THE PRAISE SERIES (Part 7) - THE POWER OF PRAISE (III)

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 installment 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 wepraise 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's 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 asacrifice 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 PRAISE SERIES (Part 4) - SILENCING THE ENEMY

From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise

because of your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger

Psalm 8:2 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why God commands and desires our praise? Is it because He has as ego problem? Is He insecure? Does He need our praise? The answer to all these questions is emphatically NO. God does not need our praise. 

Scripture records that there are creatures in heaven that do nothing but worship Him day and night (Revelation 4:8)

Why then has God ordained our praise? Psalm 8:2 gives us the answer: "because of our enemies." Some people feel they have done the  Lord a great service if they spend thirty minutes worshipping Him. The fact is we do not do Him a favour; we do ourselves a favour and the devil great damage. God has not ordained praise because He needs it, but because we need to praise Him.

Ezekiel refers to Lucifer as "the anointed cherub" (Eziekiel 28:13-14). Lucifer was called to lead all of heaven in worship to the most high God ... but he fell because of PRIDE(Isaiah 14:12-15). Because of a prideful heart, Satan fell from heaven, lost his heavenly anointing and was cast to the earth. (Ezekiel 28:16-18).

The wonderful thing God did was to take what Satan was originally anointed to do and allow us, the body of Christ, to use it as a weapon of warfare to destroy the enemy's plans. Psalm 8:2 says that God has ordained praise because of our enemy, to silence the avenger. The word silence is the Hebrew word "shabath" which means "to cause to fail, to repose, suffer to be lacking, to put down, take away."

As we praise the Lord, we cause the enemy to fail. As we lift our voices to God, we defeat the power of Satan that would bring us into bondage. As we enter into worship, we begin to take back what the enemy has stolen from us.

When you understand this, spiritual warfare is no longer drudgery. That's why Paul could say, "Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). It is a good fight when you know your enemy is fleeing in terror. We are not running from our enemy; instead we have him on the run. we are not in a defensive position waiting for him to attack. Rather we take the offensive and go after his kingdom aggressively. We are God's commandos who go in behind the lines rescuing those that are held captive. We use spiritual weapons of war to blow up his communications facilities and destroy his method of operation.

Paul said that "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of stronghold" (2 Corinthians 10:9). Praise and worship play an important role in all this because God has ordained our praise to silence him. It is time for the church to arise in this hour and praise the Lord with all it's might. We must become uninhibited in our praise, even as children are (Psalm 8:2 says - "out of the mouth of babes"). Then our weapon of warfare - PRAISE - will be unleashed on the powers of darkness and result in their demise and destruction.

(an extract from - Silencing The Enemy by Robert Gay)

Praise The Lord!!! \0/\0/\0/

TPWC

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 20) - Praise Him For Those "Black Dots!"

"It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp" Psalm 92:1-3

No matter what the source of the evil, if you are in God and surrounded by Him as by an atmosphere, all evil has to pass through Him before it comes to you. Therefore you can thank and praise God for everything that comes, not for the sin of it, but for what God will bring out of it and through it. May God make our lives thanksgiving and perpetual praise, then He will make everything a blessing. We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them we were singing: 

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost"

There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let God come into our lives, and adjust the dots in the proper way, and draw the lines He wants, and separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places; out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. Let us not hinder Him in this glorious work! - C. H. P. 

"Would we know that the major chords were sweet,

If there were no minor key?

Would the painter's work be fair to our eyes,

Without shade on land or sea?"

"Would we know the meaning of happiness,

Would we feel that the day was bright,

If we'd never known what it was to grieve,

Nor gazed on the dark of night?"

Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.- C.H. Spurgeon When the musician presses the black keys on the great organ, the music is as sweet as when he touches the white ones, but to get the capacity of the instrument he must touch them all.- Selected
(An extract from - Streams In The Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowan)

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 17) - PRAISE THE VICTORY YOU HAVE IN GOD OVER YOUR ENEMIES

\0/\0/\0/ PRAISING GOD IN VICTORY! \0/\0/\0/

Psalm 27:3 - Praise Him when an army comes against you
2Samuel 22:30 - Praise Him when you can overtake an entire troop
2 Chronicles 20:17 - Praise Him when He fights on your behalf2 Chronicles 20:21 - Praise Him when you can defeat an overwhelming
Romans 8:31 - Praise Him when God is for you and no one can stand against you
Psalm 7:6 - Praise Him when your enemies rage against you
Psalm 27:2-5 - Praise Him when your enemies come against you
Psalm 25:19 - when your enemies are many and are very cruel
Psalm 38: 19 - Praise Him when your enemies are multiplied and very strong
Psalm69:4 - Praise Him when your enemies hate you without cause ...
Psalm 102:8 - Praise Him when your enemies speak against your all day long

Lamentation 3:52 -Praise Him when your enemies hunt you down without cause1 Samuel 2:1 - Praise Him when you can smile at your enemies because of His salvation
Psalm 18:1-3 - Praise Him when you are delivered from your enemies
Psalm 9:3 - Praise Him when your enemies fall and perish at His presence
Psalm 18:3, 48 - Praise Him when you call on the Lord and are saved from your enemies
Psalm 23:5 - Praise Him when He prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies
Psalm 25:2 - Praise Him when He will not allow your enemies to triumph over you
Psalm 27:6 - Praise Him when He lifts your head above your enemies

Psalm 27:11 - Praise Him when He leads you on a smooth path in the face of your enemiesPsalm 41:2 - Praise Him when He stands against the will of your enemies
Psalm 119:98 - Praise Him when He makes you wiser than your enemies through His Word
Psalm 143:9 - Praise Him when He is a shelter from your enemies
Micah 7:8 - Praise Him when He lifts you and gives you light in the face of your enemies
2 Kings 17:39 - Praise Him when He delivers your from the hand of all your enemies
Zephaniah 3:14-15 - Praise Him when He turns back your enemies
Psalm 66:3 - Praise Him when His great power cause your enemies to cringe
(An extract from Praise Him by Vivien Hibbert)

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 12) - HALLELUJAH - PRAISE YE HE LORD!

Let Everything That Has Breath 

Praise The Lord.
Psalm 150 : 6

Let us offer our thanksgiving, praise and worship by declaring Psalm 150 - PRAISE THE LORD! The word"PRAISE" is used thirteen times in this psalm, and ten of those times, we are commanded to "PRAISE HIM"The word "HALLELU YAH" - Hallelujah - means "Praise The Lord!" Jehovah (or Yah, for Yahweh) is the covenant name of the Lord. It reminds us that He loves us and has covenanted to save us, keep us, care for us, and eventually glorify us, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. The new covenant was not sealed by the blood of animal sacrifices but by the precious blood of Christ.
Jehovah God is the "power name" of God - El Elohim, and this reminds us that whatever He promises, He is able to perform. Worship is not about the worshiper and his or her needs; it is about God and His glory, honor and power. Certainly we bring our burdens and needs with us into the sanctuary (1 Peter 5:7), but we focus our attention on the Lord. 

"You Are Worthy, O Lord,

To receive Glory And Honor And Power;
For You Created All Things,
And By Your Will They Exist And Were Created."
Revelation 4:11

All true praise and worship must begin and remain centered on God and His absolute worthiness to receive all glory, honor and power. There are no techniques for worship, here; no instructions for the praise band - just a number of doorways for you to open to the vast realms of praise await us all.

"Great Is The Lord And Most Worthy Of Praise."

1 Chronicles 16:25.

God is not just worthy of praise, He is MOST WORTHY of praise. In other words, whatever praise we can give Him, He deserves it. We cannot overestimate His worth because He is worth more than anything.

Right now would you join me with your voices, or songs, or instruments, or dances to PRAISE THE LORD by declaring Psalm 150?

Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
Praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Ppraise him with tambourine and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and flute, 
Praise him with the clash of cymbals,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord.
PRAISE THE LORD.

THE PRAISE SERIES (Part 5) - THE POWER OF PRAISE (I)

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 to 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

Chorus:

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(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)

"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)

Have blessed and victorious week! \0/\0/\0/

TPWC

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 17) - PRAISE HIM FOR THE VICTORY OVER OUR ENEMIES!

- PRAISE HIM - 

THE VICTORY YOU HAVE IN GOD 

OVER YOUR ENEMIES

Psalm 27:3 - Praise Him when an army comes against you
2Samuel 22:30 - Praise Him when you can overtake an entire troop
2 Chronicles 20:17 - Praise Him when He fights on your behalf
2 Chronicles 20:21 - Praise Him when you can defeat an overwhelming
Romans 8:31 - Praise Him when God is for you and no one can stand against you
Psalm 7:6 - Praise Him when your enemies rage against you

Psalm 27:2-5 - Praise Him when your enemies come against you
Psalm 25:19 - when your enemies are many and are very cruel
Psalm 38: 19 - Praise Him when your enemies are multiplied and very strong
Psalm 69:4 - Praise Him when your enemies hate you without cause ...
Psalm 102:8 - Praise Him when your enemies speak against your all day long
Lamentation 3:52 -Praise Him when your enemies hunt

you down without cause
1 Samuel 2:1 - Praise Him when you can smile at your enemies becuae of His salvation
Psalm 18:1-3 - Praise Him when you are delivered from your enemies
Psalm 9:3 - Praise Him when your enemies fall and perish at His presence
Psalm 18:3, 48 - Praise Him when you call on the Lord and are saved from your enemies
Psalm 23:5 - Praise Him when He prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies
Psalm 25:2 - Praise Him when He will not allow your enemies to triump over you
Psalm 27:6 - Praise Him when He lifts your head above your enemies
Psalm 27:11 - Praise Him when He leads you on a smooth path in the face of your enemies
Psalm 41:2 - Praise Him when He stands against the will of your enemies
Psalm 119:98 - Praise Him when He makes you wiser than your enemies through His Word
Psalm 143:9 - Praise Him when He is a shelter from your enemies
Micah 7:8 - Praise Him when He lifts you and gives you light in the face of your enemies
2 Kings 17:39 - Praise Him when He delivers your from the hand of all your enemies
Zephaniah 3:14-15 - Praise Him when He turns back your enemies
Psalm 66:3 - Praise Him when His great power cause your enemies to cringe

(An extract from: Praise Him by Vivien Hebbert)

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE PRAISE SERIES (PART 15) - HALLELUJAH! PRAISE YE THE LORD!

Let Everything That Has Breath 

Praise The Lord.
Psalm 150 : 6

Let us offer our thanksgiving, praise and worship by declaring Psalm 150 - PRAISE THE LORD! The word "PRAISE" is used thirteen times in this psalm, and ten of those times, we are commanded to "PRAISE HIM"The word "HALLELU YAH" - Hallelujah - means "Praise The Lord!" Jehovah (or Yah, for Yahweh) is the covenant name of the Lord. It reminds us that He loves us and has covenanted to save us, keep us, care for us, and eventually glorify us, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. The new covenant was not sealed by the blood of animal sacrifices but by the precious blood of Christ.
Jehovah God is the "power name" of God - El Elohim, and this reminds us that whatever He promises, He is able to perform. Worship is not about the worshiper and his or her needs; it is about God and His glory, honor and power. Certainly we bring our burdens and needs with us into the sanctuary (1 Peter 5:7), but we focus our attention on the Lord. 

"You Are Worthy, O Lord,

To receive Glory And Honor And Power;
For You Created All Things,
And By Your Will They Exist And Were Created."
Revelation 4:11

All true praise and worship must begin and remain centered on God and His absolute worthiness to receive all glory, honor and power. There are no techniques for worship, here; no instructions for the praise band - just a number of doorways for you to open to the vast realms of praise await us all.

"Great Is The Lord And Most Worthy Of Praise."

1 Chronicles 16:25.

God is not just worthy of praise, He is MOST WORTHY of praise. In other words, whatever praise we can give Him, He deserves it. We cannot overestimate His worth because He is worth more than anything.

Right now would you join me with your voices, or songs, or instruments, or dances to PRAISE THE LORD by declaring Psalm 150?

Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
Praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Ppraise him with tambourine and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and flute, 
Praise him with the clash of cymbals,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord.
PRAISE THE LORD.

Blessed New Year!
TPWC

THE PRAISE SERIES (Part 9) - WHO CAN PRAISE THE LORD

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?

Who can declare all His praise?

Blessed are those who keep justice,

And he who does righteousness at all times

Remember me, O Lord, 

with the favor You have toward Your people.

Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,

That I may glory with Your inheritance.

Psalm 106:1-5

Who can truly Praise The Lord?

1) Those Who Know God Through Faith in Jesus Christ
"His mercy endures forever" (verse1). Only when we've experienced the mercy and the grace of God can we utter His mighty acts. We've been saved by grace. This was God's greatest act - greater than bringing Israel out of Egypt and even greater than the creation of the universe.
2) Those Who Obey Him
"Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!" (verse 3). If we are walking with The Lord and obeying Him, then we can praise Him and speak of His wondrous acts.
3) Those Who Call Upon The Lord.
"Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh visit me with Your salvation" (verse 4). People who pray are people who praise. People who pray for God's will in their lives are those who rejoice in His work. 
"Whoever calls on the name of The Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21) - not only salvation but in all situation! That's why we can praise The Lord.
4) Those Who Trust His Promises.
"That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance" (verse 5). God promised His people an inheritance in Canaan, and He gave it to them. We now have our inheritance in Jesus Christ. We are rich in Christ! We can draw our upon His inheritance to share His goodness and His blessings, and one day we will share in His glory.
PRAISE THE LORD! \0/\0/\0/

THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP - ELIEZER (BOWING TO GOD'S PROPEROUS WAYS)

In Genesis chapter 24 we read the story of Eliezer, Abraham's servant, who was given the responsibility to find a wife for His master's son, Issac. By this time, Abraham was about one hundred and forty years old. And though God had promised to make of his descendants a great nation, Abraham was becoming concerned. His son was now forty-two years old and had no wife or children. Abraham did indeed have faith in God's promise. But because he and Isaac lived among the Canaanites, Abraham was concerned that his son not take a wife from that pagan people. He realized that God's promised seed could not be pure if it came through a Canaanite woman, and so Abraham had to arrange for a wife to be brought from his own kindred back in Mesopotamia. (Genesis 24:2-4)

 1) GOD'S SERVANT FACED A CHALLENGE

Abraham was then living Canaan and to reach Mesopotamia involved crossing two rivers and a stretch of desert in between. The journey was nearly five hundred miles through solitary country with no roads or transportation services. It was a difficult task for Eliezer to travel to a distance strange land and to persuade a young woman to accept this offer of marriage.

But would Eliezer agree? As the chief servant in Abraham's household, Eliezer was next in line to be his master's heir if Isaac were to die without children. Even if Elizer did agree outwardly, it could have been easy for him to fail in his task intentionally. However, praise the Lord that he was a righteous man who had always obeyed his master's will. Still, in agreeing to the journey he needed Abraham to clarify his instructions. Eliezer expressed his concerns to Abraham:

"Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. The Lord God ...swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you ..." (Genesis 24:5-9)

The whole matter of Isaac's getting a bride and producing seed resolved around God's promise: He would give the land to Abraham's seed. The same truth applies today. All details of our lives as Christians must resolve around God's promises. We cannot leave the place where God wants us to be and still expect those promises to be fulfilled. These thing being true, as worshipers, we must make the daily decisions of our lives based on God's instructions and promised (OBEDIENCE).

2) GOD"S SERVANT PRAYED
But Eliezer was looking to God. He prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See I am standing beside this spring, and the daughter of the town people are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says,'Drink, and I will water your camels too' - let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." (Genesis 24:12-14).
Notice also that in his prayer Eliezer considered God first, then his master Abraham whom he represented, and only then did he express his own petition.

3) GOD'S SERVANT WORSHIPED THE  PROSPEROUS WAYS OF GOD
Abraham's servant had not even finish praying when Rebekah arrived at the well, and in detail all his requests were transpired (imagine the time taken and amount of water needed to feed ten camels). But what if the girl was not of Abraham's family? So Eliezer asked about her connections. As soon as he was assured that Rebekah was a relative of Abraham, he "Bowed his head and worshiped the Lord." (Genesis 24:26)
Do you see the ways of God? if you request Him to do certain thing and begin to trust Him, and then things fall out as you asked, you will adore Him for His ways with you. What does it means to worship the ways of God? It is to render all glory to Him. When you are faced with some difficulty and He carried you through, do you just rejoice in the prosperity of your way? It was not with Eliezer, He did not even stop to talk to Rebekah, he straightaway worshiped. He did not feel embarrassed but instantly bowed his head and blessed the Lord.

There is a connection between glory and worship. To bring glory to the lord is to worship Him and it is our bowing before Him that is true worship. The proud in heart cannot worship Him because they will find it difficult to bow to Him. When their way is prosperous they attribute it to their own ability or to chance; they do not give glory to the Lord. To be a true worshiper is to offer without reservation all the thanksgiving, praise and worship to Him for everything we meet. At every turn Abraham's servant did so. When he went with Rebekah to her home and explained his mission and found Laban and Bethuel willing to let Rebekah go at once, again his instantaneous and spontaneous reaction was to adore the ways of God. "He bowed himself down to the ground before the Lord." (Genesis 24:52)

As worshipers, we must not only learn to recognise His works, but we must learn to acknowledge the way He works. Apart from from worshiping Him for Who He is, we must learn to worship the ways of His working in our lives. If our hearts are set to be worshipers of God, He will give us more and more opportunity to worship Him. God will orders all our affairs so that we may bring Him the worship that He desires. At times He will make our way so prosperous that we have to acknowledge it is He alone Who did it, and all the glory goes to Him.

The humility that Eliezer had demostrated in his prayers to God was manifested in his worship. And his response was simply to bow his head and prayerfully give God glory. And He did not rejoice first for his own sake; rather he rejoiced first in God's favor for Ahraham. These attitude are foundational to the ESSENCE OF TRUE WORSHIP.

THE HALLELUJAH LIVING

"But You are holy,

O You Who dwell in [the holy place where]

the praises of Israel [are offered]"
Psalms 22:3 (Amplified Bible)

We learnt from the last two posts - The Hallelujah Factor - that the word "HALLELUJAH" means PRAISE THE LORD! The Hebrew Word "Hallal" means 'to boast, to brag on, to laud, to make a show even to the point of being clamorously foolish or mad' before the Lord. And "JAH" is simply the shortened name of GOD which means YAWEH. So when we say "HALLELUJAH" we ought to response in extreme excitement, exuberance and exultation.

It seemed foolish for the Istraelites to march around Jericho, and shout their PRAISES to see those walls fall down. But they shouted anyway, and down the walls came (Joshua 6:20). It seems ridiculous for king Jehoshaphat to have the singers and praisers lead the way singing and praising in the face of three great armies. But God was pleased, and brought them great victory and deliverance that day (2 Chronicles 20:22). It was a peculiar thing for Paul and Silas to be praising God at midnight in that filthy old jail, but God responded and sent the earthquake and freedom (Acts 16:25-26). Therefore, I believe God will meet you if you will say "HALLELUJAH" everytime you walk through the "fire or flood"!

There is certainly nothing magical about the word HALLELUJAH or PRAISING THE LORD. But God does respond to faith. Shouting HALLELUJAH or PRAISING HIM especially in difficult circumstances or situations actually show our genuine faith in His loving provision.

"I will bless the Lord at ALL time

His PRAISE shall continually be in my mouth"

Psalm 34:1

PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW!
1) Do you feel the joy of the Lord in your soul? PRAISE THE LORD! Or do you feel blank in side or even worst, do you feel depressed? PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW! It is "the sacrifice of praise to God continually" you are commanded to offer (Hebrews 13:15). "The sacrifice of praise" means PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW, especially when you don't feel like it!

2) Are all your children or family saved? PRAISE THE LORD! Or are some still wandering in sin? PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW! God promises you that, by believing, ALL your household will be saved (Acts 16:31). PRAISING the Lord for their salvation in advance of seeing them in the fold is evidence that you truly believe!

3) Are all your bills paid up to date? PRAISE THE LORD! Or are you plagued by financial problems? PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW! PRAISE activates God's promise to supply ALL your needs accordning the Philippians 4:19.

4) Is the weather good, and to your liking? PRAISE THE LORD! Or is it unpleasant weather? PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW! "This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will REJOICE and be gad in it" (Psalms 118:24).

PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW! Why? "We know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Don't miss God's plan by PRAISING the Lord only for things you label "blessings." His command: " In EVERYTHING give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
(An extract from: There's Dynamite In Praise by Don Gossett)

Try it ... we can shout HALLELUJAH right in the face of adversity, illness, discouragement and needs. It may seems foolish like the Israelites but there is POWER IN PRAISE!

Last but not least, I would like to share this Youtube Video :CHRISTMAS FOOD COURT FLASH MOB. I am quite sure many of us would have would have seen it (must see if you haven't). When I first saw it, this interesting thought came to my mind - releasing His PRAISE in the market place. Think about it, God will inhabit in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)

HALLELUJAH!
TPWC \0/\0/\0/