A couple of weeks ago, I sat down to write a song about what happens when we worship. So, I decided to create a song map. (shown above) Krissy recently taught us this technique and I love it!! As you can see, I quickly ran out of room. There are so many different aspects of worship and so much to discover and learn. So, I prayed and asked the Lord what area He wanted me to focus on for this specific blog, and I feel like He said "battle". So, here goes..
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that "our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness". In order to fight, we need the "full armor of God", which is "the belt of truth," "the breastplate of righteousness," "feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace", "the shield of faith", "the helmet of salvation", and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:14-17). Once we have our "gear", we are ready to go!
The story of Paul and Silas (Acts 16:24-26) is one of my favorite stories and a huge example of how God shows up when we choose to worship Him. They were beaten and thrown into prison, but at midnight, they began to sing, and the miraculous happened! There was a strong earthquake and they were freed from their chains! The other prisoners that were with them in the jail were also set free! I love this picture because it still rings true for today.
A beautiful example of how an actual battle was won with worship is found in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat faces a war, and so he gathered the people of Judah and Jerusalem and they began to seek God. The Lord spoke to them through a prophet and said "Don't be afraid or discouraged of this large army. The battle is not your battle, it is God's." The next day, they marched toward the enemy singing and praising God, and the enemy was defeated! How amazing is that!!
1 Chronicles that says, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Tremble before Him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord Reigns!" Woohoo!!!
(The songwriter in me wants to write 100 songs right now!!)
So, today, what if we replaced every anxious thought with a worship song? What if instead of worrying about the future, we took a moment and sang praises to our God? (speaking to myself right here) Nothing is too hard for Him. There is nothing He can't handle, and He will not only give us the strength and courage to fight, He will fight with us and for us! Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you."
So, be encouraged brave ones! Keep singing, keep rejoicing and keep praising the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! With Him we will win! When we worship, He will show up! Like the song says, "This is how we fight our battles, this is how we fight our battles..."
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