He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
— John 16:14
Do you find the ability to express yourself in worship to God easy or difficult? Is it easy for you to lift your arms and audibly worship the Lord, or do you feel self-conscious and think about the possibility that people might be watching you? Do you hesitate to worship in the presence of others but find it easy to worship at home when no one is watching?
As Jesus prepared to depart from this world and sat in that upper room teaching His disciples about the Holy Spirit and His various roles, one of these roles He stressed that the Holy Spirit would carry out is the ministry of glorifying Jesus. Jesus said in John 16:14: “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
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The word “glorify” is the Greek word doxadzo, which can be translated in a variety of ways depending on its context. It can be rendered to extol, to praise, to magnify, to worship, to give honor, to give adulation, or to express one’s fame or repute, and in John 16:14, it actually encompasses the full range of these meanings.
Thus, when Jesus said, “He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify me…,” He expressly meant that the Holy Spirit’s role is to extol, magnify, glorify, and worship Him. In fact, one of the Holy Spirit’s chief roles is to give adulation and fame to Jesus — to glorify that name that is exalted above every other name (see Philippians 2:9). The Spirit of God doesn’t seek to draw attention to Himself in any way. Rather, He points everyone toward Jesus and leads us in rapturous worship of our exalted Savior.
Because the Holy Spirit is an invisible, non-material Spirit Being, He cannot glorify Jesus in the way the Lord desires without using someone as a vessel through which to work. By now, I’m sure you can guess that the vessel He chooses is the one in which He lives — you! How does the Holy Spirit fulfill His responsibility to glorify Jesus through you? He heals the sick, casts out demons, leads lost people to a saving knowledge of Jesus, and so on. However, one of the most effective, magnificent avenues through which He glorifies Jesus is in those moments when your heart is full, your hands are raised, and your whole being is caught up in worshiping Jesus the Lord.
By His very nature, the Holy Spirit is a Glorifier and a Worshiper, and when He is free to work in your life as a believer, it’s very obvious because you will glorify Jesus. If you will allow the Holy Spirit to be loosed inside your life, you will find yourself wanting to throw your hands in the air, move your feet, and lift your voice to Heaven with praise and worship — completely oblivious to who might be watching or judging you. The Holy Spirit seeks to glorify Jesus in every aspect of your life, including your conversations, your behavior, and your relationships. He wants your lips to be filled with Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
The Holy Spirit’s primary task is to reveal Jesus to you — and He’ll take you to Jesus on a level that you’ve never known before. He’s just waiting for you to surrender and to take the plunge into this spiritual experience. Believe me when I tell you that you’ll never be the same.
If you’ve had a hard time abandoning yourself in worship in the past, today is the day for you to begin. I urge you to take a moment right now and pray, “Holy Spirit, You are a Worshiper, so I yield to You. I ask You to help me remove all my inhibition as I do. I ask You not only to glorify Jesus in my behavior, my conversations, and my life, but right now in a time of worship, I ask You to glorify Jesus through me.”
If you prayed this prayer, just yield to the Holy Spirit and watch what He will do in you. Right now while no one is watching, lift your arms to Heaven and begin to express your thanksgiving to Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and take you into a realm of worship that you’ve never known before.
The Holy Spirit’s primary task is to reveal Jesus to you — and if you let Him, He’ll take you to Jesus on a level that you’ve never known before. He is there with you in this moment, and He’s just waiting for you to surrender and to take the plunge into this spiritual experience. The time and place for you to start is right now in the privacy of your own home. He’s waiting for you — so why not start today?
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, I thank You that the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus — and I ask You to help me abandon my inhibitions and enter into the freedom of worship. I know that there are realms of worship that I have never experienced, but today I am opening myself to those realms and asking that the Holy Spirit unleash worship in me as never before. I surrender myself to be an instrument of worship and, Holy Spirit, I ask You to take me on an adventure as I learn to worship Jesus as You reveal Him to me on a level I’ve never experienced before.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
I declare that my entire body — all that I am — is an instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to magnify and to exalt the name and Person of Jesus Christ. Inhibitions have no part in my worship. I am free to express my adoration and love for Jesus — the One who is higher than all others and whose name is more highly exalted than any other name. Inhibitions must go from me in Jesus’ name, for I am liberated to worship Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit!
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
- Has there been a moment when you threw off all restraint and worshiped Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit? When did that experience occur, and has anything stopped you from entering into that type of worship again?
- What happened inside you when you threw off those restraints and fully entered into the worship of Jesus? What did the Holy Spirit do inside you that changed you forever?
- What would you say to someone who has never experienced freedom in worship? What has it done for you, and what will it do for them?
