Worship is such a multifaceted weapon in the Kingdom of God.

I have started, stopped and reworked this particular blog countless times. There is so much I want to say in the area of worship. Worship is far more than just singing but music can most certainly be used in the act and for now, will be my focus point. I could not even begin to tell you the number of times everything changed for me in worship; not necessarily in the visible but most certainly in the invisible. When we worship God we are turning our affections towards Him. We are choosing to focus on His attributes instead of the world around us. At times entering into worship is like a battle and through our praise, we valiantly engage in warfare.

Throughout scripture heavenly principles are mirrored in the visible realm, there is a passage out of 2 Chronicles 20 that speaks of a physical battle the Israelites were facing. God commanded them to put the worshippers (Judah) ahead of the armed forces and through their worship, the battle was completely won!

Read it for yourself:

20 In the morning they got up early and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in Yahweh your God, and you will be established; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing:[d]

Give thanks to the Lord,
for His faithful love endures forever.

22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites turned against the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely annihilated them.When they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped destroy each other.

24 When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped. 25 Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to gather the plunder. They found among them[e] an abundance of goods on the bodies[f] and valuable items. So they stripped them until nobody could carry any more. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much. 26 They assembled in the Valley of Beracah[g] on the fourth day, for there they praised the Lord. Therefore, that place is still called the Valley of Beracah today.

27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem turned back with Jehoshaphat their leader, returning joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord enabled them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they came into Jerusalem to the Lord’s temple with harps, lyres, and trumpets.

29 The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side.

Through their obedience and praise the Lord Himself set an ambush against Israel’s opponents. 

When the Lord was done the only thing left for Israel to do was to plunder the corpses. This happens in the spiritual realm when we face our trials with praise. I have seen the physical transformed when I have chosen to give praise. At times it may only be in my heart and attitude but that alone has completely changed my day.

I want to encourage you…

…crank up the praise music in your home, car or wherever you might be when you start to feel war raging within you. Sing out, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithful love endures forever” over your situation. Set your affection on Him and see how your world changes.

Rise up, Warriors! Arm yourself with praise, wield your weapon and take out the enemy!