If we are truly called to lead Praise and Worship for our God,
then the answer to all of the above questions must be yes.
The blessing and anointing of God on a music ministry does not come
cheaply. If our private life and motivations are not in order, we can do everything right musically, we can
sing beautifully, and although our singing and musicianship are pitch perfect, our efforts will lack
the anointing of God.
What personal ambitions do we have? Don't be too quick
to say none (search my heart oh God...). What kind of music do we listen to
when we are not at church or with other Christian company? These things have great impact on the anointing of God (or
lack thereof) in our lives and ministry efforts.
One of the most subtle and effective tricks of the enemy in neutralizing
the ministry of P&W leaders is in the area of motivation.
We cannot allow performance to play any part in
our music ministry. Bind that spirit! Renounce it! Get rid of it! Repent! God will not share his glory with another.
We must beware of trying to appropriate what belongs exclusively to God to ourselves.
The Holy Spirit needs no assistance through theatrics
in leading the people into true Praise and Worship. He does not need our excessive dialog throughout the song service.
Beware of falling into a rut when planning P&W services.
Just because God blessed a certain arrangement, song or song line-up last time doesn't mean he will this time.
We can be certain that if God blessed the last song service
it was because we were obedient to the Spirit of God and exalted Jesus Christ - not because we discovered the
formula or pattern.
The Lord must be sought for his will when putting
together the selections for each service.
Criteria for testing songs appropriate for praise and worship:
- Does the song exalt Jesus?
- Does the song focus on God's greatness?
- If it is a prayer song - is it scriptural?
What is the goal of our P&W service? Is it really to worship
God, or in reality, is the goal simply to receive a "feel good" visitation from the Holy Spirit? Take a look at
our frequent choice of song selections. That will often tell the tale. Ask God to search our hearts, test
our thoughts...
Are there a lot of "Holy Spirit Rain On Me" songs among
our regular weekly selections? If there are, a course adjustment is most likely needed. A Holy Spirit visitation/manifestation/blessing
is a result of truly lifting up the Lord Jesus Christ - it should never be a goal.
The job of the Holy Spirit is to lift up Jesus. He will honor all
praise and worship that truly does that.
A common mistake on the part of Praise and Worship leaders is to
choose songs for worship services that focus on the manifestation of the Holy Spirit rather than on the Greatness
of our God. The results of this are unanointed song services that miss the the point altogether!
Oh, we can juice them up with excellent singing and musicianship,
hand clapping, foot stomping selections and beautiful melodies, but there is absolutely no substitution for putting aside
the "I wants" and "I wills" and simply praising God.
"I'm gonna praise you, I'm gonna worship you, I''m gonna give
you all the glory...,'
The time comes when we must stop telling God what we are going
to do and just do it!
Jocelyn Andersen is a called, anointed and experienced praise and worship
leader. She has been involved in working with praise teams and leading praise and worship for over 20 years.
