POWER OF PRAISE

Psalm 22:3

Proverbs 17:22

We all go through seasons of life where the atmosphere is heavy, and circumstances make even lifting your head difficult. It is in those times where emotions, seasons and circumstances come against you, the last thing you feel like you want to do is to praise the Lord. However, it is your choice to praise or not to praise the Lord.

Praise is not just a simple song you may sing, but it is attitude you should have at all times.

Listen to the song “Let it Be A Hallelujah”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvfPK0gCdUc&list=RDBvfPK0gCdUc&start_radio=1

Take my life and let it be
My soul devoted Lord to Thee
Take my moments and all my days
Make them endless praise
Take my heart and let it move
In spirit and in truth
For the glory of Your name

 With every breath that’s in me
With every song and melody
Let it be a hallelujah
In every breaking moment
In every blessing that You give
Let it be a hallelujah
Oh Lord, let it be a hallelujah

 All my hopes and all my fears
Every trial, every tear
In the chaos, You remain
Faithful all the way
Through the victories
Through the scars
Let me echo who You are
For the glory of Your name

We serve a God that can take you from the valley to the mountaintop with one act of praise.

Make a continuous decision to exalt God above everything in your life.

Declare that His goodness is greater than anything you are going through.

His power is stronger than the situation you are facing now.

His promises are more certain than the fears in your life.

When you decide to praise God in the middle of your storm, you are making a bold statement “I trust you Lord, even if I don’t understand why I am going through this!”

Praise takes focus off of what is wrong and puts the focus fully on the one that can make everything right. As your heart begins to praise the Lord, supernatural things begin in your life. Heaviness lifts. Hope awakens. Blessings start to move towards you.

Praise is not just an expression. It is a key that unlocks heaven’s storehouse over your life.

Look at the story of Jericho. The walls of Jericho were wide enough to race chariots. The base of the wall may be almost 100 feet wide, possibly 25 to 50 feet wide. This is what Israel faced when they came to Jericho. God did not tell them to make weapons or build ramps. He told them to march. To march and obey. They marched around the walls, and then they shouted praise. The walls came down so that there was no rock on top of another rock. Only God could do that.

We all have walls in our lives. Fear, death, broken relationships, unanswered prayers. These are all walls in our lives. Our strength, or even our worries, can’t bring these walls down. Only God can. And these walls come down when we choose to Praise God. Praise confuses the enemy because it makes no sense to do that during these storms. Yet that is what makes praise the most powerful. It announces to the enemy that your hope is not in what you see, but it is God. When you praise with that kind of faith, the atmosphere around you shifts, strongholds break, and blessings begin to manifest in your life. Praise is an act of warfare!

Psalm 22:3  – God inhabits our praises. When you raise your voice in praise you are building a throne for the King of kings to sit. Fear flees; lack dissolves.  Your praise welcomes the Creator of the Universe to dwell with you. Imagine that!

Acts 16 talks about Paul and Silas thrown in prison for doing God’s work. They were chained in the deepest darkest part of the prison. And what did they do? They continued to praise God. As they did this, the doors flew open and chains fell off. And not just them, but every prisoner in the jail. Your praise carries that same kind of power. Anyone around you can experience God’s presence, bringing His freedom and blessing to all.

The power in praise begins in you. When you lift your voice in worship and praise you are not just changing the atmosphere around you, but you are changing the atmosphere inside you. Praise rewires your heart and reshapes your perspective. Despair turns into hope. Fear is replaced with hope.

Psalm 22:3 tells us praise is the gateway to that merry heart. Praise shifts you from your problems towards God’s promises, from our limitations to His limitless power. This transformation in you prepares you to receive His blessings. When you choose to praise God you are declaring your unwavering trust in Him, no matter what your circumstances look like.

Don’t wait until your circumstances are resolved, instead praise God right now during the storm. This shows you trust His timing, goodness and power. The breakthrough will come on the wings of your praise.