What Worship Leading Is and Isn't (Pt. 1)

John 4:23-24
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Worship is not soul driven it is Spirit led. Music has a wonderful and terrible habit of touching our souls (Your soul is your mind will and emotions).
This is not in and of itself a bad thing. The problem is that most worship leaders think that when they are moved emotionally it is the move of the Spirit. This is an incredibly immature but very prominent problem in the body of Christ today.
The reason that we have this huge misunderstanding among worship leaders is because they don't spend time in the Word of God. To paraphrase Hebrews 4:12 we must stay in the word in order to divide Spirit and Soul.

I have heard the people that I respect the most in ministry talk about how most worship leaders they meet do not understand how to flow with the Holy Spirit. I believe that a worship leaders lack of depth in the word of God is the number one factor in this problem. They are too busy working up an emotional response because their Spirit and Soul have not been divided by the Word of God.

Please don't misunderstand me and think I'm saying emotion has no place in Spirit led worship. Paul says. "4And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them]," (1 Cor. 2:4)

You will stir the most Holy emotions in a person when you are led by the Spirit of God and demonstrate His power. But You will never operate in the fullness of true worship in Spirit and truth until you get in the Word of God and learn to divide Spirit and Soul.