Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Yesterday during church service the Holy Spirit told me as clear as day to focus on worship.

Today’s scripture, John 4:20-26 (NIV)…
[20] Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” [21] “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” [25] The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” [26] Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Consider…
The women at the well is familiar story that many of have heard preached or taught from different perspectives. But when the Holy Spirit told me to focus on worship, He specifically guided me to today’s scripture.

According to AI Overview, in the Bible, worship means giving reverent honor, homage, and devotion to God, recognizing His supreme worthiness. It is an internal attitude of the heart that is expressed through both actions and external expressions of praise, submission, and gratitude.

And, worshipping “in spirit and truth” means expressing worship from the heart, with sincerity, and in accordance with what is biblically true about God. “In spirit” refers to worship that is genuine, heartfelt, and originates from within, enabled by the Holy Spirit, rather than being a mere ritual or performance. “In truth” means that worship must be grounded in and conform to the reality of who God is, as revealed in Scripture, not based on personal feelings or misconceptions.

I like the way this was broken down between “In spirit” and “In truth”. Because both are specifically emphasized by Jesus in today’s scripture, we will dig into each, beginning with “In spirit” today.

We just read, “In spirit” refers to worship that is genuine, heartfelt, and originates from within, enabled by the Holy Spirit, rather than being a mere ritual or performance.

Let’s bullet point that…

• Genuine worship is God’s desire. That aligns with Jesus saying…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father

Jesus also emphasized the distinction of genuine worship in Matthew 15:8-9 (NLT) when He said…
[8] ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. [9] Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ ”

Jesus’ words let’s us know that genuine worship is a heart issue.

Speaking of a heart issue, Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NLT) points out…
[9] “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [10] But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

God is telling us through His Prophet that our hearts can play tricks on us. What we may feel is real may actually be a farce of ulterior motives. You see the genuine worship that God desires focuses on seeking Him only, not being seen by Him or others.

Those are the secret motives I believe the LORD is examining.

I must confess, this is an area of struggle for me, because like the Apostle Paul I often echo his confession in Romans 7:15, 18-24 (NLT)…
[15] I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
[18] And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. [19] I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. [20] But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. [21] I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. [22] I love God’s law with all my heart. [23] But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. [24] Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Knowing that a person like Paul who was so devoted to God struggled with his conflicting actions, despite his love for God encourages me. I’m especially encouraged when I read Paul’s response to his own struggle in Romans 7:25a (NLT)…Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here’s the liberation the Holy Spirit gave me about genuine worship, it’s impossible on my own. Paul makes that point in Romans 7:25b (NLT)…So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

It’s important to note that it’s from here that we’re led into Paul’s enlightenment about “Life in the Spirit”, in Romans 8.

Notice how Paul begins with Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)…
[1] So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. [2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

This segues into the second bullet point…

• heartfelt, and originates from within, enabled by the Holy Spirit

I kept all of that together, because the LORD is showing me that heartfelt is inextricably linked to Holy Spirit enabled.

David knew that when he prayed Psalms 51:10 (NLT), in the middle of his confession regarding adultery and murder…Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

It’s hard to grasp that God has help us be committed to Him. But that point is reiterated in Philippians 2:13 (NLT), which says…For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Just now the Holy Spirit showed me that genuine heartfelt worship is not what we feel, but what we yield. It’s in our submission to the Holy Spirit that enables to genuinely worship God.

Romans 8:26-27 (NLT) tells us…
[26] And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. [27] And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

There’s a lot packed in those verses, but the Holy Spirit pointed out that He’s our heart interpreter.

Remember Paul’s self-talk in Romans 7? Well the Holy Spirit knew that talk reflected his desire to honor/please God authentically in every aspect of his life (thoughts, motives, actions, words).

If we’re honest we all struggle like Paul with the inconsistencies and incongruencies of our devotion to God. But the Holy Spirit reminded me that Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)…
[6] And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

It’s our faith to seek God that He’s looking for, not our perfection. I believe the Holy Spirit is helping me understand that God is simply looking for people with a sincere desire to know and please Him. But as we read in Philippians 2:13 it’s God Himself that gives us that desire.

So, join me in focusing more on yielding to God than trying to feel Him. Because Galatians 5:16 (NLT) explains…So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

It’s yielding to the Holy Spirit’s guidance that we are able to do God wants rather than what our sinful nature desires.

One more quick point the Holy Spirit made regarding why it’s important to let Him lead us in worship is 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 (NLT) tells us…
[10] But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. [11] No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. [12] And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

Thr Holy Spirit said we can stop trying to guess what genuine worship looks like and let Him lead us into it, because He knows what God desires.

The last bullet point of the AI Overview of “In spirit” is…

• rather than being a mere ritual or performance.

That made me think of Proverbs 16:2-3 (NLT), which says…People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.

Ironically it also made me think that we’re like David who chapters before his sin confession confidently wrote Psalms 26:1-7 (NLT)…
[1] Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. [2] Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. [3] For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. [4] I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. [5] I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. [6] I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, [7] singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders.

While that’s a beautiful Psalm and something we should aspire to say to God, we must be careful not to let our self-righteousness blind us to His grace.

Proverbs 16:25 (NLT) further warns…
[25] There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

You see following our own instincts and rituals are misguided because they’re not guided by the Holy Spirit.

As hard as it is to fathom, we cannot earn God’s favor. In fact, Romans 3:24 (NLT) make it crystal clear…
[24] Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

And Romans 5:17-18 (NLT) reiterates…
[17] For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. [18] Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

The Holy Spirit just flashed in neon lights, it’s all in and by God’s grace.

I now realize that I only saw my salvation as the experience of God’s grace, but Paul explained in Galatians 2:20-21 (NLT)…
[20] My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Paul is saying that if I could please God on my own, then Christ’s death was a wasted death.

Accordingly, my genuine worship that God desires comes from…

• Crucifying my desires as Galatians 5:24 (NLT) explains…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
• Christ, and God’s Spirit living in me as Romans 8:10-11 (NLT) declares…[10] And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. [11] The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
• Trusting in the LORD as Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)…[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

The Holy Spirit has made it clear, our “in Spirit” genuine worship is Spirit led! Accordingly, I must stop trying to worship in my own strength and yield to the Holy Spirit’s leading. But there is one thing that only I can give in the genuine worship of God, my heart!

That segues to today’s song lyrics which confess…

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve?

Though I’m weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart, yeah

I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You
It’s all about You, Jesus

Yield your heart to the Holy Spirit for the heart of worship that God desires.

Today’s song is…
Heart Of Worship

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)