Truth Is...Knowing the Enemies of True Worship
True Worship, Knowing what it is
As we now continue the discussion of True Worship and identifying the enemies thereof, let us now look at another such enemy: Ignorance...
If one does not know the truth about God and what He requires or wishes from us, there is no way for them to actually give that to God which He requires. Go to Acts 17:23...Paul here talks about being in a city whee the people made an altar to" An unknown God"...He goes on to explain that they were in effect giving tribute to God, but there was a need for clarification in order to allow them to give True worship to him. He tells the people that at one point God overlooked their ignorance, but now was availing to them the Truth in order for them to change the way they worship. That is what we are embarking upon now here with Truth Is...ministries. The truth about God is now being opened to all readers and the opportunity to repent(change) your former way of worship is NOW!
It is very common for people to say that it does'nt matter what church you go to or what doctrine you follow as long as you intend to serve and glorify God. But this is not so. If that were true then God would not have needed to explain what He requires of us. The problem is humans: They twist and manipulate God's word to fashion whatever doctrine(s) or "ism(s)" satify their mindset or promote their intended gain(s). There really is simplicity in worshipping God(Jehovah); pure worship need not be complicated, as a loving God jehovah made it so that the simplest mind could conceive how to please him. First we have to have real desire to please God and recognize that He does exist and is in fact a living being with feelings and above all is the most qualified to lead, direct and instruct us in life. Next we have to have a natural love abound within us; love for God out of gratitude for al that He does do, and love for one another. Every human on earth should love each other as we trutly are family and related,Truth Is...
But the deepness and intricacy of love is where things get sidetracked. Remember, I mentioned before that Satan does not mind you getting on the road to salcvation as he knows there are many detours along the way.
Here are a few examples of what loving others is about(obviously there are far more): How about when you're walking down the street and reading a newspaper and when you finish a section you look around and don't see a garbage can so you toss the paper over someone's fence or into their doorway; how about you don't have the change to buy a newspaper and you see one on someone's doorstep and take it! How about when you see a person (male or female) struggling with a load of groceries or getting in or out of a car, do you immediately go to their aid? How about if you're addicted to drugs and have no money and you see someone counting bills, do you resist the urge to rob them and ask God instead to help you overcome the illness that often overwhelms you?
To love others is to have empathy; the ability to put yourself in their shoes and fel what they feel or may feel if someone did to you what you may contemplate doing to them. Can't get much simpler than that!
But hey Truth Is..., you mentioned a drug addict; what's that all about? Well, yes drug addicts can actually begin applying true worship also, it's so marvelous that God offers EVERY human the opportunity to gain his guidance and presence. That's just how wondefrul and beyond our reasoning He really is. This portion of the message goes specifically to criminals, addicts, drunks, and anything like these : the best way to work your way in to God's good graces is to actually start trying! Start allowing the God-given gift:Your Conscience, influence you more. Let God be found true. God says that if you consider him in all that you do He will direct your steps and will also make things work better for you. (Proverbs 3:5-7, Romans 8:28). If you take the time to say to yourself that you are willing to try and see if God will notice even the smaller things that you do out of consideration for pleasing him, I guarantee that He will help you and before you realize it you'll be getting his help with the bigger things. This brings us to the next enemy of true worship...
Fighting our own human imperfection(s) our human nature which has deteriorated so greatly now, is what is really difficult and complicated about serving God. It is a non-ending battle and for many a constant one. But we have an extremely effective weapon/tool:PRAYER. This is where you turn to God and plead if neccesary, for the strength and ability to overcome that which prevents our takiing the proper steps toward doing his will. Just to refer back to a comment made by a reader recently, If God is not a living being, what is the purpose of prayer? I would then ask that reader: "Do you pray?". Why?. Just a side thought folks, I'm still here with you.
We must be honest with ourselves first in order to be honest with God and then approach him in prayer and supplication to combat the things preventing our worship. Again I repeat that the way that we live our lives IS part of worship.
When we approach god for help with our behavior, thoughts(which lead to bad/wrong behavior), and attitude(the most important thing), we have to continue doing so and not get weary as Jesus said to:Keep knocking, and keep asking...and your heavenly father will give freely". We just can't set the time that He will give it; instead we must keep asking and then do things to show him we have faith He will give it as it is for serving him and pleasing him. This is when He will give you the great gift of "FAITH" and you are well on the way to peace and salvation.
These lessons are to be brief in order to allow opportunity for meditatiojn on the content and immediate application. So until the next article where an important component of worship, ATTITUDE, will be discussed, I pray blessing upon you all...Truth Is...
