Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
(24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
(25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”
Yet, in spite of the throbbing pain in their bodies and the disheartening atmosphere, at midnight Paul and Silas were heard praying and singing praises to God! What a strange sound this must have been to the other prisoners, who were used to only hearing the groans or cursings of those who had been beaten.
Then suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the prison! The doors flung open, and amazingly, the bonds of Paul, Silas, and every other prisoner were released! What caused this mighty discharge of power?
Praise Elevates us into God’s Presence and Power
Paul and Silas knew the secret of how to lift their hearts above their troubles and enter into God’s presence and power. Through praise and worship their hearts were raised into the joyous presence and peace of God,and provided God a channel for his power to operate in their circumstances.
The Bible says that God inhabits in the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of His praise. This means that praise is not merely a reaction from coming into His presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Praise and worship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. The psalmist writes, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalms 100:4).
This corresponds with Jesus’ teaching, that His presence will inhabit the gathering of believers who congregate in His name: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). A “gathering in His name” means that Jesus must be the focus, the center of the assemblage. He must be the one preached about, sung about — the one praised and worshiped. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12). Consequently, Christ’s presence, along with His virtue and anointing, is manifested in this type of gathering.
Have you ever noticed when “gifts of the Spirit” operate in a church service? The power and anointing of the Holy Spirit usually becomes evident, subsequent to a time of worship and praise. Some think that worship is a response after the Holy Spirit moves upon them. However, it’s the other way around. God’s presence responds when we move upon Him with worship! Lifting up Jesus Christ through praise and worship invokes the Lord’s presence and power to flow in our midst.
What is Praise?
Praise means “to commend, to applaud or magnify.” For the Christian, praise to God is an expression of worship, lifting-up and glorifying the Lord. It is an expression of humbling ourselves and centering our attention upon the Lord with heart-felt expressions of love, adoration and thanksgiving. High praises bring our spirit into a pinnacle of fellowship and intimacy between ourselves and God — it magnifies our awareness of our spiritual union with the most high God. Praise transports us into the realm of the supernatural and into the power of God. “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 89:15).
There are many actions involved with praise to God — verbal expressions of adoration and thanksgiving, singing, playing instruments, shouting, dancing, lifting or clapping our hands. But true praise is not “merely” going through these motions. Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of the pharisees, whose worship was only an outward show and not from the heart. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within.
Unpretentious praise and worship pleases the Lord. He delights in the love and devotion of His children. According to the scriptures, the various expressions of praise bring blessing to the Lord. He eagerly awaits the fragrance of our affections, desiring to manifest His sweet presence and power in our midst. “...the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23).
Praise to God is a Lifestyle
All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when they come together with other Christians. However, praise should be a part of a believers lifestyle, inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing. “...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).
Praise is an expression of faith, and a declaration of victory! It declares that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realize that praise repels the presence of the enemy, Satan. An atmosphere which is filled with sincere worship and praise to God by humble and contrite hearts is disgusting to the Devil. He fears the power in the name of Jesus, and flees from the Lord’s habitation in praise. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God” (Psalms 50:23).
When the children of Judah found themselves outnumbered by the hostile armies of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, King Jehoshophat and all the people sought the Lord for His help. The Lord assured the people that this would be His battle. He told them to go out against them, and He would do the fighting for them. So what did the children of Judah do? Being the people of “praise” (Judah actually means Praise), and knowing that God manifests His power through praise, they sent their army against their enemies, led by the praisers!
So on they went, ahead of the army declaring, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever!” And the scripture says, “...when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:22).
When God’s people begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy running! I challenge you to become a person of praise, and you will experience the release of the power of God!
Surely if you take yourself deep into praising God you shall acknowledge His power in you ....there are different kind or ways through which people of God may use to Praise and magnify our Lord God, the King of Kings....
Seven Ways To Praise
Praise. There are many forms of praise. Praise is a very important
aspect of our relationship with God. God inhabits our praise andwe should not be inhibited in our praise, for our praise glorifies God.Some people of the world do not always understand the different forms of our praise. Some would label us, but in the Hebrew language there are seven words that are synonymous with the English word praise. Here we would like to study these words and give you references to find in the Bible.
2. Clapping hands and shouting (Psalms 47)
This means that we can praise our Lord God by clapping our hands and shout to the world declaring the goodness of the Lord God we're saving, have you ever done such a thing before or you did it unknowingly .....!!!? now it is the time you do it because you know it already.[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.]]
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
(Psalms 47:1)
3. Musical instruments (Psm. 150:4)/Zamar
Playing any instrument that glorifies the Lord.
Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Praise him with the trumpet and with lute
and harp. Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed
instruments and horns. Praise him with the cymbals, praise him upon the
high sounding cymbals.
and harp. Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed
instruments and horns. Praise him with the cymbals, praise him upon the
high sounding cymbals.
4. Singing praise songs (Psalms 9:11)/Tehillah
This one is the best. It is the combination of singing, shouting,
dancing, clapping and rejoicing before the Lord.
Psalms 47:1
O clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
O clap your hands, all ye people: shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
Psalms 47:6
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
Psalms 144:9
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
5. Through Dancing/Halell
This means to rave and boast of the wonders of the Lord with
excitement through dance.
excitement through dance.
Psalms 149:3
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with
the timbrel and harp.
Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with
the timbrel and harp.
II Samuel 6:16
And as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter
looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord.
And as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter
looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord.
Psalms 30:11
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
However, many turn up their noses at God's precious gift, as if we couldn't trust God to give us good gifts. I myself, in my pride,ever since I received Lord as my savior i was to desperate to speak in tongue for I was told " there is no something so sweet than being in the spirit and speak in tongue , so i kept on seeking that Holly gift and so one day at my place i was living with my teachers who where also born again ,most of the time i was with them ,listening to their spiritual testimony, I loved the way they were spiritually connected as friends , Then i started asking them a lot of questions on how to speak in tongue...A week before attempting my exams at our home we were fasting and so we had a very God time for prayer ....what I remember , they told if any words come out of my mouth a shouldn't stop them from coming out....For sure i enjoyed that day because the moment we started praying , my mouth started trembling and right away started to speak in Tongue ....That was the day I became proud being a born again ....and the night that i received Holly Spirit when i was sleeping .....i was singing a certain Swahili song called "Neno lako ni taa ya miguu yangu" it was an awesome night to me and a lovely night ever in my life...
I believe that any Christian can receive this personal prayer form of tongues (see Mk 16:17), although some do not because of ignorance and misunderstanding. The Holy Spirit, unlike the evil spirit, does not seek to manipulate us. He respects our freedom. Therefore, we must yield to His promptings. He will not force us to speak in tongues, just as He will not force us to speak in our native language. But the Spirit will take the lead and prompt us. We must respond by obeying and choosing to open our mouths. We speak in tongues the same way we speak in our native language. We speak in obedience to God.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
6. Making a joyful noise (Psalms 98:4)
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
That is we can make a joyful noise unto Him as a praise giving ....All we've to do is to make sure that what we're doing or when we're making that joyful noise unto Him we mean the business.....if only we're doing it meanly surely we will see the power of Holly Spirit flows upon us and its when God will start ministering in our hearts....Now if we real want to praise God ,then its our choice unto which ways should we use to praise Him....Be blessed as you pass through this and let it work in your life....
7. Praising through speaking in tongues.
Speaking in Tongues
God has given us the gift to speak in a language we do not know by human means. This is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:10) and therefore of great help to us. Paul said: "Thank God, I speak in tongues more than any of you" (1 Cor 14:18). Through the gift of tongues, the Lord builds us up (1 Cor 14:4), enables us to utter "mysteries in the Spirit" (1 Cor 14:2), and empowers us to thank and praise Him (1 Cor 14:16-17). The gift of tongues is a sign, especially for unbelievers (1 Cor 14:22).
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TONGUES AND PRIDE
I encourage you my fellow born again seek that Holly gift of speaking in tongue and you shall see the work of God through Holly Spirit. God promised: "He who speaks in a tongue builds up himself" (1 Cor 14:4). Nevertheless, I didn't continue to pray in tongues but "prayed about it."
YIELDING TO TONGUES
I had accepted God's gift of tongues but was still confused about the interpretation of tongues. The Lord led me to an article that explained there are different "kinds of tongues" (see 1 Cor 12:10 in the Greek). Paul taught: "If there is no one to interpret, there should be silence in the assembly, each one speaking only to himself and to God" (1 Cor 14:28). Tongues are either interpreted for the upbuilding of the Church or are spoken only to ourselves and to God. This second kind of tongues is often called a "prayer language." It does not need to be interpreted since we are not speaking to human beings but to God, Who needs no interpretation (1 Cor 14:2).
For years, I did not speak in tongues because I had a double standard. I tried to speak in English in obedience to God, but I expected God to force any other language out of my mouth. I thought that, because I did not know what I was speaking in another tongue, God would have to make me speak rather than tell me to speak. God made it clear to me that whether or not I knew what I was saying was not the issue; obedience was. This was an important lesson for me to learn. It not only helped me pray in tongues but showed me the dynamics of life in the Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is not a matter of taking initiative but of obeying. Nor is it passively sitting there but actively responding. In the life in the Spirit, we never take the first step, but we should always respond to the first step of the Spirit.
HOW TO PRAISE THE LORD IN TONGUES
After we have given our lives to Jesus as Lord and received the Holy Spirit, we begin to realize that the purpose of our existence is to praise the Lord (Eph 1:12). Most of our earthly life will pass away, but praising the Lord will last forever. Although praising Him is our heart's desire and our eternal destiny, we have difficulty living a life of praise.
1) Giving thanks is the beginning of praising the Lord. We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts (Ps 100:4). Those who are not familiar with praising the Lord should begin by thanking Him.
2) We naturally move to praise from thanksgiving (Ps 100:4). We move from focusing on the works of God to the God of works. We come to realize He is worthy to be praised (Rv 5:12).
3) After thanking and praising the Lord for a few minutes, we run out of ways to express ourselves. Not that there isn't more to say in praise of God, but our consciousness, memory, and vocabulary are limited. When someone or something exceeds our ability to communicate, we usually try to extend our powers of communication by shouting or singing. We may even get into non-verbal forms of communication, such as clapping, dancing, and liturgical actions such as lifting our hands, genuflecting, bowing, etc.
4) But even if we have the best Biblical vocabulary and are free and talented enough to shout, sing, and dance; we cannot sustain praising God for more than a few minutes. We need the Spirit's gift of praising the Lord in another language, the gift of tongues (1 Cor 12:10). As with our native language, we form the words but the Lord provides the motivation. We pray in other tongues in obedience, simply because we believe the Lord is telling us to do so.
5) Although praying and singing in tongues is a quantum-leap forward in our praise-power, it is still limited. Finally, our praise in tongues turns to silence (Zeph 1:7; Rv 8:1). We are so aware of God's glory that we are rendered speechless. This type of profound silence after praise in tongues is the ultimate praise of God by a person on earth.
LOVE AND TONGUES
"A man who speaks in a tongue is talking not to men but to God. No one understands him, because he utters mysteries in the Spirit" (1 Cor 14:2). When we speak in tongues, we utter mysteries to God. We communicate at a level which is beyond our human capabilities. Our prayer life is revolutionized, and our relationship with the Lord is appreciably deepened. To understand this, we can look at the example of communication in marriage. On some occasions, a married couple is able to communicate on a much deeper level. This transforms their relationship and is fulfilling for each of the marriage partners. Likewise, praying in tongues moves our relationship with the Lord into a deeper dimension. As we grow in His love, we realize more and more the need for the gift of tongues.
PRAYER FOR TONGUES
Father, fill me with love for You and a desire to praise You. In Jesus' name, stir up the Holy Spirit in me to pray in another language. Remove all obstacles in the way of receiving this gift. May I pray in tongues daily for several minutes. Thank You. Amen.
You have asked and received. Now, thank and praise the Lord in your native language. Then obediently extend your expressions of love by praying in tongues.
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