Isaiah 48:20
Amplified Bible (AMP)
20 Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans with a voice of singing declare, tell this, cause it to go forth even to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!
Israel had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, who was a Chaldean. During the siege upon God's people, Chaldean forces attacked and burned God's temple and carried the instruments of worship back to Babylon. In that day, the instruments of worship were the items used by the priests to offer sacrifices to the Lord, such as the brazen (bronze) lavers, golden candelsticks, pots, bowls and tongs, etc.
Many years ago, I heard the Lord say, "The Chaldeans are coming!" At that time, I didn't understand what He meant. After doing some Bible research, I felt like God was speaking of a spiritual assault, not a physical one. The spirit of the Chaldean was indeed coming against His people, just as in antiquity the physical Chaldeans came against Israel.
God was warning that the Chaldean spirit would carry away the instruments of worship today...our heart of worship.
How could our heart of worship be carried away?
...fleeing from the Chaldeans.
Moment by moment we must choose God. When the Chaldean assaults our heart of worship, we must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and he WILL flee!
...singing songs of deliverance over ourselves and others.
Last night, the Lord told me He was singing songs of deliverance over me, constantly! I have only heard the Lord singing a few times, but those times will be remembered for all eternity! I didn't hear Him singing last night, but He promised He was singing.
...remembering that the Lord has redeemed us.
According to bible.org,
Holy Spirit, we respond to your call to "Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans with a voice of singing declare, tell this, cause it to go forth even to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!" We trust that You will identify any stronghold in our life that is not You! By Your power, we turn our back on anything which attempts to usurp the worship that is due only to You! In the name of Jesus, AMEN!!!
How could our heart of worship be carried away?
- when the cares of this world overwhelm
- when our comfort takes precedence over ministry to others
- when hurt hearts refuse healing
- when our eyes turn away from God toward any other thing or person
How can we reclaim our heart of worship?
According to verse 20, we can escape the captivity of the Chaldeans by...
...coming out from Babylon.
Babylon is representative of a stronghold. The only stronghold in our life should be the stronghold of His Spirit upon our being. Any other stronghold must be identified and eliminated. According to wiki.answers.com,
The Greek word for stronghold, taken literally, means a fortress. It is used in the Bible also as a metaphor to represent things that are based only on human confidence or pride, as opposed to those that rely on God's input and guidance.Strongholds are walls or fortresses around beliefs and emotions to protect us from further pain. An important part of healing and transforming the deep wounds, requires divinely pulling down the strongholds.I believe that is a lifelong process! We must constantly be on guard against the formation of a stronghold. Only the Holy Spirit can identify and eliminate strongholds in our life.
...fleeing from the Chaldeans.
Moment by moment we must choose God. When the Chaldean assaults our heart of worship, we must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and he WILL flee!
...singing songs of deliverance over ourselves and others.
Last night, the Lord told me He was singing songs of deliverance over me, constantly! I have only heard the Lord singing a few times, but those times will be remembered for all eternity! I didn't hear Him singing last night, but He promised He was singing.
Psalm 32:7
Amplified Bible (AMP)
You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!I cooperate with the Lord as I sing those songs over myself and others. It is in this way our heart remains pure in the face of continued assault. There is no better way to insulate our heart from offense, but to sing over those who have hurt us.
...remembering that the Lord has redeemed us.
According to bible.org,
Redemption means to free someone from bondage. It often involves the paying of a ransom, a price that makes redemption possible. The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt. We were redeemed from the power of sin and the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13) through Jesus (Rom. 3:24; Col. 1:14). We were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23).Although we may sometimes fall to sin, truly it has no power over us. We have been set free from sin's grip by the power of the Risen One, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!!!
Holy Spirit, we respond to your call to "Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans with a voice of singing declare, tell this, cause it to go forth even to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!" We trust that You will identify any stronghold in our life that is not You! By Your power, we turn our back on anything which attempts to usurp the worship that is due only to You! In the name of Jesus, AMEN!!!
2 comments:
Beautifully shared... Thank you! In the midst of many changes in my life, my family's life, it is easy to lose the ability to truly worship. You are right, its a moment by moment choice to focus on Him, His will, and His Grace.
Thanks so much, Christina! I appreciate your encouragement! Be blessed in all that you do!!!
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