THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 2) - THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13;15)

The Principle Of Sacrifice Of Praise Is In The Bible
- Cain & Abel (Gen 4:3-5)
- Noah (Gen 8:20-21)
- Tabernacle of Moses: God demanded the 
    shedding of innocent blood for the covering of 
    man’s sin - Book of Exodus/Leviticus)
- Calvary became the final sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12) but God continues to require a sacrifice from His children

The principle of sacrifice originated in the heart of God. What is important to notice, however, is that God required a sacrifice. When God asked for a sacrifice He asked the people to bring the very best of their substance and to present it in a very specific manner to the Lord as an offering.

The purpose for each sacrifice was the same. God demanded the shedding of innocent blood for the covering of man's sin. Although the need for blood sacrifice was fulfilled at Calvary, the principle of sacrifice has not been abolished in the New Testament. God continues to require a sacrifice from His children (Heb 13:15)

God is interested not only in the praise that we give Him in times when things are going well. He is after that praise that comes in the midst of great trial, great difficulty, grief, sickness, temptation, relational difficulties, and financial problems. He still requires praise. He still demands it. When we give it to Him in time of difficulty it means all the more to Him. We are operating according to the principle of sacrifice, and God is pleased.

Difference Between Praise And Sacrifice Of Praise
Praise – Praise flows easily when we are in a right relationship with God. It is a spontaneous flow when we think of all that He has done for us
Sacrifice of Praise – The sacrifice of praise is offered to God when things do not seem to be going right. It is:
- Praise offered in spite of the way things are going

Hebrew Word: Todah (or Towdah)

- Praise offered in faith and obedience
- Praise offered because of who God is

Sacrifice of praise is continual praise & is audible (Psalm 34:1 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth) 

Examples In The Bible

1) Paul & Silas (Acts 16:22-34)

* Physical Situation - Severely flogged (stripped & beaten) and thrown into prison for their faith. No reason to praise God

* Spiritual Situation - At midnight (darkest moment) they started to pray and praise God

* Result - A violent earthquake shook the place, prison doors were opened, chains broken and jailer & family received salvation

2) King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:1-22)

* Physical Situation - A vast army invading Israel

* Spiritual Condition - Inquired of the Lord and proclaimed a fast. The Spirit of God assured them that the battle belong to the Lord. They obeyed the Lord by sending the choir ahead of the army into the battlefield.

* Result - The Lord set an ambush against the enemy and they were defeated.

How To Offer Sacrifice Of Praise?

1) Make A Decision
- Determine beforehand that you are going to praise God at ALL TIMES AND IN EVERY SITUATION.

2) Start Now- Praise God every day – all day
- Cultivate the habit of praise

3) When Troubles Come
- Remember your decision
- Put on the garment of Praise – An act of your will
- Remember that praise in the difficult times allows God to work on your behalf
- Praise in times of trouble brings glory to the Father

4) Begin By Faith
- The way you begin to offer the sacrifice of praise is by faith. Praise Him for Who He is and what He has done. Then offer thanks to God for the situation even if you do understand it
- Acknowledge that He is in control of your situation and praise Him for making a way of deliverance, even though you can see no way out of the problem. Then set your mind on Him and on the promises of His Word
- Once you have started to make the sacrifice of praise – CONTINUE. Declare aloud the Word of God that proclaims victory and deliverance
- This offering of praise in obedience (& faith) will set your mind on Him and not the circumstances. As you keep proclaiming His power & glory to your circumstances, you will see how small it actually is.
- Soon you will find yourself joyfully entering into the full dimension of His Presence as you continue to release your spirit in the sacrifice of praise. Then start to sing, to dance, to glorify & magnify Him and He will make a way of salvation & deliverance for you! 

To be continued ...

Be blessed!

TPWC

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 1) - PRIVATE PRAISE

"I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth"

Psalm 34:1

Thank God for corporate praise when we gather together. It helps us to get among a body of believers as we celebrate and magnify the name of the Lord. There is also a personal private praise which lifestyle worshippers must not neglect. The reason for this is that until we come to the place where we can really enter into that private, personal praise, just between you and the Lord, there are always going to be some hindrances and some holding back when we enter into the corporate praise.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17) and God wants us to get so free that when His Spirit starts moving on us at home, in our kitchen, out in your work place, when commuting or driving down the road in your car, we can just let the spirit of praise flow like rivers of living waters in our surrounding.The Bible says that God inhabits in our praise (Psalms 22:3). The question is, "If He inhabits in our praise, how far does He inhabits it?" The answer is as far as the sound of your voice goes ... "Glory! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Blessed be the name of Jesus!" As far as our voice sounds, God is living in those words. For example, when we are in our car praising and worshipping Him, our audible praise fills that car. When the devil gets any where near you; do you know what he gets? "Glory!" If he comes through the window of your car, "Hallelujah!" hits him. When he tries to enter by the door, "Jesus!" knocks him off.
PRAISE HAS TO BE VOCALISED. The Bible says, "My lips shall praise Thee "(Psalms 63:3).If you go around with your mouth shut and not praising God, then God is not in your praise and the devil beats on you. Our praise may be as weak as babes, but it is powerful enough to silence the enemy (Psalms 8:2). There is power in the name of Jesus, that means that that power is released when we speak or sing it. When we begin to speak forth or sing our praises in His name, the spirit inside us begins to rise up and the power of darkness outside of us begins to retreat. Let the Devil hit our praise ten or twenty feet out in front of us. Let them stick their fingers in their ears each time they are near us.

Psalms 34:1 says, " ... His praise shall CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH." Most people have to stop what they are doing to try to get

into praising God, but we need to have this reverse. We need to praise God so much that we have to stop praising in order to do something else.

Psalms 113:3 says, " From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." King David was a man after God's own heart. He praised God in the morning, he praised Him at noontime and he praised him in the night-time.

Psalms 119:164 David said, Seven times a day I praise Thee." The number seven is perfect and complete. God is looking for worshipers who will choose to PRAISE HIM CONTINUALLY AND ALL DAY.

PRIVATE PRAISE is a powerful experience to live in. It is the key to a victorious and abundant life with Jesus. Let us the first fruits of our day to the Lord in private praise.

TPWC (An extract from Private Praise by Elbert Willis)

Until the practice of praise in private is continuous and free, the practice of corporate praise will be inhibited by fear, self-consciousness and discomfort. The practice in the corporate sense is absolutely indispensable to the maximum worship experience."
Jack R. Taylor - The Hallelujah Factor

WORSHIP QUOTABLE (PART 3)

Greetings Worshipers,

This will be third and final installment on Worship Quotable .... the list is inexhaustible because worship is eternal (Revelation 4:10-11). Trust that you are inspired by these power worship quotes from people who are worship pastors, worship songwriters and worship authors:

"When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart." - Lamar Boschman

"We've made worship self-centered instead of God-centered. We lobby for what we want: 'I don't like the songs', 'I don't like the volume'. It's as if we're worshipping worship instead of worshipping God." - Geoff Bullock

"Worship touches God’s heart, and in turn, he infuses ours with his passion and compassion." - Bob Fitts

"Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped - The heart of the issue in worship is this: My life needs God's presence to work God's purpose in my life." - Jack Hayford

"Worship is God's enjoyment of us and our enjoyment of him. Worship is a response to the father/child relationship." - Graham Kendrick

"It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men." -C.S. Lewis

"We must never assume that simply because people are gathered together in one place, they are necessarily ready to worship. They seem to be ready, but they must in fact be brought to a place of readiness. The people do not need whipping—they have been battered by the world all week long! Rather, through loving understanding and prophetic anointing, the leader should bring them to a place of open surrender to the Holy Spirit." - Bob Sorge

"Worship is an act of obedience of the heart. It is a response that requires the very core of who you are, to love the Lord for who He is, not just for what He does." - Darlene Zschech

"Worship is the love making expression between the bridge (body of Christ) and the groom (Jesus Christ). Worship is love freely given to God it is the expression of awe and respect to God." - John Wimber

"We can express our worship to God in many ways. But if we love the Lord and are led by His Holy Spirit, our worship will always bring a delighted sense of admiring awe and a sincere humility on our part. " - A.W.Tozer

"Worship is not a matter of skill and technique. It is not confined to just singing some songs during a weekend church service. It is a lifestyle and daily experience. True worship flows from the life of one who has an intimate relationship with God. It is the response of our spirit to the presence of God" - David Swan

"True worship changes people. If you’re not changed after you worship, you haven’t been worshiping. No one can draw nigh into the presence of God without changing - It can’t be done! If worship doesn’t propel you into greater obedience, call it what you will, but it isn’t worship. It isn’t worship unless you come out of it with a greater commitment to obedience. As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy expectancy or it isn’t worship. The results of worship are that God is glorified, Christians are purified, the church is edified, the Lost are evangelized." - John MacArthur

"To worship God . . . is to "glory in his holy name" (Ps. 105:3), that is , to revel adoringly in who he is in his revealed character. But before we can glory in God's name, we must know it. Hence the propriety of the reading and preaching of the Word of God in public worship, and of biblical meditation in private devotion. These things are not an intrusion into worship; they form the necessary foundation of it. God must speak to us before we have any liberty to speak to him. He must disclose to us who he is before we can offer him what we are in acceptable worship. The worship of God is always a response to the Word of God. Scripture wonderfully directs and enriches our worship." - John Stott
"A worship leader's purpose is to direct a congregation's worship toward the Father. If you know you are appointed by God to lead His people into wholehearted worship - whether you're a trained worship leader or not - God's anointing will be there. Don't allow your own sense of inadequacy to keep you from stepping out in obedience and dependence upon the Lord. " - Don Moen

"Worship is the act and attitude of wholeheartedly giving ourselves to God, spirit, soul and body. Evangelism is the activity of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and calling mankind to wholehearted devotion to him.
Worship Evangelism, then could be defined as: wholehearted worshippers calling the whole world to wholehearted worship. " - Gerrit Gustafson



Blessings
TPWC

WORSHIP QUOTABLE (For Worship Leaders) - PART 2

Just the other day, I was asked a point-blank question what I thought was the single most important quality that a worship leader should possess? "Be a LIFESTYLE WORSHIPER," I answered.

"Worship Is Not Something We Do, It Is A Lifestyle We MAINTAIN! Worship As A Way Of Life Goes Beyond Formulas And Techniques." - John Stevenson 
"If You Cannot Worship God In The Midst Of Your Responsibilities On Monday, Then It Is Very Unlikely You Were Worshiping God On Sunday!" - A.W. Tozer
" You Cannot Be Doing On Sunday What You Have Not Been Doing All Week Long." - Kent Henry
"A Worshiping Church Is Not A Church That Incorporates Certain Worship Expressions, But It Is A Group Of Worshiping Hearts. To Have A Worshipping Church, You Have To Have Worshippers. Unless There Are Worshipers In A Worship Service, There's Isn't Going To Be True Worship, Only Worship Mechanics! - Greg Mira
To Be A Lifestyle Worshiper It Begins With A Daily Disciplined Attitude Of A Thankful Heart (The Outer Court) - "In Everything Give Thanks For This Is The Will Of God." (1 Thessalonian 5:18). Secondly, We Must Exercise And Practice Personal Private Praise (The Inner Court) - We Must Learn How To "Put On The Garment Of Praise" (Isaiah 61:3) And Also Offer Sacrifice Of Praise (Hebrews 13:15). Only Then Can We Experience Continual Communion And Anointing Worshiping The Father (In The Holy Of Holies) In Spirit And In Truth (John 4:24) - TPWC

As A Worship Leader, You Cannot Lead Where You Have Never Been. Today, The Lord Is Seeking For The Heart Of Worship Rather Than The Art Of Worship - TPWC

                         Paul Balche - Performance VS Worship Leading

Blessings
TPWC