The Mystery of Praise II

Tuesday 3 January
READ: Psa.34:1
MORE LESSONS: Acts16:25-26

When God made man, He made him spirit, soul and body. According to 1Thess.5:23b, …and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So when the psalmist in the first text demanded of his soul to sing praises to the Lord, it was actually his spirit that was instructing his soul to praise the Lord. Why did the spirit of the psalmist summon his own soul to praise God? Our human minds tend to focus on the prevailing challenges around and not on the prevailing power in praise within.
The realms of our intellect and logic cannot fathom that we must praise God because praise is not an intellectual concept; it is a spiritual mystery. That is why, with a closer look, we also will notice that the psalmist was not issuing an advice or suggestion but an emphatic command! David was arguably Israel's greatest King and an anointed man of war from his youth; so if anyone knew anything about issuing commands, David did. Now, here comes the great man of war speaking about praise with military undertones to reveal that he understood that praise was actually a lethal weapon of warfare.
Throughout Bible history, from the exodus of the children of Israel to the time of the apostles, the mystery of praise was one weapon consistently deployed by the children of God to quench the fiery darts of the devil and his cohorts. The mysterious power in praise owes to the fact that God dwells in praise and where ever the presence of the Lord is, no demonic operation can thrive there.
Praise is a vehicle of the presence and power of God. True praise is irresistible to God. It commands the manifestation of the full weight of the Host of Heaven to your life and situation. Whenever we praise God whole heartedly, God surely visits our lives. One visit from the Lord Himself is more than enough to turn everything around for the better and we can testify like David in Psa.126:1, When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Praise is a spiritual transaction through which you give God what He desires and He in turn gives you your heart’s desires. Truly, wise people praise God even before their breakthroughs show up. Be wise, praise Him in advance.

Prayer/Action
* Father, as I praise You continuously from today, cause me to experience the unfathomable power of praise, in Jesus’ name.
* Lord, give me the wisdom to praise You always, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This year I shall operate by the force and speed of light, in the mighty name of Jesus.