0:10

Hey guys , it's The Walking Wall Podcast . I'm your host , Gilon

0:12

Marts . Thank you for watching , thank you for listening

0:14

, thanks for showing up . We're in season seven

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and season seven is all about the wilderness

0:19

, all about spaces that are dry

0:21

, tough , difficult , uncomfortable

0:25

. If there's anything that

0:27

I know about the wilderness , I know how

0:29

it can be a challenge to stay encouraged . It can

0:31

be a challenge to keep the faith , to keep

0:33

your head up , to stay in it , period

0:36

. I just wanted to offer the tools and

0:38

tips and skills that I've gained along

0:40

the way that have been helpful . They

0:43

haven't necessarily made the season

0:45

end , but they've been really great

0:47

at comforting me

0:49

. That whole , my rod , my staff they comfort me . It's

0:52

been kind of like that . We've

0:54

talked about hope . We've talked about participating in our faith

0:56

. We've talked about making peace of time

0:59

. We've talked about a lot of things prayer . Today

1:01

we're actually going to talk about worship

1:04

. One of the things about the wilderness is that

1:06

it can bring you to a place where you question a lot of

1:08

things , where you feel

1:10

like you're unraveling and you are

1:14

. It feels like a melting down

1:17

of the most difficult

1:19

kind

1:21

I know . For me , hitting this pocket , i was like

1:23

what is true ? Who is God ? What is going

1:26

on ? What's up , what's down ? Help

1:28

me . There were a lot of

1:30

things that I was like I don't know about that . I don't know about that . Is

1:32

that still a thing ? Is this real ? Is this true ? All that kind of

1:34

stuff . It's been interesting . I

1:36

feel like the Lord has walked me through this season

1:39

, allowed me to have my questions

1:41

and brought me back to

1:43

center , where things

1:45

needed to be realigned

1:47

. He has definitely sold very much so in the process

1:50

. I'm very much so in the process

1:52

. But man worship is one

1:54

of those things that it just has

1:56

, kind of like your words , has this undeniable

1:59

presence and importance and influence

2:01

in a believer's life . We're

2:04

going to talk about it . We're

2:06

going to talk about it . There are so many scriptures

2:08

that talk about worship . In

2:11

this context , i'm speaking kind of specifically

2:13

around the act of singing

2:17

songs , making melody hymns

2:19

in your heart , even

2:22

congregational spaces , because

2:25

I think there is a part of you in

2:27

the wilderness that can get really bitter , that

2:29

can start to reflect your circumstances and get real dried

2:31

up . You become really short on

2:33

giving God praise . It's kind of

2:35

like you ain't doing what you're supposed

2:38

to be doing . I'm not going to praise you , like

2:40

you out here , doing the thing more and

2:43

more , and

2:45

that is just the worst . It

2:47

is the worst attitude to have , because

2:50

worship , as much as

2:52

it's God word , it does something

2:54

to us , in us , for

2:56

us , and so much

2:58

, like so many of the things

3:01

that so many aspects

3:03

of our faith that God has put in place

3:05

, is a

3:07

benefit to us . Worship is so

3:10

, so much for our own health as much

3:12

as it is for the glory and magnification of the

3:14

Lord . So the first reason to really

3:16

stay up on your worship game and to prioritize

3:18

worship is because it magnifies

3:21

In wilderness spaces . Your attention

3:23

is drawn to all the things that

3:25

are broken , not working

3:27

, not right , and

3:30

that can become your focus . And it becomes

3:32

your focus , it becomes a distraction

3:34

, it becomes in a sense like an idol

3:36

, because it sets a ceiling and a cap for your faith

3:38

, for what can be , for where you can go , for

3:41

what God is and is not going to do . And

3:44

so worship helps kind of bring you back

3:46

around to who actually is God , who

3:50

actually is the author and finisher of your

3:52

faith , who began a thing in you that promised

3:54

that he would fulfill it , that

3:56

he would finish that thing . And so worship

3:59

, especially songs that are about who God

4:01

is , really

4:03

do help kind of highlight , like a magnifying

4:06

glass , the aspects

4:08

and in Nature of God in

4:10

a way that you just really need to see it and need to be reminded

4:13

of it . And so worship is about remembrance

4:15

. It's about , like David said

4:17

, oh , magnify the Lord with me , oh

4:19

, my soul , magnify the Lord . Put

4:21

a magnifying glass . You've not seen something

4:24

right right now , right like , hey

4:26

, this is who God is . It's , it's

4:28

something that you need to pay attention to , and

4:30

you may not be seeing it , your vision may be

4:32

blocked by your discomfort

4:35

, your pain , your disappointment , your discouragement , your

4:37

exhaustion , but this

4:39

is a key and core aspect of God that

4:41

you need in this moment . You need to be reminded

4:43

that he's a healer , you need to be reminded that he's a good

4:46

father , you need to be reminded that he cares

4:48

and , more than that , you need to sing

4:50

that up out of your being . I often think

4:52

like song is the soul's

4:54

like , like one of the most pure forms

4:57

of expression for your soul , and

5:00

I think sometimes the songs that bubble up in

5:02

us , especially when they are like

5:04

hopeful , Encouraging

5:06

, are kind of like our spirit man , nudging

5:09

us in a direction . You

5:11

know there's so many Maverick City music songs

5:14

. There's so many , ooh

5:16

back in the day , fred Hammond songs That

5:20

are just ministry . I Was

5:24

a fill of one in the hospital a

5:26

week or so ago and There

5:28

was a Trin-i-tee 5:7 song Which

5:32

you got to be a real OG believer

5:34

to know . Trin-i-tee 5-7-- I used to carry

5:36

like-- I was-- okay . So I was that kid , i

5:39

loved music , but I had cassette

5:41

tapes that I wanted to carry around with me and my

5:43

cassette player and you know They were

5:45

chunky and so like I was that kid that

5:47

had cassette tape stuffed in their little backpack . You know

5:49

playing songs and stuff . But my mom

5:51

was really intentional about surrounding me with music

5:53

that reflected the word of God . And

5:56

you know , now there is and

5:58

even then there were a lot of people

6:01

who ministered the word of God , a lot like David in

6:03

the Psalms , like like I learned

6:05

so many scriptures before I knew that they were

6:07

scriptures because they were embedded in songs

6:09

. And I think there's something

6:11

really potent and powerful about highlighting

6:14

an aspect or a piece of

6:16

God's character in song and

6:18

your spirit bringing that up to the forefront for

6:21

you to look at , to put in front of you , right to

6:23

be like , hey , see this thing , i know

6:25

your , your focus is over here and out

6:27

there and there's a lot of noise , but I need you

6:29

to come back and see this part of God . God

6:31

is still God , God is still faithful

6:33

, god is still a deliverer

6:36

. And I even think there's one of my favorite

6:38

verses Don't give me the line because y'all know , quoting

6:40

, you know passages is not my thing for

6:42

real , for real , but I think it's

6:45

Psalms 32 where it says the Lord surrounds us with

6:47

songs and shouts of deliverance . And

6:49

you know , you think about the importance of music

6:52

to the Lord . Like God is

6:54

about music; the enemy was about

6:56

music . Music is powerful , it's influential

6:58

, it's a tool , you know , and

7:01

so it has this really

7:03

amazing ability to highlight

7:05

something . People are in love , they're singing songs that are

7:07

, you know , like reflecting

7:09

their enamorment with their loved one . You

7:13

know , people sing to babies and , like all you know

7:15

, we learn through song . Song is so important

7:18

. It highlights things , it magnifies things , and

7:20

so you know

7:22

, just being mindful that that can be a tool in this

7:25

space , and it's in the time where you're feeling

7:27

pressed and pressured , squeezed and dried

7:29

out , worship

7:32

can magnify a part of God's character

7:35

, a part of God's covenant with us that

7:37

we might not really be , you know , fully

7:39

paying attention to or taking stock of . You

7:42

know , like Phillipians 4:8 says, think on things that are lovely

7:44

, just , pure , honest , worthy of praise , excellent , of a

7:46

good report . I think sometimes

7:48

music is a way for us to do that with our

7:50

soul . And so not only does

7:52

music and worship help us magnify

7:55

an aspect of God that we might not really be seeing

7:57

, for all that it's worth, it

7:59

also allows us to make

8:01

a declaration into a space . I told

8:04

you guys in the last episode , Todd Galberth

8:06

has a song I think it's called He's

8:09

Been Good , but he

8:11

says , like kind of in a break in the song

8:13

, you know , I had to declare out of a hard

8:15

, out of a hard place , God , you've still been better

8:17

. And I think music worship can

8:19

be warfare . It can

8:22

be a useful tool

8:24

, a useful aspect , like

8:26

almost like a leverage that we have with our authority

8:29

, that , like you , your soul can be

8:31

. There's so many Psalms I

8:33

think . Well , I think it's Psalm 40 . It says my soul's

8:35

in the miry clay right , or he picked

8:37

me up by the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and

8:39

all these things . He put a new

8:42

song in my mouth , right ? And there

8:45

is something , just like-- I

8:48

was, I love Dragon Ball Z too and I

8:50

, just like- I like fight scenes . I don't know what it is

8:52

about fight scenes- Black Panther , the fight scene in

8:54

that first one , where it was

8:56

not the one where he got beat up , because that was heartbreaking

8:59

, but the one with Homeboy

9:02

I can't think of his name right now , but the big

9:04

dude , Winston Duke's character , um

9:07

, i think there's something

9:09

that gets kind of tit- for- tat with worship

9:11

where , like , your circumstances can be pressing

9:14

in . Um , you know , you could

9:16

be like, Man this kid got on my nerves or

9:18

like, My boss is tap dancing

9:21

on my last nerve . Um , you can just be feeling

9:23

the weight of all of your circumstances and there's something about

9:25

putting on a worship song that's just like

9:27

, Lord , you've been good , I'ma declare like

9:29

you've been better to me . Oh

9:32

gosh , like, I just-- Lord, you're worthy

9:34

of my trust . I really don't know what's popping

9:36

off in life right now , but you are still

9:39

El Elyon , the most high God , like you

9:41

are still Jehovah Rapha , you are still a healer

9:44

. Like I-- I , I need

9:46

to see that . But also I'm going to say

9:48

that out of my being , because

9:50

this is a moment where I'm assaulting

9:52

the kingdom of darkness with my mouth and

9:54

with song , which is crazy , because the enemy

9:56

was a minister of music- for you to take music and turn

9:59

it against him . We like that kind of stuff . Right

10:01

there , that's that whole kingdom suffering violence , but

10:03

the violent take it by force , that's what that is , right

10:05

there . But I say all

10:07

that to say , um , there's

10:09

something powerful about

10:11

taking the

10:13

opposite of your circumstance and declaring

10:16

it into the atmosphere , releasing it into the atmosphere

10:18

. There's something about going

10:20

I feel all

10:22

of these things . I feel the negativity ,I feel the worry

10:24

, I feel the x , y and z . But

10:26

I'm going to now just like

10:29

highlight this bit about God

10:31

. I'm going to just praise God . I'm

10:33

going to take all this energy and all this influence

10:35

and all this authority and throw it at the Master's

10:38

feet , because he's worthy of my trust , he's worthy

10:40

of my adoration . He actually has all of my

10:42

attention , while all of these things are trying to steal it

10:44

. I'm offering up to him as praise . It's

10:46

a sacrifice of praise , right , and

10:48

so it is warfare

10:50

. Worship and, and praise

10:53

are warfare and they're warfare

10:55

in a way that-- you know he talks about

10:57

, the scripture talks about you know , the weapons

10:59

of our warfare aren't carnal , they're not like, you

11:02

know , these tangible things , but they are

11:04

mighty to the pulling down of strongholds

11:06

. And there's something about ministering

11:08

to yourself in song , singing

11:11

to yourselves and hymns and songs and spiritual songs

11:13

. There's something super powerful about

11:16

you

11:18

freeing yourself with song . There's

11:21

something that happens , I think , when you

11:23

take a song like Man

11:26

of your Word by Maverick . Hmm , Promises,

11:28

Jireh

11:28

, there's

11:33

some anointing on , Rest on Us . I don't know , I

11:35

Thank God , there is some anointing on I Thank

11:38

God . Um , there's something

11:40

about Exuberance , praise

11:42

for real , for real , when you should be depressed

11:44

, when , like hell is throwing all kinds of stuff

11:46

against you , um , I think you , you

11:49

break shackles off of yourself . Paul

11:52

and Silas type stuff , um

11:54

, and so it is that as well . Like

11:56

Man , it is a- Worship

11:59

is such a- it's

12:01

a weapon , it's a tool , it's a skill , it's

12:03

an investment in your spirit , it's

12:05

all of those things . Um , and

12:07

an investment in your spirit , it stirs

12:10

you , like when you worship , you are

12:12

stirring up your own faith , like-- the

12:15

example that I think of is kind of like , and

12:17

I don't know why they be doing this . Um , if you

12:19

have-- I like dunkin donuts

12:21

. Talking about all the things I like today , um

12:23

, love dunkin donuts . Iced coffee Um

12:26

. They do a weird thing , though , where you

12:28

know , they go like , hey , do you want this sweetened ? and

12:31

you'll be like , yeah , pull up to the

12:33

window because I don't like to wait in line in real you

12:35

know places and if I can drive through my drive

12:37

through . Um , pull up to the window , they hand

12:39

you your drink and there's this nice little bit of sugar

12:41

sitting at the bottom and your cold drink

12:44

, um , it's not going . It's

12:46

not going to dissolve in a cold drink . I've thought many times

12:48

to write dunkin and be like I think you need to add this

12:51

to your training manual . But who am I but

12:53

a humble iced coffee drinker ? Anyway

12:55

? um , so

12:57

one of the things that you have to do when that happens , in

12:59

the hopes of getting it to melt , is to stir

13:02

it . Right , you're like , all right , we got to . We have to move this

13:04

, because the sugar sitting at the bottom It's

13:06

not going to melt . Even in a hot drink , hot teas

13:08

. You still stir the sugar , it'll settle at the bottom

13:11

and you get all this sweetness at the end , and

13:13

that's not really what you're trying to do , right , like what

13:15

you need is for it to permeate throughout . But

13:17

if I let it sit and settle it's almost like there's no

13:19

sweetness in the drink at all . And

13:21

our faith can be the same way , especially in

13:23

hard seasons where it's dormant

13:26

. It's like I got faith , yeah , sort

13:28

of kind of yes there , but It's just

13:30

sitting at the bottom because I'm feeling the pressure

13:32

of the discomfort , the discouragement

13:34

, the disappointment , the feeling of lostness

13:36

. It's just sitting at the bottom And

13:39

I think worship is one of those ways that

13:41

we can be intentional about

13:43

stirring up our own faith , because

13:45

the words will ignite something . Being in

13:47

a corporate setting with other believers who

13:49

are just lifting God's name up and praising

13:52

Him , despite the stuff they got going on , that

13:54

energy alone . It reminds

13:57

you and it puts you in remembrance , just like we talked

13:59

about magnifying . It puts you in remembrance But

14:02

it brings that faith back up and it's like

14:04

wait a minute , you know , is

14:06

it Jude ? It might be John . It

14:09

talks about praying in the spirit and building yourself up so that you

14:11

rise like an edifice , higher and higher . Obviously

14:13

you can praise and worship in the spirit

14:16

, and tongues and all that kind of stuff , but

14:18

it does build you up . You are being built

14:20

up when you're praising God , when you're

14:22

worshiping , when you've got music going and you just laid

14:24

out , you know , not really knowing what

14:26

you're saying , you just in that whole Romans 8

14:29

, my spirit is groaning . Okay , i just need you , lord

14:31

, to interpret that . You know what that means , jesus

14:33

. But worship

14:35

stirs up our faith , it activates

14:38

it . You know we're

14:40

put in remembrance , we are using

14:42

our authority , we're saying something , we're

14:44

speaking something , we're praying the word

14:47

, singing the word , what have you ? And

14:50

we're engaged . You know our spirit . Man

14:52

is like awakened and believing

14:54

the things that we're saying . They

14:56

believe , therefore , they speak right , and

14:59

so our faith gets stirred up , it

15:01

gets built up . We get built

15:03

up when we're worshiping . We're reminded

15:05

of who God is , we're reminded of our covenant

15:07

with him , we're reminded that we have the Holy Spirit

15:09

, we're reminded of who we are in God And

15:12

that just kind of helps you sit up right and be like hold

15:14

on a second . We

15:17

are the aggressor , not the surrender , in this fight

15:19

. Homie , wait a minute . You know you have me

15:21

back on my heels . That's not who I am

15:23

. You have me down God . That's not who he is . So

15:26

let me tighten up real quick . We're

15:28

built up , we're encouraged , our faith

15:31

is being matured in that space . Worship

15:33

is one of those things that it's like . It's

15:35

almost like the spirit of God is actively like

15:37

needing into us Christ likeness

15:39

, it's needing into us maturity . It's like

15:42

we are on the potter's wheel for real

15:44

when we're worshiping , and it's a beautiful thing

15:46

. It's a beautiful thing And like , if you've

15:48

had the experience , you know what it's like to go into a worship

15:50

experience and come out different . I don't know how God

15:52

does it . He is God , so he

15:55

be doing what he be doing , but it's

15:57

transformative . Like when you're in the presence of God

15:59

via worship or you know , you just sit in , whatever

16:01

. When God's presence is in a place , it's

16:04

just different . It's different

16:06

And it's like that whole thing

16:08

about how no flesh can glory in his presence . But there's

16:10

something that God does just with his

16:13

being , you know , and worship

16:15

is one of those ways that we can engage the spirit of God

16:17

in a really beautiful way to

16:20

be changed , to be transformed , to be reminded

16:22

. And then , lastly

16:25

, which I think is the biggest thing , not the

16:27

biggest thing is , one of my favorite things is

16:29

that worship shifts the atmosphere

16:31

, because worship is a force , and

16:33

when I think about this , i think about two instances

16:36

in the Bible . I think about the walls of Jericho

16:38

falling , you know

16:40

, because they were supposed to shout and do all that kind of stuff

16:42

. And I think about Paul and

16:45

Silas being in prison and

16:47

, just despite their circumstances , magnifying

16:50

the Lord , giving glory to God , entrusting

16:52

themselves into his care And

16:55

the jail cells opening and

16:57

angels delivering them . You know , and

17:00

I think , obviously

17:03

, like worship can shift an atmosphere

17:06

, but it can also shift circumstances , if

17:08

not , you know also circumstances , and

17:11

a lot of times , circumstances

17:14

are going to be what they're going to be or it'll take the time

17:16

for them to work themselves out . That , you

17:18

know , is the appointed time , but

17:21

if we can know

17:24

how to have composure in that

17:26

space , know how to carry ourselves in that

17:28

space , know how to be , you

17:30

know , god's representatives

17:32

in the earth when those things are going on

17:34

, i think that's what

17:36

the scripture means in Romans 8 , where it talks about

17:39

the earth is growing long for the sons and daughters

17:41

of God to be made manifest , like

17:43

the earth is like . Where are they at , though ? Like ? where are

17:45

these people that are supposed to look like , like

17:48

a creator . And

17:50

so , atmospherically , worship

17:53

has this pull , this

17:55

drive . It really does , i think

17:57

, in a sense , bring heaven to earth , bring

17:59

heaven awareness to earth , really Have

18:03

it like a God consciousness to us And

18:05

, and that's a

18:07

powerful thing It's a powerful thing , like

18:10

I was talking about earlier , to be in the presence

18:12

of God and to be , be changed . I

18:15

think there are times when God is speaking something and there are times

18:17

when God is doing something right And

18:20

and they're think they are not word . There are no

18:22

words for when God is doing something . But

18:25

you know , like I've been

18:27

Chemically altered at the atomic

18:29

level . I am , i came in one way , i

18:32

am leaving out another way , and when you

18:34

think about Jesus's ministry , everybody that encountered

18:36

the Lord Was

18:39

, they were just not the same . They were just not

18:42

the same . And I think

18:44

worship has this ability

18:46

to bring us to

18:49

God and not like

18:51

God ain't with us That's not even what I'm saying Like

18:54

I think worship sometimes I Don't

18:57

know , i don't even know how to really say this It's

18:59

like worship has the ability to

19:01

heighten our spiritual

19:03

senses so that that the God

19:05

that is always with us , that we don't always

19:08

perceive , is finally being perceived

19:10

at at higher levels . You know , you

19:14

know , make me more aware of your presence , lord

19:16

. Like I Think worship

19:18

does that . Worship in the ways that we can be callous

19:20

, worship works on those calluses so that we can

19:22

have a sensitivity to God again , we

19:24

can feel , perceive , be

19:26

aware of the presence of God

19:29

again , and , and

19:32

in that way the atmosphere is shifted and that way

19:34

it's like oh wait , my mindset is

19:36

shifted , the way that I'm perceiving my circumstances

19:39

is shifted . I know I'm not alone

19:41

. God is with me , god

19:43

has my back , god's got me , and

19:45

so , even though the circumstances when I walk out of

19:47

that space , the circumstances may not have

19:49

changed , i have been changed

19:52

and I carry the glory with me . I

19:54

carry that presence with me , and my awareness

19:57

of that changes everything . It

19:59

just shifts everything , and

20:01

, and

20:03

so worship is this massive

20:06

tool . It's a gift , it's

20:08

a skill , is weaponry , and

20:11

it's something you should content , you should contend

20:13

for . In desert places , it

20:16

can feel like the world is shaken up and you're not quite sure

20:18

what still stands , what remains

20:21

, what's worth holding

20:23

on to or what's worth fighting

20:25

for . Worship

20:27

is that thing . She is that girl like

20:29

contend for worship . I've

20:33

gotten to the place for my default , because it's like in

20:35

the wilderness You really can't depend and rely

20:37

on if and Connect

20:40

too deeply with your feelings because

20:42

they just think , mmm , they're not

20:44

giving what they need to give A

20:46

lot of the time . not that they're not important

20:49

, not that you ignore them or suppress them , but you

20:51

kind of also have to have an another

20:53

way that you plug in something else that you plug into because your

20:55

emotions Up down , raging

20:57

all over the place , and that's just

20:59

where they are at this time of weight Maybe for you

21:02

or me . But

21:04

to plug into , i'm

21:07

gonna set the atmosphere , i'm gonna set

21:09

my focus , i'm gonna highlight spotlight

21:11

, the faithfulness of God , the goodness of God , the

21:13

loving kindness of God . I'm gonna

21:16

stir up this faith . That's it made . That's like sleeping

21:18

, like a giant on the inside . I'm

21:22

I'm going to be intentional about using my authority

21:24

to declare a thing to wage war on

21:26

darkness , on depression , on

21:29

strife , on stress , on heaviness

21:31

. Because I think , you know , i

21:34

think one of one of the Major

21:36

tools of the enemy in this season , right now , is heaviness

21:39

, just that weary feeling

21:42

, and

21:45

worship will fix that

21:47

, worship will address that , worship

21:50

is a good way to treat that . And

21:52

so my encouragement to you this

21:54

week your homework , worship and

21:57

worship like set , such as the time , like a

21:59

time where to like maybe

22:01

not a timer , just worship . I'll let you

22:03

be spirit-led in that . You know you mature and you'll faith in stuff

22:05

, purpose to worship

22:07

, purpose to on your commute , on

22:10

a walk , when you get up in the morning to

22:12

just worship , to open your mouth , to

22:14

engage your spirit , to stir yourself up and

22:17

to put yourself in remembrance , to make war

22:19

on the kingdom of darkness . I'm

22:22

a worship , you know , and

22:24

so I just hope you do that . I

22:26

would love to know what your experience is with that

22:28

. What feels different , what feels

22:30

new , what feels meh , i don't know , it's

22:32

an experiment , it's all a grand experiment . Shout

22:34

out to Queen Charlotte . Not really , i

22:37

don't know , don't judge me , it's

22:41

all an experiment , it's all an

22:43

experiment . And so I

22:46

think God's delight is in

22:48

us extending ourselves to experience

22:50

Him more deeply , to know Him more thoroughly

22:52

, to encounter

22:55

aspects of the nature and character of God that we may

22:57

not have really encountered before or at a deep

22:59

level . So that's fun , it's an adventure

23:01

. So anyway , love

23:03

you guys , have an amazing week , make it an amazing week . Talk

23:06

to you next week . Bye , look

23:10

out , wisdom is ours .