Worship.

It’s easy to immediately think of singing when we think about “worship.” We sing to Him during our Sunday morning worship service, in the car as we listen to the radio, or as we wander about our day with worship songs playing in the background.

As I/we often learn over time, worship is oh-so-much-more than just singing, is is also a “lifestyle.” We worship the Lord with our decisions, our serving, essentially our very lives are worshiping Him as we seek to honor Him.

This morning, as I was reading through Matthew 14, I was struck by and reminded of another simple, yet profound way to worship the Lord … in declaring Truth about who He is.

Matthew 14:33,

Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

This short and sweet verse is found toward the end of Matthew 14 just after Jesus walked on water and calmed the storm. The disciples were in awe of what He had done and said so with their words. They didn’t break out into song, they simply declared Truth. They “worshiped Him” by saying WHO Jesus is, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

I love when familiar verses jump out to me. The Holy Spirit is so good to highlight Truth when we need it! What a beautiful reminder that I can worship the Lord all throughout the day, simply by saying what I know to be TRUE about Jesus. Not in my head, but declaring aloud. There is power in our words!

Even King David, amidst his emotional and physical struggles, would declare Truth. He would pour out his heart in the Psalms, but not end there in his emotions, he would state what he knows to be true about God. It was as if he would say, “I am in anguish and am struggling, but despite what I am feeling or experiencing, I know who You are and will proclaim these Truths!”

I am going to challenge myself to audibly declare the Truths about God throughout my day.

I will not only worship Him in Spirit … but also in TRUTH.

• You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
• Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
• You are my Savior and Lord.
• You are patient and kind.
• You are the Great Shepherd, caring for, loving, and protecting Your sheep.
• In You I can trust because You are trustworthy.
• I do not have to fear because You are my refuge, my rock, my fortress, my place of safety.
• You heal and restore.
• You rescue.
• You provide.
• You lead and guide.
• I am never alone for You are with me.
• I have hope because You redeem.
• You give life.
• You are full of love and compassion.
• I will worship You.

Do you know a Truth you want to declare about Jesus? There’s no need to wait until Sunday morning to sing, you can worship Him with your words right now, today.  

To God be the Glory, forever and ever, Amen.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

I Peter 5:8 (quoted above) is one I hear and think about often. I read it in Scripture and also listen to Heidi St. John’s podcast where she frequently quotes this passage. It is at the forefront of my mind daily.

Friends, we are in a battle.

I do not want us to be ignorant of the fact that the devil is not a delicate foofoo devil, he is like a lion looking to devour and destroy.

He does not take kindly to strangers.

As I was contemplating this recently, I was imagining what it would be like to be the prey of the lion. He likely goes after the weak/sick, the vulnerable/defenseless, as well as those in his territory. I do not want to be among the first 2, but I do want to be part the last.

Let me explain.

Though I have heard this verse countless times, I neglected to notice a key detail. The lion is not sneaking around quietly looking to pounce, like a house cat attacking a toy mouse, he’s making his presence known by “roaring.” This goes against what I have always imagined. I pictured him being a sneaky and stealthy lion, but this is not how he is described in this passage.

He is not silent. He is loud. His roar is heard.

Well, if you’re close enough, you can hear him.

Can you hear the roaring lion?

This got me curious, what causes a lion to roar?

Roaring is a form of communication.

It is one of the loudest calls in the animal kingdom and can be heard from up to 8km away.  The male’s roar is deeper and louder than the female’s.  Lions roar to tell other lions where they are, to show how big they are and to warn lions from other prides to keep away from their home territory.  They do this mostly just before sunrise and sunset when they are most active.

Whoa. So much to unpack here, but I want to focus on just one aspect from the above quote; the lion roars to claim and protect its territory.

If we can hear the roar of the lion, it means we are in or near its territory. The lion is ready to fight for, defend, and devour in order to protect its territory. He’s warning you, you are too close for his comfort.

Can you hear the roaring lion?

As I researched a bit more, I came across an interesting quote by A.W. Tozer during a challenging time in his ministry,

It is a delightful thing when you know that you are close enough to the adversary that you can hear him roar. Too many Christians never get into ‘lion country’ at all!

Can you hear the roaring lion?

Are you in the battlefield, ready to take on the enemy?

Dennis Rainey says it like this,

Successful invaders are risk takers – they are men and women of faith and action …

You can tell if you’re in lion country. Heard any roaring lions lately? Get on with it – the greatest thrill in your life will come in knowing you’re encroaching on the enemy’s territory.

I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be weak and vulnerable prey for the lion to devour. I want to be strong and bold. An invader. A risk taker. No fear. Ready to do battle, equipped with the armor of God. A woman of faith and action. Not a hearer of The Word only, but a doer of The Word. 

Can you hear the roaring lion?

I want the enemy to know I am a danger, a menace to his plans.

Can you hear the roaring lion?

Putting my faith into action gets the lion on defense.

Can you hear the roaring lion?

If I am a threat to the enemy, he will roar.

Can you hear the roaring lion?

Friends, I want to hear the lion roar wherever my foot treads … it means I am close and he doesn’t like what I am doing.

Be alert and of sober mind [clearheaded]. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Not today, lion. Not today. Roar all you want, you will not win this battle! I am ready. We are ready.

To God be the Glory!!