The Power of Life or Death in Dance

The LORD has given us the beautiful gift of dance. It is a way we reflect Christ in us as His image bearers (Genesis 1:27) since God himself is a dancer. We see the best example of this in Genesis 1:2 when, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Dance is so elemental to who God is that it is recorded in the second verse of the Bible!

The action of dance brings forth life! As human beings we instinctually know this. Movement is proof of life. When someone or something stops moving, we assume it is dead. As humans, from conception to the day our bodies die, we know we are alive and healthy when we are able to move. When movement slows down or ceases, we know that means sickness or death. The same is true with plants. If a plant stops growing (a.k.a moving) then it begins to die. Movement is a foundational element to life itself!

How we yield dance has the power to bring life or death. As believers, we have the ability to bring life out of our movement when we offer our bodies up as a living sacrifice of worship and temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in (Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

We see the resurrection power of dance in 1 Kings 17:21-22 when Elijah resurrects the widows son.

“Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.”

This story reflects the same power used in Genesis for dance and words. Just like in the creation story, movement came before words and out of those two actions, life entered. Elijah physically prophesied life over the widow’s son and then he verbalized in agreement with the prophecy that he proclaimed through his body. When we submit our bodies to the LORD as a vessel for His power and glory, miracles will break forth, agreement with demons demolish as we enter agreement with heaven, and a incense of worship rises to the LORD! Dance when yielded properly, is a prophetic tool that brings heaven to earth. You are commanding your body to come into agreement with your soul.

It is commonly believed that Lucifer was the head worship archangel in heaven, so it is by no surprise that he has perverted dance. Just as dance can yield life when used properly, it can yield death when used incorrectly.

We see the perversion of dance in Matthew 14:6-11 through the beheading of John the Baptist.

“But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.”

Herodias’ daughter performed a lustful dance to Herod with the intention to please him into granting her anything she wanted. Herodias desired death upon John the Baptist but because Herod feared the people, he instead threw him into prison. Because of the oath he made to the daughter, the demonic prophecy of death came to fruition. Herodias’ daughter came into physical agreement with the prophecy of death through her dance and sacrificed her body to idol worship.

The power of life and death is in dance. We must yield this prophetic worship weapon in partnership with the Holy Spirit as a sacrificial offering to the LORD. Movement has power. What we dedicate our movement to has power. Allow your dance to be holy, set apart from the world. Come into agreement with heavenly things through your body, not demonic agendas. When yielded properly, we resemble our Maker and advance the Kingdom of Heaven, amen!

Blessings in Yeshua the Messiah,

Harper