Want to know how to win a war or battle?

How to have peace in the storm

Worship in war

Throughout the Holy Bible, we read about worshipping God Almighty, our Creator, the One True God, YHWH God, the I AM, Jehovah, and His many other names, but the only one true Living God. He created us to worship Him. Out of His love for us He gave us a choice to worship Him. He is not a dictator or a mean God who forces you to worship Him. He wants you to worship Him willingly and wholeheartedly.

God never told us it would be “easy street” for those who worship Him, because we live in a broken and fallen world full of sin opportunities, and we are born sinners. What He did for us was to give us a choice and told us how He will bless us if we choose to worship Him only, and the consequences if we choose not to worship Him. (See Leviticus 26)

Today we will focus on the blessings for willingly and wholeheartedly choosing to worship YHWH God.

What is considered worship?

God created us to worship Him. So what does that mean exactly?

According to the dictionary, “worship” is showing regard with great respect, honor, or devotion.

In the Strong’s Concordance for the Bible online at Bible Hub, there are a number of Bible references in meaning;

https://biblescan.com/searchstrongs.php?q=Worship

To do reverence too
To worship
To do homage
An object of worship
To serve
To prostate oneself

There are also negative forms of worship listed that I encourage you to research for yourself. One of which is worshipping idols = putting ones hope in non-living idols or manmade gods that become the focus in your life.

God is clear how He feels about that:

“And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:19

What does worshipping God look like?

The first time worshipping God is mentioned in the Bible is when God lead Abraham to sacrifice His son, Isaac, who was promised by God to be the son that He would build His nations through for His chosen people.

“And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye hear with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” Genesis 22:5 KJV

So what did Abraham mean when He said they would go up and worship? To get a better understanding, you would need to know a little about the back story. Here we learn for the first time about worshipping and obeying God even when we don’t understand His plan. On a number of occasions, God had promised Abraham that He would be the Father of Nations, the Chosen People nations, the Israelites, the Jews.

Even though God promised him that his descendants would out number the stars and the grains of sand on the beaches, and that it would happen through Isaac, his son, God tested his faith. God spoke to Abraham one day and told him to prepare to sacrifice Isaac on a specific mountaintop alter he would build. Abraham didn’t understand, but his faith was so strong and trusted God wholeheartedly, so he obeyed. He believed that God had a plan that he couldn’t see, and believed that God could bring Isaac back to life if He so chose too.

Out of his faith in God, he chose to worship Him by honoring Him with his obedience. Worshipping God can come in various forms but this is the first mention in the Bible. It shows us that our obedience to God is a form of worship. In this test of faith, Abraham trusted God and as he prepared to sacrifice his son, God stopped him and showed him a lamb to sacrifice that was caught in the bushes nearby. With His obedience, came great blessings for him.

When God tests your faith and you trust Him and obey, He then trusts you with more responsibility, but also more blessings for your obedience.

Why we worship God

The next time we see a lesson in worship in the Bible is when God is testing and teaching Moses. Moses, who murdered an Egyptian man and then escaped into the wilderness for forty years, was tested by trials throughout his life, and was “hiding” from God in the wilderness when God called to him. Moses had no clue that God had plans for him and was chosen by God to lead His people out of bondage in Egypt. He thought he was worthless and hopeless and could never be forgiven for the murder. A sinner in the wilderness hiding from God. Sound familiar? There is no where you can hide that God can’t see you. We waste a lot of time “hiding” from God because of the guilt and shame of our sins, when we could quickly repent and get back to serving Him and helping Him save the lost. Guilt and shame causes Believers to waste a lot of time as they listen to the enemies lies.

In the next lesson on worship we learn is when God is teaching Moses about it. We discover that our Creator is a very jealous God and wants us to worship only Him. There is no negotiation or compromising, it’s an “all or nothing” relationship.

“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name isJealous, is a jealous God” Exodus 34:14

That should clear up any questions on how God feels about worship. You might say, “I worship God.” Let’s look at some gods that people worship and don’t realize it.

Money
Possessions
Success
Attention
Identity
Job
Entertainment
Sports teams
Your looks
Family
Fame/influence
Just to name a few

If any of these things are important to you, they are competing with God for your attention. When you reach a point that you can live without these things and are only interested in your relationship with Jesus, then you know that your priorities are in order. It’s not for others to decide for you, it’s between you and your Heavenly Father.

Remember,

Questions or concerns? Talk to God about it if you are unsure. I promise He will answer your questions because He wants you to spend eternity with Him. (Jeremiah 33:3, 1John 2:27)

When to worship God

Have you ever heard the phrase, “worship and sing in battle, and pray with thanksgiving?” We should be praying at all times but in battle, in the storms of life, we can sing and worship to fight spiritual warfare and not only win, but have peace in the midst and walk with confidence as you cling to the Lord and win the battle.

There is a particular story of a battle in 2Chronicles 20 that gives us a great example of this type of worship. God tells us in verse 14, that the Spirit of the Lord came up in the midst of the congregation that was preparing for battle. What a blessing to them to have the assurance that God was fighting the battle with them and for them.

In verse 15, God says, “Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

He goes on to tell them the plan and what to expect. Then in verse 17a He says, “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you.” And He goes on to assure them again when He tells them to fear not, nor be dismayed for on the next day they can go out against the enemy and the Lord will be with them. God always reassures us, showing us in scripture again and again to fear not because He is with us.

The story shows us in verse 18 that Jehoshaphat and all the people fighting with the Lord bowed down and fell before Him worshipping.

In this usage, worshipping is (Strong’s H7812 = to bow down in reverence) to the LORD.

Then in verse 19, we are shown that the Levites and others, stood up to praise (Praise – Strong’s H1984 – to celebrate, to boast, to commend or give glory) the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

On the day of battle, Jehoshaphat stood before the people telling them that if they would “believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” We must believe in and trust Him that He will fight for us.

So check this out, after he spoke to the people telling them they must believe to find success in the battle, Jehoshaphat then appoints singers that would go out before the army singing and praising the Lord! Can you imagine a choir going out singing before the army in battle? Only God, only God. That action would require a deep trusting relationship with great faith in the Lord to walk towards the enemy with no weapons but only singing and praising your God. These ones were armored in a different way, they were armored with the shield of faith in God to protect them. As a result, the singing disarmed the enemy catching them off guard and God helped them win the battle. They won because of their worship of the only one true living God.

No matter what you are going through, fighting in a real war in the military, or in your personal life battles, this story applies to you. God already knows your needs so it’s not necessary to beg and plead in prayer to God, try something different. Consider singing and worshipping Him in song and see how this action of audacious faith to sing in the face of adversity will change the outcome of the battle for you.

Scriptures to encourage you to praise the Lord in the battle

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

“Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms.” James 5:13

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” Acts 16:25-26

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20

“But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.” Psalms 59:16

The significance of worshipping and praying in the battle

In Exodus 17, we learn of a great example of the significance in worshipping and praying without ceasing. When we stop or give up either because we are weary or we’ve given up hope because God isn’t moving at our pace, we lose the battle.

We learn in this story about Moses and the “rod of God” that continuous worship and prayer make a huge difference in winning or losing.

“Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:8-12

When Moses’ arms were raised, Israel was winning. When his arms got weary and he let his arms fall, they lost ground.

This represents that continuous worship and prayer are vital to winning against the enemies of this world. Not everyone has someone to hold them up when they get weary, but God is always with us. When we get weary we can ask God to help us. We put our hope and trust in Him and He will hold us and even carry us through the battle.

“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” Psalms 56:9

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” Luke 18:1

“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” 1Timothy 2:8

“Pray without ceasing.” 1Thessalonians 5:17

There is purpose in your worship

Have you ever wondered why you are here? Wondering why God created you? Have you ever asked Him if He sees you or if He needs you? He created you to worship Him and spend eternity with Him, but He also has a purpose for you while living on this earth in this wicked sinful world. He didn’t put you here for you to have success and material things to satisfy your wants. All of us have a mission from God, to help save the lost. Be a vessel for Him to glow through you and flow through you to spread His love to others so that they can find hope and spend eternity with Him.

I recently saw a movie where a social media influencer lost her job, her home, her things, her car and became homeless ending up in a shelter. It was there that God humbled her and she stopped focusing on herself and started focusing on God and what He needed her to do. The people in the shelter taught her how to worship God and trust Him. He used her influencer experience to help Him influence others to seek Him and help others find hope. It was a great movie and so true about why we are here and how we get lost as we get caught up in the world and what it has to offer. God had a purpose for this girl but she got lost on the way. He didn’t give up on her as He stretched her, taught her, and chastened her as He molded her for her purpose.

We learn a valuable lesson from Queen Esther, in the Bible, through her story where she was actually a young devout Jewish girl that God was preparing for a big assignment that she was not aware of. She was recruited to be part of a group of girls to be groomed for the King to choose one as his Queen. God had planned all along for Esther to be chosen for this assignment. The assignment God had for her was to save the Jews as a nation from mass annihilation. The question: would she rise to the occasion and fulfill her calling? This assignment would require her to approach the king without a summons from him and thereby risk her life. She was afraid but her uncle Mordecai encouraged her by saying,

“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:14-16

She chose to serve God and trusted Him to use her no matter the outcome. Her immediate response to prepare for battle was to worship God. A 3-day fasting and prayer of all Jews was requested before she approached the king. God gave her favor because she worshipped Him first.

It is apparent that the Holy Spirit used her uncle as well, and she suddenly realized that her duty was stronger than her fear of death. As Apostle Paul says in the Second Testament, (I paraphrase) to live is to be able to serve Jesus and spread His gospel, to die is gain because then we get to be with Jesus and leave this wicked world. Queen Esther chose to ignore her fear and stand on her faith in God and worshipped Him. The Jews were saved in that battle.

Ready to willingly and wholeheartedly worship YHWH God?

So today we have learned that God created us to worship Him, to pray without ceasing, and to be a vessel to help spread His Gospel to save the lost while there is still time.

While we are still here on this earth, God needs us focused on Him, not ourselves and satisfying our wants but spreading His love, truth, and salvation through Jesus.

Only through salvation in Jesus can you have access to YHWH God our Father, and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and spend eternity with them. There is no other way, Jesus is The Way.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” John 14:6-7 KJV

Any and all faiths and religions can call on the name of Jesus and be saved. He died on the cross to atone for your sins so that you could spend eternity with them. If you haven’t done so already, repent and turn to Him today. He is waiting for you.

For those who thought they were doing what was expected and what they were taught was necessary to be a Christian but now realize they were mislead, repent now. If you realize you were only serving God but had no personal relationship with Jesus, you can turn to Him now and ask for forgiveness. He is waiting for you.

Don’t complicate the process for salvation. Keep it simple.

_______________________________

Do the ABC’s and repent today.

A: Admit that you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-9)

B: Believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and that He died for your sins and rose from the dead for you. (John 3:16-18, 1Corinthians 15:1-4)

C: Call on Jesus and repent of your sins and turn back to Him and ask Jesus to show you the way. (Romans 10:9-13, John 14:6)

May God bless you and keep you.

Join me on:
Telegram: https://t.me/chosencrownedone
Instagram: ChosenandCrowned & Grace Reacher Books
Podcastle: Chosen & Crowned – Coming soon

Share this Post!