Anything we don’t understand will lead to abuse. An understanding of a subject will enable us to command outstanding results on that subject. Outstanding is a product of understanding. If you give a job to a novice, the result is a crisis. If you give a faulty generator to an amateur, he would damage it more. If we put an incompetent politician into office, there would be a crisis. It’s not enough to sing or clap hands, drum, and dance to the sound of the instruments, but we must engage in these activities with the understanding of what we do for the best results. Otherwise, praise will lead to mere entertainment.
What is Praise?
Praise is not just singing, clapping, and dancing; it’s neither a spontaneous nor occasional acknowledgment of good deeds. (A) It’s a spiritual platform where we transfer our battles to God (2.Chronicles.20, Joshua.6:1-27 and Acts.16:25-26). Praise is a spiritual weapon that we can use to defeat our opposition in spiritual warfare.
In the second Chronicles.20, three nations rose against Israel, Jehoshaphat who led Israel, appointed singers; as they sang, their enemies turned against each other and helped to kill each other.
In Joshua chapter.6, the wall of Jericho fell flat as the Israelites blew the trumpets.
In Acts chapter.16, the night preceding the persecution of Paul and Silas; they sang praise in the middle of the night and God intervened.
(B) Praise is a commandment. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord-Psalm.150:6; KJV. And obedience is vital in our covenant walk with God, It leaves us with no choice; we must obey the commandments of God no matter how we feel (How we feel does not change who He is; we must engage in praise as a lifestyle for praise to find expression in our lives). We can’t just praise God on Sundays and expect results. God does something every day. It’s because of Him you slept and awoke. It’s not the devil that keeps you alive, the devil doesn’t keep people alive. His job is to steal, kill and destroy. Let’s give One who keeps us alive our praise.
Requirement of Praise
The only thing required to praise God is breath. It’s not bread. The scripture says let everything that has bread breath praise the Lord-Psalm.150:6. The things you’re worried about are immaterial. If you’re alive that means you’ll survive. We care much about meaner things that have blocked our eyes to see the things God has done for us.
“You’re not alive by chance, One who kept you alive is worthy of your Praise.”–Anonymous.
“We are so bothered about meaner things, which are why thanksgiving becomes an uphill task for us.”–Anonymous.
Thanksgiving, Worship, and Praise
Thank God for what He has done. Worship Him for who He is (His personality). Praise Him for what He will do. When we thank God for the previous acts, He organizes for a fresh experience that will bring more thanksgiving. We can worship God for His person (Almightiness) and praise Him for what He will do. It may look stupid to sing and dance to the Lord when things are bad, but that is the way out.
I have discovered that every time I praise God, there is a burden that leaves me; my memory becomes sharp and the ability to think straight sets in. I can attribute most of my good grades in school to praise. Praise improves memory and grants you access to fresh ideas from above.
It’s smart to engage in futuristic praise. God has prepared your future. He is not preparing or going to prepare it. Your future is already glorious and envious on God’s agenda. Isaac sowed in one year and reaped a hundredfold of harvest and the Philistine envied him. You are a descendant of Isaac which means your destiny is an enviable one.
“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him.”-1.Corinthians. 2:9; KJV.
Futuristic praise simply means to praise God for the things that He will do. You can’t see them now, but you believe that he has done them and they will manifest soonest. People around you may not understand the reason behind your praise – they may think you’re a nut. Get involved in futuristic praise; it will bring you into the reality of God’s plan. That is why you must not allow your current circumstances to rob you of your future glory.
Stop looking into present circumstances; start looking into the scripture. The bible is the solution book. It offers all-purpose solutions to problems of life. Be futuristic and practical in your approach and don’t let the devil stop you from stepping into what God has prepared.
“If you cannot see anything He has done, you are not qualified for the next thing.”–Anonymous.
If you don’t have a job, thank God because at least you’re qualified to look for a job–what if your case were a mental case?–Stop waiting for a change, start working at it. Things don’t change until you work at it. The scripture says; work out your salvation, which implies work out your change of level. Friend, count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. That’s the only way forward.
Seal of Answered Prayers
This is important: Any prayer that is not accompanied by thanksgiving isn’t qualified for an answer. Thanksgiving is the seal of an answered prayer. Just like we have a seal on a passport, without the seal, the passport is useless. You must stamp your prayer with a seal of thanksgiving to qualify for an answer.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”–Philippians.4:6.
In the English language, the preposition “with” means: “accompanied by; accompanying.” (Source: Dictionary.com). This implies a prayer that’s not accompanied by thanksgiving is incomplete. Therefore, the next time you pray, stamp it with a seal of thanksgiving.
“You’ll become a living wonder when you’re lost in praise and thanksgiving.”–Anonymous.
Having Before Asking
Some categories of people will not ask before they receive. These are the people in the category of thanks givers. It’s possible to have before asking, the scripture says, ye have not because ye ask not, though. But if you’re an addicted thanks givers and a kingdom addict as well, there are some things that you won’t need to ask before you receive them.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or ‘what shall we wear?’ For all these things are Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Mathew. 6:31-33; KJV.
It works like fire, Mathew 6:33 works. There is a redirection of traffic that takes place when you run after the things of God. The things that others run after will run after you.
God commits Himself to your welfare when you commit yourself to His interests. And His interest is the salvation of souls. He wants to save the unsaved. Here is a kingdom agenda on earth, be part of that agenda (all these long lists of prayer requests, you won’t need them, because serving God and the interests of His kingdom provokes the release of supernatural addition and unsolicited favor upon your life).
“Thanksgiving is far more potent than prayer.” – Oyedepo
Praise warriors and soul hunters may not need to ask before they receive. The difference is that while prayer warriors receive answers to their prayers, kingdom addicts get rewards for their labor, and praise warriors flow in the realm of divine favor.
Praise God with a Loud Voice
While there are some silent prayers, there is nothing like silent praise. Prayer is not about shouting, but a communication of the heart with God and it’s a two-way communication channel or a dialogue between humanity and divinity.
“God is not an idol; wait for a response anytime you pray.”-Anonymous
Therefore, you don’t need to shout while praying to God as long as you connect your heart to God; Hannah was only moving her lips as she poured out her heart to God. But you can’t praise God in silence.
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the Lord, the king.” – Psalm.98:4-6
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” – Psalm. 100:1-2
Also, in Acts.16:25, when Paul and Silas sang praises in the prison, the prisoners heard them and that was how supernatural manifested. God will always show up when we praise Him with a loud voice.
Entrance to God Presence
Praise supposes to be the baseline of all other forms of spiritual activities. It’s the door to the innermost chamber of God. That’s why most churches begin their activities with praise. It’s the password to access the almighty innermost chamber. Praise is the master key to the court of God. All other’s spiritual activities may follow praise, but when we put praise in the baseline, we’ll provoke the manifestation of God’s presence.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Be thankful, and bless his name.” – Psalms.100:4-5; NKJV.
Fervency in Praise
When people pray, they pray fervently, but when they praise God, they would do it as if coerced or they don’t understand the reason behind it. Understand this, for your praise to qualify for divine intervention; some degree of fervency must accompany it. The praise that will secure divine attention must be heartfelt. King David danced with his royal apparel, and we can see the results in his life.
“It’s foolishness to be shameful of what is gainful.”–Anonymous.
This chapter shows us a thorough understanding of the subject “Praise.” Outstanding is a product of understanding. The following are the summary of what I shared in this chapter:
• What is praise? Praise is more than singing, clapping, and dancing; It’s a spiritual platform where we transfer our battles to God.
• The requirement. The requirement of praising God as a lifestyle is a BREATH.
• Thanksgiving, worship, and praise. We thank God for what He has done in the past, worship Him for who He is, and praise Him for what He will do.
• The seal of answered prayers. Thanksgiving is the seal of answered prayers. Any prayer not accompanied by thanksgiving is not complete.
• Having before asking. It’s possible to receive from heaven before asking. God favors Praise addicts over complainers.
• Praise God with a loud voice. Nothing like silent praise. Register your voice in heaven by praising God with a loud voice.
• The entrance to God’s presence. Thanksgiving is the gateway to God’s presence and Praise is the highway to His court.
• Fervent prayer. Just as we have a fervent prayer, we also require fervency in praise which provokes the release of divine intervention into our affairs.
Friend, this post is the first chapter of my second eBook. This book will be out by March 31st, but It’s currently available on Amazon as a preorder. I encourage you to buy a copy. You can do so by clicking on the link above. Also, it’s always appreciated to leave customer reviews. Learn how to write a customer review. These are all the links to the book in all markets places.
Disclaimer: this is not the final version of this book as subsequent reviews and editing were performed before the publication.
Varsity Experience 