The Weapon of Praise and Worship

Wednesday 7 June
READ: Psa. 22: 3
MORE LESSONS: Acts 16: 23-40

But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel: Psa. 22:3. Singing praises is a very powerful weapon for a believer. If you want to have a successful life, learn the power of praise and worship. When Paul and Silas were locked up in prison, prayer and praises brought the presence of God that broke their chains and threw open the prison doors. You can never overestimate the power of praise and worship. People say, 'When everything else fails, try praise'. Well, you'd better use praise first. Praise is not a trial and error thing; go for praises and your situations will surely turn around. Prayer rises to meet God but praises bring God out of His seat into your situation; and when God arrives, Power has arrived.
Praising God is a great weapon that can devastate the kingdom of darkness. Job complained that in all his crises no one said to him, Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night: Job 35:10 (NKJV). That was because he later discovered that when you pass through a midnight situation in life, singing praises brings you out of the impossibilities and destroys what the devil is doing in your life. If all the time Job spent seeking out what sin he had committed and listening to different opinions, had been spent in praise and worship, I guess his crises would have been over much earlier.
There is a difference between praise and worship. Prophetic worship is about giving God His worth in a prophetic way even when the situation doesn't look good. You take your eyes from the situation and fix your gaze on the Almighty God, and begin to ascribe His worth and attribute His works to Him. You take a good look in your spirit at the Almighty God and begin to call Him by His names and His works. You may or may not be singing, dancing or clapping but you give God His due; that is prophetic worship.
Nothing brings a man into the presence of the Lord faster than giving God prophetic worship. This is what Jehoshaphat and the children of Israel did and won the battle without fighting (II Chro. 20: 14-30). When you enter into prophetic worship, in the heart of the strangest situation of life, you become a spectator in your battle. God Himself comes down and takes over your affairs.

Prayer/Action
* Receive a heart of gratitude and praise today, in Jesus’ name.
* Give God thanks for all He has and has not done.
* Praise God for your expectations in life.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This sixth month, my light shall burn brighter and brighter and I shall wax greater and greater unto the perfect day, in the name of Jesus.

Vessels of Praise II

Tuesday 6 June
READ: Luke 8: 1-3
MORE LESSON: Luke 21: 1-4

We are considering being vessels of praise and today we will see things that a man can do that will make him become a vessel of praise unto Jehovah, And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: AND THE TWELVE WERE WITH HIM, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance: Lk. 8:1-3. In this text, Jesus had twelve disciples who were with Him when He was preaching the good news. These disciples became vessels of praise simply by following Jesus around. Without these twelve, the gospel wouldn't later have gone abroad. So a man can become a vessel of praise by giving his life time for God’s service.
Certain women that Jesus healed were also mentioned for always ministering to Him. Some of those women’s names were mentioned, others were grouped as 'many others....', but they all ministered to Jesus. You can become a vessel of praise by taking note of what is lacking in the lives of ministers of God and taking out of your substance to meet their needs. When God blesses some believers they usually hide behind the pretext that,'There is nothing we can give to thank God enough', and they truly give nothing. That is not correct reasoning, As a vessel of praise you should give God what you have. The widow in the Bible gave two mites, it was the least but that was her all and the best. What is left after you have given to God is what determines the quality of what you have given and whether it can be called your best or not. A vessel of praise will never come empty before God; he will always bring Him his best.
Another widow was the old prophetess Anna who was serving God with fasting and prayer (Luke 2: 36-38). She was married for just seven years when she became a widow, probably without a child. But she stayed in the temple and worshipped God with fasting and prayer. She didn't give in to self-pity neither was she fasting for money, husband or children but rather she gave herself to worshipping God with fasting and prayer. That woman was a vessel of praise. With all the challenges you are facing in life, do you still worship God? This woman was an example of worship by fasting and prayer instead of fasting for needs. You can become a vessel of praise by creating time to fast and pray for God’s work and people. It is another form of worshipping God that brings praise to Him. I pray that you will be a great vessel of praise to God, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to endow you with the wisdom to know what to do to provoke blessings on you today, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to be merciful to you so that all your services will be acceptable.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, let the heaven of profits open over my life, business and marriage this month, in the name of Jesus.

Vessels of Praise I

Monday 5 June
READ: Lk. 11: 27-2
MORE LESSON: 2 Kgs. 7:1-10

A vessel of praise is one whose actions cause men to praise God. Jesus was a perfect example of a vessel of praise by His works and His words. In the main text, Jesus was teaching and doing miracles and a woman was so impressed that she could not but burst out saying, And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it: Luke 11:27-28. Jesus by His work caused praises to go forth.
There are also vessels of disgrace. When people repeatedly make negative statements to God and man because of your actions, you are a vessel of disgrace. Children who are well taught but living contrary to the teachings, and causing people to make negative remarks about their parents are vessels of disgrace. May you be a vessel of praise, in Jesus’ name.
You become a vessel of praise by providing solution to problems. If you solve problems anywhere you find yourself, even when not called upon, you will be remembered as a vessel of praise. Some people only cause problems anywhere they go making themselves so difficult to get along with. Such people will also be remembered for that. Being a vessel of praise or of disgrace in life is a choice. Everyone will be remembered for something. The good that a man does will speak for him while he is alive and even after he is dead. In the same way, there are those who will be remembered for the problems they cause.
Today, I urge you to make the choice to be a vessel of praise- be the reason why somebody is happy and praising God every day from today. There is a reward for being vessels of praise. The little boy whose lunch pack was used by Jesus to feed 5,000 people obviously had God’s reward and may be the owner of the 12 baskets left over. Paul says: and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not: Gal. 6:9. It is wonderful to be a tool of blessing (Jn. 6:9-11). Everyone who has ever received a blessing from God owes God the debt of being a blessing to someone else, because we are blessed to be able to be a blessing.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to make you a vessel of praise, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask the Lord to make you a blessing to someone today, in the name of Jesus.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I command the fire of God to destroy every force of wastage and destruction operating in any area of my business and life endeavours, in the name of Jesus.

Antidote to Anger II

Sunday 4 June
READ: Eph. 4:24-32
MORE LESSON: Matt. 26:36-39; 27:46-50

Some people have inherited DNA traits that make it rather natural for them to get angry very quickly. Such people can trace a whole genealogy of the work of anger through the years past and are wondering how to disconnect from that blood line pattern. There is solution for you. Ever wondered how Jesus went through the pain and passion of Calvary without getting upset for a single second but rather prayed for those who whipped and humiliated Him and asked the Father to forgive them? That is too good to be true. If it were you or I , God knows how many times we would have rained fire from Heaven before we remember the cross. But you see, everything Jesus did was about creating models by which we could pattern our lives until we become just like Him.
The first thing Jesus did that kept Him stable throughout that gruesome moment of extreme pain and anguish was that the moment before at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed. He openly told God the weakness of His flesh. He expressed Himself in sincerity (Matt. 26:41). The reason some of us cannot break out of funny habits is because we are not sincere with ourselves and God. The first person to talk to when next you get angry is not your grandmother; it is your Father in Heaven. It doesn't matter how deep the weakness has eaten you, when you pray and believe, miracles will happen.
The other thing Jesus did to overcome all the tendencies of the flesh during that great passion of the cross was that He kept His focus on the glory with the Father that was ahead of Him. The only thing that mattered to Him was the Father’s love. It was only once we saw Him cry out with a loud voice when the Father forsook Him for a moment. When we drink deep into the Father’s love, it is easy to extend love to others even when they do not deserve it. Anger just seems to vanish when love switches on. Its power and rage are neutralised when the reality of God's unfathomable love pulses through our veins. It is easy to smile at a storm when the love of the Father matters most to you. Nobody can just press your buttons anyhow and trigger you to anger because you have felt true love. When it comes to anger, find and figure out the reason why, and let God fix it for you. God is healing our hearts by His love. Let us receive His free gift today and always.

Prayer/Action
* Receive a fresh baptism of God's love to heal your heart of every grief.
* Ask God to strengthen your love for Him and humanity, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Holy Ghost, terminate every near success syndrome targeted at my life and destiny, in the name of Jesus.