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SIX HINDRANCES TO WORSHIP
Luke 10:40-42
When Jesus was spending time with Mary and Martha he saw two aspects of the Christian life. One was service and the other worship. Both are good, but one is better. Jesus let them know that Mary had chosen the better path to worship. Martha was unable to worship like that because she was distracted by serving.
Even the good things we do for God can be a distraction from worship.
Matthew 5:23-24
We can’t worship God and be angry or bitter at other Christians. John put it best in 1 John 4:20 “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Basically, if you have a problem with other Christians, then make that right before you come and try to pretend like you love God.
Romans 8:1
One of the biggest hindrances to worship for many is feeling like you are not worthy to come to God because of your bad behavior. The closer it is to your sin, the more ashamed and unworthy you may feel. This is unfortunate, because God is the very first person we should come to when we sin! He has forgiven us of all of our sins, and by faith we need to accept his approval, and worship him no matter what we have just done.
John 4:22
Biblical ignorance keeps people from worshiping God in Spirit and truth. You can’t worship what you don’t know, and you can’t know God unless you are a student of His word. The Bible teaches us about Jesus.
John 12:42-43
This is referring mostly to the fear of man. What will my friends think about me if I sing? Will people think I’m weird if I pray or don't pray? Won’t I look dumb or hypocritical? These questions are all rooted ultimately in pride and the fear of man. Don’t be so concerned what other people think. The real question is, “What does God think?”
Matthew 26:41
Our emotions play a big part in worship, but honestly sometimes we just don’t feel like it. This is a struggle, and ultimately, we just have to worship God anyway, no matter how we feel. It’s a sacrifice of praise!
DISTRACTIONS
UNFORGIVENESS
CONDEMNATION
IGNORANCE
FEAR
FEELINGS