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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a new week. This week is so special because it’s the first few days of a new year. I’m excited to usher you into the new year with a fresh insight into God’s Word that will guarantee your all round Victories. In our discourse, we have so far established that praise as a lifestyle is fundamental to victory in your life. We have seen from God’s Word that praise is not your occasional excitement and response to favorable conditions around you. Rather, the victory producing praise lifestyle is a deliberate, unconditional, consistent and practical attitude of gratitude for Who God is. For a Believer to be that deliberate in praise, he must deal with anti praise toxins, which were our focus in the immediate past edition. In this edition, we want to look at some benefits of praise.
HOW DO WE PRAISE OUR WAY TO VICTORY
Psalm 34:1-4.NLT. ”I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. 2 I will boast only n the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. 3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. 4 I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears”.
Like the Psalmist in the scripture above, we must resolve to praise God at all times. Praise God in the midst of your adversity. When you don’t know what to do; when things are rough and tough, praise God.
Praise Him in all circumstances, and as you rejoice, even in challenging times, your situation will change. The more you praise, the more you win. You cannot win your battles by complaining. Murmuring and grumbling brings destruction, while praise brings distinction. Praise is your expression of gratitude irrespective of your conditions. When you refuse to be grateful to God, you place yourself under a curse. Until you lift your hands in praise, God will not bring you out of the pit. Praise God if you don’t want to remain on the floor. If your situation must change, your attitude must change. Do not mind what is happening to you now, just praise Him.
BENEFITS OF PRAISE
PRAISE IS A DIVINE MEDIUM FOR HANDING OVER YOUR BATTLES to GOD.
When God takes over the battles of your life, that’s when Victories are most guaranteed. Jehoshaphat learnt this when he was faced with an intimidating challenge. He tuned into Praise and brought God into the battle and victory was won.
II Chronicles 20:12, 20-23. NLT. “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help. 20Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his [a] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.22As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another”.
PRAISE IS GOD’S ORDAINED INSTRUMENT FOR A CHANGE OF STATUS.
No matter where you are in life, your change begins with your praise. Your raise is always within your praise. Praise is the ladder upon which ordinary people climb to unimaginable heights in life. Praise puts a new name and identity on you.
PRAISE IS WHAT BRINGS HOPE AND COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF A HOPELESS SITUATION AND CONFUSION. There’s no hopeless situation for a believer who is ready to turn on his praise. Hopelessness is a fruit of depression and discouragement. When praise is comely, hope comes alive. Your praise will put an end to your confusion and give you courage to face what lies ahead of you.
PRAISE IS A SACRIFICE TO SECURE GOD’S ATTENTION. Hebrews 13:15.NLT. “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praises to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name”. It is God’s attention that quenches the tensions of our lives. Attract God’s attention through quality praise. When your praise is sacrificial, which means it is offered even when it’s not convenient, then it provokes God’s intervention in the situations of your life.
PRAISE IS AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST THE ENEMY. Psalm 149:6-7.NIV. “May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples”. When you release your praise, you relieve yourself of the burden of fighting the battle. God takes over and subdues your enemy. Praise for God puts a sword of judgement in your hands against your enemy.
PRAISE IS GOD’S GIVEN WEAPON FOR HUMILIATING THE ENEMY. You cannot be praiseful and still be tearful in the battles of life. Your praise sets you free from satanic humiliation. The table turns against your enemy when your praise stirs the heart of God. Psalm 68:1-4.NLT. ”Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives. 2Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God. 3 But let them be filled with joy. 4Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. [a]His name is the Lord – rejoice in his presence”.
PRAISE IS A TOOL THAT MAKES YOUR ENEMIES FIGHT AGAINST THEMSELVES. This is sweet, sweatless victory; when the destruction of your enemies does not depend on your effort in battle. You commit to praising your God, then God gives you opportunity to watch your enemies destroy themselves with the same devices they had intended to use for your destruction.
II Chronicles 20:22-23.KJV. “When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mounts Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another”.
PRAISE BRINGS INTO FULL MANIFESTATION THE PROMISES OF GOD. Romans 4:19-20.KJV. “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised he was also able to perform”.
Abraham kept praising God while he was waiting for the fulfillment of the promises of God. What hastens the full manifestation of God promises is staying in praise while you wait. There are many people who are actually waiting for the promises of God but never get to see them because they’re waiting with the wrong attitude. Some are waiting but in complaining and murmuring. Some are waiting but in doubt and fear. Some are waiting just because they haven’t figured out any alternative. However, like with Abraham, the real waiting that doesn’t disappoint is the waiting full of praise to God.
PRAISE FACILITATES ACCESS TO GOD’S PRESENCE. Psalm 100:4 NKJV. “Enter into His gate with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name”.
Praise is an invitation that God will never REFUSE. Praise is God’s hotline.
PRAISE RESTORES DEAD ISSUES. John 11:41-44.NLT. “So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
God is eager to do anything for you at the sound of high praise. At the sound of high praise, you secure His attention and command His power.
PRAISE PAVES THE WAY FOR GOD’S POWER TO BE DISPLAYED, CAUSING MIRACLES TO HAPPEN. Acts 16:25-26.NLT. “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off”! Their praise ended there captivity and broke the chains of imprisonment. Many people are in chains and prisons of several life’s challenges and issues. The sure way of freedom that is supernaturally provoked is praise.
PRAISE DISARMS THE ENEMY AND GIVES US TOTAL VICTORY OVER HIM. II Chronicles 20:20-23 NLT. “Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The Ammonities and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another”. The enemies actually came to this battle well armed and more sophisticatedly prepared than Israel. However, when God’s people engaged their weapon of praise, their sophisticated enemies were supernaturally stripped of their weapons.
PRAISE PROMOTES PRODUCTIVITY AND SUPERNATURAL HARVEST. Psalm 67:5-7.NLT. “May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him”. The increase of the earth is determined by your praise. The strength of the ground is at the mercy of your praise. Many grounds are barren because many mouths are songless. If you withdraw from praise, you withdraw from grace. Praise turns ordinary men to Kings like the Patriarch David.
CONCLUSION
Praise is an exercise in obedience to God’s instruction for all round victory. Until you are ready to praise, you are not ready for victory in your life. Praise will always turn it around no matter what it is or how long it has been. Make praise a lifestyle, and your victory will also be steady.
DECISION TIME
The best gift of life is time. The best gift of time is now. The best use of now is the decision to secure and prepare for eternity. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, please don’t let this moment pass you. You’re just a decision away from a secured eternity. You can pray this prayer to surrender to Jesus: “Lord Jesus, I believe you died for me. I accept you into my life as my Saviour and Lord. Forgive my sins and give me power to live for you the rest of my life on earth”. Amen. Congratulations! If you have prayed this prayer, you are now born again. You can contact us to let us know about your decision or visit us at the address above to learn more on how to grow in your Christian life. God bless you.
