By: Bro. Charles G.O. Itseghosimhe
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INTRODUCTION
Attitude is one of the strongest essential parts of a human being. Attitude is developed from the heart. Attitude is approximately equal to the real identity of a person. Proverbs 23:7 – 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. We never rise higher than our thoughts.
Worship is related to the Greek word proskunew which means “to crouch, crawl or fawn at the Master’s feet, to prostrate oneself, to do reverence or homage.” The word is always active. It means more than just a feeling of the presence of God. It means to be actively involved in and to be inside the presence of God. It is an action, an offering of ourselves before God. Worship is personal on both sides. It is an individual experience for each of us. It is also personal to God as our Father in heaven.
ATTITUDE
Attitude is one of the strongest essential parts of a human being. Attitude is developed from the heart. This is one reason; the Bible reveals to us the need for us to be careful with the way we watch after our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Jesus gave the same emphasis – Matthew 15:19 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
The heart is the source of all actions and life. We are to keep our hearts with all diligence so that our attitude will be right.
Attitude determines how fast one achieves one’s goal. Attitude determines how we see things, how we respond to situations. You hear some people say that their situation is hopeless…the truth is that there is no situation or problem that is hopeless. Rather, it is the people in the situation that can be hopeless. Who are those people that are hopeless? People who don’t have the right attitude!
When our attitudes are right, our lives will be right. In Genesis 5:22, it was recorded that Enoch walked with God. In Hebrews 11:5, it was also recorded that By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. This tells us a whole lot about his attitude. He didn’t walk with the devil. He didn’t fight against God. He had a good mental attitude. He had the right attitude, the right mental disposition.
In Genesis 6:9, we read that Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. In Hebrews 11:7, we see the details of Noah’s attitude – 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
For emphasis, let it be known that every attitude we have were developed from our hearts. David (Psalm 51:10) in his plea to God for restoration back to God, to obtain a right attitude, he requested for a right foundation on which the attitude can be developed – a clean heart – a steadfast spirit.
If we take a sincere and careful look at our attitudes, and re-develop them to align with God’s standards, then we can change the way we approach God, act on God’s words and improve on our spiritual growth, to be more like HIM every day, moment and worship time.
WORSHIP
God is looking for true worshippers. It is not a question of the congregation doing right. The question focuses on the individual worshipper. The church can be obeying all of God’s law, but the individuals may not be worshipping correctly at all. Worship that is not true is of no value.
God is looking for worshippers who are for real. He does not want pretense or show. He wants people who are real all the way to the heart. God’s worship is a matter of action and of the heart. To worship God, is to come face to face with Jesus; bowing before Him in reverence and trust; allowing His Spirit to take the pre-eminence in our thoughts, feelings, emotion, actions, decisions and reactions.
When you read the story of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus asked for water, you will understand that coming face to face with Jesus can initially be an uncomfortable experience. But before we can come to Christ, we first need to stop and look at ourselves frankly and honestly, to look in the mirror of God’s Word, to see ourselves as we are. When Jesus looks into our hearts and lives, He sees the goodness, the potential, what we can become with God’s help.
God’s presence in us should constantly spill over into the lives of those around us in worship times, in all places. It is impossible to have worship without been overshadowed by God’s presence, that is, you feel, connect to and identify with Him. It is not an imagination. It is not manual or mechanical. It is real. He is right there before you and you know you are right there before Him. The weight of His glory is upon you. You know you are in His presence.
Your heart surrenders to Him in fullness and trust. Every distraction is irrelevant to you because you are covered with His presence. Habakkuk says once you realise that God is in you and in the worship arena and services – you surrender to Him – Habakkuk 2:20 20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Of course, this can only be achieved or experienced, when the attitude in worship times is right.
ATTITUDE TOWARD WORSHIP
Once your attitude is wrong in worship, it is purely mechanical, no connection to the spiritual. Matthew 15:8-9 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 9 and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” 1 Corinthians 2:14 – 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
One characteristic of worship to God is that it must be in spirit and in truth. “In spirit” fits the very nature of God, since “God is Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is active in a true worship – active not only in the worship arena and service but manifest Himself through the character of the worshipper. How can the Holy Spirit manifest itself in the character, attitude or heart of the worshipper when the worshipper does not submit to Him, does not recognize that He is there, and does not behave as if he knows that the Holy Spirit is really present?
Worshipping in spirit has to do with an attitude of the heart, an attitude developed over time – Ephesians 5:18-19 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
“In truth” means “as revealed reality, lying at the basis of, and agreeing with”. God has revealed the truth. How can the attitude towards worship be right when the worshipper is already absent in the worship and acts in ways contrary to a transformed child of God.
We need to put the love we have for God into action. Worship also goes beyond singing and a performance. It is really about Jesus Christ. We worship and glorify God when we live our lives in accordance with God’s principles. When we wholly surrender our lives to God and allow him to change us from the inside out – offering our bodies as living sacrifices. Romans 12:1 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
We all get excited when our favourite music is been played – you can see the way we generate actions all over our body and get into a connection with the dance style, lyrics and composer of the music. We get excited about watching the latest movies, reading a best-selling novel or watching our favourite sports team play. But on the contrary, why is it that when it comes to the things of God, people suddenly begin to yawn with boredom. Why don’t we get excited about worshipping God? So why don’t we get excited about worshipping the one who has given us life? Where is our heart of worship?
When we see an unsuitable weather condition, or find ourselves in a bad or inconvenient situation – we easily decide to refrain from worship. Hebrews 10:25 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some….We can spend days preparing for an occasion (marriage, birthdays, e.t.c); we can spend hours watching a movie but we can’t spend a couple of hours in the house of God. We can stay awake all through the day in conducting our businesses but we can stay awake in few hours of our worship services. Does entertainment need to be provided in order to get us involved in the things of God? Is this a right attitude towards worship?
We all have a responsibility for our worship. Are we willing to give time to God? Do we have an attitude of praise and an openness to be challenged by the word of God? Are we the spectator in worship?
Our attitude towards worship is something that is in our power to control. It is a choice. We can choose to have the right attitude and willingness for worship or we can choose not to.
To have the right attitude in worship, we must ask ourselves the question . . .
Why are we here?
This is the question of purpose. Did someone made us come; are we here to feel good about myself; to socialize; to be with family; to catch up on the latest news; to hear a good speech or to enjoy songs; did we show up today to prove to others that we are still faithful while within us we know we are no longer faithful to God? Are we eager to hear God’s word and worship Him regardless of how I feel? Are we willing to give God thanks for what God is doing in our lives? Are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to continually renew our minds to enable us live a life that glorifies God? Are we sincerely excited in doing things for God?
What should be our true purpose? We worship because God is worthy of our worship; He loves us; we love Him; He is holy; to receive and share fellowship; to enhance our relationship with God and give Him our full attention at the appropriate times. We must be careful not to lose the perspective that we exist to glorify God.
How can we improve our attitude in worship?
This is the question of focus. When the worship is completed, do we really understand what we have done? Are we focusing upon the leaders of worship or the message? Do our own thoughts reflect what is going on in the worship?
During singing, do our minds easily wander away from the songs, its meaning and power? Is there really a melody developed from our hearts? Ephesians 5:19 19 …singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 14:15 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
During prayers, do we focus upon the words being prayed and realize that God is right there listening to the conversation in our hearts? Do we develop faith in God for things which we pray for?
During the teaching, sermons, or Bible Study – do we let our minds wander at this time? Do we really connect to God to get a deeper understanding? Do we delight in the word of God? If we don’t delight in listening, reading and obeying His word, how we will find the word worthy enough to be shared with others who are yet to know Christ?
During Lord’s Supper, do we understand the purpose? Does participating in the Lord’s Supper every week really brought transformation into our lives or brought retrogression into our spiritual lives? 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
Have we ever considered that our choice of attitude even affects our worship experience? Having a wrong attitude towards worship makes us act wrong which results in vain worship; retrogress in our spiritual growth; create poor influence to visitors; we turn away visitors and cause them to think that we are not serious about God’s worship; set bad example for both our young ones and new converts; we distract others who are trying to worship and God will be displeased with us because we will FAIL to worship Him.
CONCLUSION
Have you considered your attitude towards worship? If not take this an opportunity to examine or re-examine your attitude.
Only a right attitude towards and in worship, gives God a worship that is in Spirit and in Truth. The right attitude not only gives God the glory but develops our physical and spiritual mentality and makes the Christian life worth sharing to others.
God bless you all in Jesus Christ Name – Amen!
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