What Praise is Not
Praise is not:
· Just singing or music
· Just done in Church
· Just a warm-up to worship
· Mindless
· A singsong.
· Just a group expression
· Only for "happy" people
· An optional extra
· To satisfy God's ego
· Ever to be half hearted
· A spectator sport or a performance.
· Sporadic or occasional
What Praise Is
The Bible describes praise in great detail. It gives the
many examples from the lives of many saints in the
Old Testament and the New Testament. Many songs
and words of praise are recorded directly and the
benefits and blessings that accrue from this powerful
practice are recorded in great detail too. Hebrews
13:15 tells us to offer praise to God continually. When
I first read that passage, I thought, "How can anyone
praise God continually? Does this text really mean
what it says?"
In the context the writer to the Hebrews is
contrasting the old and new covenants. Under the old
covenant the smoke of the Old Testament sacrifice
ascended to God continually. Now, under a superior
covenant, we too are privileged to offer to God a
continuous sacrifice, not for sin, but a sacrifice of
praise, and then I saw Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the
Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in
my mouth." I thought, "But you might go overboard."
Then I thought, " Bob, your problem is not in praising
God too much,. It's in not praising Him enough!"
Praise Is a Sacrifice
I realized that feeling or no feelings, with or without
goose bumps; God invites us to praise Him.and not
just a smattering of sporadic praise, but
continuously. It's to be in good days and in bad days,
in blessings or in adverse circumstances, during
good or bad weather, when I'm exhilarated or when
I'm discouraged - even in sickness or in health. I
don't praise God for adverse circumstances. God is
not the author of evil, but I praise God in adverse
circumstances.
An Option?
Praise is not an optional extra for Christians. Psalm
50:23 says, "Whoever offers praise glorifies me." And
so I realized that our praises always glorify the Lord.
Some people say, "I praise the Lord in my heart
quietly." That's certainly good but God wants us to
use our voices to praise Him. Psalm 66:8 says, "O
bless our God, you people and make the voice of His
praise to be heard."
One woman describes an experience of the power of
praise during a healing meeting: "While I was
worshipping and praising the Lord, I looked up and
saw an angel sitting on the ledge of one of the
windows high above the pulpit. A little doubtful of
what I'd seen, I closed my eyes and began praising
God again. A minute or so later I opened my eyes
and this time the angel was hovering above the
pulpit. He was about seven or eight feet tall with
long, flowing robes of a beautiful grayish white
color. Although his hair and face were the same
color, I could distinguish his features. As I looked at
him, he turned to me with an expression that seemed
to say, "Watch what we're going to do now!" Then he
and several other angels started hovering around the
room. They'd go down and then up to the ceiling,
then back down again, brushing against the
members of the congregation as they praised the
Lord. I watched them for a couple of minutes and
while they hovered over us I was impressed that
they were rejoicing with us as we were rejoicing in
God.
There was a prophecy after the time of worship that
said we had touched God with our praises, and I
knew without a doubt that God had blessed me by
opening my spiritual eyes to see these angels."
Another woman, unaware of what the first woman
had seen, said that during the singing of praises she
had heard angelic voices joining us in praise. After
the praise, the people came forward to testify. Scores
of people crowded the area around the podium and
told of their healings. A young girl who had vision
problems in one of here eyes testified that during the
praise and worship time she saw Jesus come to her,
lay His hands on her eyes, and heal them. Her
healing was verified by her ability to read when
someone held a printed page a few feet in front of
her. She easily read it, something she said she would
not have been able to do before her healing.
But the most dramatic healing involved a two year
old boy with cancer whose mother said he had never
walked more than a few stumbling steps. As tears
welled up in her eyes, she placed him on his thin
legs, and the audience burst into praise as the child
walked across the floor.
The entire healing-miracle meeting was a reminder
that our praise and worship touch something in the
supernatural realm far beyond our understanding - a
fact that should encourage us to commit ourselves to
praise and worship on a much deeper level than our
present involvement. A prophecy during the last
session of the meetings challenged the audience not
to be afraid to enter this deeper form of praise
because it is actually the gate in the King's throne
room.
Our commission and privilege then is to say with the
Psalmist: "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing
the glory of His name: make His praise glorious.Bless
our God, O peoples, and sound His praise
abroad" (Ps. 66:1 - 2, 8 NAS)
As we glorify God's name in this way, it will make an
impact upon the heavens, and we will witness ever-
increasing demonstrations of the power of God in
our own lives and the lives of those whom we touch.
Psalm 22:3 says, "The Lord inhabits the praises of His
people." You know that praise brings the presence of
God and God's presence expels Satan's presence.
Satan is allergic to praise. It does three things to
Satan and evil spirits.
· It paralyzed them
· It binds them
· It banishes them
Praise, also, leads to worship. Praise and worship
are somewhat different. We are told to, "Enter His
gates with thanksgiving, come into His courts with
praise." Praise is the entrance way the door to the
"Presence". The symbolism derives from the
tabernacle of Moses. As we move from the outer
court to the inner court and finally to the Holy of
Holies, our praise changes to worship and then to
sheer Glory and we are in awe of our Lord and
Father God who lavished His love upon us by
sending His son.
Someone said, "You praise until a spirit of worship
comes, then you worship 'till the Glory comes . Then
you remain in the Glory. Genesis 22 comes to mind.
Abraham and his son Issac were making their way
up Mount Moriah. He told his servant to wait
there...that he and the lad would go and worship. I
imagine with tears running down his face but still
hope in his heart, he built his altar and worshipped
Jehovah. This is the sacrifice of praise. There came a
depth of worship in his heart which words could not
express but he bowed his heart and will to the will of
the Father. This is worship and is arrived at, usually,
through praising God for His greatness and His
wonderful attributes..

Dear Nairalanders, let's praise God in a little way with our comments

Praise, the LORD.

He is the true God. At His wrath, the earth shall tremble.
He is the God of all flesh
He is the living God
He is the king of all nations
He is the eternal king
He is the the King that sits on the glorious high throne from the beginning
He is the God that sits in heaven and fills the earth
He is the mighty terrible one
His name is great in might
There is none like unto thee
You stretched out the heaven like garment and laid the foundations of earth by thy out-stretched arm
Both the heaven and the earth shall wax old but YOU shall reign from eternity to eternity
The Lord of the king that sits upon the throne of David
The Lord that gives the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of moon and stars for a light by night
The Lord that divides the sea when the waves roar
The LORD OF HOSTS is HIS name
O Lord, there is nothing too hard for you
Thou showest loving kindness to thousands
Thou art slow to anger
Thou does not retain thy anger forever
The Lord that recompenst the iniquities of the fathers inot the bossom of their children after them
You are great in counsel
You are might in works
Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of men
There is no one like you
In holiness, there is no one like you
In righteousness, there is no one like you
In mercy, there is no one like you
In lovingkindness, there is no one like you
In justice, there is no one like you,
In forgiveness, there is no one like
In power, there is no one like you
In might, there is no one like you
In wisdom, there is no one like you
In knowledge, there is no one like
In abundance, there is no one like
At your presence, Bel stoops, Nebo bows, Merodach is confounded
All idols and their worshippers shall be consumed by your glory
The God that has not asked the house of Jacob to seek Him in vain
You alone, are God. Besides you, there is no other.
All others are the works of men, mere idols, worthless abominations
You are Jehovah Jireh, The Lord who provides
Jehovah Shalom, The Lord our peace
Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of Hosts
Jehovah Nissi, The Lord our banner
The Heavens proclaim your glory
The stars proclaim your glory
The sun proclaims your glory
The moon proclaims your glory
The Lord who is able to raise a dead from the living and a living from the dead.
THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

I bless the name of the Lord, Halleluyah

The best way of thank God is through our praises.

THANK YOU JESUS!

GOD that dwells in unapproachable light
HE clothes himself with majesty
HE girds himself with strength
The LORD of Hosts is HIS name.