Continuing our look at worship in spiritual warfare…
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
Luke 4:8
When the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to face down Satan, we are reminded that speaking and declaring God’s Word over the enemy is paramount to spiritual warfare. Nevertheless, in the second of the Lord’s temptations, we also discover the importance of worship in binding the enemy’s strategies.
Nearly all temptation to sin—missing the mark of God’s holiness and best—is in some way providing a shortcut to something that God wants to give us.
I mean, think about it. Consider areas of your own life where temptation knocks. These are legitimate areas of human need: love, comfort, companionship, satisfaction, fulfillment, or provision, to name a few. God has a perfect plan, timing, and purpose, but the enemy comes along and whispers that there is an easier way.
If we often give place to these temptations, it’s as if we are making agreements with the idols, fears, or lies behind them, causing them to become spiritual strongholds in our lives Ephesians 4:27, James 1:12-15. These strongholds—anything that has a strong hold on us other than Jesus—can become the very things a person requires spiritual warfare prayer so that freedom and deliverance can come.
The devil offered Jesus a shortcut from the horrific cross and the separation from the Godhead He would face. Jesus could have the devil’s kingdom authority if He would only worship him. Without faltering, Jesus said no to the terms of the contract the devil was offering. Instead, He chose the Father’s directives for gaining Kingdom authority, shutting down the enemy’s advance by declaring that God alone deserves our worship.
What preoccupies our thoughts or consumes our affections and time? These are the things that we worship and devote ourselves to.
So, who or what we worship is important. Let’s take inventory of our own lives before heading into prayer battle. Fix our hearts on Jesus, ask His help for any needed adjustments, and surrender our lives in worship to the One who loves us beyond reason and will never let us down.
Adapted from Pneuma Life: Living in the Holy Spirit’s Overflow