Praise—What’s Happening? II

As I stated in last week’s blog, I have recently been drawn to the subject of New Testament praise and worship, because I believe it is such a key message for the times we live in. The church needs to know how to manifest the power of God. We see much in the Scriptures about how men employed this weapon of praise against the enemy and won great victories.

In this era, only those who are good at facing the enemy with praise in their mouth are going to see God move mightily (II Chronicles 20:21). The reason is because praise is faith in action; it's faith expressing itself. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, as well as the god of this world (I John 5:4). It would serve us well in this hour to develop the skill of praising our way out of whatever hole the devil tries to put us in.

Last week, we made the statement that praising and worshipping God causes something to happen in three separate arenas. First, something happens in your spirit and your mindset. We took time last week to look at that truth in detail. Second, something happens in the spirit realm. Third, something happens in your circumstances! This week, we will look into the Word to see what happens in the spirit realm when we praise God.

When I refer to the spirit realm, I mean both the realm of God and the realm of darkness and demons. Christians must understand that what is happening in these realms greatly affects what happens in their circumstances, and that what we do either binds or looses the beings in the spirit realm. We can learn much about how to do that by reading a story in the Old Testament.

Praise and Angels

II Chronicles 20:21-22

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And 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.

In the story above, three armies--much larger in number--came against Israel in battle. Israel had sought God about what to do, and the Spirit moved in a mighty way. God told them they wouldn’t need to fight in this battle, but that they were to go out against the enemy in faith. They obeyed—deciding the best way to express their faith was to put the praisers out in front of their army.

As the praisers went in front of the army saying, “For the Lord is good, and His mercy endureth forever,” we read that God sent ambushments against the enemy army; and they were smitten without a fight. The ambushments referred to here were a host of angels.

The Bible shows us that angels are ministering spirits who have received a charge from God to work with us--keeping, protecting and caring for us in all our ways of obedience and service to God. But, they are waiting on us to move with God’s Word in faith. They harken unto the Word of God as we speak it in faith--ministering for us, assisting and enabling us to accomplish impossible tasks and get through difficult situations as we carry out God’s plan here on earth.

I want you to notice that these angels were activated in II Chronicles 20 as the people of God moved in faith through praise and worship to Him. The praises and faith of God’s people, as well as the presence and ministry of the angels, so confused the demonic forces operating behind the enemy army that they turned and started killing one another off.

Put the Angels Where You Want Them

Because we live under the new covenant, we have a better position over angels than those folks did back there under the old covenant. We can speak to the angels and commission them to assist us with the Word of God in our mouth. But, they are only able to continue their work as we continue to give them the fuel they run on—our faith! And, praising God for the victory is one way to continue to express our faith!

We have often heard the statement, “Praise invites God into our situation." But, we can see now that the ministry of angels can be a part of how God moves when we invite Him into our situation. At least in some cases, He will move through the ministry of angels.

You and I can put God where we want Him by praise. We can determine whose power is working in our circumstances. We can evict the destroyer and bring God, and all the forces of God’s kingdom, to bear on the circumstances we face.

If we’ll fill the air with His praises, He’ll use those expressions of faith to fill the atmosphere with His glory! This makes all the resources that are at our disposal in that glory available to us—including the ministry of angels.

Israel went out there calling God who He is—good and full of mercy! To get the same kind of results in our own lives as Israel got, we must do what Israel did—call God who He is!

Someone said, "Does God not know who He is?" Yes, He's just checking to see if you do! Then, He can manifest who you call Him to be in your life! He's your ever-present help in trouble, your refuge from the storm, the great I AM. AND, HE’S THE LORD OF HOSTS, HEAD OF THE ANGELIC ARMY! As you praise Him for the victory and the ministry of angels, all the resources of heaven in the glory will come on the scene of your circumstances to turn them in the right direction.

The Devil Doesn’t Like It

Now, let’s notice how praising God affects the forces of darkness according to the verses about Israel we started out with above. Notice again in II Chronicles 20:22-23.

II Chronicles 20:22-23

And 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 mount 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.

Notice how it confuses the devil when you praise. The forces of darkness turn against one another.

When you praise God and rejoice in situations where the devil normally expects you to worry because of what he has thrown at you, it sets off alarm bells in hell. His strategy against you doesn’t work like it used to. What used to make you cry, now makes you shout because the Word--which builds faith--has gotten in you; and faith shuts the devil down.

Psalm 8:2

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest STILL the enemy and the avenger.

 AMPC says, “that You might SILENCE the enemy and the avenger.”

In Matthew 21:16, Jesus translated the words, “ordained strength” in this verse as "perfected praise.” That means this verse is saying that praising God silences the enemy. So, not only does praise shut the enemy’s activity down, it shuts down the, “yak, yak, yak” of the enemy in your ear! We see that praise confuses the enemy, shuts his mouth and defeats his works-- stopping him in his tracks!

Shut The Devil Down with Praise

Brother Hagin told the story of a young 17 year-old preacher who went to pray for a little girl who was having a seizure. He prayed, bound the devil, rebuked the seizures and everything he could think of to rebuke, but nothing happened. When he finally quit, the pastor's wife started praising God. As she did, the convulsions stopped, and the child fell asleep.

In a few moments, the mother stopped praising God, and everyone present started talking amongst themselves. It wasn’t long before the child awoke again and started having convulsions, just as before. The young minister again went through his routine—doing everything he had ever seen Pentecostal folks do--bound the devil, prayed hard and loud at the top of his voice, etc., but nothing happened.

Eventually he quieted down again, and the pastor's wife once again started praising God. They all picked it up and began to praise the Lord with her, and as they did, the convulsions ceased again, and the child fell asleep perfectly healed never to have another convulsion in her life.

Praise and worship will work when it seems like nothing else does! It shuts down the activity of the enemy and brings the power of God on the scene to meet your need.

Praise Enforces Victory

In II Chronicles 20:21, Israel didn’t even need to fight in the battle before them, because God had already told them that the battle was the Lord’s, and that He would fight for them. All they needed to do was walk out there and praise God for the victory.

The same is true for us today. You see--praise is just enforcing the victory that Jesus has already won for us. It helps you keep your perspective right--keeping you in the arena of faith. You're not in the army of the Lord in the sense that you have to conquer the devil. You're in the occupation army. Jesus said, “Occupy till I come.”

Praise is just walking out the victory Jesus has already won for you. Praise puts a period on the devil's activity and receives what God has already done for you in Christ. It enables you to hold the devil in the arena of faith, so he can't perform the device that he imagined against you (Psalm 21:11). Everything he has planned for you will come to naught.

We see throughout the Bible that when men praised God, neither walls, jails, armies or wicked men had the power to hold them or keep them out of God’s perfect will. In other words, praise keeps things from blocking your progress spiritually, physically, financially, mentally or in any other way. Praise turns your faith loose in these situations and gets you past all the devil's attempts to block your progress. And, praise releases the angels to work for you.

It might seem strange to you to praise God in the middle of your biggest battle, but you see, faith acts different than unbelief. It's no wonder to me that many people's faith has never won a great victory like Israel’s did in II Chronicles 20. Most people's faith doesn’t even move their own mouth--let alone move the angelic hosts. And, the devil isn’t afraid of their faith either.

But, if your faith will be robust enough to praise God, it will move the hosts of heaven into action on your behalf, and the enemy’s work will be stopped.