THE BENEFITS OF PRAISING GOD
We looked at ‘The Benefits of Trusting God’ through this medium in November 2010 and in December of the same year, we considered ‘The Benefits of Obeying God’. This month, we shall examine ‘The Benefits of Praising God’.
Praising God connotes expressing gratitude and respect to Him and it is an act of worship on its own. We can praise Him by singing (Judges 5:3), dancing (Psalm 149:3), and speaking (Psalm 145:21) etc. No one is exempted from praising God (Psalm 67:5) and the Heavens and Earth (Psalm 69:34) along with His entire works (Psalm 145:10) does praise Him too. We are free to praise Him with Trumpets, Harps, Flutes, Cymbals, etc. (Psalm 150). We can also praise Him more and more (Psalm 71:14) and forever (Psalm 52:9).
King David praised God passionately throughout his lifetime. In 2 Samuel 6:14, the bible says: ”Then David danced before the Lord with all his might” and on one occasion, he spoke in praise of God as follows: ”…You are great O Lord God. For there is none like You nor is there any God besides You…” (2 Samuel 7:22). He was even unapologetic when Michal, daughter of Saul, despised him for praising God so lavishly (2 Samuel 6:16, 21-22). No wonder he benefitted massively from Him. We shall revisit this point in a while.
Praising God is full of benefits, some of which we shall now go into. It enables people to:
1. Be in His Presence.
The Psalmist referred to this fact in Psalm 100:4 thus: ”Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise…”. Meanwhile, in the presence of God lies fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and none of our enemies can survive therein (Psalm 9:3). It sounds reasonable therefore that, if you truly want to overcome your enemies and be in perpetual joy then, you must be in God’s presence at all times and the starting point is praising Him.
2. Win their Battles.
Hannah won an extraordinary but excruciating battle against barrenness after praising God (1 Samuel 1:1-20). In verse 19, the bible says ”they (Hannah and her family) rose up early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord” (i.e. they praised Him) and He gave her a baby boy, Samuel, in return. What battle are you fighting at present? Is it that of bareness or ill health, joblessness, debt, poverty, fear, uncertainty etc.? Please pray to God about it today and praise Him as well and you’ll win it in the end in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Overcome their limitations.
In Acts 16: 16-26, a certain slave girl harassed Paul and Silas on end till they sent the spirit controlling her out and for this, they were flogged and jailed. But at midnight, whilst praising God via praying and singing hymns, a great earthquake which shook the prison to its foundation occurred and all its doors were flung open and all the prisoner’s chains were loosed. In other words, they overcame their limitations (viz.closed doors and restrictive chains). What is it that is limiting you right now? Is it an evil force, an evil covenant, a curse, your restrictive background, a harsh government policy, your past actions or inactions, etc.? Please pray to God about it right away; praise Him in addition, and you’ll overcome it in Jesus name. Amen.
4. Live fulfilled lives.
We mentioned earlier on that King David praised God throughout his lifetime and God allowed him to live a fulfilled life (Acts 13:36). He won all his battles (2 Samuel 22:40); he was rich and honourable; he reigned over Israel successfully, died in a good old age, buried in the city of David and his son Solomon, succeeded him (1 Chronicles 29:26-28, 1 Kings 2:10). And from his example, we can safely conclude that praising God and living a fulfilled life goes hand in hand. So, praise Him more as from now on and you too will live a fulfilled life at the end of the day in Jesus name. Amen.
Friend, as you move on fearlessly with your life, please, praise God more than you’ve ever done before and He’ll reward you with loads of benefits in response in Jesus name. Amen. Be expectant!
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Benefits of Praising God, God, Praise, Praising God
Of Prison Situations, Praise And Worship!
Today, we shall be looking at Acts 16:16-28. Paul and Silas were mercilessly beaten and thrown into jail for no credible reasons. But in spite of their nasty experiences, they showed no resentment towards anybody neither did they blame anyone for their predicaments instead; they worshipped God; praying and singing hymns to Him. That was a practical way of inviting God into their difficult situation (Psalm 22:3). And before long, He made His mighty presence felt via a great earthquake that shook the prison to its foundation and in the end; Paul and Silas were released unconditionally.
Prisons are places where people who ran foul of the law are quartered. They are separated from the larger society and made to undergo structured routines geared towards their reformation and eventual reintegration back into the society after completing their jail terms. However, they are grossly restricted in their choices; this is an important hallmark of prisons.
Figuratively speaking, Prison Situations are also experienced by a lot of people even though they are not imprisoned officially. These are situations which bring about restrictions, great difficulty, unhappiness etc and in most cases; those affected are incapable of assisting themselves neither can they be assisted by anyone as known day to day remedies are unhelpful. And if care is not taken, untimely death is imminent! The situations include grave illnesses, destructive habits, fear cum doubt, crippling poverty, joblessness, mounting debt, academic and professional inertia, dysfunctional family, etc. If any of them is troubling you then, you need help.
To overcome Prison Situations therefore, require a great force at the highest level and Jesus Christ is the force because He is well suited for aborting all encumbrances. This position can be confirmed in Acts 10:38 where Apostle Paul said: ‘’… God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him’’.
Perhaps you have been fasting and praying to God through Jesus Christ concerning your Prison Situation(s) for a while without success, I have good news for you. Help is on the way! But you have to observe the following protocol. First, you must calm down very quickly. This is very important so that you can make rational decisions. Next, you must increase your level of faith in God (Romans 10:17). Then, you must exercise patience and bear your condition with joy and dignity. And as much as possible, you must also honor God with singing and dancing just as Paul and Silas did. Please don’t forget to thank God for your situation(s) too because He takes special delight in people that does this (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Finally, and this is very important; you must continue to pray to God through Jesus Chris until your Prison Situation(s) fizzle out. This protocol is summed up by Apostle Paul in Romans 12:12 thus: ‘’Rejoicing in Hope, patient in tribulation and continuing steadfastly in prayer’’. I am happy to inform you that it cannot fail and if you embrace it very quickly, you’ll soon become a free person. Remember that ‘’He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it’’ (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Congratulations!
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Deliverance, Miracles, Praise, Praise and Worship, Prison, Prison Situation, Worship