“For the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23)
It’s funny that the passage doesn’t say that God is firstly seeking evangelists, teachers, prophets, pastors, and apostles, instead the Father is searching the earth for worshippers. The Father is seeking worshippers – worshippers borne of His Spirit who abide, meditate, and live upon the truth of His Word.
Perhaps it is because in the act of worship – of totally surrendering our lives, hearts, ambitions, dreams, and desires unto Him – that we find who we were truly meant to be.
God isn’t some tyrannical egotistical god who demands worship for His sake or because He needs it, He is seeking worship for our sake – because without it, we will not fully live out the destiny He has planned for us since the beginning of the foundations of the earth (Ephesians 1:4).
We only discover who we were truly meant to be when we worship – it is in intimately knowing our Creator that we discover His intent for us, His creation.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)
If we want to grow as worshippers, we need to be discerning to whom, or what, is actually sitting on the “throne” of our hearts. To worship is to ascribe worth to something, which means it usually comes at a cost to attain.
An indication of what we truly worship is when we consider where our time, finances, and energy of our thoughts go to.
An indication of what we truly worship is when we consider where our time, finances, and energy of our thoughts go to. Things like financial security, your career, your reputation, and the praises of man above the fear of the Lord can easily crawl their way up onto the throne of our hearts.
In Romans 12:1, Paul urged us to be a living sacrifice, meaning there is a daily surrendering or sacrifice of our own hearts and desires in exchange for a God who is worth infinitely more than anything the world could offer. What are we willing to lay down at the altar of worship to gain more of God?
“But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)
As worshippers, we have an amazing and rich inheritance that we as children of God can access by faith. The enemy wants nothing more than to disarm us as worshippers because he knows of the power we carry in releasing God’s Kingdom on earth.
When we worship and praise in faith, the presence of God inhabits our praises, and His Kingdom and dominion is established in our world.
The Kingdom of Light is greater than the Kingdom of darkness, so when we praise we must expect that strongholds will be broken, darkness will flee, sicknesses are healed, dreams and visions are released, captives are set free, and that the lost will be saved!
The Lord is calling His church back into the intimacy of worship with Him. He is not looking for more programmes, nor is He looking for Sunday church-goers, nor seeking form without power. He is instead searching the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (1 Chronicle 16:9).
Will you completely surrender your heart and devote your life completely unto Him who is worthy?
This article is first published on Awaken Generation’s blog and is republished with permission.
