Praise—What’s Happening?

In recent times, I have been drawn to the subject of New Testament praise and worship because I believe it is such a key message for the church regarding the time we are in. We see much in the Scriptures about how men employed this weapon 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 the power of God in manifestation in their lives (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).

Paul and Silas showed us how to overcome the opposition we will face in these last days.

Acts 16:25-26

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

We see here that praise taps into the power of God for the miracles we need to keep us from getting stuck in any holes that the enemy wants to put us in.

It would serve you well in this hour to develop the skill of praising your way out of whatever hole the devil tries to put you in. Learn to praise God right out loud for what the Word tells you about your circumstances, even before those circumstances change, and you’ll see the power of God.

But, I want to emphasize another great benefit of establishing this spiritual practice of praising God. To do so, let me first make this statement: praising, rejoicing and worshipping God causes something to happen in three separate arenas. First, something happens in your spirit and your mindset. Second, something happens in heaven or in the spirit realm. Third, something happens in your circumstances!

Regarding what happens in the spirit realm, which includes both the realm of God and the realm of darkness and demons, we’ll spend more time on that subject at another time. For now, I will say that people often want God’s power to go to work in their circumstances or want something to happen in the spirit realm, but they want to bypass the first arena in which something happens when they praise God—the realm of their own spirit and mind.

What do I mean? What happens in our own spirits and minds when we praise God? Praise is a means of drawing the Lord’s strength into our spirits—of receiving a spiritual refreshing and being filled with the Holy Ghost in our spirits. And regarding our minds, praising God raises us above our own mental perspective and lifts us into His perspective about our circumstances. Praise is a means of holding our attention on the Lord.

Praise Draws on God’s Strength

Romans 4:20

(Abraham) was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Other translations say Abraham grew strong as he glorified God. That means praising God for His Word is a means of being strengthened spiritually. Not only do you and I grow stronger in faith as we feed on God's Word, but our faith is also strengthened as we praise God that His Word to us is true.

In times of test or trial, I need something that fills me with the Spirit—that strengthens and reinforces me spiritually. What’s going to put me over is the Greater One rising up inside me as I feed my spirit on the Word and then rejoice. Rejoicing is one way to draw upon the strength of the Greater One within and be filled with the might of the Spirit! The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

In the midst of tests and trials, you and I need strength in order to continue to stand against the wiles of the devil. Worshipping God will keep our spirits filled and strong because we’re really no match for the devil if we are weak spiritually.

Who Are The Guests Of Every Pity Party?

But, what happens in your mind or mindset when you praise God? As I said, praise lifts us above our own mental perspective to see God’s perspective. Praise magnifies God instead of your circumstances.

For example, through praising God continually, Abraham was able to continue drawing the strength into his spirit that he needed to keep looking right past his circumstances to what God had said.

Romans 4:19-20

And being not weak in faith, he CONSIDERED NOT…but was strong in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD;

When a man praises God, he is inconsiderate of the devil's activity--he looks right past it and magnifies the Word of God that he cannot yet see.

In that jail in Acts 16, Paul and Silas had a wonderful opportunity to look at their circumstances, but they turned their attention away from what they were experiencing in the flesh and held their attention on God. To help them do that, they employed one of the greatest tools God has given us to hold our attention in the right place—praise!

If they had failed to hold their attention on God through praise, they would have begun to sink into their own circumstances mentally, started complaining and felt sorry for themselves, and taken on a mentality of defeat. They would have become self-absorbed about their situation and invited unbelief and doubt over to their jail cell for a big ol’ pity party. Of course, fear and worry love a pity party too, so they would have shown up as well—with all their friends!

Agitation, confusion and depression would have tagged along and reigned supreme as Paul and Silas went through the files of their mind trying to answer all the devil’s questions, such as, “What did we do to deserve this?”

If Paul and Silas had stayed in their emotions, they would have stayed in the flesh and in unbelief--where there is no help from God. Their story wouldn’t be in the Book because God can't really help folks when they do that.

People who turn emotional and start feeling sorry for themselves in the circumstances of life have allowed defeat to get on the inside of them. They've let the circumstances overcome them rather than overcome the circumstances by the expressions of their faith in God through praise and worship.

To ‘Enter’ We Must ‘Exit’

To ENTER God’s presence through praise and worship (Psalm 100:4) and bring His power into manifestation like we see Paul and Silas doing, you have to EXIT some other things including your own emotions and mental perspective. Praise helps you do that. Those who remain in the emotional realm have not yet entered His presence. You can't get into God’s presence with griping, doubting and emotionalism.

Praise brings the reality of the Word you are thanking God for to the forefront of your attention. It brings God into view rather than what you are facing. The more you talk about His Word and His goodness, the more you magnify His works and faithfulness. The more you exit your own fleshly perspective and emotions, the more you will enter the Spirit realm. In other words, your consciousness will shift, and you’ll see things from God’s perspective.

A New Perspective

Psalm 73:17

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

If you read the whole chapter of Psalm 73, especially the 13th through the 28th verse, you’ll find that the writer of this psalm had a completely different perspective on the circumstances of his life before verse 17, then he had after it. What happened in verse 17 that changed his perspective? He got into the manifest presence of God.

When you and I enter into the presence of God through thanksgiving and praise, we’ll get the right perspective on our circumstances, because we are lifted above our own thoughts to see things from God's point of view in the Spirit. We see things the way God sees them.

God's perspective is reality, and when we enter into His presence, WE’LL see the reality of our situation as well! Just like the writer of Psalm 73, before we get into the presence of God, we will often be dominated by what we see and therefore be believing a lie!

Here is how the writer of Psalm 73 describes this change in perspective that happens when we enter into the presence of God.

Psalm 73:20 (AMPC)

As a dream [which seems real] until one awakens…

This clearly describes the phenomenon that occurs when one wakes up and realizes how the enemy has been lying to them because they have been dominated by the natural mind or the flesh rather than seeing things from God's perspective--the reality of the Spirit. Satan contacts man and deceives him through the natural realm because he's the god of this world.

Mount Up!

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; THEY SHALL MOUNT UP with wings as eagles;

To “mount up” means to rise above our own natural mind with its thoughts and emotions into the spirit realm where our perspective changes. We no longer have an earthly perspective, but one from the Spirit realm, where the reality of what God has already done for us in Christ is clearly seen.

People who are always living on the negative side of life, always expecting the worst, have meditated in the circumstances of their life for so long that their mind has become pickled in unbelief.

What’s Wrong with that Song?

Many of our modern songs today do nothing to turn men’s attention toward God or magnify God. They hold men’s minds in self-consciousness, or keep them conscious of their circumstances, rather than turn them to God-consciousness.

Many of these songs are about US and what WE are going through. Yes, we are going to go through tests and trials in this life, just as Paul and Silas did. But, notice Paul and Silas didn't say a word to God about their tests and trials like so many songs do today.

Paul and Silas in that jail certainly would not have been singing many of the songs people use in church services today, because they don't minister to the Lord or lift us above the realms of the mind or flesh. They are more of a complaint than they are a praise. We read that Paul and Silas directed their attention and their praises to God. They were God-conscious, not focused on their circumstances.

Too many Christians go on and on about their problem in prayer rather than about God's solution. You may be in the midnight hour of your life, but if you want to get out of that situation, you'll have to do as Paul and Silas did and minister TO the Lord. Sing praises TO God--not talk about your trial.

I believe we need to have more praise services where we just take time to minister to the Lord and get our eyes on Him. I believe we would have many more manifestations of God's presence and power if we would do so.

We have a resource of power available to us to withstand any onslaught of the enemy and overcome it, if we will just turn our attention towards God and tap into that power that stands ready to help us in our time of need.

As we practice turning our attention to the Word and praising God in the Spirit and in faith, many things will begin to drop off of us, including our fleshly perspective. Our praise will silence the voice of the enemy and defeats his works. We will abound in faith. Worry, agitation, confusion and anxiety will no longer reign supreme, and God will manifest Himself in many marvelous ways.