Preparing to Lead Praise & Worship

I was thrust into leading Praise & Worship at 20 years old.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  All of a sudden I had to lead people older and more seasoned than I as well as the musicians.  While most will find it hard to believe that I get nervous about going before the people every Sunday, that is indeed the case.  I am not a ball of nerves because I am afraid of sounding bad (though I don't want to sound bad either, lol), but I am usually nervous because there a weight to going before the people.  Even as singers, we are carrying the word of God...simply delivering it in a different way.

I stumbled upon a podcast about being a Worship Leader (www.worshipleaderonline.com) and they delivered some great tips for preparing for worship before standing before the people on Sunday. It was so awesome I wanted to share the points they made as well as add my thoughts:

1. Be Open to the Move of God:  Sometimes, we just can't pick a line up of songs and expect that it is what will be sung.  The Lord may shift the atmosphere in the middle of worship service, we have to be sensitive to the Spirit in order to detect the shift.  The Shift can be the difference between "GOOD" worship and "EXPLOSIVE" worship.
2. Pray & Read the Word of God: It is important that we stay in the face of God with prayer and learn about Him through His word.  The Word changes things and reinforces who we are in God and who He is to us.
3. Be A Worshiper:  Worship is who we are...we have been commanded to Worship God and it is necessary for us to be in worship throughout the week.  
4. Be Prepared (Practice): I have had people say to me, "Why do you practice for praise and worship, it should be spontaneous."  While there are times when we are called to SHIFT with the spirit and it will go into a spontaneous eruption.  It is important to be skilled.  There are several references to God calling for skilled workers...from those working on the Tabernacle (Exodus 39) to creating garments (Exodus 26).  

I must admit that while I do SOME of these things...I don't always do ALL of them.  The first order of business for me to be a vehicle of explosive worship is to begin to put these tips into action starting today. I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Leave me a comment or two, and I will follow up with what happens.  I am excited to say the least