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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is worship in spirit and in truth. To worship in spirit means to be in tune with the Spirit of God by not yielding to the desires of the flesh. To worship in truth means to be faithful and obedient to the Word of God by offering our whole body to Him as a living sacrifice. We are told in Judges 6:1 that “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites… Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.” (Judges 6:1,6) In response to their cry for help, the angel of the Lord called Gideon to lead the redemption of Israel from the oppressive hands of the Midianites. “The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. (Judges 6:14)

Beloved in the Lord, what evil did Israel do in the eyes of the Lord? They disobeyed God and worshipped other gods. God said to them “‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” (Judges 6:10) To worship in spirit and in truth means to completely love and serve God by following His commandments faithfully. It is for this reason, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24). In other words, God requires our spiritual dedication and also for us “to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is our true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1). We become alienated from God or our relationship with Him is severed when we refuse to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Consequently, we become spiritually vulnerable, exposed to the gods of this world and become captives to satan. We are called upon to renew our spiritual commitment to God and our love for His Word so that we can worship Him in spirit and truth and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome the temptations and demonic forces in our lives.

Beloved in the Lord, we must worship God in spirit and truth because “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) Gideon was used by God to destroy the altar of Baal to prove to the people of Israel that those who worship God in spirit and truth are given the power to overcome other gods. “When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.(destroyed the altar of baal)” The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.” (Judges 6:29-32)

Dear friend, we have the assurance that the Lord will protect us and give us victory over others gods only if we remain, faithful to Him by worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. Another classical example of experiencing God’s protection when we worship Him in spirit and truth is when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were being forced by King Nebuchadnezzar to worship his gold image. “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-18). The sad reality in our time and generation is that we have many people who pray for God’s intervention and deliverance yet they are not prepared to faithfully worship God in spirit and in truth. Material things and wealth have become our gods. We have time to make money or spend much energy on our businesses, pleasure and entertainment but when it comes to our worship or service to God we give a plethora of excuses. Many of us erroneously think that to worship God in spirit and truth is limited to Sunday church service. Have we considered worshipping God in spirit and in truth as a way of life? Do we know that worshipping God in spirit and in truth includes our daily walk with Him through prayer and meditating on His Word and living a life that pleases Him? Jesus admonishes us to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37)

In summary, we have discovered that to worship in spirit and in truth means to completely love and serve God by following His commandments faithfully without worshipping or serving other gods or devoting our time, energy or commitment to other things more than God. Shalom.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Amen (Psalms 51:10-12)