79. The Power of Worship 03.09.20

What a wonderful weekend. I spent most of my time in Tarentum at the Freedom fighters conference. It was exactly what I needed. I’ll have to make a separate post for that, it’s just too much. The experiences were overwhelming to say the least. The presence of the Lord has been such a blessing these past few days. It’s so refreshing. Right now though, I need to back up to our Thursday night prayer service at Grace Community church in Uniontown.

I try not to miss our prayer services when we have them. Time spent with the Lord in prayer is so important. Little did I know that the Lord was going to give me a very graphic visual of why prayer, praise and worship are so important. They’re detrimental to our salvation. We started out with a few songs in worship, welcoming the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit flooded the building. We were deep into the song The More I Seek You that has the lyrics “I wanna sit at your feet. Drink from the cup in your hand. Lay back against you and breath, feel your heart beat.” About the second time we went through those words I saw Him standing there, right in front of me like I could reach out and touch Him.

As we continued singing He walked around and stood behind me, it was as if I could actually lean back against Him. He had a cup in His hand and as we sang those lyrics about drinking from the cup in His hand, I heard him whisper to me “How about this instead?” I saw His arm raise up and He dumped that cup out over my head.

Then I heard “As my cup runneth over upon you, so shall it runneth over upon all those who seek me. Those who I pour into are to pour into others with the same Spirit. As my cup runneth over on you, so should your cup runneth over on all you encounter in my name.”

Psalm 16:5 (NLT)
5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

As I went down on my knees, I put my face to the floor in worship. As the presence of the Spirit increased, I was given a vision that shook me up. As my face was to the floor, the carpet faded away, turning into what appeared to be a pure, clear ice. It reminded me of the way a lake would be frozen over in Alaska. The top two feet or so would be solid ice but you could see the fish swimming underneath. It was clear with the same glistening appearance of a sheet of ice that’s been hit by the sun and beginning to melt.

Job 37:10 (NKJV)
10 By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen

My face was pressed to this icy floor. I suddenly realized was also a ceiling to the darkness below. As I gazed down, I saw a tunnel. The tunnel itself was pitch black, circular in shape, with the inside wall appearing to move. It was a deep dark black but moved in a creepy, almost breath like, or crawling motion as if the entire tunnel itself was alive. The inside wall of the tunnel was black and had the appearance of molten lava as it’s cooled after the eruption of a volcano. The top layer was dark and crisp but just underneath that thin crispy darkness was a hot molten lava, the reddish orange heat shining through tiny hairline cracks. As I began to look deeper into this darkness, I saw them crawling up the wall of this tunnel. These dark demonic figures. Hundreds of them crawling up toward me. Just as one of them reached the top, it tried to reach out to touch me. It’s hand extending toward me with claws that could shred my flesh. Instantly it was jolted, it’s grip was lost, and it fell down into the pit. More and more were coming, and each time they reached the icy ceiling, they were jolted and fell back to where they came. Then I looked up and realized what was jolting them. It wasn’t the icy ceiling so to speak, but it was our prayer, praise and worship that electrified that surface with the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Lord was something they couldn’t even touch for a second.

Psalm 57:6 (NLT)
6 My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it.

I could see the light and the joy that our praise brought the Lord. I could see the way the entire building was protected by our worship and prayer. This golden warming glow spreading out in every direction. The peace and comfort of the presence of the Lord was surrounding everyone. It reminded me of putting a small flashlight against a gemstone or against an ice cube. The small light would then be magnified as it spreads in every direction. One tiny light of praise would span the entire icy floor with this pure, intense illumination. Then I turned my gaze toward the street. I noticed that even though the dark figures couldn’t come into the light where we were standing, they could easily come up through other places. I’d see one sneak up and nonchalantly walk down the street. I’d see one break through and disappear into the darkness of an alley. I’d see one take refuge in someone’s parked car. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Our prayer life, our worship, our praise is what protects us from these demonic attacks of the enemy. Without these acts of obedience to the Lord, we are open to all types of attack and oppression.

Romans 12:21 (NKJV)
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Could you imagine the different world we would be living in if every Christian walked in praise and worship, as an example to others, walking out the love of the Lord through the Holy Spirit? Could you imagine the difference we could make if every Christian spent actual time in prayer? Not the ten minutes before bed, not the thank you for our food, not the long list of requests, but actual prayer. Actual time spent seeking His voice, His presence, His revelation, His guidance. We could easily crush the enemy. We could come together and spread our light so vastly that the enemy would never have a chance to sneak past any of us. The entire surface of this earth could be electrified with the presence of the Lord and jolt every advance from the pit. We can’t cry out for a changed world without realizing that we have to be part of that change ourself. We can’t cry out in hatred for our enemies when the scripture tells us to pray for them. We have to realize that we are all made in His image. Yes, even the muslim, yes, even the atheist, yes, even the murderer, yes, even your boss, yes, even the person who cut you off in traffic, yes, even the president, yes, even the opposing political leaders. All of us! There is no room for discord or offense in Heaven.

John 4:23-24 (NIV)
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Psalm 95:6-7 (NLT)
6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!

Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name

Psalm 106:1 (NKJV)
Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV)
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Psalms 34:17 (KJV)
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

It’s time to come together in prayer, praise and worship. The future of our nation depends on it.

Ephesians 3:16-21
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.