Praise 101

Praise:


Psalm 103:1a NLT


“Let ALL that I am praise the Lord…”


-This literally means ALL that we are. That includes our emotions, our thoughts, and our actions, our words, our motives (that’s a big one), our relationships, anything and everything that has to do with us.






-We should praise the lord in all these things. How? We do this by Choosing Godly emotions, choosing Godly thoughts, choosing Godly motives, choosing Godly relationships, choosing Godly Actions and the last one that is VERY important, choosing Godly Words.






-It’s no accident that words were the last thing I mentioned. Actually when I first wrote this, I did forget it, but it was revealed to me just important our words are. The Bible says that Life and Death are in the power of the tongue! Our praise should start with heartfelt words magnifying God and telling him how much we love him and thanking him for all that he has done. Our emotions, thoughts, actions, etc. will follow suit.






Words help us in thanking and praising God, they really do. That’s why I don’t get it at a lot of churches where they sit silent because that is the Devil’s playground. This is why words are important: When we speak, we are speaking with the Power and Authority that God gives us as believers. When we use our words for destruction, the carry destructive power, when we use them to build another up, they carry edifying power, it’s simple.






So, since words are so important, why not use them to tell our emotions, thoughts, actions, words, motives and relationships to LINE UP with word of the LIVING GOD?


This act in itself is Praise to God. What could be more pleasing to God than his children wanting every aspect of their life to line up with his word and plan for their lives?






God also inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). And if the acts mentioned above, lining things up with God’s word, are praise, then wouldn’t it be accurate to assume that God would inhabit these actions? Of course he would!






There is a question that we must ask ourselves: What can I change to make my praise greater and more powerful than it’s ever been?






The solution to whatever our answers are is in the question: CHANGE! To ask God to help us grow in him and renounce the things keeping us from him! This is easier said than done though, trust me.






Also in Psalm 103, David gives a list of things he is praising God for. I think we should follow suit. To read Psalm 103 and model it after David’s list: not one thing was material, not one. Everything had to do with the goodness and mercy and love of God.






I Chronicles 4:1 NLT






“The descendants of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.”


Judah is praise, so these are the offspring of Praise:






Perez- this means Breakthrough


Hezron- this means a weapon


Carmi- this means vineyard or anointing


Hur- this means wall or protection


Shobal- this means abundance, overflow.






Let’s explore:


1) The first thing Praise brings us is a breakthrough. When we praise it’s like we are in a spiritual catapult and we are going to be launched into our breakthrough. This is because when we praise, we magnify God, not our situation. *Praise empties us so that we can be filled with more of God’s spirit, which lessens the amount of us, making us less likely to stand in the way of our own breakthrough like we sometimes tend to do*


2) The second offspring of Praise is a weapon. This is because Praise results in God’s presence which brings Spiritual light. This defeats Satan, who brings Spiritual Darkness! Because where light is, darkness cannot be. Light will always defeat darkness, always and in every situation. So when we raise our hands, dance, clap, sing and shout, we defeating Satan and everything he sets against us!


3) Our Praise also brings us a new/fresh anointing. When we praise God, we are not to do it to reap the benefits of it, although the benefits are amazing, if we praise for the right reasons. Praise brings anointing, and the anointing breaks the yoke (Isaiah 10:27)! The NLT translation says “The yoke of slavery” but Yoke means many different things:


- A bar of wood able to unite two animals to be able to work in the field


- Submission; Forced Subjection


- Burden; Load


- Oppression


- Bondage to Sin


- Slavery


- Servant hood


So, our praise produces an anointing that delivers us from the things mentioned above. So it’s natural to assume our praise will bring us freedom, royalty, the ability to fight, lighter loads to bear, and freedom from sin! When we praise him, we gain supernatural anointing to do the things that God as called us to do.


4) Praise brings to us protection. Our praise is a wall. Praise the ‘force field’ for the believer…google it if you don’t know what that isJ. It is a force field that can withstand any attack without a scratch. The moment that we enter into sincere, heartfelt praise a wall shoots up! That’s it. There is a force field around us that cannot be torn down! But the types of praise that can bring this wall (or force field) up are not limited to just raised hands, dancing, singing, clapping, and shouting, but rather through every act of praise and worship I have mentioned so far: Right Thought, Right Motives, Right Emotions, Right Words, etc.


But there is one action of praise that I haven’t mentioned yet. This is ULTIMATE form of praise: Love. When we love people, that force field shoots up around us AND them.


The Apostle Paul said even if he spoke with the tongues of angels, but didn’t have love, he was just a bunch of noise.


Jesus said if you hate your brother then you can’t be a disciple.


So it is safe to say that Love is importantJ.


5) Last but not least, our Praise produces an abundance and overflow. When we praise, it brings abundance to our spirits. Praise will always bring you more than enough!






Whatever is boxing you in, holding you back, and keeping you in, Praise will bring you up and over it!






Imagine this scenario: You are an aunt in a teacup and you are unable to get out. Now imagine that someone pours water into that cup and you float on up and over the edge.






That is what praise does for us!






And times that are the hardest on you, are the times your praise will bring you even more overflow!






Whatever you are believing God for, keep praising for it, because one day your enemies will see that OUR GOD IS JEHOVAH JIREH and that HE WILL PROVIDE!






Abundance is superior quality and quantity; it is a place of ruling!






~ ~ ~






There is one qualification for praising God. Just one, it isn’t having money, a nice house, a nice car or anything like that.






The qualification to praise God is having breath in your body (Psalm 150:6)






The very breath is a commandment to Praise him! And if he doesn’t get it from us, he will get it from the rocks!






~ ~ ~






When we praise we are giving God his place in the throne room of our temple (our bodies). This happens when we choose to praise God in the midst of our mess.


When God is on his throne in our temple, the Red Sea we have feared will part, the Jordan River that we couldn’t cross will split. The mountains and hills we couldn’t climb, they run and roll back! (Psalm 114)


The Presence of Almighty Jehovah in us will cause all of these things to happen because The Red Sea, The Jordan and the Mountains and Hills do not see us...THEY SEE GOD’S PRESENCE and NOTHING can go against that.






Nothing can come against us when we PRAISE!






It is no coincidence that Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of JUDAH (Praise)






Lions are Kings


Judah is praise






JESUS is the KING of the tribe of PRAISE






If Jesus is your Lord and King, praise him and put him in his rightful place!!






Love,


Drew