| PRAISE comes from the Latin word "pretium", meaning price. Prize is a variation of this word. Originally it meant "to set a great price on". So when we praise God, we are placing a great value on Him and His acts. God sees us as His "treasured possession" (Duet. 7:6, Exodus 19:5), and He wants to be ourTreasure and our First Love.
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| PRAISE FOR GOD IS COMMUNICATING WHO GOD IS, WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND WHAT HE CAN DO. PRAISE IS A WEAPON AGAINST EVIL & THE ENEMIES OF GOD:
1. PRAISE HONORS GOD - In Luke 11 Jesus taught us to begin prayer with praise in order to honor and glorify God. Psalm 29:2 tells us to give God the glory that is due Him. Praise helps us to focus on God, and who He is, and His greatness.
2. PRAISE HELPS US FOCUS ON GOD - Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. As we praise Him we raise up a throne or structure for Him to fill (2 Chron. 5:13). Praise sensitizes us to God's presence, and helps us take our focus off of ourselves and onto Him.
3. PRAISE HELPS US TO KNOW GOD - It helps us to focus on His character and His attributes. As we praise Him we rehearse our knowledge of Him, and we come to know Him as what we praise Him to be.
4. PRAISE BREAKS THE ENEMY'S OPPRESSION - In Acts 16:25,26 Paul and Silas praised God and the doors in the prison they were in were opened and they escaped. Praise lifts us out of oppression, and also helps us out of our self-centered ways.
5. PRAISE CONFUSES THE FORCES OF EVIL - The power of praise in battles is shown in 2 Chronicles 20, Psalm 8:2, and Psalm 149:5-9. Praise helps us to focus on God and realize our need for Him, and thus turn the battle over to Him. When we do this, God will then bring Victory. This makes Praise and Prayer and Dependence on God great weapons in Spiritual Battles. |
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