Recently, I posted a video about wrong worship. Feel free to look it up on Youtube. It was a video of a worship team singing familiar songs, generally sung in churches, but changing the lyrics to reflect what some people are really thinking as they sing them. Such as changing the focus to themselves, rather than God. This sparked some controversy. While the video was somewhat humorous, in that it was funny to hear the songs with the different lyrics, the point was to get you to reflect on what your own heart is like as you sing in worship to God.
I bring this up because of one comment that was made regarding whether or not we should sing songs that about our response to the greatness of God, if we do not live the reality of that. Examples would be "I Surrender All", "You're All I Want", "You're all this heart is living for".
Now can any of us say this is true all the time? Of course not! Not even the apostle Paul could say that (Rom. 7:15). But the reality is, even when we sing songs that exalt the name of God, we must ask ourselves, "Do I really believe this?"
I'm not trying to say we shouldn't sing either of these types of songs, in fact, I think just the opposite. I don't know about you guys, but how many times have you been in church worshipping and the Holy Spirit convicts you and you start to pray, "Lord, I have not surrendered all. In fact, I've been holding back in this area. Please help me to give it over to You. I want this to be true for my life." Or "Am I living like I believe that You can move mountains? Or that You are mighty to save my neighbor who wants nothing to do with You? Or even that Your name is great? Do I really believe that? Oh, Lord, help me with my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!
So I ask, are you being honest? Let me clarify what I mean by that question. When you come to worship in fellowship with other believers, through singing, prayer, and hearing the Word; or when you praise God in your own home/office/car/school/whatever, do you come before God with an honest open heart asking Him to show You what is truly in your heart that You may repent and turn from your sin? Because that is true worship.
Now I challenge you: when you do sing songs, whether they are to uplift the name of God, or making a statement of how we are to live in Christ, let it motivate you to integrity. Be challenged by them to make the changes necessary to make them become truth. Don't shy away from singing, because they are not yet truth, rather ask God to help you make them truth.
Be honest in a way that transforms your heart.
