The Power of Praise

God empowers you when you empower God

· God inhabits the praise of His people – Psalm 22:3

· God seeks worship spirit truth

· Praise attracts God - do you want his undivided attention? Then give him yours.

· God has feelings - wants to be appreciated, just like you

· God is hurt when ignored or forgotten

· Jesse DuPlantis - was close enough to sense that Jesus was hurt by someone else

· Jesse praised God until GOD felt better.

The benefits of praise

God ordained praise for our benefit

Praise changes our attitudes

· praise puts the enemy to flight

· praise give something for God to inhabit

· Praising God can bring answers to perplexing problems

· Praise allows you to rise above your circumstances, doubts, and fears.

· Praise lets you see things from God’s perspective.

· The power of God is unleashed in praise

· Praise activates the power of God because praise is the language of faith

· Praising God greatly affects our emotions

· Praise encourages our heart – the joy of the lord is our strength – Nehemiah 8:10

· Praise overcomes negative emotions and depression

Psalm 43: 5 –why are you cast down, oh my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Praise brings joy

Neh 8:10 – the joy of the lord is our strength

· Praise is an offensive weapon

· Have you praised enough to offend the enemy?

Praise brings victory

· You will not find a victorious Christian who was not continually praising the lord!

· Praise appropriates God’s blessings in faith before we see the answer

· Praise gets your eyes off of the conflict and onto the conqueror

· Praise gets your eyes off of the dilemma and onto the deliverer

· Magnify God instead of your problem

· Romans 10:6-8 – your own mouth determines whether or not you receive your victory

· A joyful church is a victorious church

· Praises the language of faith

· Praises the language of victory

· Praises the language of heaven

Victory follows praise

· God is working in your behalf even though you may not see any evidence.

· That is the time to praise God, because it releases the power of God to work in a greater measure in your behalf!

Praise releases your faith to God

Psalm 117:1-2 – praise the lord, all you nations: praise him, all you people. For his merciful kindness his great towards us: and the truth of the lord endures forever. Praise ye the lord.

Praise puts God on the scene

Psalm 22:3 – God inhabits the praises of his people

Praise provides blessings

If we praise God properly, we will have more answers to our prayers with less struggle and effort!

Praise produces fruit

Psalm 67:5-6 – let the people praise you oh God, led all the people praised you. Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our own God, will bless us

Praise provides a path for healing

Luke 17:11-19 – ten lepers

Praise provides deliverance

at the midnight hour – Paul and Silas freed from jail

Acts 16:22 – sang praises at midnight

Praise lifts our spirits

Phil 4:4 – rejoice in the lord always, and again I say rejoice.

1- Responsive praise - what God did

· lowest form - reactive - even world gives thanks - many times God is not praised for the most obvious though - life, health, two arms, sunny day, hot water, clean, any water, Bible, church,

· Spiritual blessings - lift up your voice because you hear God’s voice

· Praise will clear your vision with tears of memory

· Home work – count your blessings and praise God for each one – regularly

2- Prophetic praise - what God will do

· Praise him in advance

· Praise starts a chain reaction

· My morning prayer to the Trinity - we will do great things together

Praise Your Way Out

· Praise basket – missionary who contacted smallpox praised her way to health

· Not half hearted

· The praise basket needed to be filled with praises so it would outweigh the basket of the test and trial

· The praise cure

· Praise heals the body - Praise your way out of sickness

· Breaks the chain

· Kicks open the door

· Praise shines the light – so you can see

Praise Fights the Battle – its God’s, not yours

We don’t know what to do – but our eyes are on you.

Praise lets God fight your battles for you

King Jehoshaphat defeats enemies

2 Chronicles 21:12–19 NLT

12 Then Elijah the prophet wrote Jehoram this letter: “This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: You have not followed the good example of your father, Jehoshaphat, or your grandfather King Asa of Judah. 13 Instead, you have been as evil as the kings of Israel. You have led the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols, just as King Ahab did in Israel. And you have even killed your own brothers, men who were better than you. 14 So now the Lord is about to strike you, your people, your children, your wives, and all that is yours with a heavy blow. 15 You yourself will suffer with a severe intestinal disease that will get worse each day until your bowels come out.” 16 Then the Lord stirred up the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram. 17 They marched against Judah, broke down its defenses, and carried away everything of value in the royal palace, including the king’s sons and his wives. Only his youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared. 18 After all this, the Lord struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease. 19 The disease grew worse and worse, and at the end of two years it caused his bowels to come out, and he died in agony. His people did not build a great funeral fire to honor him as they had done for his ancestors.

The lord is mighty in battle – Psalm 24:8

Praise unleashes God’s military power – 2 Chron 20:20-21

2 Chronicles 20:20–21 NLT

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”

· The Israelites took a position of praise – they marched out offensively against the enemy that did not have to fight.

· Praise was used as an offensive weapon against the enemy.

· Just praise me and watch me work!

· The enemy cannot tolerate the praises of God’s people!

· Psalm 22:3 – God inhabits the praises of his people.

· Praise causes God to come on the scene!

· The battle is God’s – victory is yours!

Reasons to praise God – he is good!

Psalm 136:1-9 – has three parts

· Verses 1-9 One – the praise to God as the great creator

· Verses 10-15 Two – God is praised for his delivering power to their forefathers

Your faith can be encouraged by looking back at what God has done for you

· Verses 16-26 Three – recounts the victory God has given Israel and praises him for his greatness

Praise unleashes the lord’s military strategy

· Praise confuses the enemy!

22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.

3- Sacrifice of praise - who God is

· Crazy praise - don’t make no sense

· When you don’t feel good – when you don’t feel like praising God – When you feel sick - when you are sick

· When under attack- know God’s got your back

· When you don’t feel like saying anything

· when you don’t see or feel anything happening

· When things go backwards or wrong

· Don’t throw in the towel, throw up your hands

Praise flips the script on the enemy

Joshua defeats Jericho

Joshua 6:1–3 NLT

1 Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.

Praise surrounds the enemy

· Johashephat was surrounded by the enemy, but Joshua surround Jericho

· Personal question – who is surrounding who in your life?

Praise gives all its got – if only a shout and a pot

Joshua 6:16 (NLT)

16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town!

· Jehoshaphat had a song; Joshua had a shout!

Joshua 6:20 (NLT)

20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.

Faith believes. Faith trusts. Therefore, faith praises!

· Demonstrate your confidence in God by praising him even before the Jericho falls down in front of you.

Praise gives strength to your spirit – Romans 4:20

· If God could use the praises of the children of Israel to defeat the enemy, how much more can God use our praises who are born again sons and daughters to overcome the devil’s schemes!

Praise God for his faithfulness to his promises

· He is faithful who promised – Hebrews 10:23

· We are to praise the lord for his victory and deliverance in our lives

When circumstances look the worst; praise does its best

· that is the time to boldly proclaim God’s praises for his faithfulness to his Word

· They overcame him by the blood of the land and the word of their testimony – which was praise

Repeat the cycle of praise - because God is faithful

· When God answers - repeat as necessary

· Heaven is filled with praise

· Let forever start today!

Summary

1- past - God did it before

2- prophetic - God will do it again

3- sacrifice praise - God is not done

Closing - always praise God

· God is always worthy of praise, so always praise God

· Go back to the basics of praise

· Return to your first love

BONUS! Praise Scripture

1 John 4:4 – greater is he who is in me and he who is in the world

Phil 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

1 Peter 2:24 - by his stripes I am healed

Romans 8:37 - I am more than the conqueror through Christ

2 Cor 2:14 -- God always promised me the victory in every circumstance

Phillip 4:19 - all of my needs are met according to God’s stretches and glory through Christ Jesus

Isaiah 54:17 - no weapon was formed against me can prosper

Luke 1:37 - nothing is impossible with God

Romans 10:12 -- The lord is rich in mercy to all who call upon his name

Numbers 23:19 – God cannot lie

Romans 4:21 - what God has promised, he is able to perform

2 Cor 2:14 – now thanks be unto God which always causes us to triumph in Christ

1 Cor 15:57 – but thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our lord Jesus Christ

1 John 5:4 – for whatever it is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith

Psalms 103:1-4 – bless the lord, all my soul: in all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgives all my iniquities; who heals all my diseases; who redeemed my life from destruction; who crowned me with loving kindness and tender mercies.