PRAISE IN SCRIPTURE

Through our praises, we build a throne in the heavenlies from which He comes and rules.  According to Daniel 7:9, Daniel kept looking until “thrones” were set up.  This is not one singular “throne” but it is plural.  God is a jealous, territorial God, and He wants to extend His rule over our lives, families, congregations, cities, regions, and nations.  When we radically “praise the Lord,” we clear out a territorial position in the sphere of our authority from which His manifest rule extends!  Psalms 106:47 says that we are to “triumph (glory) in His praise.”  This Hebrew word for triumph means an ecstatic shout of victory over a defeated foe.  Let us line up with God’s word and see His victory manifest in praise.

1.     Praise is the Place of God’s Residence - Psalms 22:3 “But thou art

     Holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel.”  God is holy and

    cannot dwell in an unholy place.  Praise sanctifies the atmosphere.

2.     Praise is the Way into God’s Presence – Psalms 100:4 “Enter into his

     gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful

     unto him, and bless his name.”  The way into God’s presence is

     through praise.  Isaiah 60:18 “Thou shalt call thy gates Praise.”  The

     entrance into the city of the Lord is through the praise.

3.     Praise is the Purpose of God Blessing Us – Psalms 30:11-12 “Thou

     hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my

     sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my

     glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.  O Lord my

     God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.”  Psalms 16:9 “Therefore

     my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in

     hope.” Acts 2:26 “David: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my

     tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:”

4.  Praise is a Garment of the Spirit – Isaiah 61:3 “To appoint unto them

     that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy

     for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” 

     Through divine exchange, we are released from the spirit of

      heaviness with praise.

5.      Praise is a Spiritual Weapon – Matthew 21:16 “Jesus: Out of the

     mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.”  God has

     ordained praise as a weapon to silence our enemies.  Our mouths can

     be used as launching pads to release mighty spiritual weapons.

6.     Praise is the Way into Christ’s Victory – Psalms 106:47 “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in they praise.”  God’s intervention on behalf of his people is designed to bring forth praise and glory to His Name. .”  Colossians 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”  We are able to triumph with Christ for in Jesus we are always victorious.

7.     Praise is a Sacrifice Worth Giving – Jeremiah 33:11 “Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth forever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.  A sacrifice costs us something.  We do not necessarily praise because we feel like it, but rather because of what God has already done for us.  Praise is the voice of the earthly bride offering “a thank offering” to her heavenly bridegroom.  Let us release the sacrifice of praise where we go and change the spiritual climate.

Results of Prophetic Worship and Praise:

1.     Enthrones God!

2.     Encounters God!

3.     Enlarges God!

4.     Enjoys God!

5.     Enlists God!

6.     Excites God!

7.     Exalts God!

Songs of Praise:

1.     New Songs of the Spirit

2.     Songs of Enthronement

3.     Songs of Harvest

4.     Songs of Prophetic Declaration and Intercession

5.     Songs of Victory and Deliverance

*Like Jonah of old, when we are in the belly of the many uncertain circumstances, let us praise and thank the Lord together.  Deliverance is on the way, as we get tossed up on the shore of our next divine assignment!