Are you doing praise and worship the right way? How are you worshipping? There are many different Christian songs out there but not all are beneficial for praise and worship. Some may not even be Biblical!
The Bible tells us over and over to give God praise and worship, but with the songs we listen to, are we?
When we give out praise, perhaps to our child or a loved one who has achieved something, we tell them how well they’ve done. The definition of praise is to ‘express warm approval or admiration’ and to praise God it means, ‘to express respect and gratitude as an act of worship.’ It’s also about giving God thanks.
Worship is to, ‘show reverence and adoration for (a deity).’
Now we have the exact meaning of these. Think to when you spend time worshipping. Are you expressing approval and admiration to God with a heart of gratitude? With respect and adoration?
We can do this using our own hearts and words and we can do this guided by Christian praise and worship songs.
But what if the Christian songs we are listen too don’t actually give God praise?
We need to listen carefully to the words. What are they saying, what are you saying and singing. Whats the agenda behind it?
God wants us to give Him praise and worship. But unfortunately some of these Christian songs don’t actually offer praise and worship to God.
They may be Biblical songs. Though some aren’t- so watch out for that, do they align with what the Word of God says?
Perhaps they align with scripture, but what is the focus of them. What do the lyrics actually say?
Some are about us and our situations.
Some can be used as prayers.
Some are encouraging for us and may help us ‘feel better.’
Some are what I call ‘Christian Action Songs,’ which guide us into a better place, for instance, to surrender, trust, believe, etc. Listen out for the words, do they say ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘me’ often? If the answers “yes” then the chances are, you’re not listening to a true praise and worship song.
Don’t get me wrong, there absolutely nothing wrong with listening to these songs. But on the subject of trues praise and worship, they may not be in line with that.
Praise and Worship The Right Way
Before we dive into this let’s check out what the Bible says about praise and worship.
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” Psalm 150:1-6
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23
“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100:2
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Hebrews 13:15
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24
“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” Isaiah 25:1, ESV
There are so many more scripture references too! But you can see that true praise and worship is about, lifting God up, honouring Him, giving Him thanks and giving Him the praise that He deserves. So make it a habit to listen to the words if your being guided by already written Christian songs and be sure to give God true praise and worship.
When we do this we are turning our focus off of ourselves or the situations we are in and onto God Himself.
True praise and worship is also an important aspect in dealing with spiritual warfare. So, you see, changing this mindset will help you to stay strong and prepare for battle as well as face any battle. It will develop and strengthen your resilience too!
Feel free to check out my ‘True Praise and Worship’ Playlist on Spotify.
Biblical Examples of Praise and Worship in Spiritual Warfare
Paul & Silas from prison put faith into action by singing and giving God praise. (Acts 16:25-26)
King Jehophosat was literally fighting in a physical battle. Him and his men were up against a tremendous army coming towards them. Jehophosat was terrified (as you can imagine) and he begged the Lord for help. Eventually, it came to the point where there wasn’t anything else he himself could physically do and so he appointed singers to walk ahead of his army, to give praise and worship to the Lord. (2 Chronicles 20:21)
The Israelites used praise at God’s direction to win a tremendous victory. Before they even “began singing and praising…” God acted and completely destroyed their enemy. (2 Chronicles 20:22)
Joshua bowed in worship, and God assured him that Jericho was already given into his hands. As the Israelites marched around the city, they moved in obedience, walking out the victory that was already secured through worship. (Joshua 5:14-15, 6:2)
More reasons to Give Praise and Worship
Worship has helped me through seasons of depression or low mood. If I wake in the morning feeling ‘meh’ or thoughts or emotions creep in that bring me down, I know know to turn my focus onto Jesus and praise and worship Him. Then those thoughts and feelings shift, oftentimes completely disappear! It can sometimes feel like an effort at first but if i’m listening to true praise and worship music, then it can only take moments to notice a difference.
You see, worship overrides any worry, fear, anxiety, and any other thoughts or toxic emotions that you may be experiencing.
To experience peace, love, patience, kindness and self-control. (The gifts of the Spirit.) True praise and worship will lead you to being filled or refilled with the Holy Spirit and He will help you and bless you with these gifts.
Revelation 19 in the NLT is entitled ‘Songs of Victory in Heaven.’ John heard “what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” (V1) Throughout this passage he heard their voices shouting, “Praise the Lord,” and “praise our God,” three times. John says that they “fell down and worshipped.” We too should take this example, to submit and humble ourselves before God and to “be glad and rejoice and give honour to Him.” True praise and worship comes from our heart and the realisation and knowledge of who God is, what He has done, and how much he loves you.
Some of this text was taken from ‘Battle Strategies for Spiritual Warfare.’
Subscribe Below for Updates.
Newsletter
English
Thanks Lauren. God bless you,
Regards, Ian