The Power and Value of Praising:

There is so many things to say regarding praise beloveds, that you would probably need about a week. God made us to be in an intimate relationship with Him, and today I have the opportunity to focus mainly on the power and value of praising for us, as God’s children.

It may sound strange, but praising (worshiping)  God do have value and power. God is the only one that will bless His children whilst they worship Him.

• God lives in our worship: Psalm 22:4, says that God lives in our, His children’s worship, and also verse 24 says that God give us the instruction to worship Him. There is so many reasons to WORSHIP God. For example, Psalm 103 and Psalm 150, teaches us how to worship God and , then in Psalm 150 verse 6, it state that everyone who can breathe must worship God. Psalm 100 tells us that we must come into God’s presence with singing. The Word of God is a treasure chest about worshiping, and He is God, so let us worship and praise Him, that is what we were made for! To worship God(Hallelujah!)

• Praising and Worship gives You Power: David tells us in Psalm 8:3, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger

Matthew 21 tells us that whilst Jesus did miracles in the temple, the children praised Jesus and shouted, ”Hosanna to the Son of David! “.

The priests and the scribes were indignant about the children, but Jesus answered them (Matt 21:16) “yes. have you never read, ‘out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”

We learn two things from this, beloveds:

Which David calls strengths, Jesus calls praise.

The strengths (power) of God’s children is praise! Worshiping is a huge source of power – As we praise and worship God – we receive His power

Our opponents, the enemy and rivals will be silenced, when we praise and worship God. Beloveds, the fact is that Satan and his demons never like it when we are praising and worshiping God, because they know what we receive when we are doing it; power and so much more and God silenced our enemies.

• Worshiping is an effective weapon in spiritual warfare: Psalm 149 is an unique description of worship, as an effective weapon in spiritual warfare. Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints. Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds. To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; To execute on them the written judgment—This honour have all His saints. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 149 shows us the praise and worship which each child of God can and must do – Sing, Rejoice, Praise and high praises, and when we praise the Lord like this, the Word of God, becomes a two-edge sword in our hands. Remember Hebrew 4:12, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword!

Praising + God’s Word combined in our worship and praising is a very powerful weapon against satan and his works:

• To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;
• Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,
• For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.
• Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King
• vengeance is executed                           !
• Punishment                                               !
• Their kings in chains                               !     God acts on His Word
• Their people in iron cuffs                       !      While we worship and praise Him!!
• Judgement executed                                !

And for us it is a honour, Halleluja!!

• Praise, brings victory over your enemies!

• We learn in 2 Chronicles 20 that God fought for the Jews. The people prayed to God and He answered them!

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”

In verse 21, singers were appointed and those who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” !

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

• The people found an abundance of valuables , clothes and precious jewelry, so much that they couldn’t have taken it all at once. It took them three days to take all the spoil. (verse 25)

• They returned with great joy to Jerusalem because the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. (verse 27)

They came with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.

• And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.(verse 29)

• And he people had rest! (verse 30)

Isaiah 42:10 – 12:

Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains.

Let them give glory to the LORD, And declare His praise in the coastlands.

And this awesome jewel of a promise in verse 13:

The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.

• Praising lets the “cuffs” fall off: Remember how God send an earthquake in Acts 16, after Paul and Silas was thrown into the prison. At midnight they were praying and singing worship songs to honour God. God had send an earthquake and everyone’s chains had come loose. (verse 26) The result being that the keeper, at the prison, and his whole family received salvation in Jesus.Praising the Lord had set them all free, it made the chains fell off – So powerful is praising and worshiping God, that He will free people around us, that didn’t ask for it.

• Praising the Lord heels the times of drought:In Numbers 21, we read about the Jews that moved and come to a well that had no water. In verse 16 and 17… From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.”  Sing for Him: Praising the Lord is the answer in dry times! Every one of us experience some sort of drought in our lives sometimes. Here praising God made water flowing from the well. He provided for those in need. 

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it—

• Worshiping breaks a “heavy” atmosphere / hardening of the heart. A jewel which I found in Hosea 10:11, Judah shall plough…You all know that when you plough, you turn over the ground, no matter how hard the ground is.The name Judah means Praise! To me, beloveds, the jewels are – that our praise is breaking hard ground in our hearts! To make it soft, so that the Word of God – the good seed- will be planted so that we can carry fruit.

• Worshiping brings God’s glory / Manifested presence. In 2 Cron 5:13 – 14 we read: so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. God’s presence – visible We read for the first time about the cloud of God’s presence in Exodus, when the Jews came out of Egypt. We also read that every time Moses entered the “tabernacle of meeting” to speak to God, the cloud hovered over the tent and then God met with him to speak. We also read about Jesus, whom was taken to the heavens with a cloud. We know today that God’s home is not handmade temples, but it is within us, His children. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit – thus when we praise God, God fills us with Himself.

Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,

Praise and worship drive out depression.

In Isaiah 61 verse 3, we read about precious prophecies about what Jesus came to do for us, His children.

V3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

Beloveds, a spirit of heaviness is exactly what depression is and you feel sad, as if you have no joy, like someone who is mourning.

But praise God – beloveds – the Lord has given us the answer on how to work against depression, by praise and worship.

Remember… when this oppressing/heavy spirit got hold of Saul, David was called to make music. While David praised God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit came. Songs and music made the oppressing spirit flee. When we praise God, beloveds, the Name of Jesus is the ointment (Song 1:3) being poured out onto your soul and broken heart.

Worshiping God, brings salvation and help.

Psalm 42:5: Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

We see that God’s face is turned to the one that praises Him, this person’s face will be lifted by God, Himself.

And then another jewel in:

Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Beloveds, just think about it, when we worship God, it is God making place for us with Him and everybody in heaven listen how we worship and praise Him from a true and righteous hart in Spirit and truth.

Once I watched Nelson Mandela on TV and before him was a man jumping, dancing and praising Nelson Mandela.

While watching, the Lord said to me – an ordinary man / praise singer  enters the presence of the important person (Nelson Mandela)  through praise.

And while the ordinary man / praise singer  is busy praising Nelson Mandela  other people give way to make room for him.

And everybody listened to him.

The same happens when we praise God, beloveds! We should be praising God much more, because He is worthy and deserve it, and secondly, God is blessing us when we worship and praise Him. No matter what our need is, today you can unlock it through praise, God will answer.

What a God we serve, He deserves everything we have!  Yes everything, He is always thinking of us and blessing us. He cares for us and help us.

Praise Him till the blessings come down.

God Bless you in abundance

Amen Joan xxxxxxx