Turn Your Mirror to Heaven: Reclaiming Authentic Worship

Worship has become one of the most misunderstood, and most contentious, aspects of church life. Over the years, I've watched people leave churches because "the worship is better over there" or "I don't like the style here." It's heartbreaking because we've completely missed what God intended worship to be.

Worship was never meant to be about us, our feelings, our preferences, our comfort. It's about God and His glory. Always has been, always will be.

In John 4, Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. When she brought up worship locations and traditions, Jesus cut straight to the heart of the matter: "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

Notice what He didn't say. He didn't say worship is about a place, not the mountaintop, not the temple, not even the church building. He's seeking authentic worshipers whose worship comes from the heart. If the only time you worship Jesus is when you walk through church doors on Sunday, you're missing it entirely.

Picture yourself holding a mirror. Most of us live our lives with that mirror facing us, focused on our needs, our preferences, our feelings. We even bring that mindset to church. We expect the worship team to shine Jesus on us so we can "feel" His presence. And when we don't feel it, we walk out disappointed.

But here's what God showed me: What would it look like if 300, 400, 500 people came into church and instead of holding mirrors facing themselves, they all turned their mirrors toward heaven? What if we came to reflect Jesus back to Him, to pour out the worship He placed in our hearts?

That's what we were created for. Not to be filled, but to pour out. The filling is the byproduct, not the purpose.

Here's something powerful: worship isn't just an act of praise, it's a spiritual weapon. In the book of 2 Chronicles, we see that God's people began to sing and praise and the Lord set ambushes against their enemies. When you're under spiritual attack, when the enemy is tearing at your life, your greatest defense is to worship God.

But I can't do that for you. No pastor, no worship team can worship on your behalf. It requires you to turn your mirror, align your heart with God's, and pour out authentic praise, not because of how it sounds, but because of who He is.

I'm going to step on some toes here. October has been hijacked by darkness. Halloween has roots in Celtic festivals celebrating the occult, death, and evil spirits. Meanwhile, the Jewish calendar marks this season with Rosh Hashanah (self-reflection), Yom Kippur (repentance), and the Feast of Tabernacles (celebrating God's faithfulness).

What was meant to be a month of turning our hearts back to God has become a month celebrating darkness. And the church has just gone along with it.

Here's my challenge: Can we take October back? For the entire month, fill your life with worship. In your car, at home, on the way to work, let worship be the soundtrack of your days. Not because it's legalistic, but because you're aligning your heart with God's presence.

Make worship your lifestyle, not just a Sunday activity. Watch how it changes your home, your family, your perspective. Because when God's people boldly worship Him, the heavens open and spiritual battles are won.

Jesus led His disciples in worship through the Psalms before going to the cross. Even in His darkest hour, He worshiped. That's the example we follow.

So stop waiting for someone to give you Jesus. Stop critiquing the worship style or the off note. Turn your mirror to heaven and worship the King who is worthy of it all. Because authentic worship was never about you feeling something, it's about Him receiving everything.