Musical Instruments of Praise and Spiritual Warfare

The Musical Secrets of David…”The Breath of God”

Drums are the primary instrument used in praise and spiritual warfare. There are obvious reasons for this.

In 1 Chronicles 15 we are told that David set up musically instruments to play before the Ark of the Covenant perpetually. David actually had his hand also in designing these different instruments. 

It is on the Breath of God's presence as a subject which I would like to discuss with you today from our series The Musical Secrets of David.   

The Spirit of the Lord through Musical Instruments

But now let’s take a look at Psalm 150:6 which tells us, “Let everything that has “breath” praise the Lord!” I want to look at the “breath” of the instrument called the drums. I believe there is an association between the “Breath of God” in the area of worship, praise and spiritual warfare and the “breath of the instrument.” The expression of the instrument carries with it the “breath.” When the instrument is exhaling it is giving out a certain sound.

1Corin. 14:7,8 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

These intriguing verses unlock for us interesting applications when it comes to worship, praise and spiritual warfare.

1). Paul here gives us a phrase speaking of – life giving sound in talking about instruments.

2). Paul explains that a distinction or noticeable different is given in certain sounds which he explains which can be translated into meaning by the hearers.

3). Paul says we hear that sound once translated may alerts us to go into an offensive warfare.

I would like to cover a couple of points here in this post.

Life Giving Sound

Lucifer in heaven before his fall had instruments within him and he was the worship leader of the angels who worshipped the Lord. The instruments within Lucifer had no power to play of themselves. What would transpire was that the “Breath of God” would empower the instruments in Lucifer’s body as he was doing worship unto the Lord. Lucifer’s fall brought about his banishment from heaven, and his instruments now dysfunction without the “Breath of God” to flow through them. But before his flow the power of God would blow through each instrument cause a responsive worship in the heavenlies.

So we see that instruments are to have “breath” and “the breath of God” flowing through them giving them a certain distinct sound causing the body of Christ to rise up in worship, praise and spiritual warfare. Paul says “Life - Breath- Spirit  giving sound”… So did you know the very life of God was to travel through the instruments of worship, praise, and warfare? The Psalmist David in Ps. 150:6 tells us about a deeper truth, the “life giving breath of God” which travels through the instrument’s sound which is ignited with God’s power.

Remember it is the breath of God which makes alive! In this case instruments are the  exhalers of the breath of God which has being received as in flows through each player.  Now all this is quite supernatural, but we see the effects or evidence of the supernatural upon each subject who is in the house of God.

Flowing with the Wind

Jesus gives us this insight that the listener hears the sound and travels in the accompanying direction with the wind of His Spirit. The Wind of His Spirit is already blowing... it is catching its direction which is important.

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Jesus says that those with the new birth have the capacity to apprehend and flow along with His Spirit wind.

1Corin. 2:9,10 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (((But))) God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Eyes and ears are the gateways into our perception. Yet here it is talking about not what is coming through our natural gateways but through the perceptions which come through spiritual eyes and ears, that which comes through eyes and ears of faith (our perceptions  which bring conceptions and then to the birthing of expression in detail). We are given the ability to know the deep things of God.

Ps. 42:7a Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts…

Here the Psalmist makes clear that is at listening to His Spirit that the deep things of God become revealed.

The Fighting Power of God in Praise and Spiritual Warfare

Zech. 4:6b Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

BY HIS MIGHT, BY HIS POWER, BY HIS SPIRIT... not ours... HIS! There needs to be a leaning upon His Spirit in playing that causes His power to be in the middle of what we are doing. 

When the instruments are playing by the power of God in the service it is not sound alone which the enemy hears, it is who is traveling upon the wind which he sees and fears.  

2Sam. 22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

God's presence in the form as a "Rushing Might Wind" is a force to be reckoned with. The power of God here is fierce and is like a tornado or hurricane however much more powerful. In warfare this means that the enemy is totally and completely taken off balance by the moving of His Spirit. In times when His Spirit is moving like this the enemy is scatter and everything is uprooted which he had planted. This Wind of God is loosed to change the spiritual landscape of whole countries, nations, and the world itself.

Ps. 68:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

Learning to Play with in Warfare

Playing drums I have personally experienced my eyes change and have seen the angels fly into combat as I have played worship, praise, and spiritual warfare in the service. “Making war in the heavenlies treading down the strongholds of the enemy”… a popular worship tune lyric describes for us what is actually happening while the high praises of God are being played.

2 Chron. 20:21,22 And when he (King Jehoshaphat)  had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

The Lord was in their worship, praise and spiritual warfare… and divine confusion came upon the enemy’s army the same way the Spirit of the Lord came upon the tower of Babel and they were destroyed. It was by the Spirit of the Lord in the music that we see this transpire. It was the Lord of host and the armies of heaven which cause the results.

Deliverance to the Captives by Praise

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… Luke 4:8 is seen on David when he delivers Saul.

David delivers King Saul from the evil spirit by the same means when he played in worship upon his instrument. The instrument is anointing with the Breath of the Lord, the sole essence which can bring freedom to any captive.

Some Instruments Carry Residual Anointing

Acts 19:11,12 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Here we read that the anointing is tangible and therefore can be transferred into materials like cloth or wood or metal, etc.. So instruments themselves when dedicated for the Lord’s use in the house of God where there is a resident anointing of God’s presence  soak each and every instrument and absorb this power or spiritual energy. I believe that after certain instrument have been anointed in worship that they actually carry a unique anointing for playing before the Lord. This would make them supernaturally worth more in value than mere store purchased instruments because they have come into the ultimate purpose to worship God! The Breath of His Spirit which blows constantly through an instrument used to worship God takes on a special qualities and is registered with an anointing that engages each time the player plays on it. The stream of God moves through this instrument and thus it is exposed to the power of God over and over, making the instrument that takes on this special anointing as the residue of the Spirit touches it and lingers and rests upon it, it is then forever changed!

Whatever is soaked in the presence of God has the unique substance of His Spirit attached to it… an instruments are no different. Remember that harp that was used by David to rescue King Saul from the evil spirit upon him; that harp had been used hours prior to that event worshiping in the high praises of God through the heart of a true worshipper namely a man after God’s own heart, David.

Oneness with God and Our Instrument

We have to be one with God if we want His River to flow through us… That said, I believe that anointed instrument become spiritually so attached to us that when God’s power flows through us and our instrument as worshippers of God, that our instrument which is attached and the oneness we feel then becomes the dynamic that the Spirit of God uses to flow through us and express it in the divine sense. When you ask those who worship with there instrument if they feel a special oneness with there instrument they normally answer, yes. Being able to play a musical instrument I have been told, “It is like having another set of body organs to express myself through.’ If we don’t have this level of oneness on our instrument then we going to be hindered in bring forth the expressions which have been placed inside of us by His Spirit.     

Rod Lambur