This month, I learnt that worship is indeed a weapon. God has been teaching me where I place my eyes and challenged me on what I worship. I find that whatever seems “bigger than me” is where I place all of my attention and project all of my fears.

For example, if someone is afraid of heights, they are not going to look down for that will only reinforce the fact that they are above the ground. Instead of looking down, they look up and keep their eyes there. When they focus on getting to the top, what’s below them is seems insignificant

On the first day of August, I made a decision (more like a vow), that no matter what happens in my external environment – I will constantly and consistently worship God. You might be reading this and thinking, what’s the difference.

Constant means “all the time” whereas consistent means “unchanging”

One thing I noticed about my walk with God is that my worship is dependent on my environment. If God answered my prayers, I would praise and worship Him. But overtime, I would forget that it was because of Him that things were possible. During assessment season, where my stress levels hit the roof, the prospect of spending time with Him when I have deadlines was the last thing on my mind. The number of times I would be present in His presence were few than I can count on my two hands. At that point, the only time I worshiped was to fulfill “my Christian duty”. What went from relationship turned into religion. Instead of seeking more of Him, I was seeking to get more out of Him.

So this month, I made a promise to God that regardless of what is going on – my worship will still remain the same. It will not be superficial nor shall the words that leave my lips be sung in an attempt to persuade God. Every day was a day to give him all of me. To present myself as a living sacrifice before Him and allowing his spirit to reign in my life.

My response when I was overwhelmed would be to binge-watch YouTube videos, go to Google for answers (Yahoo Answers/Wikihow were my good friends) and bottle everything in. What I found was that constantly being in His presence has broken off habits and established new patterns in me.

 The minute I was worried, my initial response would be go to my secret place and worship. If I was swamped with assignments, I didn’t even have to think about what to do next. My textbook would be closed shut, laptop screen turned off, let go of what I was holding and go straight on my knees.

Constant means “all the time” whereas consistent means “unchanging”

It was then and there, I realized that worship is your greatest weapon to everything. As soon as you give God your undivided attention, you don’t have time to worry because you have the Prince of peace. The moment you’re exhausted, you’ll be reminded that the joy of the Lord is your strength. Fear has no choice but to leave because in Him, I am reminded that I have been given the spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Before him, you surrender all that has been weighing you down so that you can lift him up. You take on his yoke for it easy and his burden is light.

In the areas of my life that felt dry, He poured into me. I sit at His feet feeling refreshed. You can’t put the spotlight on yourself because you realize that it’s not about you anymore, it’s about God. Things like pride, ego, greed, jealousy, comparison, hurt, brokenness…there was no room for the flesh to grow. You are undone in his presence and gracefully broken so that he can do a work in you.

The words you proclaim in the songs that you sing, remind you of the authority that has been given to you by God. The lies of the enemy are silenced as the truth comes to light and the promises from His word is declared. As I lavished praises upon His name, I am reminded once again of the God that I serve. Gratitude had become my attitude and there wasn’t a moment that went by where I didn’t say “Thank you Jesus!!”

There were times I was too tired, struggling, confused or didn’t feel like I have time – but still, I would come to Him. No matter what, I would constantly come to the Father and be intentional. I will be consistent so that my getting on my knees becomes an automatic response.

I cannot control my external environment but I can control what rises up internally. The only power I have in any given situation is how I choose to respond.

Look at the life of Job, he lost everything and still he continued to worship. His worship to God was unchanged. Job lost his properties, went bankrupt, his children died, developed a skin disease, his wife left him and his friends tried to encourage him to curse God – Job still got on his knees and gave God the glory. Yet his worship wasn’t tainted by his circumstance, his praises never ceased and his stance wasn’t shifted. Even during the dark times where Job felt God had abandoned him, he continued to worship Him.

Does that mean I don’t once in a while slip my eyes off of Him and linger a bit longer in the things that I can’t control? 100% yes but I am still learning that every day I worship something.

Timothy Keller says, “You don’t get to decide to worship. Everyone worships something. The only choice you get is what to worship.” Big quote

I want to worship God who is bigger than it all and rest in His abilities rather than worship other things that make me rely on my own capabilities.