AMAZING worship at church a couple services ago. Can I just share and remind everyone that dancing is not only an expression of praise and worship but also a weapon of spiritual warfare!?!
I arrived to church, much later than usual. I walked in and figured worship was about to end. My heart was heavy and discouraged. However, everyone was in a conga line (how FUN is that!?!), dancing around the church. (it's a very small congregation and we meet in a school) A friend motioned me to join in, of course, I did.
Worship lasted at least another 30 minutes. It was mostly women in the front and around the seats dancing but some men too. (they are more shy) As soon as I joined I immediately felt the black cloud lift and all that mattered was GOD! ALL was right in the world. God was the priority and being in HIS presence was everything. It was empowering! To be able to worship so freely...especially as a female. No one thinking if you (I) moved a certain way or looked a certain way it was going to be a distraction--JUST because of the fact that I am a women and I have curves or am attractive. It was pure, innocent and reverent worship to our Heavenly Father God!!!
Since that experience, I have taken more time this past week to engage in dance worship when I felt I had nothing else to give. No words, no praise, only discouragement and sadness. I turned on a new mellow CD I have and danced along as if I was a star. All I had to offer my Lord was my body and tears. By the end, again, the heaviness had lifted and I felt amazing.
Our church's worship time is also really fun. Children are encouraged to dance around, wave flags or skip through the front of the church. Yesterday, for Palm Sunday, we actually had a few palm branches to dance with. I know every parent there feels such joy to see their children being encouraged to skip across the front of the church with their big smiles, waving flags or even palm branches! It reminds me of the worship I experienced in Ethiopia--children were allowed to run around and dance freely then too. That was the first time I had ever witnessed that in church. Children being allowed to be children.
Even if only in your own house...take the opportunity to truly explore the variety of ways to get intimate with Christ, especially in worship and praise. Prayer is not our only weapon. Embrace other forms of worship and warfare: waving flags, singing, dancing, praying in the spirit, singing in the spirit, bowing, hands raised, prayer, scripture, anointing yourself and your home etc. Stomp those feet! Clap those hands! SING & DANCE the enemy right OUT of your camp! Hallelujah! ♥ ♥ ♥
YES!
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