DeeperSmakprov

Worship

Going deeper with God culminates in worship—every time. We are told in scripture to offer our body as a living sacrifice, express love to Him with all our whole soul (heart, mind, and strength) and also to worship in spirit and truth (Rom. 12:1, Mark 12:30, John 4:24). Can all of these be offered simultaneously? How do we as triune beings offer our whole selves to God?

I have been a passionate worshipper for most of my life, and have barely touched its magnitude, but I have found some principles that help me worship the Lord more passionately, more expressively. One of these is to offer my body, soul, and spirit separately first and then together. Consider some of the components of each:

Body

• Systems of organs (digestive, respiratory, muscular, etc.) and their individual parts (heart, lungs, hands, feet, etc.)
• Movement, strength, action
• Senses
• Speech

Soul

• Mind: The seat of the functions of my being, as well as my intellect, imagination, memories, perceptions and their processing, stored knowledge, and my ability to learn.
• Will: My strong insights and purposes that lead to determination, that lead to decisions, that create action, that create destiny
• Emotions: The myriad of feelings in interesting combinations that sweep through my being and sometimes control me
• Heart: The birthplace of passion, motivation, desire, conscience, and belief

Spirit

After presenting our bodies, and loving the Lord our God with our soul, what is left is our spirit.

I recently read an insightful description of the human spirit in Blake Healy’s book The Veil, An Invitation to the Unseen Realm (Charisma House, 2018). This quote is a little long, but I don’t think you will mind!

“The spirit is our ‘raw identity,’ the genetic code that tells [every other part of you] how to exist. It is everything you will ever be. In fact, everything you are is so unique and complex that it is only fully expressed over the course of your whole life. You would probably say that you are a different person now than you were five, ten, or even fifty years ago. Your spirit is all of that and more, all at once, and it is also everything you will ever be. Your life is an expression of the spirit that God created. Life certainly isn’t perfect, but knowing that the original blueprint is always available convinces me that it most certainly could be.” (p. 8)

Our spirits are the real us. When Holy Spirit enters our spirit at salvation, we can access His fellowship, guidance, and power as well as His illumination of the scriptures. Our Spirit-awakened spirit launches faith and is the reason we desire deepness with God.

Activate

• Ask the Lord to help you express your love and reverence for Him with more of the glory due His name.
• Choose a place and time separate from others to practice worship with your whole being.
• Put on music that helps you enter worship or choose silence as a backdrop.
• Enter this set-apart time with thanks for what God has done, adding praise for who He is.
• When you are ready, present yourself to God as a physical being. With all your strength, express worship with your body. Let your breath and blood become worship. Lift your hands, or do a little dance. Sing like you mean it. Fasten your senses upon His majesty.
• Then worship with your soul. Submitting your will, offer your soul to God. Let your stored memories express worship. Fix your intellect and perceptions upon Him. Engage your passions and emotions.
• Finally worship with your spirit. Direct your faith and fellowship to the God who created the real you. Ask Holy Spirit to help you reverence God deeply from the center of your being. Enjoy union with Him.
• Now give yourself fully to worship. He is worthy of it all!

Note: Most of the time we should just worship without analyzing ourselves. After all it’s not about us. It would be an interruption to look at anything but God Himself. But in once a while, it is good to assess how much of ourselves we are really offering in worship. Practice makes worship more seamless and selfless.