Worship Until the Chains Fall Off
Too many times, we tend to look at our situations and let them govern our lives. We allow what we see to change our mindsets and attitudes. We see what is facing us and allow our faith to waiver. The enemy will use these times to get our focus off of God and rather on our situation.
We must speak to our situation. Even though we may not see the outcome immediately, we need to speak and expect that it will change. God said His Word doesn’t return to Him void. So, when we speak the Word of God, or sing the Word of God, then things have to shift. After all, we are speaking and singing His Word, so it will not return to Him void. That means our situations have to change, our jobs, financial difficulties, or identity issues have to change.
I remembered a passage of scripture about Paul and Silas. These two are out preaching the gospel, and a girl that was operating with a spirit of divination (fortunetelling) was telling everyone that they were servants of God. This went on for days, and Paul finally had enough, turned, and told the demon to leave, and it did immediately.
Before I continue, I want you to look at that last sentence. Paul didn’t plead with the demon; he commanded it to go, and it did immediately. Too many times, we allow the demonic to dictate what we believe or how a situation will turn up. We have the authority to command the demonic influence to leave us alone, and it has to obey when we use the name of Jesus. We, the church, need to remember our authority and identity once again, and I fully believe half of the battles we are facing now would be over.
Back to it. Paul turned and cast a python demon or spirit of divination out of the girl. This action caused the girls owners to bring up charges against Paul and Silas. In Acts 16 it says they were beaten with rods and put in jail. Now in Acts 16:23-24, we see that after they were beaten with many blows they were thrown into prison and the jailer was told to guard them securely and because of this command he put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in stocks. They bound their hands and feet with chains and they placed them in stocks to prevent any escape. They were beaten, bleeding, and chained with no possible way out.
Did Paul and Silas bicker, cry out, ask God why, or spew hatred? No, it says in Acts 16:25 that they prayed and sang hymns to God. They prayed and sang hymns when they could have complained to God about their situation. Their situation did not rule their actions; Paul and Silas commanded the situation. They prayed and sang not just to themselves quietly in their cell. It says that the prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas were not quiet in their praises to God. They were giving God glory and praise and worshipped Him loudly. They put all pride aside and came humbly before God.
Oh, but something happened! It says in verse 26 that SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. Not only were Paul and Silas released from their shackles and chains but all the people in prison. Paul and Silas’s actions and worship affected everyone. It says the jailer sought to kill himself, but Paul and Silas called out and said, “We are still here.” It says that the jailer called for lights and went rushing in and asked what he had to do to receive Christ. The jails didn’t have electricity back then, so I can only imagine how dark it must have been in Paul and Silas’s cell. They could have been afraid, angry, upset, but they worshipped.
When the enemy comes to attack, we have to worship, not quietly but loud. We have to let the enemy know that we are not going to focus on our situations but rather on Christ. I believe when we come to God and worship Him with truth and with all of our heart, then SUDDENLY things are going to change.
A key was that Paul and Silas sang hymns. We need to find music that is intimate and worship God and use those songs and enter into the throne room of grace. When we enter in and sit at the Father’s feet, we will see situations change. We have to put our pride aside and humbly come before the Father. When we do this, I fully believe we will see things change in our lives. We have to stop agreeing with our situation and start speaking scripture over it. It is a daily battle, but if we don’t give up there will be sudden changes and shifting in our lives.
So, I say when you are faced with a situation, addiction, or hardship, it is time to worship until the chains fall off!