The art of praise is a little known, little used battle tactic against the forces of darkness, but it is an effective strategy that will defeat the enemy. Read further to learn how to use it, if you want victory in your Christian walk.
Scripture reading:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.”
Psalms 22:1-3 NKJV
The Message (paraphrased):
Praise is a very powerful battle tactic as it can bring down entire cities of your enemy. It should be a practiced way of fighting, fully utilizing your sword. Praise is an “art,” and we should be conformed to that art as we are meant to be conformed to Jesus who perfected praise. It takes time to understand the art of praise as we have to unlearn what we once knew as lost people. When the art of praise is perfected, we invite God into our midst.
Sources:
“… entire cities of your enemy”: Joshua 6:3-5
“… fully utilizing your sword.”: Ephesians 6:17
“… as we are meant to be conformed to Jesus…”: Romans 8:29
“… as we have to unlearn what we once knew as lost people.”: Romans 12:2
“… we invite God into our midst.”: Psalms 22:3
Getting more in-depth into the art of praise:
Praise must be a visible sign, not just an internal one. Most people (Christians) will not do such “undignified” showings as they feel that it’s a sign of stupidity or would trounce on their vanity, but to them, I would tell them to read 2 Samuel 6:16-23. In many instances, the programming that has been created/supported in a person’s mind to keep praise at bay has been set up by the environment and peers that are either intentionally or unintentionally listening to Satan, the father of lies and doing his will, not the Will of God. Trying to stop a Christian’s praise is, in essence, trying to “de-throne God” and wage war against the Kingdom as stated in Psalms 22:3. It’s not up to God to “get us in the mood,” as we must stoke the flames of praise ourselves (2 Timothy 1:6). Remember, praise must be vocal and you will feel undignified at the beginning. Dance, sing, shout, clap your hands, say boldly (loudly) praises to God, to Jesus, to His Will, the Kingdom, and who you are in the name of Jesus, as you have a new identity in Him. The Devil wants you to be “dignified,” ignore him and watch him run when you break out your new battle tactic of praise.
If you’re not praising, your conjuring.
There are only 2 ways in which to do anything, God’s Ways, or the ways of Satan – there is no “in-between.” If you are not praising, you are conjuring demons (spirits) by your thoughts, which bring about your actions, which bring about your death (James 1:15). The diagram below shows the circle of choice for which we all are governed, no matter the belief system, economics, age, or geography. It is at the “Thoughts” state that we need to be “renewed” (Romans 12:2), so we can adopt the art of praise as a part of our normal internal/external action(s).
I mentioned that if you are not praising, you are conjuring, and this is true, as the words that come out of your mouth, as well as your actions, can bring about demons (unclean spirits) into your life. Even a Christian can experience the tragic results and consequences of walking in a carnal way (Galatians 5:19-21). There are 16 names that the Bible has given to demons and when you are not praising God/Jesus/Kingdom or inhibiting praise of others, you are bringing these demons to your life and the life of others by creating the environment for which they can thrive. The names of these demons, as well as scriptural references, are as follows:
In the Old Testament:
- Jealousy/ jealousy/ feelings of jealousy Numbers 5: 14, 30
- Ill will/ evil /evil Judges 9: 23
- Distressing/ evil/ evil 1 Samuel 16: 14–23; 18: 10; 19: 9
- Lying/ deceiving/ lying 1 Kings 22: 22; 2 Chronicles 18: 20–22
- Perverse/ distortion/ dizziness Isaiah 19: 14
- Deep sleep/ deep sleep/ deep sleep Isaiah 29: 10
- Heaviness/ fainting/ despair Isaiah 61: 3
- Harlotry/ harlotry/ prostitution Hosea 4: 12; 5: 4
- Unclean/ unclean/ impurity Zechariah 13: 2
In the New Testament:
- Mute/ mute/ robbed of speech Mark 9: 17
- Deaf and dumb/ deaf and dumb/ deaf and mute Mark 9: 25
- Infirmity/ causing sickness/ crippling Luke 13: 11
- Divination/ divination/ predicting the future Acts 16: 16
- Deceiving/ deceitful/ deceiving 1 Timothy 4: 1
- Fear/ timidity/ timidity 2 Timothy 1: 7
- Error/ error/ falsehood 1 John 4: 6
To give an example of how you can conjure, I’ll use the spirit of fear. The speech will be similar to this:
“I’m so worried about the Coronavirus. I know it’s coming and I’m so afraid that I’ll get sick or others around me will die.“
When you take into account that most Christians speak fear into their lives and hardly ever use the battle tactic of the art of Praise, it’s a wonder why we haven’t been destroyed already, and I’m not even talking about the other fifteen demons that are just waiting to set a foothold into your life. Praise is COUNTER to all of these filthy things listed above because God is enthroned in Praise, not Satan or demons.
If you are conjuring, STOP IMMEDIATELY and begin to praise, otherwise, you’ll invite the consequences of not only the demons you have but the curses of God for stepping outside of His Will (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
Learning the Art of Praise:
It starts with a willful, conscious and external act(s) to stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit. After all, to start a furnace, you have to strike the pilot light. The three ways listed below are how I do things to praise in the way that God wants me, and us to praise.
- Start with being thankful (Psalm 100:4)
- We begin by being thankful for how God has been in our lives and how He has led us through hard times. We thank God for all the good things he has done for us and what He has given us. No Christian alive should not come up with a mental “blank” when it comes to the blessings of God.
- Lift your hands high, look up, and smile (Psalm 63:4-5)
- God built us to praise. It is physically impossible for us to be sad/depressed if we stand up straight, lift our hands above our heads and smile big. When you are feeling sad, your body will sink all over. Counter this with a willful, conscious act of defiance against the Devil/demons by lifting your hands and smiling.
- Speak God’s Promises (1 Samuel 12:24)
- Every single day, and multiple moments throughout the day, you should not only be meditating on all of God’s Promises found throughout the Old & New Testaments, you should be speaking them aloud and thanking God for His Only Son, Jesus Christ for the sacrifice He made on the Cross, so we could have access to God and the inheritance of His Kingdom.
- Sing, clap, and dance (Psalm 47)
- Physical movement has been shown to get rid of stress, sadness, and anxiety/depression, once again proving that God built us for Praise. Get moving, dance, clap your hands, sing songs that praise God. If you’re into the hymns, here are a few that you should get to intimately know as well as some more contemporary praise songs:
- Here are some praise songs as well
Train, train, train.
If you were to enter the Boston Marathon without ever training, or your training regiment only consisted of a few days out of the month, you would fall flat on your face after 100 feet. The art of praise is just that, an art, and like many disciplines, it requires daily practice. Start by praising in small ways, purposeful ways throughout your day. If I were to go into a gym and attempt to bench press 495 pounds without a day’s training before the big weight, I would be crushed! Likewise, how do you think you can manifest the art of praise when you are going through bankruptcy, cancer, a death, torture, or any of the “big weights” we have in life if you are unwilling to put a days work in the Gym of the Kingdom, lifting high the weights of praise, which, in time, will build your muscles and build your faith? The simple truth is, “you can’t,” unless you are willing to train.
Examples of scriptures countering worldly ways:
Listed below are just 4 scripture passages. There are many more. When practicing your praise, incorporate these (and others) into your vocal worship. Do this every day, multiple times throughout that day. Once you get these memorized, you’ll find them creeping into your language without you knowing it because you are making them a part of your new programming.
To the Coronavirus (or any sickness that is the “plague-of-the-day”):
To the idea of worry:
To the idea of being poor:
To the idea of overall health:
