ACTS 16:16-36
Life is full of praise. Praise is something everyone is born with, deep in our spirit-
man. It is an integral part of life. We praise what we value, we praise what we
support, we praise what we love. For example, parents and grandparents praise
their children, grandchildren. Teachers praise their students, coaches praise their
teams, husbands praise their wives and wives praise their husbands. But, why is it
so difficult to praise our God, the creator of ALL things, the creator of the
universe?
Is praise your way of life? or is it a religious training? For people with healthy
spiritual life, praise is natural. It flows easily from the heart of one who has a
relationship with God. For others, it is a religious training. There is power in
praise.
Praise gives access to God. Psalm 100:4 “enter His gates with thanksgiving…” If
you wanted to approach God, you had to go through the gate, into the courtyard,
and finally into The Holy of Holies.
Praise changes someone. Prover 27:21 “As the fining pot of silver, and the furnace
for gold; so is a man to his praise” In the fires of praise, God reaches out and
melts down our jagged edges until we become smooth and pliable in His hands.
Praise is a relationship, NOT a ritual. Exodus 25:8 God asked for a simple tent. It
wasn’t about the structure; it was about the relationship. God wanted a
tabernacle just so He could be with us. God doesn’t want anything to dwell in but
us, He wants relationship with us. That relationship comes through praise.
Praise defeats the enemy. One of the names of our Lord Jesus Christ is “The Lion
of the tribe of Judah” Judah means praise. Anywhere you see the name Judah in
the Bible, it always means praise. Judges 1:1-2 “Now after the death of Joshua it
came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, who shall go up
for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said Judah
shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.” God told PRAISE to
go in first to the enemy. Praise entered the battle first.
Brethren, how many battles do we needlessly fight, drawing our swords of worry,
our shields of fear, and our words of war? What would happen if we simply
trusted that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Praise) has already won the battle?
There is power in praise. PRAISE HIM today and every day.
PRAYER POINT. Praise God for His holiness, mercy, justice, grace, goodness,
kindness and for His salvation.