WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PRAISE GOD?
When I became more serious about prayer, I quickly found out that praise played a big role in prayer. I was led to always start prayer with praise. Not just a few words of praise but full on praise time with music, worship and adoration. I rejoiced and still do at the thought of praise time. Praise changed the way I prayed. It changed the way I saw God and it changed me through and through. Praise taught me many lessons one being that praise ushers us into God’s presence. Praise brings God into the scene.
Praise opens the gates of Heaven and the doors of blessings. Praise dissipates worry and dilutes concern and fear. Praise tarnishes sadness and magnifies goodness. Praise is one of the languages of faith. Praise capitalizes on who truly matters. It focuses on Lord! Praise is the answer. Praise is always the solution. Praise brings us so much closer to God. Praise is key! We can’t walk with God without walking in praise. We can’t walk in love without walking in praise. We can’t experience God without experiencing praise.
When I start to praise, I close one door and I open another one. I close the door to the world and I open the door to the Lord. Praise is an ignition button that I push to rev up my spiritual engine. Praise is the key to the door to joy, peace, love and faith. I praise the Lord daily because I need to get close to Him daily. Praise is very powerful. Why? God inhabits our praises. He is right there with you in your moment of praise. He shows up in a big way. He dispenses joy, peace, love and faith during praise. He shows Himself in all His glory. Praise keeps you in His presence and it sends away negativity including fear and worry. You can’t be in God’s presence and not experience peace.
As powerful as praise is, it can be a battlefield. The Word of God talks about giving the sacrifice of praise. Praise is not always easy to achieve. It takes effort and it takes diligence to get into praise. The enemy will try to distract you and slow you down when you get into praise. Thoughts and worries about the day will do their best to get your attention when you get into praise mode. Push through it. Get your praise on despite the negative thoughts. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Praise louder if you need to. Thank the Lord for praise. Thank the Lord for Jesus. Keep thanking as it is part of praise. You can win the battle of praise. The Holy Spirit will be your strength when your heart’s desire is to praise Him.
When you praise, your faith jumps up and down. The joy that is generated during praise is a force to be reckoned with. Praise destroys walls. It tears down the walls of frustration, the walls of failure, the walls of self-shame, the walls of loss and the walls of sadness among other walls. See praise as a destroyer of negativity. It takes things down and it builds things up. It takes down the enemy and it builds up your confidence in the Lord. It magnifies your vision of Jesus. It makes things new and possible. It cries out victory and it sings of the love and blessings of the Lord. Praise is a game-changer. If you are looking for the keys to Heaven, keep praising and the gates will open!
Suggested reading: Psalm 150:2; 2 Chronicles 20:22; Hebrews 13:15
