Afraid of Worship? (The Peception Factor I)

As a worship leader, it is our responsibility to not just lead some songs, not to lead you where you want to go, but it is lead you to places that you need to go. Sometimes there are certain arguments have to be overcome to help you accept the path. Some can be explained through teaching and preaching, other times it may take the Holy Spirit speaking to you and revealing the truth to you.

Perceptions can be formed over a few minutes, or over a lifetime. They can affect the decisions we make and how we see things. As followers of Christ, these perceptions that we have built in our minds can affect how, if and why we worship. 

Abuse

I know of people that have been mistreated by their earthly father in terrible ways, and therefore have a problem with accepting God as their heavenly Father. It can greatly affect how they pray and worship. These kind of hurts may take professional counseling in some cases.  If you feel that your relationship with God is impeded by this type of abuse and mistreatment caused by someone close to you like a father, I would recommend that you go see a counselor and possibly get involved in a support group to help bring restoration to that part of your life that was scarred. While you are seeking healing for your soul, listening to songs that talk about God being our healer and the restorer of our souls will also help to change our perception of who God is. We must attack the lie that we are always going to struggle in our relationship with God and our worship of Him because you were abused.

Betrayal

This is another issue that plagues believers and their worship experience and that is the issue of betrayal. In paticular, a betrayal by someone in the church. This ranges from a betrayal of a friend in the church to in a lot of cases, someone in leadership. I could get into the topic of whether or not a person has truly experienced betrayal or just heard something they didn’t want to, but that is for another post. Wounds of a friend or person you trusted or admired greatly are tough to get over, but not impossible. The thing that brings separation between you and God is unforgiveness. It will hinder your prayers and your worship. It will keep you stuck. Many church folk are stuck in no-man’s land because they have allowed the unforgiveness of past hurts to plant their roots deep into their hearts. Jesus, in His first prayer that He taught His disciples, made sure that He talked about this topic:

Matthew 6:9

  “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰⁾ Your kingdom come, your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹⁾ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹²⁾and forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.

  ¹⁴⁾ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵⁾ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Powerful words of Christ. He understood that unforgiveness brings separation and hinders our relationship with God. The reason you have held on to your unforgiveness is because you don’t have a true understanding of Christ’s forgiveness for you. When you grasp a revelation of his forgiveness, and what He has forgiven you of, it becomes almost impossible to hold on to your unforgiveness. Understanding His forgiveness gives us the freedom to forgive. 

Confess your unforgiveness to someone you can trust that will hold you accountable. Begin to saturate your heart on music that glorifies His forgiveness. Meditate on scriptures that talk about men like David who sinned big but understood that he was forgiven big.

I am not saying that forgiveness is always easy, but you have to make a decision whether it is worth your relationship with Him or not.

(to be continued)

Kevin