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

#Praise #BlessTheLord #PowerOfPraise #PraiseGod #SpiritOfPraise

THE PRAISE SERIES (Part 11) - OFFERING SACRIFICE OF PRAISE CONTINUALLY

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name
Hebrews 13:15

As believers, we are called upon to offer to God a CONTINUAL sacrifice. Aren't we glad that instead of presenting in the morning and evening a sacrifice of lambs and on certain holy days bringing bullocks and sheep to be slain, we are to present to God the sacrifice of praise?Firstly, how do we offer this sacrifice CONTINUALLY? “By him therefore…” at the very threshold of all offering of sacrifice to God, we begin with Christ. We cannot go a step without Jesus. The High Priest of our profession meets us at the sanctuary door. We place our sacrifices into His hands, so that He may present them for us. Without a Mediator we can make no advance to God. We are to offer CONTINUAL sacrifice looking to Jesus.
“Let us offer sacrifice of praise to God continually …” that is to say, without ceasing. Let us make an analogy to that which says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and say, “Praise without ceasing.”We are to praise the Lord our God, not only in this place or that place, but in every place; not only when we are in a happy frame of mind, but even when we are downcast and troubled. The perfumed smoke from the altar of incense is rise toward heaven both day and night, from beginning of the year to the year’s end. Not only when we are in the assembly of the saints are we to praise God, but when we are called to pass through “valley of the shadow of death”. Psalm 34:1 – “Bless the Lord at all times.” Offer the sacrifice of praise to God not just alone in your secret chamber, which is fragrant with the perfume of your communion with God, but in the field, there in the street, and in the hurry and noise of the exchange.
This CONTINUAL sacrifice of praise is to be natural. It is called “the fruit of our lips”. These lips of ours must produce fruit. Our words are leaves – how soon they wither! However, the praise of God is the fruit that can be stored up and presented to the Lord. Fruit is a natural product. It grows without force, the free outcome of the plant (on condition that we stay abide in the VINE – John 15:1-8). So let praise grow out of your lips as it’s own sweet will. Let it be as natural to you, as regenerated men and women, to praise God as it seems to be natural to profane men to blaspheme His sacred name.
Last but not least, I want to recommend this blessed exercise of praise – “to offer the sacrifice of praise to God CONTINUALLY,” because in so doing, you will discover your reason for being. Every creature is happiest when it is doing what it is made for. An eagle would die in the water, even as a fish that is made to swim perishes on the river’s bank. Christians are made to glorify God. We are never in our element until we are praising Him. The happiest moments you have ever spent were those in which you lost sight of everything inferior and bowed before J-H-V-H’s throne with reverent joy and blissful praise. I can say it is so with me, and I do not doubt it is so with you. When your whole soul is full of praise, you have at last reached the goal at which your heart is aiming. Your ship is now in full sail. Your life moves on smoothly and safely. This is the groove along which it was made to slide. Your new nature was fashioned for the praise of God, and it finds rest in doing so. Keep to this work. Do not degrade yourself by less divine employment.
(an extract from – Spurgeon on Praise – the joy and rewards of praising God)