Praise as a Weapon, Ep 18
Welcome Back! I am your host, Dawn Simmons, and in this episode of Conquering Our Unseen Enemies we are going to be discussing how to use praise as an act of spiritual warfare. This one act is so simple, you won't even consider it as warfare. The beauty of it is that praise can be both a defensive and offensive weapon. In the midst of it you will begin to feel rejuvenated and strengthened. I say this, but not everyone will feel this way, and some will even shy away and pull back. I used to be one of those people.
I've shared before that I grew up in a denominational church where you sat quietly, we sang hymns, which I actually love hymns today, especially those where the men sing one part and then the women join in later, I can't sing at all so I was always in awe at how beautiful it sounded. Anyhow, as a kid, the service was arranged, set, and there was not a lot of room for the Holy Spirit to move in the room. Actually, I don't think the Holy Spirit was invited. My point is, I was conditioned, and even as an adult who is fully Holy Spirit filled, I still have some of those tendencies at times. So praise was not something that came naturally to me. My husband on the other hand, as soon as he became Spirit filled was all about praise. He is one of those who will yell out "Amen!" when the pastor says something he likes. I think my pastor loves that. I think it perks him up mid message when someone does that. He knows at least one person is listening!! Maybe you are more like me, or more demonstrative like my husband or somewhere in between, no matter, there is a way to get your praise on and do it to feel natural and grow in your relationship with the Lord that way. Did I mention the enemy hates praise? So the sooner we can develop it into our daily lives, the more we are sharpening our weapons and getting the enemy to not want to be around us.
Before we look at some people in the Bible known for their praise, let's talk about praise and exactly what it is because I think a lot of times people confuse praise with worship and they are different but extremely complimentary, so they are often joined which is why some don't know the difference right away.
Think of praise as coming from our heart to the Lord. It is a heartfelt way to show love, respect, thankfulness, an emotion that can be difficult to put into words. It is our way of showing and sharing with the Lord our devotion to him. We generally use words, but it can be actions as well to express to Him our devotion.
Worship takes praise and goes further. Worship will take that praise and put it to song, put it to dance, put it into action in a way that shows a surrender to the Lord. Worship provides us the opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives at that very moment. We humble ourselves in worship because we let go of ourselves and seek Him deeper in relationship with Him. So you can see how they become joined.
David is probably the most famous for combining his praise of the Lord with worship. He was a musician, so it was natural for him. I play a mean triangle, I cannot sing, so it does not come naturally to me. If you ever see my husband and me in the audience of any kind of musical, that's all him, I am there by duress.
Let's take a look at some of David's praise and worship. David wrote about half of the book of Psalms, he is credited with 75 of the 150. He is listed in Psalms as the author of 73, then the New Testament refers to him as the author of 2 additional Psalms, so 75 total. Thirteen of the Psalms David wrote had context. They were praise and worship he expressed in the midst of a trial or something specific happening at the time. The ones we will be discussing are just about praise and worship.
Let's take a look at Psalms 138:
Verse 1-3
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
Verse 6-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Verse 13-18
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
You can hear the praise in these words and feel his heart. Now imagine these words put to song with music. Unfortunately, we don't know today exactly how it sounded when David sang it, not all of those instruments exist today, but we can get an understanding of how David felt.
This next Psalm, I call the Praise Psalm. It's Psalm 148.
Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b]
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
This Psalm is all about Praising the Lord, the heavens and the earth. This one I wanted to discuss specifically because if you want something to help you in your praise, memorize these. There is something for everyone here so even if you can only remember a few of the lines, if it means something to you and it is scripture and it is praise that is a trifecta weapon against the enemy. Use it!!
You really can turn any scripture into a way to praise the Lord. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. I say it's all good for praising as well. Even the shortest scripture in the Bible. Do you know what it is? It's just 2 words. John 11:35, Jesus wept. Why on earth would I consider that a praise scripture we can use as a weapon? Well, first off it has Jesus' name in it. Just saying His name is praise. Second, the enemy hates hearing the name of Jesus. Third, the enemy knows what you are referencing in this scripture. Fourth, think about the scripture. All you have to do is think about the scripture in context and it becomes an incredibly powerful praise that should light you up and give you unending encouragement. Jesus wept because Lazarus was dead. He had been dead 4 days. Jesus cared for Lazarus. Jesus cares for all of us as well. We are no less important than Lazarus. What then did Jesus do? He told the men there to take away the stone that was covering Lazarus' cave where his body was located. We then read the prayer of thanksgiving Jesus gives to His Father, Our Father, and Jesus calls for Lazarus to come out and out walks Lazarus. That, my friends, is praise worthy. "Jesus wept"
I have a friend, we have known each other, since 2008, however long that is. Anyhow, this friend has always been on fire for the Lord as long as I have known him. During this time, 2008-2009ish we were working on projects together so we spent a lot of time together, my husband included and a few other folks. Anyhow, this friend was huge on praise. It didn't matter where we were, what we were doing, praise was coming out of his mouth, loudly, continually. If we went 30 minutes and there was no praise we would wonder what was wrong. The first time I heard it, I didn't know how to react. I was ok with him saying it, but we were in public, and he shouted it. I knew heads turned. I, I just wasn't sure about it. Here's how it would go. We would be talking, ladala taldalala, then something would be said about Jesus, a testimony or a blessing being discussed and then all of a sudden Tim would yell out "In the Name of Jesus!" It wasn't at the top of his lungs but felt pretty darn near. Over time, I grew to appreciate it and embrace it. You likely won't hear me yelling it out in public, but if you are ever in Southern California, and you hear someone yell it somewhere near you, yell out "Tim, is that you?" Guarantee you he will respond, and you will be blessed meeting him.
I hope this has been an encouragement to you. We have had several weeks of some heavy topics so we needed some lighter discussion. Praise can be forgotten when we get into the hustle and bustle of our day, bring it out, make time for it, it will make a difference. The Lord never fails to show when we call on Him.
Ok so as always let's recap the Top Show Points:
· Discussed how to use praise as an act of spiritual warfare. This one act is so simple, you won't even consider it as warfare. The beauty of it is that praise can be both a defensive and offensive weapon.
· The enemy hates praise? So the sooner we can develop it into our daily lives, the more we are sharpening our weapons and getting the enemy to not want to be around us.
· Praise is coming from our heart to the Lord. It is a heartfelt way to show love, respect, thankfulness, showing and sharing with the Lord our devotion to him.
· Worship will take praise and put it to song, put it to dance, put it into action in a way that shows a surrender to the Lord. Worship provides us the opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives at that very moment
· David is probably the most famous for combining his praise of the Lord with worship. He was a musician, so it was natural for him. David wrote half of the book of Psalms,
· Psalms 138: You can hear the praise in these words and feel his heart. Now imagine these words put to song with music.
· The Praise Psalm. It's Psalm 148. if it means something to you and it is scripture and it is praise that is a trifecta weapon against the enemy. Use it!!
John 11:35, Jesus wept.
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· Also, I want to encourage you to visit our website and join our Warrior community.
I enjoyed our time together and I look forward to it again next week. Have a great week!
I have enjoyed this time with you and I look forward to our time again next week!
We encourage you:
· To have an active Bible reading plan, it will be helpful in gaining wisdom and understanding and it is required for the gift of spiritual discernment
· Have a great week!
What we ask of you:
· Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe! Share with friends
· Give us a review
· Follow us on social media….
· Send us your questions and stories to share on an upcoming show. Send them to contact@conqueringourunseenenemies