Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of the Hijacked series here on https://metanoiameans.com. 

Today, we will be talking about one of the scariest things for the devil to highjack, our worship. It is my hope that in this article you will realize that you must be very careful how, when, and the reasons for which you worship God. So let’s get started.

Worship is a very sacred, holy, and powerful thing, as evidenced by the first three of the 10 Commandments specifically.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself any graven idol, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of them who hate Me, and showing lovingkindness to thousands of them who love Me and keep My commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain.

These three Commandments show us that worship is so important in the lives of God’s children. It should be kept holy, it should be kept sacred, and it should be kept blemishless. There are many ways to worship God, but in this modern day, most people do so through song. 

In the previous article in this series I discussed how the devil could hijack music, but I didn’t touch upon how that could affect worship, whether it be in the minds and hearts of the singers or the audiences. 

We must remember that the devil will take advantage of everything he can and try to turn anything and everything he can against God, whether it be in big no holds barred attacks or just subtle little tweaks, changes, or ideas that he plants in someone’s mind and heart.

Corporate worship by song has changed drastically in recent years; not too long ago, we used to hear people in church choirs singing hymns in perfect harmony and unison most times. It used to be that it was a group effort between the choir and the congregation. Everyone was singing in unison to the best of their ability, singing praises to the Lord, singing songs of worship and adoration to God and God alone. 

But now let’s fast forward to modern day. The songs sound more like something you’d hear on mainstream radio. The classic hymns are dropping from church playlist rotation in favor of modern concert-like tunes.

Instances of worship in a collective sense have become more like modern day concerts than worship sessions. The focus seems to be on the performers and not on God himself. 

This is what I’m talking about, the devil has hijacked modern worship and turned it into a celebration of self in many cases.

 I will not sit here and act like this isn’t going on. 

If you look at your playlist, I’m sure you have a lot of modern songs on there and I’m sure you follow those artists closely… A lot like you would those who put out secular music. 

I am sad to say that worship has become more of a show than a heart posture in recent years.

 It used to be that you could enjoy your church’s rendition of Amazing Grace a couple times a year. And outside of that, they would have a few more hymns that they sing more regularly. It used to be a treat to see or rather hear what was going to be sung on any given Sunday. It used to be that people who claimed to be singing to and for God were actually doing that.

Sadly, given the current landscape of corporate worship. I do not believe that that is the case anymore for most people. Singing has gone outside of the church, which is a good thing, but not in the form that it has.

 I struggle to tell the difference between a worship session and a modern day secular concert. 

You go to some of these performances and people are screaming their heads off, not for the Lord, but for the singers on the stage.

 After these performances, you run up to them with merchandise of theirs in your hands, hoping to catch a glimpse of them and get their attention so you can get something signed by each member of the band. These bands are releasing CDs, DVDs, digital albums, some even taking roles in movies. That’s not worship of the Almighty God, but rather worship of self and the almighty dollar. 

Where does the devil come into all of this? 

If you have to ask that question, then I have to ask you if you’re really paying attention to the landscape of corporate worship.

 To be unable to distinguish a Christian band from a secular one is exactly what the devil wants. 

In many cases, these people lose sight of the Lord, our God and focus on their bottom lines, on their fan base, on their merchandise sales, their profit margins. I ask you, good reader, does that sound like they’re worshiping the Almighty God? Or are they worshiping money, notoriety, and fame by using Jesus’s name?

I’ve never gone to a worship concert on my own, but I have seen them on the Internet.  People are jumping up and down and screaming before songs even start playing so you know very well that It’s not coming from a place of worship but a place of idolization… of the performers. I can comfortably talk about this because I’m not calling out anyone. Else.

In fact, I originally began brainstorming this article thinking about myself. 

I used to listen to the Christian artists that I do because the words they sang touched me, they brought me peace, and I felt brought me closer to God. 

But once you can only listen to one artist’s rendition of your favorite Christian song you have to wonder:

• Do you like the words still or is it just the way they sing it or maybe the way they play it? 
• Are you being led by The Word or are you being pulled by your ears?

Long ago, I had to junk my entire music library and start from scratch because of the true reasons that I would listen to what I was listening to. 

I claimed it was to worship God, but looking back on it now, I can say confidently that it was because I thought the singer’s voice was beautiful or that the instrumentation was brilliant. 

And that’s why I’m encouraging everyone to really examine why they listen to, what they listen to when they claim to be worshiping God. 

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t listen to Christian artists, far from it.

 What I am saying is allow that to be for just enjoyment.

 Don’t label it as worship. 

Let your worship be focused on God and God alone. Let your time of praise be focused on God and God alone. 

Be alone with God. No distractions.

 Let your worship come from a place of love for God, a place of reverence for God, a place of need for God. 

Don’t let it be tainted by a catchy tune or a beautiful voice.

Don’t let the devil hijack your worship and make it about you.

Don’t let the devil hijack your worship and make it about a band

Don’t let the devil hijack your worship and make it about a song

Don’t let the devil hijack your worship and make it about him.

Singers, musicians, performers:

Don’t be poisoned by the allure of the dollar

Don’t let your genuine love for God be replaced by a love of attention

Don’t begin to consider the cheers of your fan base as being for you

God must increase. He must always be the center.

We must decrease and always remember that we are just the presenter.