The Habit of Worship

Recently I made a mistake.  I let the emotions I was having influence and begin to shape what I thought about myself, others, and God.  This seems to be the pattern that usually precedes a time of moral failure in my life.  I begin to think that things aren't fair and that I'm not getting what I deserve.  I become bitter because the emotions that I'm dwelling on lead to negative thoughts fueled on by doubts fed to me by the Enemy.  It's in these times that my relationship with the Lord is under attack by the fiery darts of the Enemy(lies)  that I need to be fully armed with the Truth of God's Word so that I can guard against attack and press the enemy back.

I wish that I could say that is exactly what I did, but the truth is that I can't.  In my time of testing, I didn't stand firm on the Word of God and dispel the darkness with the light of God's Word (Psalm 119: 105). The truth is that I forgot to guard myself and remind myself of the truth of the gospel.  When I began to have these negative emotions, feelings of entitlement and thoughts about getting what I deserve, I became self-centered and absorbed with what I thought to be a great injustice done toward me.  I thought, "why aren't I getting what I deserve?  I've been doing the right thing.  I've been doing what God wants me to do, I've been serving You.  Why aren't things going my way?  Why aren't I getting what is due me?"  

The past month prior to this fatal forgetfulness, I knew that I was in a place in life where I felt like I was teetering on this edge.  A place where the slightest misstep would lead to a failure in integrity.  Having been in this place before, I really didn't look forward to the possibility of facing another moral conundrum and desperately started searching how I could maintain my integrity and avoid a moral pitfall.  During this time of searching I came across Micah 6:8 and various other passages of scripture that talk about humility.  I looked into the lives of great heroes of the faith and discovered that whenever these biblical giants, mighty men of faith were faced with difficult situations or failure, what kept them in right relationship with God or restored them in their relationship with God was their humility.  Recognizing the importance of humility led me to Philippians 2.  A great passage that talks about how we should have an attitude of humility like Christ.  

After going through this process of study and revelation about a key element to have in my relationship with Jesus, I thought I had this integrity issue in the bag.  I thought I was good.  I'd gone through this process of God revealing all of this to me for the better part of a month.  I had the opportunity to write about it, teach it, and even speak on it a couple of times.  Yet there was a key part of this process I was missing in my understanding.  

Like I said earlier, I messed up.  This led me to great guilt, shame, and responsibility.  However, God didn't allow me to stay there.  As soon as I messed up God had a consistent message for me continued to tell me the next 4 days and even today is still telling me.  It's that He knows that I messed up and I don't need to continue living with the guilt and shame of failure.  I don't need to live in defeat because through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ I can live in victory.  

I was right to meditate on the humility of Christ and desire to imitate Jesus humility, however there was a crucial element I left out.  I forgot what Christ humbled himself to, and who for.  See this is what it says in Philippians 2:5-13:

"Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus,: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; but he made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant.  And being found in human likeness he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  

Therefore my brothers, just as you have always obeyed not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose."  


Jesus humbled himself to death on a cross for me.  He did it for you too.  The crucial element that I forgot in seeking to be humble like Christ was the Cross.  If I had remembered or been reminded that Jesus died for me, that he humbled Himself to die, then I might have had a changed perspective the day I messed up.  The feelings of not getting what I deserved or things not being fair would have evaporated in light of the Cross.  I would have been reminded that if I were to truly get what I deserve that I would receive death (Romans 6:23).  At the same time in light of Jesus sacrifice for me I can have an attitude of thankfulness and praise changing my attitude to one of gratitude.

So this past week I have been working on developing the habit or discipline of worship in my life.  Setting aside a regular time in my day to remind myself of the sacrifice of Jesus. To give thanks to Him for the gift of forgiveness and grace that allows me to live restored to God as His child so that I can live in victory.

So in light of all of this some questions I've had to ask myself and I think are good for everyone to reflect on:

1.  Do make it a habit to remind myself of Jesus sacrifice for me?
2.  Do I make praise and thanksgiving, the act of worship, a regular practice in my week?