Supernatural Transformation: Change Your Heart Into God’s Heart (39 page)

When you are a genuine worshipper, your life is submitted to God in everything—He takes first place over everyone and
everything else.

Our true worship will reveal God’s presence, so that we will often tangibly sense it. A true worshipper knows how to respond when His presence manifests. There are times in a church service when the spiritual atmosphere is so full of joy that shouting, applauding, and dancing are the best response. But there are also times of worship that are so holy that a joyful shout would seem out of place. Those are moments in which our approach should be to merely wait in reverent silence.

True worship means the King is present.

We must be careful to watch our attitudes during worship and not allow ourselves to become listless, bored, or angry as our mind wanders to dwell on temporal matters. Our mind-set toward God should be that of attentiveness, love, reverence, and gratitude. As in any other personal relationship, our attitudes toward God will define the quality, intensity, and duration of our interactions with Him.

The highest level of worship is to “become” worship. In other words, our entire life should be an expression of worship to God.

Our Passionate Worship Leads to Intimacy with God

Many people today avoid intimacy with other people. They are afraid of getting too close to others because they don’t want their own faults, weaknesses, and failings to be exposed. A true worshipper doesn’t fear going before the presence of God, regardless of his current spiritual condition, because he knows that God loves him deeply and wants the best for him. Such an individual passionately desires to be close to the Lord so that his heart may be transformed by the Holy Spirit, enabling him to carry out the purposes of God’s own heart.

What touches the heart of God? What pleases Him? What moves Him? What makes His presence manifest? The answer to all these questions is a relationship of intimacy with Him. True worship may be compared to a “romance” with God. For example, when we begin a time of worship by praising God and thanking Him, it is as if we are in the “courting stage” of our relationship with Him.
As the Scriptures say,
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise”
(Psalm 100:4), and
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving”
(Psalm 95:2).

We “romance” God through our praise, thanksgiving, and worship, by which we develop intimacy with Him.

After praise and thanksgiving, worship represents the “marriage” of our relationship with God. The Bible uses analogies of the sexual relationship between a husband and wife to describe the depth of the intimacy between God and His people, which is a reflection of their mutual love and faithfulness. (See, for example, Ephesians 5:30–32.) Today, many people think of intimacy in terms of a casual sexual relationship, such as many couples seem to engage in today. But the intimacy I refer to is a union that is pure, within a covenant relationship, in which each party manifests deep respect and tenderness for the other and seeks to give to the other.

Worship from a believer whose heart is obedient, and who expresses his love for God with messages of trust and devotion, will set the tone for intimacy, thereby beautifying the atmosphere for unity, or spiritual oneness, with God. We must offer God our undivided attention so He will experience our genuine love, allowing the moment of intimacy to manifest. When we set everything else aside to seek God, He will give us His undivided attention. When this happens, we can then say that we have experienced a relationship of mutual love with God through worship.

When we worship God, we give Him our absolute and undivided attention, and in return we receive His undivided attention.

In contrast, if our attitude is wrong and our actions are thoughtless during a time of worship, we will cause God’s presence to leave before this unity can occur. Unfortunately, after receiving what they need from God—such as healing, provision, or another miracle—some people abruptly cease worshipping Him. Their worship was never really genuine—they were moved to worship God not because of a deep love for Him but merely because of self-interest or a sense of desperation over their troubles. True worship that leads to intimacy with God and brings transformation to our heart occurs when we die to self, lose our awareness of this world and its problems, and focus only on Him—for His own sake.

We must worship Him with a sincere heart until His presence comes! Lose yourself in God until you are one with Him. Similar to the sexual act in marriage, our worship should not be merely a “quick” experience, because that will neither please God nor satisfy our heart. Therefore, when you go into God’s presence—when you enter into eternity with Him—take time to commune with Him as you would with a beloved spouse.

God reveals His presence to us when His heart is pleased.

Our Passionate Worship Leads to “Conception” and New Life

When our relationship with God is stagnant, we will not be able to manifest new life in Him. We cannot really know God or fulfill our purpose on earth if we are not true, passionate worshippers. It is during the intimacy of worship that we “conceive” how God wants us to carry out His purposes, plans, and vision. Moreover, when our worship is lifeless, we will merely be going through a religious ritual, and our spiritual womb will become “barren.” Our worship should “birth” salvations, healings, miracles, deliverances, visions, dreams, revelations, and heart transformations as the fruit of our intimacy with God. During my times of worship, the Father has revealed many of the truths I write about in my books. He has also given me the creative ideas I have implemented for the expansion of His kingdom, as well as my vision to impact the nations for Christ.

The main purpose of worship is intimacy, and the purpose of intimacy is to conceive and produce new life.

Our Passionate Worship Causes God to Make Himself Known

When God’s people worship Him wholeheartedly, He will reveal Himself to them. Many Christians go to church just to hear the Word preached, and they never join in during the praise and worship portion of the service. I believe this shows a lack of reverence for God. A number of believers seem to have lost the revelation that Jesus is our King and High Priest and that we are called to prepare an atmosphere in which He can manifest His presence, speak to His people, and perform supernatural miracles, healings, and deliverances.

As we worship God, He gives us revelation of His mind and heart.

Our worship cannot be monotonous, mechanical, or repetitive if we want God to reveal Himself to us. Rather, it must be heartfelt and intimate. The Lord wants to show Himself as the Almighty, the Healer, the Deliverer, the Provider, the One who baptizes with supernatural power—the One who is our All in All. God is eternal, and there is always a new aspect of His nature for us to discover. We must not become spiritually complacent or cease progressing in our capacity to worship Him, because we will miss out on His revelation.

Our Passionate Worship Leads to Personal Transformation and Corporate Revival

When we enter into God’s presence during worship, our heart is changed to become what He originally intended it to be, as a reflection of His own heart. And, as we progress in the process of transformation, we are able to manifest the realm of heaven on earth through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. When this occurs, our churches and communities will experience revival.

We must understand that revival will cease if we no longer allow our heart to be transformed. Our relationship with God will be contaminated, and we will see a reappearance of “religion” and a return to a natural, temporal mind-set. If we want to maintain God’s presence in our life and sustain a spirit of revival, we cannot allow our love for Him or our worship of Him to grow cold! I believe that much of the church today has no passion for God’s presence, and, as a result, we have a church without power.

Unless our worship of God is genuine, His presence will not come; and, without His presence, we cannot experience transformation.

Our Passionate Worship Enables Us to “Carry” God’s Presence Everywhere We Go

The presence of God is an “atmosphere” that a true worshipper carries wherever he goes. We can “transport” the essence of heaven to others, so that God is glorified as He bestows His presence and power to transform people’s lives.

The following testimony from a Venezuelan pastor reveals what can happen when a person begins to seek God wholeheartedly. Here is his story: “I was born into a dysfunctional family. My father abandoned us when I was only four years old. I suffered from loneliness, lack of love, slander, and instability, and I was rebellious and angry throughout my childhood and teenage years. At a young age, I moved to the United States, where I eventually studied forensic science and psychology. Even though I went to school and worked nonstop, nothing filled the void in my heart, calmed my anxiety, or satisfied my ego. I attended several churches but never experienced any change. My heart was hardened.

“For more than twenty-five years, I worked for the greatest oil and energy companies in the world, where I became greatly influential at every level. By all appearances, it seemed that I had total control of my life. I was a good businessman, and I had substantial education, knowledge, fame, and wealth. I was independent, enjoyed the pleasures of life, and had famous friends—but nothing seemed to be enough. All my marriages were characterized by fights, manipulation, lack of communication, and division.

“When my present marriage was on the verge of divorce, I began to ask God for supernatural intervention. My wife used to watch the program
Tiempo de Cambio
(
Time for Change
), hosted by Apostle Guillermo Maldonado, and I, too, began to watch it. By this time, the war in Iraq had begun, and the corporation for which I worked had assigned me to that part of the world, assuring me that the building designated for the Red Cross would not be in danger. However, the day I was supposed to travel, I heard an audible voice say to me, ‘Don’t go.’ I obeyed, and, four days later, I saw a news broadcast showing images of the Red Cross building being bombarded. That voice saved my life!

“Sometime later, my wife and I visited King Jesus Ministry, and I felt I had arrived home. Everything in our lives began to change very rapidly. We started attending the church and covenanted for the projects of the ministry. Because of the vision God gave us through our spiritual father, we experienced a total turnaround. God restored our marriage and finances. He delivered us from unforgiveness, anxiety, fear, the spirit of independence, rebellion, egotism, hardness of heart, past wounds, sickness, false mental structures, religiosity, lack of communication, passivity, and more. He has filled us with His supernatural love, grace, and favor. We have become pastors, and we participate in the global spiritual movement that influences every stratum of society.”

In worship, when we exalt Christ’s finished work on the cross, honor God’s name, and extol His glory and majesty, He brings His power and presence into our midst here and now.

3. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Is Obedient and Submissive

Unless we have a heart after God’s own heart, it will be difficult for us to obey His will—and we may even turn rebellious, as Saul did. In chapter 7, “The Obedient Heart,” we talked about the fact that Saul’s “obedience” went only halfway. But David fully followed God’s will. In one of his psalms, he wrote,
“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart”
(Psalm 40:8).

A complete dedication to God’s will was also a main characteristic of the heart of Jesus, who was called the
“Son of David”
(see, for example, Matthew 1:1).
“Jesus said to
[His disciples],
‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work’”
(John 4:34). And God said of Jesus,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
(Matthew 17:5).

We can declare the lives of Christ and David “successful” due to the fact that they each had a heart after God’s own heart and they each fulfilled their divine purpose, completing all the work God had called them to do. In addition, both left a kingdom inheritance for future generations. Jesus and David established a pattern for us by demonstrating what it means to have a heart that continually follows after God. Both had a heart that adored and worshipped the Father
“in spirit and truth”
(John 4:24) and was willing to obey Him beyond its own strength, through the power of His divine grace.

We cannot have a heart after God’s own heart if we have not learned to fully submit to, and obey, His will. Again, total obedience means doing whatever God says, wherever and whenever He says to do it, and however He wants it accomplished. Are we able to say that God can do anything He wants in and through our lives? Are we willing to obey Him always? The Lord seeks a generation through which He can carry out His purposes for this momentous time in human history.

A person with a heart after God’s own heart allows God to do whatever He desires through him.

4. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Is Quick to Repent of Sin

When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David immediately recognized his sin, humbled himself before God, and repented.
“So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the L
ord
.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The L
ord
also has put away your sin; you shall not die’”
(2 Samuel 12:13).