The following is a devotion from my message series 10 Steps to Freedom. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus!

STEP SEVEN: day 2

Fully engage in worship to strengthen your soul

In John 4 Jesus has an engaging conversation with a Samaritan that wanders over from water to the meaning of worship. In the midst of this back and forth we see some powerful instruction about the nature and meaning of worship.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:19-24

Here Jesus connects our spirits with the concept of worship. Later the Apostle Paul would write to first century Christians and describe singing as a primary way that we can engage in the soul-strengthening act of worship (Ephesians 5:18-20). Worship is more than songs or music. It’s a state of reverence, an inner bowing or kneeling before God in deference and humility. Connected with the idea of surrender (step two), worship is a practical tool you can use to strengthen your soul, which fuels your will, determination and inner strength.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. How much do you like to sing? Why do you think God created humans with the ability and capacity to sing?
2. How often would you say you fully engage in worship through singing? Have you experienced a strengthening of your soul through worship?

You can read other devotional entries for 10 Steps to Freedom here.