The word "worship" first appears in Genesis when Abraham is called to sacrifice his son Isaac. Despite his deep emotional attachment to his son, Abraham is willing to obey God and worship Him. The next mention of worship is when the Lord instructs the Hebrew people to worship only Him.
In the Old Testament, worship revolved around physical structures and rituals, such as altars, sacrifices, and temples. King David was a notable worshipper who expressed his worship through music and instruments in the Psalms.
However, over time, the Israelites deviated from sincere worship and began worshipping false gods. God then establishes a new plan for worship through His Son, Jesus.
Throughout history, there has been a battle for worship, with Satan deceiving creation to worship anything but the Creator. Jesus emphasizes that true worship is done in spirit and truth, not limited to physical locations or rituals.
Worshipping in spirit means having a new, clean spirit that is born again in Christ. Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit, and we are free to worship God because we know Him in our spirits.
Worshipping in truth means glorifying God with our bodies and spirits, not using them for sinful purposes. We should be willing to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God, dedicating our bodies to Him.
Unfortunately, worship today often lacks the elements of spirit and truth. Many engage in fleshly worship centered on sensory and emotional experiences, which can lead to idolatry and demonic influence.
Satan seeks to steal worship and deceive people into worshipping him. The church has been infiltrated by idolatry, just like the Israelites and Pharisees of old. Many are deceived into worshipping false beings and practicing in error and deceit.
Satan's plan to steal worship has been successful on a global scale, with billions of people worshipping him through various religions and occult practices. We are in a time of worldwide abomination, where the Antichrist will come to power and deceive even more people into worshiping him.
However, Jesus is seeking true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth. Being born again means continually worshiping God in our new spirits through our actions and thoughts. We are His temple, united in the Spirit, and destined to worship Him for eternity.
Man was created to worship the Lord and live In harmony with eack other and every living creature. The enemy knows this and effectively stole what wasn’t supposed to be his.
Man worships everything but God.
It’s the Holy Spirit living in the elect who works within—to offer true worship. Anything else is vain “window-dressing.”
Kathy