Growing in Praise pt 2
Psalms 71:14 NKJV “But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.”
Praise Him More & More
STARTS: Psalm 71:1 KJV “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: Let me never be put to confusion.”
ENDS: Psalm 71:24 KJV “My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: For they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.”
- When he declared I will Praise Him more and more, he was not just talking about QUANTITY but also QUALITY-the depth and substance!
- Ps Mandy did an amazing job of bringing out that aspect last week!
- THAT’s Growing to where our heart is we go to Him to minister to Him not just receive from Him!
- However there are 24 verses in this Psalm so if we go to the middle we see the whole picture!
Psalm 71:12-15 KJV “O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, And will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; For I know not the numbers thereof.”
K.Hagin:- shared about when he was trusting the Lord for a “breakthrough” the scales….. (Not mechanical, but intentional)
The Heart of a Worshipper is to minister to the Lord wholeheartedly
Acts 13:2 KJV “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” (Most Translations say as they “worshipped”)
- It’s not that it’s a formula you worship then God speaks; firstly it’s about the principle of honor that sets in motion spiritual laws and secondly when we enter into true worship our hearts are prepared and sensitive to hear and receive (Worship on spirit and truth-John4)
Ministered Defined:- to assume an office or give a service at one’s own expense.
David & Araunah’s Threshing Floor
II Samuel 24:20-25 NKJV “Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, “Why has my Lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” Now Araunah said to David, “Let my Lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.”
- So even when we are stumbling or struggling we can come before the Lord and minister to Him with Praise & Worship, not in our own strength, but through JESUS!
When we do, God will draw us in and minster to us and the 1st thing that happens is we will experience His PEACE!
Worship brings His SHALOM
Judges 6:22-24 NKJV “Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”
I want to share with you a beautiful truth from the story of Gideon in Judges 6. Even after Gideon had God’s promise to “go in this might of yours” and save Israel, he was still fearful and unconvinced. He then asked for a sign to confirm that he was indeed speaking to the Lord. Gideon then presented an offering to the Lord, and fire rose out of the rock to consume the offering. Then our Lord Jesus disappeared. Only at that moment did Gideon’s lightning-fast mind perceive that he had indeed been speaking with the Lord Himself. He gasped, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face” (Judg. 6:22).
Gideon began to panic, because in those days, they believed that if they saw God face to face, they would die. But before Gideon could frighten himself any further, the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” (Judg. 6:23, boldface mine). So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The-Lord-Is-Peace” (Judg. 6:24), or in Hebrew, Jehovah Shalom. This is the first time the name Jehovah Shalom appears in the Bible, and the word that goes with this name is “you shall not die.”
According to the Strong’s Concordance, the word shalom refers to completeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, and supply. It also refers to peace, quiet, tranquility, and contentment, as well as friendship in human relationships and with God in a covenant relationship. So if you think that Jehovah Shalom just gives you peace of mind, you are wrong. When you receive the Lord as Jehovah Shalom in your life, you are receiving so much more!
My dear friends, I believe with all my heart that the Lord wants to speak to you today about the world we live in. Like Gideon, we may be surrounded by bad news, like news of diseases such as Ebola and Zika, of bomb attacks, of random shootings, of hijackings, of missile strikes, and of fatal accidents. But God has already foreseen the problems that we will face in this day and age, and His protection and covering over us is all-encompassing!
Just respond to God’s LOVE with Worship
Matthew 4:10-11 NKJV “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
Satan tempted JESUS to bow down and worship him and he would deliver JESUS the kingdoms of this world, but Jesus response was “It is written….
How to WIN in Life
II Chronicles 20:20-22 NKJV “So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.”
- Today I want you to see two powerful keys to winning life’s battles from the account of King Jehoshaphat. The first is to believe in the Lord, and you will be established. God’s Word tells us also to believe the words of His prophets (the pastors and preachers whom God has placed in your life), and you shall prosper! That is the power of right believing. Don’t be myopic and be caught up with your current challenges, running around like a headless chicken, trying to solve your problems in your own strength. God doesn’t want you to live in a perpetual state of uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and fear. When you believe right, you will experience true Bible hope and start living with a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good regardless of your current circumstances.
The second key is to go into battle singing praises to God. This was what Jehoshaphat did. It may have been an unusual military strategy, but as the Israelites began to sing and praise, God caused confusion among the enemies’ camps, and they utterly destroyed one another. Judah did not draw a single sword that day, but the battle was won. In fact, it was won before Judah’s troops even arrived at the scene.
God deliberately records for us the words with which the people of Judah praised Him: “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118 begins and ends with this same refrain—a refrain so close to God’s heart that it features very prominently in many key moments in Israel’s history (see 1 Chron. 16:7, 34; 2 Chron. 7:3). My friend, there is something very special about these two simple lines of praise. The word for “mercy” here is the very potent Hebrew word hesed, which speaks of God’s grace, love, tender mercies, and loving-kindness. No matter how many times you have failed and fallen short, and even if the troubles that surround you are a consequence of your own actions, would you turn to the Lord today and praise Him for His goodness and His hesed (His grace)?
When you are feeling down, overwhelmed, or fearful, worship Him with these words, and as you praise Him, He will “set ambushes” against all your enemies, troubles, fears, challenges, and addictions, as He did for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (see 2 Chron. 20:22). By the time you reach your battlefield, I believe your enemies will all have fallen. Not a single one of your adversaries will escape because the Lord Himself fights your battles.
Worship brings healing and deliverance
Matthew 8:1-3 NKJV “When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Worship will defeat barrenness and fruitlessness
Isaiah 54:1-3 NKJV ““Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.”
Ephesians 5:17-20 MSG “Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ.”
PRAISE & WORSHIP is one of the BELIEVERS GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES, let’s not neglect it!
Psalms 75:1 MSG “We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about.”
