By Elena Ardis, First Year MHLS Student – Worship Track

Did you know that you could be worshipping something other than God?

You might be thinking that sounds silly. We have worship in church on Sundays, where we sing praises to the Lord. Who else would we be worshipping? But it’s true—a lot of believers are actually deep in idolatry without realizing it.

In order to properly assess how that is possible, we need to ask: Why should we think about worship in the first place? What is worship, really? Why does it matter?

Worship and religion are connected, because they both focus on serving God. If you consider yourself to be a Christian, it is important to evaluate your views on worship.

Here is a look at the definitions of worship and religion:

WORSHIP: (noun) The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. (verb) Show reverence and adoration for a deity; honor with religious rites.

RELIGION: (noun) A pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.

RELIGIOUSLY: (adverb) With consistent and conscientious regularity.

MISDIRECTED WORSHIP

We may not make this connection in our conscious, but we can turn anything we choose into a religion. Think about it. Is there anything in your life that you are giving all of your attention to? What do you feel conviction for?

Matthew 6:22-23 NIV reads:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

As humans, we can easily be swept up in escapism and temporary pleasures that satisfy our flesh, but not our spirit. It is dangerously easy to let ourselves worship our phones, our possessions, or our habits. However, these things will only fill us up with darkness. There is only one thing that will fill us up with pure light: God.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV

Although Jesus is speaking about the love of money in this verse, it  also applies to any other worldly thing that we might have love for. If we are fully committed to God, our hearts will not crave the things of this world as strongly anymore, being drawn to holiness and purity instead. This is why we should only worship Him and ascribe importance to things that glorify Him.

If you have ever been stuck in a cycle of sin, you know that it is frustrating beyond belief. You can find yourself questioning if there is any escape, or if there is any possible way that God could forgive you or save you from it. But one thing that we don’t often realize is that our sin issues are tied to idolatry. You feel poisoned and dirty, but you’ve been on social media for 8 hours while your Bible has been collecting dust. You fall back into comforting sin habits because you have no motivation or self-respect, but you haven’t stopped to thank God or pray in weeks.

Take a look at this passage in Romans:

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:21-25 NIV

Because these people did not acknowledge or turn to God, they fell deeper and deeper into degrading sin, and God gave them over to their desires. The things that they worshipped filled them up to the brim with darkness, and they made no space for light.

 

GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR WORSHIP

Read through these two passages:

“In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:12-13 NIV

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

Because He loves us, God sent Jesus as the perfect living sacrifice for all of our sin, to redeem us for all of eternity and be the bridge connecting humanity to God. Without Him, we would all be doomed to suffer forever. He is infinitely more worthy than any other thing we could possibly imagine! The more time you spend reflecting on what He has truly done for us, the more gratitude and joy will spark within you and begin to fill you up, empowering you to boldly worship Him with awe and reverence!

REDIRECTING OUR WORSHIP

So, are you stuck in your sin and ready to redirect your worship? The best first step you can take is to invite the Holy Spirit in to examine your heart.

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV reads:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God is gracious, so if we ask Him to, He will point out the things in our life that we must remove. All it takes is intentional prayer time with Him and the patience to listen.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” Romans 2:7-8 NIV

On top of listening to God’s voice, we must also turn away from things that encourage sin and replace them with holy habits.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

Just like how we read that the eye is the lamp of the body, replacing worldly things with holy ones will flood your body with light—creating a welcoming atmosphere for God to dwell in.

Here are some practical examples of habits that you can change:

  • Instead of spending all day scrolling & consuming anything your algorithm feeds you, try:
    • Deleting your socials for a time to focus in on prayer and reading your Bible every day
    • Setting a time limit on your socials so they don’t take up more of your attention than God does
    • Resetting your suggested content to build a healthier for you page
  • Instead of constantly worrying about how other people perceive you, try:
    • Committing to a Bible reading plan that uses Scripture to teach you more about your identity & value in Christ
    • Being intentional with who you spend time with—mature believers in your life can speak life and encouragement into you as a person
    • Asking God about any self-deprecating habits you may need to stop and cutting them off
  • Instead of impulsively doing whatever your flesh desires, try:
    • Engaging in a physical activity that takes all of your effort (e.g. working out, dancing)
    • Practicing being still before God in contemplative prayer when you feel tempted
    • Finding an accountability partner to confide in and spend time with

Lastly, remember to have grace for yourself as you learn and grow. It is impossible to get everything right in one try, and it takes time to cultivate a healthy lifestyle that gives glory to God. Rest assured that you can lean on His strength, wisdom, and presence to guide you through as you redirect your worship towards Him!