WEAPON IN WORSHIP!

There was a sermon I heard about worship about two weeks ago at Antioch Community Church, which I thought was truly amazing! So I really wanted to share what I learned:)

Psalm 98:1 

O sing to the LORD a new song,

For He has done wonderful things,

His right hand and His holy arm have 

gained the victory for Him.

The theme the pastor repeated over and over:

We have a weapon called worship & victory is in the praise!

We are made to worship! And not only is worship a way to connect and draw closer to God, but is also a weapon- literally!

Acts 16:25-26

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's chains were unfastened.

Worship has the power to break our chains! Praise brings breakthrough and has the power to effect those around us. For example, after this happened, the jailer was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But when Paul and Silas cried "Do not harm yourself!" and showed him that they were all there, the jailer fell to the floor and asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 

The power of Paul's & Silas' praise awestruck those around them and opened up opportunities to share the gospel!

& It's crazy to think that they even had the heart to praise God, since they were imprisoned!

In these horrid circumstances, they still chose to praise God! We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can control the praise that comes from the depths of our souls:)

Worship is also an exercise of our faith! When we celebrate God's victory before it comes and before we even see it, we are exercising our faith in Him and His goodness & provision

Your praise is a problem for your problems!

Satan can not endure our praise and has to leave the room when he hears it! HA!

So whenever we feel oppressed, we can remember to sing hymns of praise to God

Hearing this was definitely an eye-opener for me. When I feel blue, I try to pray, but I never thought that singing praises to God in moments of sadness and insecurity could actually help me overcome them! It is definitely hard though, because in those moment I feel weak and I just don't feel like praising God, but when I muster up the strength to sing praises to Him, my sadness & insecurities are immediately chased away~ & It definitely gets easier with time!

So what's your favorite worship song?:}- have it handy in your mind to use & sing to strike at the enemy!

God Inhabits the Praise of His people!

There is power in our praise. We can either choose to be a victim and complain, or we can choose to rise up! Praise God and watch your circumstances change! Watch there be transformation in your life!

Discouragement drives us away from our destiny, but transformation drive us to it!

Worship is Warfare!!!

The pastor referenced Joshua 6, which was about how the Israelites conquered Jericho by obeying God's command to march around the city's walls, blow their trumpets, and shout. Because of their obedience and worship, God fought the battle for them. If we trust in Him, He will fight on out behalf!

2 Chronicles 20:22

When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.

Worship makes it possible for God to step in and claim the victory. When we worship, we will confuse the enemy! 

Isaiah 30: 31-32

For at the voice of the LORD Assyria will be terrified,

And every blow of the rod of punishment,

Which the LORD will lay on him,

Will be with the music of tambourines and lyres;

And in battles, brandishing weapon, He will fight them.

God's rod of justice is released through our worship

There is also  power in thankfulness- this is one of our weapon's of worship

Our goal, should be to live a life of worship- which has the power to usher the presence of breakthrough (for us & those around us), renewal & refreshing

This was definitely a lot of information to take in one afternoon sermon, but man, now wonder I love music so much! It is definitely a gift that God has given us! But worshipping God definitely is not confined to those 15-30 minute time frames before sermons on sundays. It can be in our daily life- in our devotion, praise, and thanks to God.

There is one really awesome note I'd like to end with! In the sermon, the pastor mentioned that one day when his friend was worshipping, he asked, "God, what is Your favorite instrument?" And he got a response from God that was so clear:

The human voice