The Worship Warrior

1. Worship and War are Companions in Our Fallen World

Because death entered into the place God created for Man to prosper, worship and war are now companions in our Garden.

Original design. In the beginning, God created a Garden where work and worship were one, and His glory filled the earth. Man was delegated to rule, cultivate, and watch over this Garden through communion and worship, intended to expand God's glory across the entire earth. This perfect state was disrupted by the serpent's temptation, leading to disobedience and the entry of conflict and death.

Conflict and separation. The serpent introduced conflict by enticing desire that competed with communion, causing man to question God's boundaries and listen to other voices. This led to shame, hiding from God's presence, and a broken relationship. From this point, warfare intensified on earth, invading the atmosphere and creating contention driven by misplaced desires.

Redemption's path. God's plan to restore worship required the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, the Inheritor of the Garden. Jesus' sacrifice on the tree opened a way for man to boldly approach God again, forming an army of worshipers determined to triumph over the enemy. This army learns to ascend in worship, receive strength and wisdom, and descend into battle to push back darkness and establish God's Kingdom.

2. God is Doing a New Thing in Worship and Warfare

When God does a new thing, He makes a fresh sound that we can hear in the earthly realm.

Beyond tradition. We often get stuck in traditional ways of doing things, including worship, even in contemporary settings. While past expressions of faith were authentic, they can become lifeless traditions if we don't adjust our "sails" to catch the new wind of God's Spirit. God is calling us to perceive and embrace a new season in worship.

Fresh relationship. God's "new thing" involves building fresh relationships with us, which requires us to open our hearts through worship. This newness also involves dying to old methods to bring forth new life and moving from one level of strength, faith, and glory to another. God uses past experiences as reference points to propel us forward into what is new.

Strategic, warring worship. The current momentous shift in worship is advancing towards an intimate, strategic, warring worship. This is happening individually and corporately, related to God's redemptive work and pivotal in the spiritual battle. God is releasing a sound from heaven that draws us near and causes us to go to war, manifesting His will on earth.

3. Ascending in Worship Grants Access to God's Presence

To ascend is to arise, climb, come up, get up, grow, increase, leap, light up, be raised, recover and restore.

Human response. Worship is the human response to the perceived presence of a divine being, an act of making oneself low before a holy God who is high above all people. While God's Spirit dwells within believers, true worship involves coming to where God is, moving past distractions to focus singularly on Him.

Restoring communion. Adam and Eve's perfect communion in the Garden, where work and worship were one, was broken when they hid from God's presence after disobedience. God desires us to come boldly before Him, not hide. Worship is the key to restoring this communion and fulfilling our God-given purpose on earth.

Going up. The Hebrew word 'alah' means to ascend or come up, which God calls us to do in worship. This ascent is like climbing layers or steps through the heavenlies, paved by Jesus, leading to the Throne Room. As we ascend, earth's "strata" (layers) begin to unlock, changing the planet to receive God's glory.

4. The Throne Room is the Source of Authority and Strategy

When we worship, we actually break out of conformity and move into transformation.

Access through Jesus. Jesus' historical ascension to heaven and seating at the Father's right hand provides the basis for our spiritual union with Him in heavenly places. This union grants us access to the Throne Room, allowing us to share in the present works of His kingdom power and receive greater access than Old Testament believers had.

Receiving revelation. Ascending into the Throne Room allows us to gain revelation of who God is and His will for our lives. From this vantage point, God can reveal information, insight, and strategies, showing us why we were created and what He wants us to do on earth. This heavenly perspective is crucial for navigating life and fulfilling destiny.

Transformation and authority. Worship in spirit and truth brings us face-to-face with our destinies, transforming us from conformity to the world into God's intended life structure. Coming boldly to the Throne of Grace allows us to obtain mercy for the past, find grace for the present, and gain faith that propels us into the future, enabling us to rule with Him.

5. We Are Seated in Heavenly Places with Christ

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Union with Christ. Through God's rich mercy and grace, believers are made alive with Christ, raised up together, and seated with Him in heavenly places. This spiritual reality means we are positioned in the heavens even while we walk on earth, giving us a place of authority above all principality, power, might, and dominion.

Overcoming the enemy. Our seating in heavenly places is "far above" the enemy's hierarchy in the second heaven. This position is crucial for spiritual warfare, as it allows us to operate from a place of victory already secured by Christ's ascension. When we know our abiding place in the heavenlies, we walk with great confidence and faith on earth.

Demonstrating God's power. Being seated with Christ enables us to demonstrate God's power, authority, and rule in the earthly realm. It allows us to enforce the breaking of the enemy's headship and set captives free from his foul environment. This position is accessed and maintained through worship and faith.

6. God Releases a Sound of Heaven to Lead Us

Sound creates movement.

Divine communication. God's sound permeates from heaven and orders much of what goes on in the earthly realm. When He is ready to bring restoration, He releases His sound. This sound is built into creation and is meant to invade and overcome the sounds of the world.

Trumpet call. In the Old Testament, the trumpet sound heralded God's descent, warned of danger, called to arms, and signified redemptive purposes. In Revelation, the trumpet sounds require a response and release judgments and prophetic anointing. The Lord's voice often sounds like a trumpet, calling us forth and releasing vision and revelation.

Harmony and power. When heaven and earth sound in harmony, the earth responds. Our voices, lifted in worship and prophetic declaration, vibrate the air and change our environment. The sound of God flowing through His people is powerful, like rushing water, penetrating and dividing soul and spirit, and overcoming the enemy's structure.

7. Praise (Judah) Leads the Way in Battle

Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.

Divine order. God has an order for victory, and in the biblical narrative, the tribe of Judah consistently leads the way in battle. Judah means "praise Yahweh," signifying that praise must take preeminence in our lives, churches, cities, states, and nations. When praise goes first, the scepter of authority is in place for ultimate victory.

Unshakable praise. This leading praise is not dependent on circumstances but is an unshakable response to God's worth, even in the midst of trials or setbacks. Leah, naming her son Judah despite being unloved, exemplifies this by choosing to praise God rather than succumb to self-pity. This kind of praise plows through hard ground and breaks up fallow areas.

Weapon of the Spirit. Praise is a key weapon of the Spirit of God, releasing great blessings into the earthly realm and causing God's presence to come into our midst. It is a response to God's revelation, expressing appreciation for His nature and expanding our awareness of His character. Praise causes God to respond, seating Himself in the center of our lives and judging surrounding enemies.

8. We Are Clothed with God's Glory and Authority for War

When Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent and disobeyed, the garment of favor and glory that they were wearing was removed.

Garments of identity. Garments in the Bible symbolize identity. After the Fall, God clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins, foreshadowing how blood sacrifice would cover sin and restore identity. God clothes us with His presence and glory, which is an expression of Himself through us, producing His identity in us.

Removal of impurity. To prepare for war and reflect God's identity, we must allow the removal of the sinful nature and unbelief that hardens our hearts. This is symbolized by circumcision and the cleansing of "filthy garments" like Joshua the high priest wore. God removes iniquity and clothes us with authority and glory for the new season.

Wearing revival. God clothes us with life and "quickens" us, bringing to birth what He is trying to do within us. This quickening is experienced in worship and is a revitalization of our spirit. We are clothed with God's favor and authority, enabling us to advance and overcome the enemy's plans.

9. Worship and Intercession Fill Heavenly Bowls for Action

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Harp and Bowl. Revelation depicts worship (harp) and intercession (bowls) before the Throne. The prayers of the saints are stored in golden bowls in heaven. These prayers accumulate and are stored for use at the proper time, mixed with the fire of the altar.

Fueling divine action. When the bowls are full from the saints' prayers, God begins to set earth in order and release judgments. This mingling of worship and intercession is a pattern found in both Psalms and Revelation, releasing the dynamics of prophetic ministry and empowering us to prophesy over churches, cities, nations, and civil governments.

Persistence and power. Our prayers, even those we think are unanswered, are stored in heaven. We must be persistent in prayer, adding "straws" to the camel's back until breakthrough occurs. When the bowls are full and mixed with worship, the Lamb rises up to act in authority and power, bringing divine fulfillment to God's will on earth.

10. The Goal is Harvest and God's Glory Covering the Earth

I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They will be noisy with men. The breaker goes up before them; they break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, and the LORD at their head.

Out of the winepress. Like Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress out of fear, we can be hindered from bringing in the harvest due to fear and enemy opposition. God wants to move us from this place of fear and limited thinking to the threshing floor, where we can see increase and bring the harvest into the storehouse.

Breaker Anointing. God is described as "the Breaker" (Micah 2:12-13), who goes up before us to break through gates of resistance and lead us out of confined places. This "Breaker Anointing" is released as we worship and war, enabling us to overcome obstacles and advance into the fullness God has for us, leading to widespread revelation and breakthrough.

Possessing the nations. God's ultimate intent is for His glory to fill the earth and for His people to possess the nations. The restoration of David's Tabernacle, which included both Jew and Gentile in worship and warfare, is a prototype for the Church today. Through worship, we are equipped to drive out the enemy, seize our inheritance, and see God's glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Last updated: May 14, 2025