer already; I need you to answer correctly.”

John 4:23 NIV

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

In true worship to God, we have to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, die to ourselves, die to worry, remove stressful thinking and habits, and stop trying to fix everything and everyone. Surrender it ALL. We need to change our perspective and look towards the Kingdom of Heaven, lift our hands and our hearts towards Heaven. Again, worship is a lifestyle, not an action.

We have to begin increasing our worship with a heart of gratitude, rooted in faith in God's character as a merciful, loving, kind, and forgiving God. We can understand the meaning of worship in truth as we give up ourselves and become holy and pleasing to God. It requires us to get rid of anything that is not from God: stress, anger, frustration, doubt, and unforgiveness, to name a few. God has gifts He wants to give freely….Love, grace, strength, protection, joy, peace—and this list doesn’t scratch the surface.

God gives us a brief glimpse of this in Revelation 4:8 NKJV.

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'"

We see the most beautiful sight of worship and adoration in this verse. What we do not see is depression, sorrow, doubts, troubles; those things can not coexist in a place of holiness. True worship removes all ungodly and unholy things, freeing us to be 100% surrendered to God.

Exodus 23:25 NIV

“Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.”

In worship, there is provision and healing. To think that we have all this available to us through worship, living fully for God! A life of worship requires that we lay our will, our ways, our desires, our thoughts at the altar. Replace these things with God’s grace, His mercy, His love, joy, and forgiveness.

Worship is a gift from God that allows us to give back to God. Imagine giving a gift that is so precious and valuable to you, and then having that same gift bring you such joy. Wow! A gift that is that special, it changes everything-a gift you want to share with the universe. When we worship in truth, we give God glory.

True worship does not increase out of obligation, but from a grateful heart. A heart that is thankful for all that God has done. Worship increases when our hearts put their hope and trust in Jesus. Worship deepens as we move out of the way and allow God to move in us and through us. More of God and less of us. Increasing our worship decreases the worries of this world.

John 3:30 NKJV

He must increase, but I must decrease.

As we fall deeper in love with God, the deeper our relationship, a place of God’s peace, seeing His power and love in all that is good. The issues of life begin to lose the power we give them, and the power of the Holy Spirit fills us with the living Word and breath of life.

Reflection and Application:

1. Examine yourself: are there areas of stress, worry, frustration, doubt, or unforgiveness?

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas that you need to “die” to.

3. Put everything that is not of God (doubt, worry, frustration…) at the foot of the cross and walk in freedom.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I stand amazed at Your powerful love and gentle mercy poured out for me through Jesus. Forgive me for limiting my worship to specific times or places. I offer my whole self to You today, my body, my mind, and my will, as a living sacrifice. Help me, Holy Spirit, to honor You in every moment, that my entire life may be my true and proper worship. Amen.