The Power Of Our Praise

Last night we had a quote on quote, Worship Night, and it was an amazing time with the Lord and with close friends. There was time of prayer and times of fellowship sprinkled in along with singing songs of worship. But toward the end, one of my friends asked me what has been my experience with Praise.

This question came from a comment I had made some days earlier where I was talking about my childhood and upbringing in Memphis, TN where praise was coupled with worship but particularly praise was before worship like a pattern or a step into worship. We were talking about how different cultures and ethnicities/demographic areas have different styles or different types of anointings that are stronger or weaker based on knowledge of something. This is why Honor and celebration of different cultures is paramount if we want to see and experience a greater expression of the Kingdom of God. I explained that praise deals with a specific warfare in our minds but also with the atmosphere in which it takes place. I remember dancing and clapping my hands and shouting and yelling at the top of my lungs, "Hallelujah! GLORY! PRAISE YOU JESUS! These shouts of praise not only shift your mindset but also shift the atmosphere around you. Praise essentially realigns your body, your thoughts, and your heart back on God. It is the posture that positions us to be close and prepares us for intimacy with the Lord.

Praise is how we cleanse the palate of our minds that sometimes can contain thoughts and perspectives that can make it difficult to press in or experience God's presence. In a lot of ways when we praise we are crucifying our flesh and making our bodies and mouths give thanks for what God has done. Power is present when praise is prioritized properly; meaning God can get things done and shift and move things when we praise.

The Difference Between Praise and Worship

A followup question that was asked was "well what is the difference between praise and worship?" At this point, I had the opportunity to share from what I know and understand at this point in my walk with the Lord what the difference was between praise and worship. The first thing that comes to mind for me and probably plenty of other people is "oh that's easy, praise is a fast song and worship are slower songs." There's some validity to that to an extent but that's not really how God is looking at it. The Bible says God weighs the heart. It says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks and that we are to give God the fruit of our lips. In other words, praise and worship are fruit, but different types of fruit based on the expression of our heart. The simplest way for me to explain the difference between praise and worship is this. Praise is the value we express to God based on what He's done for us. It is characterized by shouting, dancing, clapping and paying a physical price for what God has done and performed in our life and even throughout history and the ages. Worship, on the other hand, deals with loving and honoring God for who He is. In worship, we assign and give out of a heart of honor based on the value and worth of who God is. It is characterized by adoration and exaltation of who God is. It is marked by closeness and intimacy and being in relationship with God.

Praise Releases Breakthrough

Praise can be used for multiple things in the Kingdom of God. One of the ways God uses it in our lives is to release breakthrough. In Joshua chapter 6 we see the instructions of the Lord to surround the city and then on the seventh day release a sound from a trumpet, and then shout with a great shout thereby causing the wall to fall down. Praise is very important in the realm of breakthrough for what God has promised you. It is a battle strategy to secure and take what God has promised you.

I will never forget when God started establishing this principle in my life. My wife Nicole and I were just newly married and we needed an additional vehicle for transportation. Well my Father-in-Law Gary is really savvy with cars and looking for cars and making sure they're priced appropriately and things dealing with that. So as a result of this, we just let him search for us and didn't really think twice about it. Several weeks go by and he calls us and lets us know that he really had not been able to find anything. And I'll never forget what he said. "Have you guys been praying?" We both looked at each other and realized we had not thought twice about it and just assumed it would happen because we knew God would deliver. You see that's true but He still requires us to partner with Him to release it. I remember during this time, I heard the Lord tell me "release a praise so that I can release the breakthrough" I came home from work and parked in our driveway and put on a powerful song called There is a Sound by William McDowell and I released a violent praise inside of my car until I felt the breakthrough. You see with this type of praise, you have to pay the price with your energy, fervor and commitment to release what's on the inside of you. Theres no half-heartedness! Only full release of a great shout.

It wasn't even 24 hours later and Gary was calling us saying "Something strange happened! I found the car I was hoping to find with the exact profile we were seeking in the exact city that would make it convenient for the transaction even though I was looking in a city across the state." We knew God had released it! We repeated this pattern for our first house, our second house and our first child Zyon when we got pregnant with him after several years of not being able to get pregnant. This is when we started to learn that praise needs to accompany the promises of God so that He can release the breakthrough for them.

The Weapon of Praise

The next time you need a breakthrough or are contending for what God has told you He is blessing you with, surround that thing with praise. Set out a time and moment to release a great shout and shift the atmosphere toward your favor so that you can walk up into your promise with victory and triumph! You are a warrior and this is just one weapon in your arsenal for causing defeat to the enemy. Use it!

Scripture References

Luke 6:45

Proverbs 21:2

Hebrews 13:15