Effects of Praise

Most Christians believe that praising God and being thankful is good; however, many think it is optional, something to do after they have served the Lord in other ways. Some Christians only praise God when their circumstances are good and they have a reason to thank Him. The truth is that praising God is not an option. Praise has a powerful effect on the believer, the devil, and on God. It is our highest calling. Praise makes us humble. By focusing on your problems instead of praising God, you become self-centered and prideful. PRAISE forces you to get your attention on God and off your problems. If you focus on the Word of God, faith will come. How do you keep from focusing on the problem when you are in pain or have no money? The most important thing you can do is praise God. A negative, complaining attitude won’t change overnight, but beginning to praise God will start the transformation in your attitude. Practice thinking on positive things. Philippians 4:4 tells us to “rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Praise will build you up spiritually and keep you from crumbling, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). The Apostle Paul was persecuted and suffered far more than most of us, yet he put it all in perspective in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18:  Paul said our affliction is just for a moment in light of eternity. He looked into the spiritual realm. Praise will push you into the spiritual realm to SEE what God has done for you. Praising God doesn’t just affect us; it is a powerful weapon against the devil as well. Some people are so involved in spiritual warfare that their attention is on the devil more than on God. There is a place for fighting and resisting the devil, but focusing too much on the devil is NOT good. Why does praise defeat Satan? Satan’s sin was jealousy of God. He is still driven by jealousy today (Is. 14:13-14). It’s also important to understand that all temptation is rooted in selfishness. In fact, our selfishness is really Satan’s beachhead. Jesus stripped him of his power two thousand years ago, so the only thing he can really do is deceive us through our own selfish desires. The Bible tells us exactly what’s of the world:  1 John 2:16,“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” And in James 1:14 we read, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” Even if satan can’t get people to worship him, his goal is to keep people from worshiping God. He seeks to draw attention away from God. When we worship God, we mess up Satan’s plan. Praise stops a negative attitude. God created us to be full of praise, joy, and thanksgiving. He is blessed by His creation. We are often so service-oriented that we think we have to minister to others or work at the church to bless God. We think our net worth to God is our service. We forget that if it blesses God, it doesn’t have to touch anyone else. He longs to KNOW us personally and intimately. (Read JN 17:3) There are many  times in Scripture that God solicits our praise. Psalm 100:4 says that we should “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Our number one priority must be to love God personally. Praise is giving of yourself to God — an intimate communion with Him. If we would praise and seek God first, during our prayer time, other things would be added unto us. (Matt. 6:33) John 3:16 tells us that God gave His Son that we might have eternal life. Christians often think eternal life begins when you die and go to heaven, but John 17:3 tells us differently. Eternal life is now. Intimately knowing God is eternal life. Praise is a way to begin this love relationship with God. “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”(Heb. 13:15). Allow your light to shine.  Refuse to allow discouragement and gloominess to overtake you, for the Lord has given you power to rule over darkness.  Illuminate your atmosphere by allowing HIS glory to clothe you. You have the light of HIS Spirit dwelling in you to radiate outwardly and touch all that surrounds you.  Overcome evil with good. Let the power of of the Lord work in you to bring down strongholds that have hindered the flow of your anointing for some time.  Rejoice in this great and yet subtle and supernatural work. Isaiah 45:2-3  I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.  I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. John 8:12  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Amen