WHAT IS YOUR WORSHIP LIKE?

God is spirit, and His worshipers must

worship in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24

What is your worship like? Is it a Sunday ritual or frenzied emotion that you can put on and take off? Is it limited to one style of music or a particular church? Most important, is it more than skin-deep?

God seeks those whose worship emanates from deep within. He desires legitimate praise and integrity between HEART and MOUTH. He wants to be the ONE we treasure most. Most of all, He wants ALL OF YOU! Paul in Romans 12:1 urged us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is our spiritual (reasonable) act of worship.

What does it means to present ourself as "a living sacrifice"? Is there a set time and place for it, or does it encompass all our lives? Considering the priority the Bible places on true worship - and Jesus' declaration that real worship is what God is after - these are enormously important questions. If we want to fulfill the purpose God has for us, and in fact to be fulfilled, we need to know how to love and adore Him.

In my earlier (February 2009) post "Are you a worshiper?" I shared that the first time you find worship in the Bible is in Genesis 22. It reads: "And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you." - Genesis 22:5 (Amplified Bible). Abraham was not going up yonder to sing a slow song with Isaac. He was going up there to put the most treasured possession in his life to death, simply because God asked him to do it! So can you see, to Abraham WORSHIP means a life of OBEDIENCE!

Like to share with you one of my favourite song entitled "Living Sacrifice" by Chris Christan. Take 3 minutues to be inspired about offering your life as "a living sacrifice" to Him. What is God speaking to you about your worship to Him?

Have A Blessed Week! - TPWC - Ricky

THE POWER OF PRAISE - PART 3

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (Amplified Bible)

We shall continue on our final instalment on The Power of Praise :-

4) GOD INHABITS OUR PRAISE

Psalm 22:3 declares, " But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]" (Amplified Bible).


The word "dwell or inhabit" in the Hebrew means to actually sit or reside in a place. God is always King whether we praise Him or not. He is always worthy of praise whether we praise Him or not. But when we praise Him we offer Him a throne to sit upon in our presence. That is why our praise is so necessary in order to bring the power of the presence of God into our church services.


In other words, our praise become a throne for our King. All the authority and majesty of the King is present in our humble offerings. When you stop to think about that, it is awesome! He could choose to to sit on some glorious planet somewhere that He created just for Himself. Instead, He is seated with us as we minister praises before Him.


As we worship, we can sing praises over nations, cities and governments. We have royal authority to proclaim God's dominion and kingdom in places far and near simply by lifting our voice and glory and honour to our King. He who is enthroned in our praise will make Himself known through us. His glory will fill the earth as His glory fills and flows through the proclaiming praisers.


5) PRAISE PREPARES US FOR MIRACLES


Psalm 50:23 "He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God" (Amplified Bible).


When the devil comes against us, praise will always point a way out. This verse indicates that when we sacrifice praise and glorify God, He will show us His salvation. The word salvation refers to more than just the salvation of soul. It refers to divine healing, deliverance and divine ways in which God helps us.


Two classic examples :


1) Paul and Silas in the Philippian Jail (Acts 16:25)


After great persecution by the inhabitants of Philipi and after being beaten, they were cast into prison. Acts 16:25 declares what they did, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God." Imagine what they could have been saying to God that night. They could have complained and listed all the problems that had come about because of their missionary journeys. But the prayed and sang praises to God!


They didn't do it quietly. The Bible records, "and prisoners heard them." They were singing out loud. The Greek in that phrase implies that the prisoners were listening keenly. Acts 16:26 states, "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." This illustrates the fact that God responds to praise.
- Praise is a way to bring God into your situation.
- Praise is a way to bring the miracle working power of God into your life.

- Praise opens prison doors (Acts 16:25-26)
- Praise set the captives free (Psalm 149:6-9)


But notice again that it has to be a sacrifice. It is the abnormal thing to do. If things are going well, it is never a sacrifice to praise the Lord. But God delights when you offer a sacrifice of praise to Him. It is a tremendous step of faith and God honours that faith with miracles.


2) King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20)


We are all familiar with the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Remember, Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah are teetering on the brink of destruction - they are about to be attacked by horde far outnumbering them. You might compare their plight to a situation of your own in which everything seems to go wrong, or when the force of Satan's opposition threaten to overpower you. King Jehoshaphat's experience offers a way to do battle in such situations. He begins by simply confessing, "We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us" (2 Chronicles 20:12).

This confession of weakness doesn't mean that Judah is passive and does nothing - nor should we. A prophet of Judah delivers a word from the Lord. God tells them that the battle is His, not theirs. For their response, the people " (stand) up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high:" (2 Chronicles 20:19). Then instead of hurling spears or boulders, the army marches out boldly hurling phrases of praises, singing, "Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21). The result? The Lord Himself sets ambushes for the enemy, causing confusion and fighting to break out among their ranks.

So what attack should believers mount against Satan and his hordes? We are to take up the weapons we wield best - the weapons of praise. As the apostle Paul teaches us, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Faced with the forces of evil, God's people are not to fear. Our greatest resource for resistance doesn't arise from any arsenal known to human wisdom or device. It comes from knowing that the battle is the Lord's. We are never to react from a position of weakness, but from one of strength. That strength is found in faithfully remaining at our post of praise. Our best defense is to do what we should know how to do best: offer praise and glory to the Living God, whose enemies, ultimately, will always flee before His might and power

PRAISE THE LORD !
TPWC

THE POWER OF PRAISE - PART 2

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

In the city of our God, in His holy mountain

Psalm 48:1

Our PRAISE, in other words, should be in proportion to God's greatness - which means it has to be measureless. We can never exhaust the POWER and the possibility of PRAISE. The more we PRAISE God, the more we acknowledge His greatness.


Let's continue to expand on the POWER OF PRAISE - What happen when we choose to PRAISE our great God?


1) PRAISE SILENCES THE ENEMY


O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your Name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.Psalm 8:1-2 (Amplified Bible)


- Notice the weapon that king David is using here is the NAME of the Lord. PRAISE is the way to silence the enemy. A practical translation of that would be, "that you might make the devil shut up!"
- PRAISE is also the ordained strength of God. Our PRAISE may be weak as a child but it is powerful to shut up the enemies
- Notice also the use of the word "mouth" in this verse. All spiritual weapons have only one launching pad, and that is our mouth


2) PRAISE IS A GARMENT OF THE SPIRIT


Isaiah 61:3, speaks of "the garment of PRAISE for the spirit of heaviness."


- Isaiah 61 was quoted by Jesus in His home synagogue in Nazareth immediately after His temptation in the wilderness to launch the preaching of the Good News (beauty for their sadness/ashes, oil of joy for a mourning spirit and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness)
- In contemporary language we would call it a spirit of depression which is a stronghold of the enemy. In other words when we choose to PRAISE GOD there is deliverence from the spirit of depression.
- PRAISE is a spiritual garment and every believer must wear this garment at all times. We have to make a choice to "PUT ON" the garment of PRAISE daily.


3) PRAISE LEADS THE BELIEVER INTO THE TRIUMP OF CHRIST


Psalm 106:47, "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.


- We are to triump in the PRAISE of God. This verse applies not only to Israel as a nation, but also to every believers.
- There is a great difference between victory and triump. Victory is the accomplishment of the defeat of the enemy, whereas a triump is a celebration of the victory already won!
- See also Colossians 2:15 & 2 Corinthians 2:14



Have a blessed & victorious week as you continuingly let PRAISE be in your mouth!
Psalm 34:1 - I WILL bless the Lord at all times; His PRAISE shall continually be in my mouth.

TPWC

THE POWER OF PRAISE

Like to share with you a classic 80's praise song entitled "PRAISE THE LORD"
Whatever circumstances or situations you may be in right now, just take 3 to 5 mins to listen this power song and make a choice to Praise The Lord

PRAISE THE LORD (Lyric)

When you’re up against struggle, that shatters all your dreams
And you hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fear
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in seems to disappear

Praise the Lord, He will work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you, that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him

Now, Satan is a liar and he wants to make us thinks
That we are paupers, when he knows himself that we are children of the King
So lift up the mighty shield of faith, for the battle must be won
We know that Jesus Christ is risen and the works already done

Words & Music by Brown Bannister & Mike Hudson

Artistes - Russ Taff, The Imperials (Original artiste by Chris Christian)

Copyright - WORD Music LLC

WHEN YOU PRAISE THE LORD

- the enemies cringed! (Psalm 66:1-3)

- you silence the enemies even though your praise may be weak as a child (Psalm 8:2)

- you open prison doors (Acts 16:25-26)

- the enemies will be ambushed & defeated (2 Chronicles 20:22)

- you set the captives free (Psalm 149:6-9)

2 Corinthians 10:4 (Amplified Bible)
For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds

Blessings

TPWC