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You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of
Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds
me. - Psalm 63:1-8
As we come together and actually begin to worship, an important principle is that
of receptivity. Steve Robbins says to first, dial down and open yourself up to the ministry
of the Holy Spirit as you focus on Jesus Christ. This will make you receptive. As our
desire to bless and experience God is communicated to Him through worship, the Holy
Spirit comes to us. We need to be afraid to open up without reservation to god in this
way for He promises to give us what is good. If we ask for the presence of the Holy
Spirit then he will come and touch us.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and
to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a
fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If
you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! - Lk. 1:9-13
It is also important for us to be genuine as we worship. It is unfruitful to
manufacture or work up something. Our sincerity and honesty before God and others
will keep us properly focused as we worship. Steve Robbins identifies this as the
principle of reality. Be genuine. Humble your heart before God, forsake anything
hardening your heart to the ministry of Gods Spirit, and lovingly respond to God in a way
that reflects honesty and harmony in the inner and outer man. Reality honors the balance
of not being distracted by others in your responsiveness to God, and not being distracted
by others in your expressiveness towards God. Your discernment on how to negotiate
this balance will develop as healing takes place in your heart. Remember, though, Godconsciousness should be a priority over self-consciousness.
Another principle is that of release. We need to let the outer man reflect genuine
responsiveness of the inner man. This will increase our interaction with the presence of
God and will bring wholeness to the total person. Just as suppressed emotions degenerate
the personality, so spiritual suppression deflates the spirit. Worship and praise is a
glorious release of the inner being.