If you are someone who has struggled with the prospects of sitting and worshipping God for an extended period of time because of the total lack of emotions then this message is for you.
Our church society has cultivated this idea that we are only making spiritual progress when we have corresponding emotions to confirm what we are doing spiritually is actually working. In other words, if we don't feel something then we must not be getting through to God. My question to you is this, where did God ever say that we must feel something in order to know what we are doing spiritually is working?
On the contrary, the Gospel is not about believing only in what you can feel. For example, if you are waiting to feel something before you believe you are saved, then you are in trouble. Salvation is strictly based on believing in someone you can't see or feel. Salvation is about accepting the word of this unseen person with no physical proof of His existence but rather believing and receiving by faith. There are no feelings required.
For those of us who have successfully crossed that hurdle of salvation, we have discovered that not just salvation, but everything in the kingdom of God is received by this force called faith. Healing, material needs, everything in God's Kingdom is available to those who believe. It is not based on if we need something or how long we beg God for it. No, it is based on our ability to stand on the Word of our God, whom we can not see, releasing the unseen force of faith, believing that at the moment we pray that we receive the answer to our prayers. After that, we stand and thank God for the answer until it manifests in the natural. No feelings required at all. NO, there is no need for little "goose bumps" in order to know that He heard us or that we have what we are believing for. In fact, until we stop relying on having to feel something we aren't really going to make much progress at all in the Kingdom of God.
Please understand, I am not opposed to feeling God's presence. I love it when I am in a service and all of a sudden His glory roles in like a wave and it is actually possible to feel something. Those times are great. But, I don't measure my relationship with God based on those few short moments. My relationship with God goes far beyond a few "goose bumps" every once in a while. I have a daily communion with God based on His Word which assures me that He will never ever leave me nor will He ever, for any reason, forsake me.
You see, I am head over heels in love with my Heavenly Father, my Lord and Saviour Jesus and the sweet Holy Spirit. When I approach the God head I don't do it with the attitude, "Make me feel something so I will know you are real". No, I approach the God Head knowing with every fiber of my being that He is real. I am not about to embarrass myself by asking God to let me feel something so I can know that He is real.
Let's bring this all into the arena of private worship. Do you think that God responds any differently when we worship Him? Do you think that all of a sudden now feelings are some how a prerequisite for knowing that God is receiving your worship? Do yourself a favor and settle this one issue once and for all. Determine in your heart that regardless of whether or not you ever feel anything at all, you are a worshipper of God. This could very easily be one of the best decisions you will ever make.
Look at what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman He met at Jacob's well. (John 4:23) "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." Think about this, God, who has no need for anything is actually seeking something that He can not create for Himself. How can this be? The simple fact that He is God means that He is the sum total of everything. What could someone with an endless supply of everything seek after? He seeks after what only you and I as His born again kids can give Him, worship out of our reborn human spirit. When Jesus said "in spirit" He was speaking directly to the time we now live in when we who have received the Lordship of Jesus are born again in spirit. No old testament believer could ever worship God the way you can because they were dead in spirit.
God has waited out the centuries looking for someone with a reborn human spirit to give to Him the most unique, priceless offering available, worship out of a reborn human spirit. You see, this cost Jesus His life.
Yes, you can give to God something that no one else on the face of the earth can give Him, your worship.
So, at what moment do you think He receives your worship? Do you think He starts receiving it after an hour, or maybe 2 hours of you sitting and worshipping Him? Do you think He only receives it once you finally feel something? What about the rest of the time? Is that all wasted? No No No. Settle this once and for all, there is no wasted moment of worship. Feel something, don't feel anything, either way makes no difference at all. The very moment you decide to speak out the least little bit of worship to God all of heaven is at attention. Why? Because, with all of hell stacked up against you, symptoms screaming in your body, problems at every turn, you decide to stop and look to heaven and begin to pour out of your spirit the very thing that God seeks for, your unsolicited worship.
I thank God that His receiving my worship is not based on me feeling anything. If that were the case, so much of my time would be wasted because generally I don't feel anything. But, I know that He has waited out the generations for me to give to Him what only I can give Him, my worship.
I hope that this inspires you to once and for all decide that you are a worshipper and that nothing is ever going to stop you.
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