No Limits With the Holy Spirit

As you pursue worship without limits, keep in mind that this is a lifestyle of growth.

It’s not an event but a process that requires consistent application and progress. Some of what we’ve discussed in this book will be easy for you to implement right away; other things will take time for you to develop as you grow in your walk with the Lord, in your leadership and musical abilities, and in those deep places of worship. Whatever it takes for you to encounter that flow of transformational worship, I encourage you to do it!

Above all, it’s important you give the Holy Spirit proper place in your life and in your times of worship. As mentioned before, limitless worship is activated when both the anointing and quality are fused together. It explodes when the Holy Spirit is leading it.

When you allow the Holy Spirit to direct your times of worship, something truly powerful takes place. Miracles happen, the gifts of the Spirit are manifested, the peace of God rains down, and the atmosphere becomes thick with His presence. This is the pivot point that elevates worship to another level. But it can’t happen unless you are willing to cooperate with the Spirit of God.

 CHOOSING HIS PLANS INSTEAD OF OURS

Following the Holy Spirit will almost always require you to change your previous plans. You may have already decided that certain songs, a set list, or specific keys will be part of a particular worship session. But on occasion, the Holy Spirit will move in such a way and lead the worship in an entirely different direction from what you or your team had previously planned. When this happens, you have a choice either to hold tight to your plans or to let go and follow God’s plans in faith.

As a worship leader, you have the authority to go with your own thing or to submit to the will of God and allow the Holy Spirit to do His thing. Of course, if you remain stubborn and unchanging in your plans, you will forfeit God’s anointing and power on that service. God only anoints His plans, not human plans!

If your heart is to see people’s lives and hearts transformed by the power of God, then it’s critical to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to the way He is leading during the worship time. Whenever God begins to change the direction of a service, remember He is doing so for a reason. There are certain people He may want to minister to, specific things He may want to say, or a particular truth He may want to get across. If you are willing to flow with Him and be obedient to His leading, you’ll be surprised at all He will accomplish during worship. By moving out of the way and allowing the Holy Spirit to do His thing, you and all the people in the church will be tremendously blessed!

Of course, submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit requires being flexible while relinquishing personal pride. I remember learning this lesson one time during a particular worship service. My team and I had come prepared with a specific list of songs and keys. We had worked really hard, and I was so proud of the flow and sound. Each song built upon the next, and I just knew it was going to be awesome!

Well, about three songs into our set, I heard God whisper to me, “You think you’re doing pretty good, don’t you?” I was like, “Yeah! I do. I mean this sounds great and we’re all playing just fine.” Then the Lord said, “But nobody is entering in, are they?” And it was true. We all sounded great, but no one was really entering into worship.

Then the Lord spoke something to my heart I’ll never forget. He said, “Philip, you can do this your way and your plan will be fulfilled, or you can do it My way and My will plan will be fulfilled.” Well, that was enough for me. I humbled myself, put aside my agenda, and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. The service went in a completely different direction from what we had planned; we changed the set to songs everyone knew. And do you know whose plans were accomplished that service? God’s. He’s the One who was glorified, and He’s the One whose name was lifted high.

As a worship leader, you may experience times like I did when the Lord will ask you to change your song set in the middle of a service. It may not make sense to you, but you need to be obedient and follow God. Just put down your pride and submit your will to His. If you do that, God will use your willingness to accomplish His plans and fulfill His purpose.

RECOGNIZING THE EBBS AND FLOWS

During times of worship, it’s also important for you to recognize the ebbs and flows of worship, or the way in which God is moving or desiring people to respond to Him. Sometimes, the worship may rise to a crescendo of praise where people are shouting and magnifying Jesus. Other times, the worship may reach a deep flow of reverence where a holy hush settles over everyone. As the leader, it’s your job to be cognizant of these various veins of worship and to be sensitive to the direction of the Lord.

For example, when the worship reaches a point of depth and reverence, the Lord may even speak to your heart to stop all music for a while and just remain silent in His presence. Those times of stillness in the presence of God are powerful and life changing! In fact, when we sit still and be quiet, it’s usually because we’re listening to someone else speak. The same principle works in the realm of worship—when the Holy Spirit begins to lead in a vein of silent reverence, He is desiring to speak to people’s hearts in that moment of quiet. However, if you fail to yield to that nudge and keep talking or playing, you’ll miss what God wants to say to His people.

 Have you ever been in a discussion with someone who just continued to talk and talk and talk while never allowing you an opportunity to speak? After a while, you can feel pretty frustrated and unwanted because that person is dominating the entire conversation. Worship follows a similar principle—sometimes God wants us to just sit still and listen to Him speak.

Whenever God speaks to us, our lives are transformed in one way or another. Sometimes it’s just as simple as having a fresh understanding of His Person or of a particular truth in His Word. Other times, He speaks to us about the personal details of our lives and how we need to change in an area. Many times, during those quiet times of listening to Him, He gives us direction, wisdom, or answers to the issues we face. No matter what His Spirit speaks to our hearts, every single moment in God’s presence is a time of transformation!

When the Holy Spirit leads you into those deeper, quieter times of worship, remember to keep yourself open to what He wants to say in that moment. Ask Him if there’s a word He wants you to give out, or if He wants to move in the demonstration of the gifts of the Spirit. For example, God may give you a word of a knowledge about someone present in the audience. When you feel that knowing rising up in your spirit, be bold and speak it out, because God wants to show Himself off! He wants to demonstrate His healing and delivering power right there in the middle of worship.

 MOVING IN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Following the Holy Spirit and moving in the gifts of the Spirit may be a bit uncomfortable at first, simply because you may not want to embarrass yourself if you miss it. However, as you learn to discern the Holy Spirit’s voice and flow in those gifts regularly, you will become more and more comfortable in speaking out what the Holy Spirit shows you. I encourage you to be bold and step out when you sense the Lord is speaking to you. The word He gives you to minister may change someone’s life, release the healing power of God, or be the answer to someone’s prayer.

 I remember leading worship one time in Belarus when the Holy Spirit began moving through me in the gifts of healing. Because my team and I were ministering in a more traditional church, I really didn’t want to step out and move in this way. However, during worship, the Holy Spirit gave me a word of knowledge about someone’s leg. At that moment, I knew I could either go my own way with my own plans, or I could obey God and follow His plan. So very respectfully, I just said, “You know, there’s someone here who has a problem with their leg. God wants to heal you tonight.”

 What’s interesting is when the Lord moved on my heart to give that word out, we were right in the middle of a song where I was supposed to belt out the bridge. I was about to sing, “You, O Lord, are compassionate and gracious, For You, O Lord, are abounding in love.” The spotlight was on me, and it was supposed to be my great moment. But God chose that instant to speak to my heart about someone else…about something He wanted to do for someone else. So instead of focusing on me and my plans and my performance, I yielded my will to God and I obeyed.

 I spoke that word out just as He instructed. I know God moved, but I was not sure how the leadership of the church would react. During the worship that night, I could tell the pastor was upset. It seemed he was unhappy with the style of the music, how we dressed, and the gifts of the Spirit operating—even though people were saved and youth were excited about God and the event. The way the service flowed, it was evident that it went against the religious tradition of the church.

During this time in Belarus, we had a team of thirty who traveled with us from city to city doing outreach and production. Later that night after the event, when my outreach team and I were eating and resting from the night. I could hear the pastor scolding our tour manager about the service, even though everything was discussed beforehand. The pastor was still very unhappy. At that moment someone got up from the tour team and said, “I have a testimony! Philip, you know that word of knowledge you gave out during worship? Well, I had a tumor in the back of my left knee and it totally evaporated the minute you spoke out that word.” Praise God!

When the pastor heard that testimony, he realized that he was wrong and now had a new appreciation for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that God can use this style of service to reach the lost. Because I obeyed God during worship, someone received their healing that day—and a pastor’s outlook changed regarding how God can move. God is so good!

As worship leaders, we must realize that when God speaks to us, we don’t have time to disobey. Other people’s blessings are on the other side of our obedience! Whenever God says move, we have to move. Whatever God says to speak, we must speak. We can’t delay. We can’t wait for a more opportune time. We can’t wait for the time that fits musically. We need to yield to do it in His timing, not ours. We must be immediate in our obedience. When God says do it now, we have to do it now!

Sometimes those nudges from the Holy Spirit may be something as simple as a chord change during your set. It may not seem logical and even a bit unusual, but just trust Him. He knows what He’s doing and where He wants to lead you and the people each time you gather to worship.

 I remember playing during a particular meeting where an evangelist was praying for a woman who was oppressed by the devil. During this time of prayer and ministry, the Lord led me to just play this one chord. It didn’t make sense to me, and I could have pridefully resisted His instructions. In fact, I didn’t even like the chord—I liked what I was playing before! Everything in me said, “Don’t do it!” But that still, small Voice inside whispered, “Follow Me.” So, even though I had different plans and preferences, I followed that Voice.

Interestingly, the more I played that chord, the more it took on this war-like tone just as the evangelist was ministering deliverance to that woman. Together, we were all creating a corporate atmosphere for God to work in a marvelous way to deliver that lady from demonic strongholds. And praise God, she was set free by the power of Jesus!

I want to pause a moment here to share a technical nugget about holding a chord in worship. When we hold a minor deep chord (F#m / my favorite), it creates an atmosphere of war in the spirit. If that chord is played at the wrong time, it can produce a sad, depressing sound. However, if it’s played in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, it can reflect the depth of war that may be happening in the spirit, taking the worship into a completely different place.

In saying this I do not mean to say minor chords are evil. Chords and notes are created by our heavenly Father. We as believers can only produce what is inside us. If we put the Word of God and time spent with the Father inside us, that is exactly what we will produce. That is the anointing that will flow out of us. I am simply saying that chords placed strategically in a worship set can take us to a new level in the Spirit!

Conversely, when you hold a major chord, it will produce just the opposite effect. Instead of creating a fierce battle tone, a major chord will usher in worship. I suggest holding B♭ for a strong worship key. As God’s saints rise in spontaneous worship and praise under that chord, you can feel the symphony of Heaven rising as well. This chord may even inspire a wave of prayer among the congregation!

Learning how a particular spiritual atmosphere can be created by using different chords is essential to your growth as a musician and worship leader. I encourage you to learn from other musicians as well. More importantly, you need to remember that the greatest teacher in the world lives inside you. Whenever you feel stuck or unsure what to do next, ask the Holy Spirit. He is faithful to teach you how to play the right chords at the right time, how to minister effectively through music, and how to flow with Him in every service.

 In my personal experience, I’ve learned to rely on the Holy Spirit to teach me the dynamics of playing and the power of holding one particular chord. This technique has become a powerful weapon in my worship. It may sound a little boring and simple, but sometimes we have to learn to turn off our logic and just follow the Holy Spirit.

 I do want to caution you not to become lazy and just automatically hold a particular chord because you’re comfortable with it. If you do this, you and your band will come across as ill-prepared for the worship service. Be proficient and varied in your skill, but also make room for the Holy Spirit. When He leads you to play in a certain way, simply trust His instructions and follow Him. He knows what needs to happen in a service and what kind of atmosphere needs to be created through the musical sounds.

 I hope you’re now beginning to understand how important Spirit-led worship is to the ministry in God’s house. As musicians, we play a critical part in creating an atmosphere for God to move in the way He wants to move in any given service. We can either open the door for God’s Spirit to minister to others through our obedience, or we can close that door through our disobedience. God longs to demonstrate Himself, heal sick bodies, deliver people from addictions, and set people free from the bondages of darkness. But God is limited in how He can move if we refuse to follow Him. Learning to flow with the Holy Spirit and follow God’s instructions are keys to leading transformational worship.

 I want to encourage you—be ready to follow the Holy Spirit. Make it a point to listen to Him during worship. Keep your spiritual ears open and stay sensitive to His promptings. If He’s leading you to go one way, don’t be stubborn and go your way. Be humble! Be obedient! As you develop that ear to hear and that will to follow, you will be amazed how God’s Spirit will minister to others in power and authority.

PRAYER

Father God, I thank You that the Holy Spirit is our teacher. That same anointing that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us. He teaches us. He anoints us. He leads us! Today, I commit to listening to You as You lead me in worship. Even in the small details, I want to follow You. Whenever You lead me to change songs or play in a different key, I will do so. If You give me a word of knowledge, I’ll speak it out. If You want us to sit in silence and listen to You, I won’t say a word. I just want to obey You. Lord, I give You free reign in our worship time. Teach us to follow You and flow with Your Spirit so that others may experience Your goodness. We don’t want our plans, Lord. We want Your plans. May You be lifted up and Your name glorified! In Jesus’ name, amen.