Worship and Spiritual Warfare Part 3

Part 3 of the series of Worship and Spiritual warfare, what a journey and in this article we continue to look into it.  Spiritual battle, warfare or fighting is engaged into when we worship, we give and when we pray and when we worship God.

Worship is one of the things that get God’s attention the moment we start to offer it. Giving doesn’t change God, it changes us, praying and fasting does the same they don’t change God but worship get God’s attention. The devil also knows this that’s is why he is fights us when we worship the creator because he understands the effect that worship has on God, So we continue today in the book of 2 Chronicles my favourite chapter in the bible Chapter 20

“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.  (18)  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.  (21)  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.  (22)  And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who were come against Judah; and they were smitten.  (23)  For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.  (24)  And when Judah came towards the watch-tower in the wilderness, they looked to the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 2Chronicles 20:17-25 

Here in 2 Chronicles we meet King Jehoshaphat in a predicament as he was faced with several kingdoms coming to battle against Israel. God told him not to fight but to stand and lift up his name, to worship in the beauty of His holiness, to praise and bless his name. It is when they lifted up the name of God, there are things that happen this is also seen when we just sing songs like How Great Is Our God because such songs just lift up God as God he in turn responds.

Worship as said in the previous articles releases the power of God, it is when Israel blessed God, that He routed the Ammonites and Moabites. Wherever God is lifted he shows up and touches people, even as you read, you know you are facing these Moabites and Ammonites, all you need to do is simply worship , God will be unleashed upon they that fight against your life.

So how does it work then? Was the question I was asked as I presented my case to a choir. When you focus on God, your heart, mind and soul just focus on blessing God and lifting Him up. Israel’s focus was not the army in their backyard, they where to love on God, lifting him u, worship Him and bless his name and in the midst of Him receiving praise that he routed their enemies.

 So when you worship let your focus be God, don’t praise because you need help but praise when it is good so that when bad comes you know can still lift him up and not be stuck. Israel and King Jehoshaphat were bent on focused on lifting up his name and he in turn routed their enemies before their eyes they did not have to do anything but just pick up the gold, silver livestock left.

“Therefore David inquired again of God: and God said to him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.  (15)  And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then thou shalt go out to battle: for God hath gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.  (16)  David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer”. 1Chronicles 14:14-16 

We meet David inquiring of the Lord and his answer was that they shall not attack but God told them to stand in order, battle array and they wait for God. Their signal was to hear then noise of marching on the top of the mulberry trees. God power was released as the children Israel worshipped, their obedience was their spiritual act of worship. They obeyed and God fought for them and routed all their enemies that by the time they attacked the war was already won.

Some of us we have battle scars, deep and unhealed because we did not wait for God to direct us, we just went in straight and we got a huge beating. Worship releases God and his angelic into spiritual warfare with the evil forces over our lives, family, nations and earth.

One thing that I have learnt about worship as I have been doing this series answered the question what is worship? The answer is that worship is obedience, when you follow this whole series you will find that all the times that God fought for the children of Israel, it was hinged upon their obedience.

 Worship is obedience.

“Worship In The Splendour Of His Holiness”