Posted: 04/26/2012 at 11:17am | IP Logged

The Threshing Floor of Worship

By Amanda Leonard

This past Sunday I had a vision during a time of intense prayer and worship.  I saw this person who was worshipping the Lord.  Out of nowhere came this rubber-like substance that covered this person and began to try and smother this person.  This person couldn't breathe and was panicking.  Then the Lord blew His breathe on this “thing,” and it turned to glass.  The Lord handed this person a rod, and He said, "BREAK IT!!!" He said, "I've given you the authority, so BREAK IT!!!" This person took the rod and drew it back and burst this 'thing' into a million pieces.  Then there was no longer any space between this person and the Lord.  This “thing” that had tried to smother and take out the person was broken and this person entered into the glory of God; His presence was felt like never before.

So this week as I've been in the word, God keeps bringing up the threshing floor and how it relates to worship.  I know that I'm not a bible scholar and that I have so much to learn but I know that God is putting this in my spirit not just for me but for others as well. I know that if God can use me, He can use anyone because I'm just a slave for my King.  I'm an uneducated laid down lover, and that's all I know. So I pray that the Holy Spirit takes over, and that these aren't my words, but His.  If anything written is of me, Lord, I pray that it doesn't cause confusion and that it won't even be remembered.  Amen.

Threshing floors were used to separate grain from the chaff at harvest time.  First, the cut stalks of grain were spread over the threshing floor and a sledge was pulled over the stalks by oxen.  This would break the heads of grain from the stalks.  Then the broken stalks were tossed into the air.  The lighter chaff would blow to the side, while the heavier grain would fall back onto the floor; then the grain could be gathered.  The threshing floor is a place where good is separated from bad, true from false, usually a place of judgment.

The threshing floor is also a picture of worship.  David was told by the Lord to build an altar on the threshing floor.

2 Chronicles 3:1 KJV: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."

When we enter into worship, we enter into a time of “threshing.” 

Micah 4:12 NLT says, "But they do not know the Lord's thought or understand His plan. These nations don't know that He is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor." 

Micah 4:1: "In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's house will be the highest of all-the most important place on earth.  It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship."

With what God has been showing me through recent visions is that He is raising up people who FIRST will worship recklessly abandoned, THEN His glory comes and will transform the earth.  We sometimes, maybe unintentionally, “worship” the glory instead of the One from whom the glory flows. 

Psalm 72:18-19: "Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory." God wants there to be no space between us and Him.

I believe that we, me included, have at some point in time worshipped other things besides Him. 

Exodus 34:14" Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

Hosea 9:1: “For you have been unfaithful to your God, bring yourselves out like prostitutes, worshipping other gods on every threshing floor. " 

God calls it "adultery" or "playing the harlot" (Ezek 23:37).  Many times we are too worried about other things to truly lay it all down to worship, or we worship these other things; whether it be pride, arrogance, fear, materialistic things, sin, unrepentant hearts, un forgiveness, styles, traditions, our way of thinking, disunity, worldly things.....etc....the list could go on and on of things that can prevent us from entering into that Holy communion with God.

So what is God wanting from us? I truly believe that God is preparing a harvest of worshippers who are willing to go through the “threshing.”  Those who are willing to be “beaten” or “winnowed” until nothing is left but the good, the holy, the pure worship unto the Lord.  God is saying, “I want pure hearts, humble hearts.”  Ones who don't just worship me on Sunday mornings but those who offer worship every second, of every minute, of every day. 

He is looking for those who are willing to become like this broken piece of wheat.  God is restoring this pure unadulterated worship. 

Isaiah 57-15: "The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restored the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts."

Psalm 24:3-6 NIV:  3) Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5) He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. 6) Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob." 

Psalm 51:15-17 NIV: 15) O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16) You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

God is asking, “Are you willing to go to the threshing floor?”  Are you willing to let God purify you, and are you willing to break those things that have created this space between you and God? 

He is ready, but we have to be willing.  Just like in the vision, we have to be the one to break it.....God is there just cheering us on! He is telling us to break it, because He wants to get closer to us. 

We need to break our ideas of what we think worship should look like.  Worship may look different for each person, but the main question is, “are we giving God EVERYTHING?” Is there something between us and Him that is smothering us and trying to kill us?  That's what the enemy wants. He wants for us to become distracted with other things. 

These “things” will eventually choke the life out of us, because the very essence of life flows from the Spirit of God.  Whatever the enemy can bring in to cause us to lose our focus, he will do to distract us from the King of Kings.  Our worship should be as it is in heaven; worship lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly.  We should be supernatural beings having human experiences instead of humans having supernatural experiences.

Ephesians 2:6 NIV: "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus".

Posted: 04/28/2012 at 1:20am | IP Logged

Amen Amanda!  How excellent is His name!  Thanks for allowing the Lord to stretch you in the leading of His Spirit! 

Abundant blessings and Love to you in Christ.

Flossie

Posted: 04/28/2012 at 10:50am | IP Logged

Amen to this word Amanda.  I had read it previously but didn't have time to comment at that time. 

I woke with a dream on 4/21 that lines up with what you are sharing about distraction.  Many need time to come away with the Lord and when they finally find the time, the enemy is bring in distractions so that they do not have the time that is crucial with the Lord right now in order for Him to bring them into the place o f rest.  We must come into this place of rest to overcome.