Strategy From the Prayer Room

Yesterday, I was praying in my studio as usual.... I've been really seeking the Father for alignment and wisdom in this whole process of birthing The Worship Studio. My prayers yesterday got really intense - warfare - and focused on the mountain of the arts (ala "Seven Mountains of Influence in Culture"). I was praying for authority in this realm and for the Lord to begin showing me secrets to taking this mountain for His Kingdom. Here's what I got:

"If you can change the art, you can change the fabric of a culture"
The age-old discussion centers around the function of art - does it reflect the culture or does the culture reflect the art. Either way, art and creative expression have a major affect on the world system - the way we think, move, live, interact, believe, trust, learn, etc. We can change the very fabric of culture through invading the arts and changing the conversation. I'm talking about artists in every genre of expression who are actively hearing from the Lord and creating - then allowing God to strategically place their expression within the culture for maximum impact in the lives of people and leaders around the world. This is not a small task, but God has all authority in heaven and in earth - and as co-laborers in His kingdom, so do we.

"You become what you behold - the way to affect the hearts of man is to change what they behold - change the equation - Beholding the Glory "
There's something about beholding - imbibing through the eyes - that has a much greater effect on us than just hearing or just feeling. 2 Corinthians 3:16: "But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" The principle is there - what we behold is what we will become. If it's true for the Glory of God, then it's true for sin and destruction - behold/focus on/look at/turn your attention to the things of this world and that's what you will become. Transformation happens through what we focus on. The more we can get creative expression infused into the culture that is wrapped in the very Glory of God, the more opportunity people have to be transformed by His presence.

The first thing the enemy always does is to get people to 'look' at something counterfeit - to draw your eyes away with desire (ie: adam & eve, Jesus in the wilderness, Israelites/Golden Calf, Ashrah Poles, Idolatry in general) - BUT God has designed us for desire and for visual enjoyment. He wants to communicate His Glory through the senses as well in a manner that will glorify Him (ie: the tabernacle of Moses and David, The Ark of the Covenant, The Cross, The Fish, The Shell, Christian Symbolism in general.) There is a movement in the Body of Christ called "Christian Hedonism" which purposes to help people understand the enjoyment of the presence of God. For too long, the church has reduced relationship with Jesus and His Glory to a list of rules and regulations - when, the whole time God has been desiring a deep, passionate, vital love affair with us. The ploy of the enemy is always to take a little truth, sprinkle it with lies and get us to turn our attention to 'something better'. In reality, it's God who came up with the idea for us to "look" at Him, to gaze upon His beauty, to behold His Glory.

Look at the story of David - Man after God's own heart - King of Israel - Worshipper extraordinaire who's main desire was to what? "One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple." The main desire of His heart was to Gaze - to Behold - to Look upon the Lord. So what did the enemy do? He took that God-centered desire for the Glory of God and turned it toward and idol - Bathsheba. Satan sold him the lie that 'hey, if you like beauty - then you'll LOVE this!" - a counterfeit expression. Look at the mess that came out of that one and the mess that continues to come out of that same scenario day after day in the lives of believers around the world.

For too long desire for beauty and the longing to look upon something exciting, glorious and adventurous has been seen as trite and unspiritual. God is calling The Worship Studio forth with an army of artists to reclaim this mountain of beauty and desire in the church AND in the culture.