Friday, September 19, 2008

Are You Comfortable or In A Comfort Zone

Are you comfortable with your worship to the Lord? I mean, does it fit you? Do you let yourself totally escape into His presence when you are worshiping the Lord, or are you aware of what is going on around you? Are you concerned with others looking at you, are you concerned with what others think about your way of worship? If you are, then you are not comfortable with your worship. Are you truly comfortable with your worship or are you just in a comfort zone, trying to fit in?

If you raise your hands, and dance and just let go, are you wondering, if someone is watching you? If you sit quietly, while everyone else is raising their hands and praising God, are you wanting to raise your hands, but you are scared of what someone might think of you?

We all have our own way of worshiping the Lord. For some it may be raising holy hands, for some it may be keeping still, and being quiet and reflective. There is nothing wrong with either of these ways of worship unless, you feel intimidated, or forced, or restrained. You see it is not about you, it is about giving Him the Glory, Honor & Praise. It is about being focused on worshiping Him, and not being focused on what someone might think of you.

I was reading today in one of my bibles, a little study guide about Extravagant Worship. Now for those of you who sit quietly you might think this means, those of us who like to shout, and raise hands, and dance. But you would be wrong. Extravagant worship can also pertain to those who sit quietly and never say a word. Extravagant worship is worshiping Him with all your heart, mind and soul, that you are not even aware of the other people around you. That is the way it should be for all of us, no matter what our outward appearance may seem to others, we should not even be aware of anything or anyone but the LORD HIMSELF, when we are worshiping Him. AMEN!

She said it like this, "worship is a time of intimacy between you and the LORD. Don't let a desire for the approval of others prevent you from offering loving abandonment to God."
She is right, we should not concern ourselves with anything while we are in worship with the LORD.

2 Sam 6 v 14-16....David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets, As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.......

Why did she despise David and his way of worship? Whose honor and reputation was she worried about?

Luke 7 v 38...and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them.....

Luke 7 v 39....When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner"......

Don't be like Michal, who was worried that her reputation would be ruined because of her husband's action in the way he chose to worship the Lord. Or like the Pharisee who thinks that someone who had a past sinful life can not worship the Lord.

We need to make sure when we are worshiping, no matter what our style, that we are not into ourselves, or what others are thinking of us, but that we are only focused on Him, and totally unaware of what is going on around us, then we will know that we are in true worship. AMEN!

Give the Lord your best worship this week at church and at home.
Neta

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