PRAISING AND WORSHIPING GOD

To worship in truth we must:

• Have purity of heart
• Deal with any sin in our hearts and repent
• Have a spirit of humility
• Have a spirit of submission to the will of God
• Have a spirit of obedience
• Have a spirit of commitment
• Have a sense of wonder of who He is and have a sense of awe in His presence
• Have an awareness of God's presence and be overwhelmed by His majesty
• Be speechless in His presence and allow Him to speak to us

True worship is not about us but it's all about God.  We cannot worship God in truth with sin in our lives or if there is self-will in our hearts, because it is about God’s will for us and not the other way around.

The Bible warns us not to worship anyone or anything else.  We are not to worship, saints, statues, angels, money, or celebrities.  Anyone or any thing that becomes more important than God, and turns our hearts away from Him is an idol or a false god. God says in Exodus 20:2-3 “I am the LORD your God .....You shall have no other gods before me." When the devil tried to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4:10, Jesus rebuked him and said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”  If we choose to worship false gods, God’s word says in Jonah 2:8 “Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies.”  I certainly don't want to live my life without God’s mercy!