1 1 Restoration of Praise

FaithInTheWordMinistries POBox112, STANGER4450 (032)5511836/5512419 ISBN0947033424

CONTENTS
CHAPTER1 PraisebringsLiberty 3 CHAPTER2 ASacrificeofPraise CHAPTER3 PraiseASpiritualWeapon CHAPTER4 PraiseisFaithinAction CHAPTER5 PurposeofPraise CHAPTER6 WorshippinginSpiritandinTruth CHAPTER7 APraiseCelebration CHAPTER8 HowtobeBornAgainandaChildofGod CHAPTER9 ForYourSpiritualGrowth
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Faith In The Word

CHAPTER ONE

PRAISE BRINGS LIBERTY

I clearly remember with such joy a Christian gathering my wife, Meg and I attended in 1979. A group of Spirit filled believers had gathered together to glorify the Lord by praising and exalting His Name on high. The preaching of the Word was powerful and uncompromising and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy, tongues and interpretation, a word of knowledge and the gift of healings were in operation, just as it should be when the Body of Christ comes together, in the name of the Lord Jesus. We read in 1 Cor. 14:26: What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation. The thing that impressed us the most that evening was the manner in which the whole congregation ministered to the Lord in songs of praise and worship. It was a real time of rejoicing, and with reluctance we left at the close of the meeting. On our way home we agreed that it would be wonderful if all Gods children would worship and praise our Heavenly Father in such an intimate way! God confirms that He loves us, and that He wants us to demonstrate our love for Him by worshipping and praising Him freely. In fact it is His desire that all peoples and all nations should minister to Him in accordance with the pattern set out in His Word, (the Bible), because they would then be worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:2324 says: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Lord has placed us here at the Stanger Christian Centre in such a privileged position in that we, through our newsletters, books and cassettes, have been able to bring the uncompromising truth according to Gods Word to many people across the length and breadth of our country! For this we give God all the honour and glory! Jesus himself said in John 8:3132: If you continue in My Word, then you are My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. The Lord has laid it strongly on my heart to compile this book on how to glorify, praise and worship God in spirit and in truth, so that everybody can be freed from the formal, restrictive traditional way of worshipping Him. The Word of God teaches us in Eph. 5:27 that Jesus is coming soon to fetch His Bride. The Bride of Christ is the Church, His body on earth, which consists of all bloodwashed, redeemed children of God who eagerly await His coming. Eph. 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Saviour. vs. 27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish. The choice is ours, as part of the bride of Christ to make ourselves ready for His return. In Revelation 19:7 the Word says that the bride has made herself ready for the marriage feast. When a bride looks forward to her marriage to the one she loves, rejoicing and praise are always a part of her preparation, thus, as the rapture draws close, the very excitement of the impending return of Jesus for His Bride, should cause us to praise and worship Him as never before. This is especially important in these last days in which we live. My sincere prayer is that by the time you have read this book you will be praising and worshipping God in spirit and in truth! The infilling of the Holy Spirit enables us to praise and worship the Lord from the depths of our innermost being. Paul says in Eph. 5:18: Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing

and make music in your heart to the Lord. From this it can be assumed that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is necessary in order to praise the Lord and to turn our sadness and despair into joy and gladness. We read in John 7:3739 that, before His crucifixion, Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit had not yet come because He (Jesus) had not yet been glorified. However, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled as prophesied in Joel 2 verse 28. The believers, who had not yet been able to praise God in spirit and in truth, found a new awakening within them. There was now a newfound joy and gladness and they sang praises to the Lord. They began to speak in other tongues and declared the great wonders of God (Acts 2:11) We who are alive today and are bornagain children of God are also living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit and ought to have songs of praise continually on our lips! We read in Isaiah 43:19 and 21: See, I am doing a new thing the people I formed for Myself, they will proclaim My praise. From the very beginning God has always desired to have a people for Himself, a people who would know Him and worship Him in the way He desires to be worshipped! Bornagain, spirit filled believers, those who have made Jesus Saviour and Lord of their lives, and have been filled with the Holy Spirit, are Gods children who are able to worship Him in this manner. Not only throughout our country, but throughout the whole world, people are experiencing this understanding and renewal of praise and worship. Faces that once were surly and solemn whenever they sang to God are becoming joyful and full of smiles. Hands, which hung limply by their sides, or merely held a hymnbook, are being raised in adoration as a token of complete surrender to God, who has come to mean everything to them! These same hands are being clapped joyfully as the people of God sing His praises. It is therefore fitting that we, as New Testament believers, should go to the book of Psalms in order to receive guidelines on how we can have beautiful praise and worship flowing from us to the glory of God! At one stage, I had many questions in my heart concerning this form of praise and worship, and God in His mercy taught me the manner in which He wanted to be praised and worshipped. One Saturday night I was present at a meeting where I saw how born again believers praised and worshipped God with great joy and rejoicing, clapping and lifting up their hands towards heaven in an attitude of worship. I found myself putting a question mark over this type of emotional demonstration in praise and worship. I was very sceptical about what I witnessed. In the church where I worshipped I had never seen anything like this. In my church everything had to be done very quietly and conservatively without any visible emotion. I cried out to the Lord and asked Him whether the type of worship that I had witnessed that night was from Him or not, because the people who were participating in the service looked so happy and full of joy. The very next night, which was Sunday, I was watching a church service on television. Everyone was so serious. There was no joy! No emotion! It was dead! With solemn faces they sang psalms and hymns. Then the Lord asked me: Are they praising Me, or are they attending a funeral? It looked exactly as if they were at a funeral service! Then a sports programme followed where they showed extracts from a rugby match which had been played the previous day. The match was between the Springboks and the French. When the fifteen men wearing the green and gold jerseys ran onto the field, the stadium erupted with excitement and joy! The people cheered, shouted, clapped hands, waved and displayed their enthusiasm! Once again the Lord spoke to me. My immediate reaction was to say But Lord, You cannot compare a bunch of rugby enthusiasts with a church congregation. Rugby spectators always behave like that!

The Lord is patient and He showed me more. The next programme was a symphony concert at the Pretoria opera house. The cream of society, as far as intellectuals and artists were concerned, had gathered together for the occasion. The dress was formal, luxury evening dresses, furs, black tie etc. That night the orchestra performed exceptionally well and when the final curtain came down the people began to clap and cheer. The audience, which included many men of distinction, rose as one and applauded, stamped their feet, whistled and cheered for a long time, demanding an encore. The curtain was raised and lowered on five occasions, yet the people still continued to cheer, applaud and stamp their feet. The audience was expressing their gratification and appreciation of the performance. The voice of the Lord came to me again: Now do you realise how empty praises are when they have no heart emotion, expression or life? Compare the praise being given to these musicians, with the praise men offer to me. Do you know how it grieves My heart to be deprived of the worship of which I am worthy? Yes Lord was my reply. My eyes had been opened and I could see the difference and the tragedy of it all! Tragic because, He is God! King of the Universe! King of kings and Lord of lords, and Creator of all creation! He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to die for us, so that we might receive salvation and reconciliation to Him! How much more should He not be worshipped with a demonstration of love, joy and gratitude? I made a decision there and then to study Gods Word and find out how He really wants us to praise Him. To worship without emotion is impossible, because God created our emotions and He created us to praise Him! We are all aware that God is love and love is an emotion! Jesus gives the command in Matt. 22:3740 to: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. Satan has tried to deceive us by telling us that we cannot become emotional when praising God but, beloved, to worship God with all your heart and soul and mind, must surely include your emotions! Dont let inhibition or embarrassment interfere when praising and worshipping your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are taught to be God fearing and reverent in the presence of the Lord, but being God fearing and reverent is an attitude of the heart and does not necessarily mean that we must whisper and remain ridged in church! The Lord knows my heart and whether or not I really revere Him or whether I just go to church to be seen. The Lord is always with me nothing I do or say is hidden from Him. Your reverence for Him is revealed in your attitude and actions outside church too your attitude towards your husband/wife, in how you perform your work, manage your finance, in your conversation, your recreation, your pleasure God knows everything! I cannot go to church and act holy for an hour, then for the rest of the week, live as if God had stayed behind in the church building! I am the temple of God the Holy Spirit and He knows me better than I know myself! (1 Cor. 6:19). At our services at the Centre we give reverence to the Lord but it is also a way of life for us because we are very aware of the fact that the Holy Spirit of God is with us and in us at all times. We come confidently into the presence of the Lord with joy and gladness, but also with reverence and with the fear of the Lord in our hearts. When we come together for a service, we come filled with expectation, enthusiasm and zeal, ready to praise and worship God spirit, soul and body. Jesus says that we must become as little children, (Matt. 18:2) and amongst their attributes, children are spontaneous, full of joy and full of life. Many people have the wrong impression of the fear of the Lord, even though it is the greatest form of respect. They associate it with anxious fear and trepidation but that is

not what it means! God says in Matt. 6:9 that we must call Him Heavenly Father, and a normal relationship between a father and a child is intimate, trusting, full of joy, freedom and openness. This is not to say that a child should show disrespect for his father, but he can be open, honest and spontaneous, and this is how our relationship should be with our Heavenly Father. The Bible teaches us what it means to fear the Lord. Prov. 8:13: To fear the Lord is to hate evil. The fear of the Lord is to abhor evil! Our whole life must testify to our fear of the Lord! We must hate what is evil! We realise then that to fear the Lord has nothing to do with being afraid of Him, nor is it the display of false piety in His presence. We can have the fear of the Lord in our hearts and still enter into joyful praise and worship. True praise is joyful, and there is often loud singing, clapping and even dancing before the Lord. We see this throughout the Bible, and this is the way that God has commanded us to praise Him. I suggest that in addition to this book you read the last five chapters of the Psalms so that you can see Gods blueprint for praise and worship. I pray that this study will transform your life by causing you to become a true worshipper. Perhaps you may question why we, as New Testament believers revert to the Old Testament for instruction as to how we should praise and worship God. The initial early church in New Testament times was predominantly Jewish with some believing Gentiles. The Hebrews knew how to praise and worship their God, and they carried this through with them into the New Testament church. It was an established fact, and quite obvious that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would continue to be worshipped in the way He always had been, and now even more so if possible! For example, Paul says to the New Testament Christians (which includes you and me) in Eph. 5:1819 that they must speak to one another in psalms, hymns and other spiritual songs thus referring them to the Psalms. We have the same freedom to worship and praise our Heavenly Father as the early church did. Let us refer to some scriptures and allow the Word of God to speak to us on this subject. It is quite plain to see WHO must praise the Lord. All people (Ps. 145:21 148:11 and 13 150:6) Everything that has breath (Ps. 150:6) The righteous (Ps. 140:40) Those that serve the Lord (Ps. 22:24) Servants of the Lord (Ps. 22:24 All the angels (Ps. 148:2) Entire nature (Ps 148:35) The Scriptures are very clear as to WHEN the Lord must be praised: From morning until night (Ps 113:3) Continuously (Ps. 71:8) As long as you live (Ps 146:12) In times of depression (Ps 42:12) All the time (Ps 32:2) In everything (Eph. 5:20) The Scriptures are very clear as to WHERE the Lord must be praised. In the congregation (Ps 22:23) In the great congregation Ps 22:25) Under the clouds (Ps 57:10) Enter His gates with thanksgiving (Ps 100:4) In the meeting of the elders (Ps 107:32)

Before a great multitude (Ps 150:1) Continually (Heb. 13:15) The Scripture are very clear as to WHY we must praise the Lord. The Lord is great! To Him be all honour, glory and praise. (Ps 48:2) God must be praised for who He is. God is Almighty. Praise the Lord! (Ps 149:1) ITS A COMMAND I will praise the Lord (Ps 103:1) They must give thanks .. for His greatness (Ps 107:21) It is good to Praise the Lord. (Ps. 92:2) Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous (Ps. 33:1) But you are Holy, who inhabit the praises of Israel (Ps. 22:3) God makes His abode in the place where He is praised. If you desire to experience the presence of the Lord start praising Him! Praises bring victory! 2 Chron. 20:21: Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever. This is how the singers began to praise God, as He launched a surprise attack on the enemy of His people. (This full story will be discussed in a later chapter of this book). If we believe the Word of God we will respond by praising the Lord! As we put our faith in God and as we grow closer to our Heavenly Father each day, walking in obedience to His Word, seeing our prayers answered and our every need being met, our most natural reaction will be to praise the Lord! The more we praise Him, the more He responds to us and the stronger our faith becomes! Can you see how important and necessary it is for a Christian to praise God! If you are continually in an attitude of praise, your conversation is not likely to be negative or depressing! It is very important to be careful of what you allow to come out of your mouth. Jesus says in Mark 11:2223: Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he sayeth shall come to pass he shall have whatsoever he sayeth. Sometimes it seems hard to have faith and praise God when you dont feel full of joy and love, but its important to praise Him at all times, not only when things are going right or when you see your prayers being answered. A child of God walks by faith and not by sight, and faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see! (Heb. 11:1) Faith is complete trust in your Heavenly Father, resting in Him and believing that you have already received what you have asked of Him in prayer seeing the answer to your prayer with eyes of faith. As this is true, and because the Word of God says so, you have reason to give thanks to the Lord and praise Him even before you actually see the answer to your prayer. Mark 11:24 says: WHEN YOU PRAY, believe that you have already received it and it shall be yours. If you believe that you HAVE received (when you prayed), then surely you have reason to be filled with joy and to praise the LORD! Thats the kind of faith God honours! Let us look at Ps 33:1 which says: Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous it is fitting for the upright to praise Him! If you are a righteous, born again child of God, serving Him with all your heart and living in obedience to His Word, praise and worship ought to be part and parcel of your life. If you continue reading Ps. 33 you find that it contains wonderful promises for a child of God: But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine (Ps. 33:18 and

19) However, an important aspect to remember is that all of Gods promises are subject to our complying with the conditions attached to those promises. In Ps. 31:1 3 we are commanded to do five things: Rejoice in the Lord! Praise the Lord! Sing psalms to His glory! Sing to His glory! Praise Him with musical instruments. According to Ps. 31:18 and 19 we find that God blesses us in abundance if we comply with these conditions. It stands to reason then that if you are not prepared to praise the Lord, you cannot expect His promises to become a reality in your life. CHAPTER TWO

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE
When one thinks about the benefits and blessings of God that come as a result of our obedience to His instructions in His Word, our gratitude and love should motivate us to a life of service to Him. When we talk about serving, we usually interpret it to mean waiting upon someone or assisting them eg. a waiter serves one in a restaurant. When we talk about serving God, it includes, ministering to Him. We are admonished to minister to one another in the Body of Christ each one of us has a ministry, and as we ask Him, the Lord will reveal to each one of us what our special ministry is. For example, one person may have a ministry of exhortation encouraging and uplifting the other. Another may have a music ministry helping others to live a life filled with praise. Still another may have a ministry of caring for children, the elderly, the poor, orphans, widows, etc. Someone who is a counsellor has a very special ministry showing Gods mercy and giving of themselves to those who are in difficult circumstances and feel they cannot cope. God has equipped each of His children to serve others, not only those in the body of Christ, but also mankind as a whole. This is especially important, as the unsaved are more likely to be drawn into the Kingdom if they see Christians practising what they preach! God created us to minister to Him, and we do this by praising and worshipping Him as our King and our God, who created us for this purpose, and who loves us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to save us and to heal us. (John 3:16) God has made us to be kings and priests for Him. (1 Pet. 2:9): But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. As priests of God, we no longer bring Him the sacrificial offering of animals in the Old Testament, but we now bring a spiritual offering. Hebrews 13:15 says: By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of your lips giving thanks to His Name. In Ps. 51:15 we are told that praise is the sacrifice we must bring to God. There is a difference between praise and worship. When I speak about worship, I am not speaking about prayer but about worshipping God for Who He is. PRAISE is thanking God for what He does for us, and worship is ministering to Him for Who He is.

SEVEN HEBREW WORDS FOR PRAISE

HALLAL To praise the Lord by celebrating by dancing by shining forth, by acting clamorously foolish. A very robust liberating kind of praise. Psalms 150 Hallal ye the Lord, Hallal God in His sanctuary: Hallal Him in the firmament of his power.

SHABACH To praise the Lord with a shout and a loud voice. Psalm 63:3 Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall Shabach thee. YADAH To praise the Lord with the hands and hand movements. Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and Yadah thy name. TODAH The sacrifices of praise which amplifies a sustained singing. Also refers to praising the Lord as a processing choir or parade. Psalms 50:23 Whosoever offereth Todah glorifieth me. ZAMAR To praise the Lord with the playing of an instrument. Psalm 108:1 O God, my heart is fixed I will sing and give Zamar. TEHILLAH A praise from your spirit. The residual song of the Lord from the heart of the believer. Psalms 22:3 But thou are holy, O thou that inhabitest the Tehillah of Israel. BARAK To praise the Lord by kneeling or bowing. Psalms 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us Barak before the Lord our Maker. When you praise the Lord, you bless Him and commend Him, speaking well of Him. Sometimes you may bring Him thanksgiving or a psalm to praise His greatness. The psalmist in Psalm 150:6 even COMMANDS all that have breath to praise God! As His children, we all have this ministry, namely to praise and worship Him. As we minister to Him in this way we will Enter His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: For the Lord is good His mercy is everlasting and His truth endureth to all generations. (Ps 100:4 and 5) Remember that the basic difference between praise and worship is that praise is about what the Lord has done for you and worship is about Who He is. To praise is to speak well of someone, to express appreciation of someone, to compliment, to build someone up. To worship is to hold someone in high esteem to bow down before the object of worship. Worship is the highest form of praise. It is an attitude of the heart. We usually start with praise to the Lord and then move into worship. When considering the act of worship we look at three aspects. Firstly, worship always comes from the heart. It is the respectful involvement of the human heart with its Creator. It is meditation and consideration and standing in awe before the holiness, greatness and worthiness of God. Secondly, worship is spontaneous and sincere, and comes straight from a heart overflowing with love. There is no stirring up of the emotions. Our cup runs over with praise, as David says in Psalm 23. Thirdly, worship is the outpouring of deep expressions of respect, reverence, awe, and love. While it is possible to love and to praise someone, we cannot WORSHIP a person. Our worship is only meant for the Lord, who created us to worship Him, and who is the only One who is worthy of our worship! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and praise: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are created. Rev. 4:11. This tells us that God is worthy to receive glory, honour and praise, and means that we are able to minister to, and bless God through, our praise and worship. There are times during praise and worship when we may feel that we just want to wait upon the Lord, experience His presence and become aware of His glory. This is completely Scriptural, and we ought to wait upon the Lord often. Isaiah 40:31 says: But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

It is when we wait upon God that our weakness is exchanged for Gods strength. We receive His strength. The psalmist knew about waiting upon the Lord and Psalm 62:5 says: My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him. Ps 130:56 says: I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. This might seem strange and new to some, because of a lack of knowledge about the subject, but I want to assure you that it is all Scriptural. I believe that more children of God are coming to an understanding of this truth, and I praise Him for this. The word tells us that Jesus is coming to fetch His bride, the true Church, who will spend eternity praising and worshipping Him and the Father. It also tells us that the praises in Heaven will sound like thunder! Although it is impossible to be perfect, we are told to strive to be without spot or blemish when He comes to fetch us. (Eph. 5:27) It is up to us to respond to the Word of God which instructs us to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and to follow in Jesus footsteps as He is the only example of perfection. His Holy Spirit who indwells us, will guide and convict us, so that we might please the Father in all we do and say. As gratitude for His grace and for what He has done for us wells up inside us, and as we spend more time in fellowship with Him, we will learn more and more to minister to Him and to bless Him with our thanksgiving in praise and worship! It is when we praise Him and thank Him for His love, goodness and mercy, that we open the door and enter into worship. When we worship Him for who He is, we come into the very presence of God His very throne room, and have fellowship with Him. The Fatherheart of God is then stirred, and, as we wait upon Him, He ministers to us, blessing us and revealing Himself to us in a mighty way! It is very simple, like a child spending time with a loving father, who in turn enjoys this special time with his child, wanting to meet his needs. Praise, worship and fellowship with God although intimate and personal, can also take place in fellowship with other believers. At such a time we often experience the working of the Holy Spirit through the members of the Body as we are edified by a message in tongues, a prophecy, a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom. Heb. 10:19 says: Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way. Do you realise what this verse actually says? We can enter into the Holy of Holies, into the very presence of God because we have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus! It is no longer only the high priest of the Old Testament who may enter the Holy of Holies once a year! Jesus has made a way for you and for me to enter into the very throne room of God at anytime, and as often as we so desire! There is no better way to come into the presence of your Heavenly Father than through praise and worship. Did you know that Neh. 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength? Jesus wanted His disciples to know His joy, and we, as His disciples (believers) today, are included. Without the joy of the Lord, we become weak and feeble Christians, with no victory in our lives. This joy is stirred up in us by praise and worship, and it does not depend on our circumstances, as Jesus is the source of our joy. It comes from our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, with whom nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37), and who has done so much for us, promising never ever to leave us. In John chapter 17:13, as Jesus was praying, He says .. and now I come to thee and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. This joy is our inheritance, because of Jesus. This joy is not dependent on our physical circumstances but is dependent on Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who never changes. Everything we have received from the Lord has been through our faith in Him our

salvation, deliverance from bondage, healing, baptism in the Holy Spirit and every other blessing. In the world we are told seeing is believing, but the Bible says believe first and then youll see! We believe, because the Word of God declares it, and because our Heavenly Father is trustworthy. We believe His promises before they have come to pass, because He cannot lie. It is impossible to please Him without faith (trust). (Heb. 11:6). In Heb. 10:23 we read: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is FAITHFUL. We confess with our mouths what we believe in our hearts (Rom. 10:10). It is important to believe in our heart what the Word of God says, and to declare it with our mouth, speaking Gods Word with assurance. There is no better way to overcome doubt than by filling your mind and your heart with the Word of God, because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak. It is impossible to think one thing and say another. If there is doubt in your heart and mind it will be revealed in the Word you speak, so begin to confess the Word of God out aloud. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and it will replace all doubt. It will not take long for your negative thoughts to change. Joy works on the same principle. If you are feeling depressed and have reached a low point, start praising God aloud and singing His praises, this is especially effective in chasing away every spirit of heaviness, every bit of depression and all doubt! We spoke earlier about Ps. 33:13: For praise from the upright is beautiful. Sing to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song Play skilfully with a shout of joy. Paul and Silas praised God while they were in prison, and the Lord performed a wonderful miracle for them. He opened the prison gates and made a way where there seemed no way. The decision is yours alone, you CHOOSE to sing praises it has nothing to do with your feelings or your circumstances! Remember that joy is not dependent on your circumstances, but comes from within, and is an inner quality, a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) and a product of Christ in you, the Hope of Glory! You can have an inner assurance, peace and joy regardless of any situation. Joy differs from happiness. Happiness is dependent on freedom from anxiety, problems, harmful circumstances and unpleasant people and situations. JOY, on the other hand, is the knowledge that He who is in us is greater than he (devil) who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) Joy comes from trusting our Heavenly Father and believing His Word. Joy does not look at the outward problems but at Gods solutions. However joy is dependent on our obedience to Biblical principles, eg. when we choose to praise God, He gives us His joy and peace in exchange for our sorrow and anxiety. Remember, we read in Ps 33:1: For praise from the upright is beautiful Let the joy of the Lord become our portion! CHAPTER THREE

PRAISE A SPIRITUAL WEAPON

In 2 Chron. verse 20 we read the story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judea. We can learn a valuable lesson from this account in the Bible. Vast armies from the East were approaching Jerusalem and it appeared that the Israelites were going to be defeated. The enemy had already crossed the borders of Jerusalem. King Jehoshaphat called the people and told them to go to battle against the enemy and said that the battle was not theirs, but the Lords. The following morning all the people gathered at the appointed place, ready for battle. King Jehoshaphat sought the Lord, and told the people that God had given him certain instructions. In obedience to Gods instructions he appointed people as singers who were to lead the army into battle. Can you imagine singers leading an army into battle?! Just think of the reaction after everybody had been lined up and the king chose the singers to the fore! The soldiers

must have looked at each other and thought: What on earth is the matter with our king? King Jehoshaphat then spoke to them saying: The Lord has commanded me to put all the singers in the front line. The king told the singers to go before the army singing praises to the Lord! They sang: Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever! Praise the Lord for He is good, His mercies endure forever. He alone performs wonders His mercy endures forever. Who hast created the Heavens. His mercy endures forever. Who has spanned the waters across the earth. His mercy endures forever. Who has created the moon and the stars to control the light because His mercy endures forever! The people sang praises to their Almighty God, because His mercy endures forever. They spoke of their God as the God above all gods He who made the sun, the earth, the stars and the moon. They then went on to tell of how they were delivered out of Egypt. Ps 136:1016: To Him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for His mercy endureth forever. And brought out Israel from among them: for His mercy endureth forever: With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm for His mercy endureth forever To Him, which divided the Red Sea into parts: for His mercy endureth forever And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for His mercy endureth forever. But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea for His mercy endureth forever. To him which led His people through the wilderness. For His mercy endureth forever. The singers sang praises to God from their hearts. They must have been very near to the camp of the enemy. And whilst they were still praising God, and were almost at the enemy camp, the leader sang: Praise the Lord who struck down great kings! The singers rejoiced and followed with: His mercy endureth forever. Ps. 136:1826: . And slew famous kings: for His mercy endureth forever: Sihon king of Amorites: for His mercy endureth forever. And Og the king of Bashan: for His mercy endureth forever: and gave their land for a heritage: for His mercy endureth forever: even a heritage unto Israel His servant: for His mercy endureth forever: and hath redeemed us from our enemies: for His mercy endureth forever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for His mercy endureth forever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endureth forever. Then an amazing thing took place!! Chaos and confusion broke out in the enemy camp, causing them to fight and argue among themselves. The soldiers approached the enemy camp, still singing praises to God! They marched right into the camp singing, and God made them sound like a large army! The enemy turned on each other, killing one another! Once the Israelites were in the camp they saw what the Lord had done. Not one enemy soldier survived! They had all been killed! It had not been necessary for them to throw a spear or shoot an arrow! It took the Israelites three days to gather the spoils. What caused their victory? Their faith was solidly entrenched in God and they praised Him with their whole heart! When you praise God at any time, under any circumstance, you bind Satan and his demons with chains and fetters of iron. We read in Psalm 149 verses 69: Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments of the peoples to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron to execute on them the written judgement. This honour have all His saints. (Also read Psalm 140:58) When you start to sing choruses aloud, you will discover how quickly doubt and depression disappear, because God will honour your praise with His presence. I wish to share a few more thoughts concerning the story of King Jehoshaphat and his army, and how they overcame the enemy by praising God, because this story teaches us many things we need to know in our Christian walk. As a believer, when I am faced with a difficult situation and everything seems to be going wrong, I realise that in battle, the best way of defence is attack. There is no point in

crumbling or falling apart, no matter how bad the circumstances may seem. God has provided spiritual weapons with which to do battle, and He has given His Word and promises upon which we are to stand. He has promised to deliver me in the face of my enemies if I choose to praise and worship Him with a heart of thanksgiving in the midst of turmoil. King Jehoshaphat knew how to enter into the presence of God through praise and worship. He was obedient and did exactly what the Lord told him to, even though it may have seemed foolish to send the singers ahead into battle! We must always remember that God is in control of the situation, and the battle is His if we remain obedient to His instructions. He tells us in His word in Is. 43:19 and 21 that: He is doing a new thing. This people I have formed for Myself, they shall declare My praise. He has told us to praise Him at all times, whether we feel like it or not. His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, has already won the victory over the powers of darkness once and for all on the cross, and we must remember this with gratitude in our hearts. The enemy panicked when they heard the people singing about the wonderful things their God had done for them in the past (read Deut. 2:1925). King Jehoshaphats praises caused the enemy to shake in their boots! God said to king Jehoshaphat and to the people of Jerusalem: Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king , Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude for the battle is not yours, but Gods. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed tomorrow go out against them. For the Lord will be with you. (2 Chron. 20:15 and 17) We know that according to Ephesians 6 verse 12 that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness. We also know that these principalities and powers, in fact their leader, Satan himself were defeated when Jesus was crucified. Col. 2:15: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (the cross) Therefore we can praise Him for our victory, no matter what battle we are in at present. The Lord has already won the battle for you. The enemy has been defeated and all you have to do is to take a firm stand in faith, believing the Word of God, and you will see the Lords deliverance and victory take place in your life. There is no room for doubt when God is at work. If God be for you, who can be against you? It is however, important to realise, that you must not run away from the battle, problems are never overcome by hiding or running away from them. You can look the enemy straight in the eye because God is with you. Believe He will bring you through, and then act accordingly! PRAISE IS FAITH IN ACTION. King Jehoshaphat and his soldiers put their faith in action when they began to praise the Lord. In the natural, the soldiers would lead the army into battle, but this was a supernatural battle, led by singers praising God! He appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army. (2 Chron. 20:21) The word used in the Hebrew language for singers really means to lift up your hand with power. They must have raised their hands in a demonstration of their total dependence on the Lord. This was the way in which they ministered to the Lord in praise. It must have been an extraordinary sight to see an army being led by singers raising their arms in praise to the Lord! Note verse 22: Now when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes It is as if the Lord waited for them to praise Him before He responded. You see, these praises said: Lord, we are not looking at the desperate situation we are in, we are not looking at the enemy, we depend entirely on you. That is faith, and as we have already said Praise is faith in action.

It goes on to say in 2 Chron. 20 verse 30: Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet for God gave him rest all around. The army of Jehoshaphat was victorious! YOU can also be victorious! I have told you the story of king Jehoshaphat in detail so that you may realise how much power there is in praise! God gave me an illustration of this Biblical principle early in my ministry. A young teacher came to Stanger and gave her heart to the Lord Jesus, after He completely healed her neck, which had been badly injured in a diving accident. Highly intellectual, she had been involved in studying and following 19 different religions, and was a practising spiritualist at the time. She related, how as a nonbeliever she had always thought of Christians as being rather weak and pathetic. All this changed however, when she became saved, but she soon realised that the devil, who had previously been her ally, was now her raging enemy. He was not about to give her up with out a fight, because she had been one of his vital instruments. Satan immediately launched his attack on her, and she found herself wrestling with him and his demon powers, especially at night. We took her through a process of deliverance when she was delivered of many evil spirits of the false deities which had been an integral part of her life. Her spirit guide and Egyptian gods were among the strongmen who bound her, and were putting up a fight. We fasted and prayed for her, and with her, and one by one these demons had to go in the Name of Jesus. She told us, however, that during this period, she felt their evil presence surrounding her, particularly when she was trying to go to sleep. Then the Lord showed us that we should have a tape recorder playing praise music constantly in her room. She told us that she was able to sleep in perfect peace whilst praises to God were playing, as the enemy would retreat, but as soon as the tape came to the end, she sensed their attempt to approach again. She found the solution was to play praise music continually while she was going through this time of deliverance. I am happy to tell you that she was not only completely delivered of every demonic power to which she had opened her life, but she went on to be mightily used of the Lord. She was especially used of God in the area of teaching on the dangers of the occult, and the traps of the enemy, but also proclaims the mercy, love and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father, because she has experienced both of these truths in her own life. It was certainly the power in the praise of our God that caused her to triumph! Here is another glorious illustration of the power in praise, which occurred during a meeting in Pretoria. The meeting commenced with the musicians leading us into a wonderful time of praise and worship. I then brought the Word that the Lord had laid on my heart, which was salvation and healing in the atonement on the cross at Calvary. Jesus paid the price that we might have salvation and healing. This message is always powerful, because it centres on Jesus and His sacrificial death, and therefore builds faith in the hearers. Once I was certain that the faith of the people present had been built up, and that they were ready to receive their healing from Gods Hand, I called a few of the sick onto the platform, in order to pray for them. In so doing, others would see the miracles and have faith for their own healing. As I was praying and God was performing miracles in front of our eyes, I noticed a man frantically trying to attract my attention. I looked up and saw a commotion. An elderly man who had been sitting in an aisle seat in the third row from the front, had collapsed and three or four people were assisting him by placing his slumped form in the aisle. I immediately jumped off the platform and ran to his side. When I saw him lying there, all my medical knowledge sprang into action, and on examining him, I realised that he had stopped breathing, due to a heart attack. On examination I found that he had no pulse, no life, and it was then that the struggle with the angel of death commenced. My wife, Meg, who always prayed with me on the platform, (because the Word tells us that when two of us agree on earth, it shall be done

in heaven) realised that we were in real warfare. Without delay, she requested the musicians to do battle with their instruments in playing and singing praises in order to lift the name of our God on high. They started to play a very slow worship song, probably in reverence because of the sombre situation, but Meg discerning the need for a strong warfare attack, requested that they play the chorus There is Power, Power, wonder working Power, in the Precious Blood of the Lamb. Soon the whole congregation was joining in, and I was aware that the angel of death was busy losing the tug of war! As I rebuked the spirit of death, and commanded life to return in the Name above all names, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as the praise of Gods people went forth proclaiming the power invested in the Blood of the Precious Lamb of God, the man started breathing once again, and his heart commenced beating. After a few minutes of regaining strength, he insisted that he was fine, got up unassisted and returned to his seat. The whole congregation clapped and praised the Lord for this amazing miracle that had taken place before our eyes. When I did the altar call, many people responded by giving their hearts to the Lord, and this elderly man was one of them. On speaking to his excited family after the meeting, I learned that he was unsaved and that his caring family was desperate for him to be born again, as he had a history of heart trouble and they were concerned for his eternal life. Because of this, they had brought him to the meeting, trusting the Lord for his salvation and healing, and God honoured their prayers and gave them the desires of their heart. What a wonderful God we serve, He not only saved his soul, but breathed life into him. This man was raised from the dead by God through His mighty Spiritual weapons available to those who believe, not least being the power in the name of Jesus, and of the praises of His people! God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalm 22 verse 3)

CHAPTER FOUR

PRAISE IS FAITH IN ACTION

When you praise God IN everything (not FOR everything) regardless of your circumstances, you are actually declaring your faith in Him, and this faith pleases God. (Heb. 11:6) A wonderful Psalm to sing or declare in the midst of turmoil is Psalm 100: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endureth to all generation. It is most important for us to understand the fatherchild relationship in our walk with the Lord. YOU are His beloved child and never forget it! It is important that you see Him as YOUR MOST LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER. Remember how, when you were a child, you trusted your dad completely? Everything could be going wrong, but you knew that the moment your dad walked through the door, he would somehow make everything right. To you he was big and wise and wonderful and you believed your Daddy could fix anything that was wrong. In your heart you believed that there was nothing which your father could not do! King Jehoshaphat and his army had exactly the same attitude towards their Heavenly Father: HE would know how to handle their situation! He was big and wonderful and would walk right over the enemy! They shouted out that which was in their hearts. They praised and worshipped Him and the Lord did not disappoint them. HE WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT YOU EITHER! However, take note, we do not praise the Lord FOR all circumstances, but IN all

circumstances! 1 Thess. 5:1618. It would be stupid to praise and thank the Lord for cancer, or a car accident, because these come from the devil and not from our Heavenly Father. There is no way that a loving, earthly father would cause terrible things to happen to his precious child, how much more does our loving, Heavenly Father not care for us? The Bible teaches very clearly that it is the devil who brings things upon us to harm us he comes to kill, to rob and destroy but good and perfect gifts come from the Lord who is the giver of LIFE IN ABUNDANCE. This is confirmed by these scriptures: John 10:10: The thief (the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) came that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly. James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Sickness and destruction are certainly not good gifts, and God is not the author of them. You may be totally convinced in your heart that it is Scriptural to praise the Lord with every fibre of your being, yet you still do not put this into action. The excuses are many, eg. I am too shy, I cannot be so emotional, I am not that kind of a person etc. We miss so many blessings by not actively praising the Lord, and only giving mental assent to this truth. God knows what will benefit us, and He exhorts us to be obedient for our own sakes. There are many things in the Bible, which He commands of us, in spite of our feelings or reasonings. He instructs us to do them because He knows how much our life will be blessed when we obey Him regardless. Take for instance water baptism: Mark 16:16 reads: He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved. It does not say anything about our feelings, or the opinions of our denomination, it is a command, and God requires obedience. He knows that once we have been baptised (AFTER having received Jesus as Lord and Saviour), symbolising our death, burial and resurrection with Jesus, it will be easier for us to overcome the enemy. This command is for our benefit as children of the Most High God!! In the Bible it is clear that people first believed on the Lord Jesus and then were baptised. The same applies to praise and worship. The Bible commands in Psalm 150:6: Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. You have breath, therefore this command is for you and for me, no matter how many excuses we may have. It is there for our benefit. We get an idea of the great importance that Jesus placed on praise when we read Luke 19:3840. Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and the multitude was praising Him saying: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! The Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, and asked Him to rebuke His disciples for praising Him, but Jesus answered them and said to them: I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Luke 19:40. Let us consider what could possibly hinder us, and prevent us from praising and worshipping God as He requires His children to do. 1. SIN AND UNFORGIVENESS: Sin, and especially unforgiveness binds us, especially when we come into the presence of the Lord. We feel convicted and therefore uncomfortable, because we know that God sees our heart and knows all about us and our weaknesses. David, the man of whom God said: This is a man after My own heart, had the same problem that we all have, namely, sin in our life. However, he was a real worshipper and he understood repentance and the Lords forgiveness. He always confessed his sins to the Lord as he became aware of them, then repented of them and received Gods forgiveness. He said in Psalm 66:18: If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. He excelled in praising and worshipping the Lord and he wrote many of the psalms. We know, for example, how he rejoiced and danced before the Lord with sheer joy and gratitude when the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem.

InIsaiah59:2weread:ButyouriniquitieshaveseparatedyoufromyourGodandyoursins havehiddenHisfacefromyou,sothatHewillnothear.Thereishowever,averysimplesolution torestoreourrelationshipwithHimandtofeelfreetobringHimthepraiseandworshipofwhich Heisworthy.Thesolutionisconfessionandrepentance.Ifweconfessoursins,Heisfaithfuland justtoforgiveusoursins,andtocleanseusfromallunrighteousness.(1Joh.1:9)Davidliterally saysthatrepentanceofsinsbringsthejoyoftheLordintoonesheart!HideThyfacefrommy sins,andblotoutallmineiniquities.Createinmeacleanheart,OGod,andrenewarightspirit withinme.(Ps.51:9and10) David knew that once his sins were forgiven he could come before the Lord with praise and worship and rejoicing, however as long as there was sin in his life, he could not praise the Lord. Adam and Eve walked with the Lord and fellowshipped with Him in the Garden of Eden, before they sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit. (Genesis chapter 3) After they had sinned they hid from the Lord, for their sin hampered the relationship they had had with God. 2. CONDEMNATION: Once you have sincerely repented of your sins, it is important to know that the Lord has forgiven you. He says in Heb. 8:12 that He will forget your iniquities. If then you know that the Lord has forgiven you, who are you to continue holding this sin against yourself? Do not be like so many Christians who stay bound by this trap of the enemy. The devil is the accuser of the brethren and the father of lies and whose aim is to make the children of God feel guilty and condemned even after they have confessed and received Gods merciful forgiveness. He does not want you to feel Gods forgiveness, grace and love, he would rather you felt unworthy. Remember that we do not rely on feelings, but on the Word of God, which is forever established. In other words when God tells you in 1 John 1:9 that if you confess your sins, He will forgive you, then that is exactly what He does, and you must believe His Word, rather than the lies of the devil and your feelings. Those who are more selfconscious than Godconscious often remain in a state of guilt! If you have an overcritical spirit towards yourself and develop a false sense of humility, you become negative and introspective, which is not pleasing to God. With this attitude, you tend to place all the emphasis on yourself, instead of focussing on the forgiveness that was bought for us by Jesus at Calvary. Satan wants to keep you in bondage to guilt, so that you will not feel free to praise and worship the Lord as you should. If you do feel condemned and unworthy, recognise where these feelings are coming from, and remember that Rom. 8:1 says: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The way to walk free from sin and condemnation is found in the following Scriptures. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7), Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of your faith (Heb. 12:2) Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philip. 1:6. 3. TRADITION: Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition (Matt. 15:6) Those of you who receive our newsletter on a regular basis know how strong a stand we take against tradition of man which is not in line with the Bible. Tradition is often based on pride, stubbornness and intellectualism and pride is a sin! (It was because of the sin of pride that Satan was thrown out of heaven!) Tradition says: My great grandfather worshipped God in this fashion, so did my grandfather and my father, so it is good enough for me. Anyone who clings to tradition in spite of the fact that it is not based on Bible truth, is usually too proud to admit that they could be wrong or to accept change. Tradition says that God lives in a church building, where we meet Him once or twice a

week for an hour or so, and that we must put on smart clothes, talk in a whisper, and display a religious attitude! We may be able to fool some people, but God knows what we are really like, He knows our heart. It is foolish to think that we leave the presence of God behind when we leave the church building! The Lord does not live in buildings made by human hands He lives within the hearts of those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and are now His children, and who together make up His church. (Acts 7:48). Never forget that God is omnipresent, and knows how rude you were to your husband/wife in the car on your way to church, or how impatient you are with your children and employees. He also knows about your backbiting and little white lies. The Psalmist says: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (Ps. 139:712) Tradition has taught Christians that they should be quiet, stiff and unemotional in the presence of God. Many people think it pleases Him if they display a sombre and pious attitude in church, they appear more holy. Year after year Christians have followed numerous unbiblical manmade traditions even though the Word of God may teach quite the opposite. The last five Psalms in the Bible tell us exactly how God wants to be praised and worshipped. These Psalms speak of joyful singing, dancing and shouts of joy and the use of various musical instruments. I trust that you will allow the truth to set you free from denominational tradition. (Joh. 8:32) WORLDLINESS: Jesus assured His disciples that the world hated Him, and would therefore hate them. (John 15 verse 18) The world system with all its carnality and lust is opposed to true spirituality. It is impossible to love the Lord Jesus and serve Him in spirit and in truth, whilst still holding onto the world and what it represents. We are told in the book of Revelation that if we are luke warm, God will spit us out. (Rev. 3:16) When we are still toying with the things of this world and the lusts of the flesh, our hearts will condemn us, and we will not have the full liberty to enter into praise and worship the way we should. Worldly people find it embarrassing to praise and worship God. They feel it is undignified to clap their hands, to dance or sing praises to Jesus, who is the Creator and Saviour of all! They forget all about their dignity at rugby matches or at shows, and are able to display their emotions without any inhibitions at all, but they prefer not to get too emotional about the King of kings and Lord of lords! What will people think of me if I do that? is often the thought, which prevents them from honouring and worshipping the Lord in the way in which He desires to be worshipped. A Christians motive should always be, how can I please the Lord? If this is a priority, inhibitions and the fear of man will disappear. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10) The number one priority in your life should be to want to please your Heavenly Father, and we know that one of the best ways to please Him is by praising and worshipping Him. If people cannot do this, they have a problem. Remember, never let the opinion of other people prevent you from praising your wonderful Heavenly Father! 5. SATANIC OPPRESSION: Satan was originally the archangel created by God to continually praise and worship Him. He was the cherub that covereth and his headquarters, Eden, was a paradise. (Ezek. 28:119) He was appointed to make melody and music, and was extremely beautiful. Then he fell, through pride and personal ambition, so God banished him from heaven with one third of the heavenly host, who, with him, rebelled against God. This is why Satan has such an intense hatred towards those who praise and worship the Lord. As

children of the most High God, we are able to enter the innermost courts of God to praise and worship Him, which had been Satans original position and from which he has been banished forever. This is the reason for his hatred of Christians and why he tries his level best to discourage us from praising the Lord. He said to Jesus in Luke 4:68: If You fall down and worship me I will give you the kingdoms the earth. Of course we know that Jesus refused to do so, but it just shows how much Satan longs to be worshipped. You can be sure that Satan will also try and tempt you, but recognise the attack, and resist him with the Word of God, just as Jesus did, when He said: Get behind me Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. Luke 4:8. So when he comes with sickness, poverty, depression, feelings of inferiority or fear, etc., the best way to counter the attack is with the Word of God and by praising the Lord! Praise Him for all the blessings He showers upon you. Praise Him with a loud voice, sing, clap your hands, lift your hands and dance before the Lord. Give honour and praises to the King, and Satan will retreat very quickly! A very effective preventative measure against depression, fear and other attacks of the enemy, is to continually play praise music and choruses in your home, or even when you are driving in your car. You may wonder what you can praise Him for. For a start you can praise Him that you have a car, as many people do not. You can praise Him for the strength and ability to drive, your eye sight, and the use of your legs and arms. You can praise Him for the home you are driving to, and the family that awaits you. Praise Him for the roof over your head and the meal on the table. Praise Him for the air you breathe, and the beauty of His creation around you. I can go on and on. Satan quickly retreats from where God is being praised and the Name of Jesus is being exalted! CHAPTER FIVE

PURPOSE OF PRAISE
Why should we Praise the Lord? We praise Him because He is God. Praise ye the Lord, O my soul (Ps. 146:1) He is the Highest Authority. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is Almighty. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised (Ps. 48:1) We must praise Him because He instructed us to do so. Praise ye the Lord (Ps. 148:1) This is not a request or a suggestion, but a command! We should praise God because it glorifies Him. Who so offereth praise glorifieth Me (Ps. 50:23) We, His children, should have a burning desire in our hearts to praise Him. We should praise Him because He is worthy of our praises. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised . (Ps. 18:3) We should praise God for all His goodness. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases. (Ps. 103:23) We should praise Him because it is comely for the upright to do so. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright (Ps. 33:1)

We should praise the Lord because He inhabits the praises of His children. But thou art holy O Thou that inhabits the praises of Israel (Ps. 22:3) Praising God gives us strength. David said: Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee they go from strength to strength. (Ps. 84:4, 5 and 7) The Lord is the strength of the person who praises Him. He also learns to walk in the joy of the Lord because the joy of the Lord is his strength. (Neh. 8:11) The person who continually praises and worships the Lord, delights himself in Him, and He gives him the desires of his heart. (Ps. 37:4) Sometimes people say: If only the Lord would give me the desires of my heart, then I would praise Him. However it doesnt work that way, the Bible principle is FIRST praise, THEN receive, Faith works in the same way FIRST believe, THEN see. The heart that praises and worships the Lord will have desires in accordance with His Will, and then He will grant those desires. We read in 1 John 5:1415: Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. His Word is His will and He cannot violate His Word by doing anything contrary to it. How does the Lord want us to praise Him according to the Scriptures? Keep in mind that any praise and worship is only valid and acceptable to God when it comes from a heart overflowing with love and pure motives. In other words, just going through the motions or imitating others, is not true praise and worship. The most important fact, therefore, is the attitude of your heart. If you do not have a contrite heart of gratitude towards the Lord, then there is definitely a problem in your life. Get it sorted out. Humble yourself and go before the Lord, asking Him to soften your hardened heart and to give you a revelation of who He is. You may not have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour as yet. Do you know God as Heavenly Father? Is Jesus your Lord? Perhaps you are someone who has been brought up in a traditional church, where you were not allowed to do more than sing loudly, yet in the past few months praises to the King of kings have been building up inside you until you want to burst. Praise the Lord for that! I suggest that you make a study of the different ways to praise the Lord and to fully embrace them, thus expressing your love and praise, gratitude and thanksgiving to Him! First try praising Him in your home, not only in the privacy of your place of prayer, but also as you go about your daily work. SING praises to the Lord, dance and jump for joy before Him. If you always sing in the shower, start SINGING praises to Him. If you are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will show you many places and opportunities to praise and worship Him. A lovely new sense of liberty will well up within you, and your joy in the Lord will reach new heights, this is because you are being obedient to Gods instructions! He has never been impressed by those who merely hear His Word and remain passive, but He delights in those who act upon it! 1. Praising God with your voice: My lips shall greatly rejoice when I SING unto Thee, and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long (Ps 71:2324) I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. (Ps 66:17) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God (Acts 16:25) There is no Biblical evidence of anyone ever praising God quietly in his heart. Praise is always spoken or sung out loud, it can not be done in silent thought or meditation. Our tongues and the words of our mouths play a very important role in our lives. (Mark 11:23)

Start every day with praises to the Lord, regardless of how you FEEL. Sing to His glory: Let your lips and your voice become instruments of praise and worship. Also read Ps 28:7 34:1 40:16. 2. Shout unto God: O clap your hands, all ye people SHOUT unto God with a voice of triumph. (Ps 47:1) .. let them also that love thy Name be joyful in thee (Ps 5:11) O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE To the rock of our salvation (Ps 95:1) CRY OUT and SHOUT, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (Is. 12:6) There are times when we just sing unto the Lord, (as we discussed in the previous paragraph), but there are also times to lift up our voices and SHOUT with an exceeding abundance of joy! I have heard people say: I dont need to shout at God, He is not deaf. True, but He also made us and knows that when we are genuinely enthusiastic, grateful and excited about something, we usually SHOUT about it! Do your recall the illustration I gave earlier in this book how the Lord taught me a lesson about praise and worship through watching the reaction of people to their sporting heroes? Well, sporting heroes arent deaf either! Our arguments, reasoning and justification carry no weight at all in this matter, because the only thing that counts, is His instruction, His Word. His ways are higher than our ways, and His instructions are always for our benefit. Make a joyful NOISE unto the Lord, all ye lands (Ps. 100:2). Do you remember how the walls of the great city of Jericho fell down when the people of Israel were obedient to the Lords instructions? . And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets and it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the rams horn all the people shall SHOUT WITH A GREAT SHOUT. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him (Joshua 6:45) That is exactly what Joshua and his men did they were obedient to the instructions God gave them and SHOUTED! The walls of Jericho fell, and the Israelites were able to take the city! This once again proves that in the Bible there is a place for the Believer to shout with a loud noise, for the glory of God. It may seem strange and foolish, but it comes from the very heart of God. The Bible encourages the children of the Lord to SING, to SHOUT and to make a joyful NOISE unto Him, and yet it is sad to still find notices near some church buildings bearing the word SILENCE, as if at a graveyard. We need to lift up our voices and shout, letting the whole world know what a wonderful God we serve and how mighty are His works! 3. Sing unto God: Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with PRAISE (Ps. 100:4) For God is the King of all the earth: SING ye praises with understanding (Ps. 47:7) I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness and will SING praise to the name of the Lord most high (Ps. 7:17) I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people I will SING unto Thee among the nations (Ps. 57:9). Also read 2 Sam. 22:50 Ps. 9:11. There are many Scriptures, which instruct us to SING to the glory of God, and I believe it brings joy to the heart of our Heavenly Father to hear His Children sing His praises. An interesting aspect of singing to the Lord is that God expects a variety of songs from us.

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Eph. 5:19) Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col. 3:16) We find that the Psalms are a great source of inspiration for songs and choruses. Let us, however, take note of the spiritual songs which are also mentioned in the above verse. These are songs inspired by the Holy Spirit, and as the Spiritfilled believer sings spontaneously, the HOLY SPIRIT provides the words and the tune! Such a spiritual song can be in the language of the believer who is singing, in which case the Bible calls it singing with the understanding or mind. (1 Cor. 14:15) At other times there can be singing in tongues. When one sings in the Spirit, the mind is not involved the understanding (mind) is unfruitful (1 Cor. 14:14) The mind has no natural understanding of what is being sung, but only knows that the Holy Spirit is glorifying God through the song. The Bible tells us in Romans 8 verse 26: Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. To sing in the Spirit in this way is totally spontaneous and unrehearsed. Faith plays an important role in singing in the Spirit. The Spiritfilled believer sings the melody and words that the Lord gives him. It is amazing the harmony that is produced when spirit filled believers sing together in the spirit. The devil hates and opposes any believer speaking and singing in the Spirit (in tongues), because he does not understand the heavenly language, and hates God being worshipped in spirit and in truth. The devil knows that God blesses those who are worshipping Him in song. As we have fully discussed the use of the tongue, vocal chords and lips in expressing praise and worship to the Lord, let us now look at the different WAYS in which we are able to praise and worship Him. Our WHOLE BODY can become involved in our worship. 1. Standing: Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night STAND in the house of the Lord. (Ps 134:1) Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord praise Him O ye servants of the Lord. Ye that STAND in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. (Ps 135:1 2) Standing is always a way of expressing respect. People stand up when an important person enters a room as a sign of honour and respect. The Holy Spirit will often prompt us to stand in the presence of our wonderful Lord as a form of worship, to bring Him honour. We would never think of remaining seated when we sing our national anthem, in fact we usually stand to attention. We often honour those who have performed well and excelled by giving them a standing ovation. How much more should we not respect the King of kings and Lord of lords?! 2. Lifting our hands: LIFT UP YOUR HANDS in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. (Ps 134:2) I STRETCH FORTH MY HANDS unto Thee, my soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land. (Ps 143:6) Throughout the world the lifting of ones hands is regarded as a sign of surrender the

same applies when we lift our hands before the Lord. We acknowledge that we give ourselves over to Him completely. We are actually saying that we belong to Him unconditionally. It is very simple to raise ones hands, yet it is amazing how difficult some people find it, especially when they are not completely surrendered to the Lord! They often resist this form of worship due to pride or embarrassment, and yet just watch when a king or celebrity drives past a crowd of people. With outstretched arms they wave little flags as a symbol of their respect and honour. Raising your hands to the Lord for the first time seems strange. Initially you are convinced that everybody is looking at you, and your hands and arms suddenly feel very heavy, but once you have lifted your hands to the Lord in praise and worship, you will experience a glorious freedom and liberty. In fact it will eventually feel completely unnatural to you not to raise your hands to the Lord when you are praising and worshipping Him! When you stretch out your hands towards Him it is also symbolic of thirsting after God and spiritual things. (Ps. 143:6) Our arms become a funnel, as it were, to receive blessings from the Lord as we lift them up to Him. 3. Clapping hands O CLAP YOUR HANDS, all ye people, shout unto God with the voice of triumph (Ps 47:1) It is very natural for someone to clap his hands when he is glad and excited, even small children do this spontaneously. This is definitely a God inspired reaction. If we clap our hands and express our joy whenever we are happy, why not react in like manner unto the Lord? He has done so much for us, and provided for our every need. He has given us His Son, Jesus so that we might have our sins forgiven, eternal life and be reconciled to Him. Surely this alone causes us to clap our hands with delight and gratitude. He desires this form of praise from us, and instructs us to, CLAP YOUR HANDS, ALL YE PEOPLE. Psalm 47:1. Once again, we are familiar with the demonstration of appreciation by clapping, which is shown to secular people such as, a mayor, a state president, a stage artist, a rugby hero etc., so why not then the same applaud and ovation for our Living God, who deserves even more honour. 4. Kneeling O come, let us worship and bow down: let us KNEEL before the Lord our maker (Ps 95:6) For this cause I BOW MY KNEES unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 3:14) That at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:1011) We probably do not have a problem with kneeling when we pray in private, but when we come together as the Body of Christ (church) we become selfconscious and shy, and too embarrassed to display our emotions. We are still far too worried about what people will think of us, which causes us to be SELFconscious and MANconscious, in stead of being GODconscious! Kneeling and bowing are both positions of humility and it has always been difficult for man to humble himself in the presence of others, and in the sight of the Lord. However, a humble man always finds favour in the sight of the Lord, and God promises to exalt the humble. He also honours the humble and His Word tells us that He despises the proud. (James 4:10) 5. Lying prostrate

And Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen with lifting up their hands: and they bowed low their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. (Neh. 8:6) To lie prostrate before somebody, with your face on the ground, is certainly a sign of deep respect and humility. Unfortunately we seldom see people prostrating themselves before God in this position of surrender, but no doubt, those who truly seek His face in repentance and need, prostrate themselves before Him in their closets. 6. Dancing Let them praise His Name in the DANCE . (Ps 149:3) Praise Him with the timbrel and DANCE . (Ps 150:4) Perhaps you feel that you can go along with everything you have read so far about praise and worship, but you draw the line at dancing! Dancing is a demonstration of our delight and joy in the Lord, and although it is spontaneous, it springs forth from a choice we make in obedience to Gods Word. Let us consider this form of worship. Dancing involves the whole body and it is therefore a good way of bringing our whole body to Him as a living sacrifice. It is a way of praising and thanking Him joyfully. The Hebrew and Greek words used in the original manuscripts of the Bible which have been translated as dance, have a variety of meanings, such as to jump up, to hop, to lift up the feet. Biblical dance is therefore a spontaneous hopping and skipping before the Lord due to gladness and joy and gratitude! The children of Israel knew how to dance before the Lord and it was an integral part of their worship. The Bible gives us a few examples of this: THEY DANCED TO CELEBRATE THEIR FREEDOM AND SALVATION. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances (Ex 15:20) And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances .. (Judges 11:34) THEY DANCED FOR JOY WHEN THE ARK OF THE COVENANT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO JERUSALEM, WHEN IT WAS FINALLY RESTORED TO THEM. And David danced before the Lord with all his might and David was girded with a linen ephod (2 Sam 6:14) .. Michal Sauls daughter looked through a window and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord .. (2 Sam 6:16) WHEN JEREMIAH PROPHESIED ABOUT THE GLORIOUS RESTORATION OF HIS PEOPLE, HE SAID: Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance (Jer. 31:13) IN LAMENTATIONS 5:15 JEREMIAH DESCRIBES THE SORROW OF HIS PEOPLE WHEN THEY WERE IN EXILE: The joy of our heart is ceased: our dance is turned into mourning..

There are those who say that it was only in Old Testament days that dancing formed part of praise, but it is definitely also seen the New Testament church. One of the Greek words which often appears in the New Testament is agalliao which literally means: jump for joy. This is not merely a deep, inner joy, but rather an exuberant joy. Jesus own words were: jump for joy! Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy, for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets (Luke 6:23) In that hour Jesus rejoiced (Agalliao) in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Luke 10:21) And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced (agalliao) in God my Saviour . (Luke 1:46 and 47) And when he (the jail warden) had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced (agalliao), believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:34) Let us be glad and rejoice (agalliao), and give honour to Him (Christ): for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready (Rev 19:7) It is obvious that in New Testament days, dancing before the Lord formed an integral part of praise, so all objections to rejoicing in this way are unfounded. It is essential, however, that there is always a sense of reverence, and that the dancing is not performed in a worldly and fleshly manner, as this would feed the carnal man and be unacceptable to the Lord. Those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth, and any form of carnality and flesh leads to backsliding, worldliness, immorality and idolatry. We need to guard our hearts and examine our motives at all times. We read in Ex 32:6 how the children of Israel danced around the golden calf. Satan desires to be worshipped and will confuse the children of God with a counterfeit for the things of the Lord whenever he can. Never underestimate the whiles of enemy! Worldly dancing, such as takes place at nightclubs and discos, is inspired by the devil and his music, and often leads to temptation and carnality. It is a perversion of what God intended for His people. Dancing before Him in praise and worship brings joy to His heart. Music, designed to be beautiful, is something created by God for His children to joy for His glory alone, but it is also something which Satan is able to pervert and use to corrupt people. How Satan would love the children of the living God, to fall into his trap and follow after his corrupt ways, or alternatively to refrain altogether from taking part in genuine, Godly music of, praise and worship, in all its fullness, as described by the Lord for us in His Word! Music is yet another example of something beautiful and holy that the devil has perverted for his own evil purposes and we need to be aware of this fact. Biblical dance is spontaneous, simple and unsophisticated: hopping, skipping and rejoicing. It can be accompanied by musical instruments or by song. It is an expression of joy to the Lord. Let them praise His name in the dance: let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp (Ps 149:3) And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances (Ex 15:21) Biblical dance can be done alone, or in a group. And David danced before the Lord with all his might and David was girded with a linen ephod (2 Sam. 6:14) And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand and ALL the women went out after her (Ex. 15:21)

Biblical dance is not done in couples with the opposite sex, and there is no age limit. Again refer to Miriam and the Israelite women in Ex. 15:20, and read about the young men and the old men in Jer. 31:13. It is interesting to note that there is always rejoicing in dance at Jewish weddings, Barmitzvahs, and at certain times during the feasts of the Lord, remembering always that our Biblical roots are Hebraic, and that Jesus, the Son of God, is a Jew. Biblical dance was prophesied by the Lord Himself ages ago. thou shalt again be adorned with thy timbrels and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. (Jer. 31:4) 7. Musical Instruments Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. (Ps. 150:35) There is a far greater potential for music in the field of praise and worship than we realise. When we see to what extent music is used by Satan to enslave mankind, we should be all the more determined that it should be used only for its original purpose, for He made everything GOOD! (Gen. 1:31) Music is meant to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father, to give us a greater understanding of the character of God, to set us free and bless us. We cannot let the devil rob us of the benefits that God intended us to have through music! It is our duty, and should be our greatest joy to worship the Father with song and dance. The study of music in the Bible is very interesting. We know that long before God made man and this earth, He created a beautiful angel, put him in the third heaven and gave him the ability to make wonderful music. He had musical instruments built into his body (Read Ezek. 28:13 in the King James translation of the Bible) He was a very special heavenly being an archangel. No other angel or being was allowed to come closer to the throne of God than he. This angel was Lucifer and later, Satan. He became so proud of his beauty and his music that he rebelled against God. He actually desired to be exalted to the place of God, and we read in Isaiah 14 verse 11: Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols Now you can appreciate why Satan (Lucifer) is such a master of music even today, and why he can apply it so effectively to destroy the crown of Gods creation man. It is all part of his ongoing rebellion towards God. Imagine what great plans God had for music right from the beginning of time and how He longs for it to be used and performed for His glory alone! True praise and worship with musical instruments must come from the very heart and soul of the musician, rather than from mere natural talent or technical ability in other words the musician must be led by the Holy Spirit. Again the Bible provides interesting Scriptures regarding music used in the Lords service. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (1 Sam.16:23) Now the Levites . Four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments .(1 Chron. 23:3 and 5) And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpists playing with their harps:

And they sang as it were a new song before the throne .. (Rev 14.23) The name of the fourth son of Jacob and Leah was Judah, meaning praise. If we read Hos. 10:11 we find the following: Judah shall plough .. In other words: Praise shall plough. And that is an actual fact. When we praise the Lord our hearts are ploughed and prepared so that when the Word of God, which is the incorruptible seed, is sown (Mark 4) it falls on fertile ground. Praise and worship is therefore VERY IMPORTANT AND ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL in the life of a child of God. I want to share something very interesting with you. As I have previously mentioned, praising and worshipping the Lord came very naturally to the Israelites, and they practised it often without inhibition. They ministered to the Lord in this way and fully understood the power and blessing that comes from praising the Lord. One sees in the Old Testament that the nation of Israel worshipped God in temples made by human hands (Acts 7:48), such as the tabernacle of Moses. (Ex 26 and 17) This tabernacle consisted of THREE parts: the outer court, the inner court or holy place, and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and where the Holy Presence of God was manifested. We, who are children of the New Testament, the new and better covenant, know that OUR BODIES are the temples of God. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Cor. 3:16) (Also read Heb. 9: 2326) Man also consists of THREE parts: spirit, soul and body. Just as Gods dwelling place in the Old Testament (the tabernacle) had three parts, so His dwelling place in the New Testament, made up of His bloodwashed children, consists of three parts. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thes. 5:23) Your body is your flesh that you can see and feel. Your soul is your mind (intellect), your will and your emotions. Your spirit is that part of you which becomes new (born again) when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. There is a wonderful parallel between this and praise and worship: When we start praising by singing, clapping our hands and dancing, it is our bodies that are involved and we enter into the outer court of the tabernacle. When we proceed to the first phase of worship by singing, lifting our hands and kneeling, our soul is involved. Our mind, will and emotions are now concentrated on Him, the Glorious One, thereby entering into the inner court. When we worship by singing in the Holy Spirit, our spirit becomes involved, and we enter into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle, right into the very throne room of God! Can you see how beautifully the three stages of praise and worship flow into one another, and that everything about us and our ministering to the Lord has an order and plan? God took the trouble of giving us His plan for worship in the Old Testament, which was a pattern for the new. Praise Him for that! We also realise that when we belong to Him, His Blueprint for praise and worship must be followed. It is so important that once we have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and have been baptised by full immersion after we have believed we then receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit and our new prayer language so that we may be able to praise God fully. Remember: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! 2 Cor. 3:17.

CHAPTER SIX

WORSHIPPING IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

MINISTERING TO THE LORD I mentioned previously that every born again, Spiritfilled child of God has a ministry of serving, so that the Body of Christ can be built up and edified, as its members minister to one another. It is however, even more important that we minister to our Heavenly Father, and an important way we do this is by praising and worshipping Him. I want to share a few thoughts with you on this subject. When we worship, we are in fact giving of ourselves completely. In worshipping the Lord, we surrender ourselves in complete adoration. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. (Joh. 12:3) Just as Mary did, when we kneel at the feet of Jesus our Messiah to praise and worship Him, we must bring our very best, our most precious possession to lay at His feet we must bring ourselves. When we do this, He meets with us and the perfume of His Presence fills our lives. In John 4:724 there is a very enlightening portion of Scripture describing the way in which God wants to be worshipped. We find Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, and He asks her to give Him a drink. She answers Jesus by saying that because she is a Samaritan woman, how is it that He, a Jew, is asking her for a drink. Jesus replies that if she knew Who it was Who was asking her for a drink, she would have asked Him, and He would have given her living water, whereby she would never thirst again. She replies in verse 15: Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and Ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what, we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is Spirit and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Jesus emphasises that true worship comes from the heart, and has nothing to do with a geographical place or church building. He also points out that there are many people who worship idols and images, which they have made, yet do not understand what they are worshipping. Jesus says the new worshippers will be different. They will know the true God and worship Him in spirit and truth. Remember Is. 43:19 and 21 says: Behold, I will do a new thing: now it shall spring forth .. this people have I formed for Myself: they shall shew forth My praise. When Jesus walked on the earth, He declared that He was Gods will in action by saying: He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father (Joh. 14:9) I do nothing of Myself but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things (Joh. 8:28) We worship the Father in spirit, because the Holy Spirit has been given to us (Acts 2), and because we know our Heavenly Father through Jesus His Son, we can worship God in Truth. Jesus declared: I am the Way the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6). I have stated clearly that the Lord has given us the blue print of His Word to guide us in every area of our lives and that includes the manner in which He wants to be praised and worshipped. When the Lord commands us to do something in a certain way, it is

always because He cares for us and wants to bless us. Let us look briefly at a few results of the ministry of praise and worship. There are times when the natural result of worship is a revelation, but it is more likely that a revelation will lead to worship. God revealed Himself to Moses in a cloud, and then Moses worshipped Him. When Moses climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai, the Lord came down in a cloud and stood by Moses and proclaimed the Name of the Lord. And Moses bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. (Ex. 34:5 and 8) Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth, and, after he had been questioned by the Pharisees and banned from the synagogue, Jesus found him and told him that HE was the Son of God, and the man reacted by worshipping Him. And he said, Lord I believe. And he worshipped Him. (Joh. 9:38) God revealed Himself through the healing, and then the man worshipped Him. When we perceive God, whether it be through His Word or by the manifestation of His power, our automatic response is to worship Him. When He reveals Himself to us, causing us to worship Him, He often gives us a revelation of His Truth simultaneously. As an example we use the case of Anna in Luke chapter 2. While Anna was worshipping God and waiting upon Him in the temple, He revealed His secrets to her. He revealed a lot about Jesus to her, because when she saw the baby Jesus in the temple, she gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:38. Other people who had similar experiences in the Bible were Jeremiah, Moses and Job. Just like them, we also need revelation from our Living God. But this revelation is always in line with Scripture, because we cannot add anything to the Word, nor can we remove anything from it. It is necessary for us to be caught up in the wonder of His Person as we worship Him. It is essential that we are awed by His power and have a vision of His holiness and glory if we want to be used by Him. The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom... (Psalm 111 verse 10). WORSHIP is often the starting point. Worshipping God not only brings a revelation of Him, His Word, His plans and love for us, but worship brings a joining together, a unity in the Spirit. As we praise and worship with other believers, we are bound together in one accord, then instead of our cultural differences being our focal point, we look at Jesus and He becomes the focal point of our JOINT attention. While we are worshipping Jesus in togetherness we are drawn closer to Him and to one another. A word of warning here, however THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT A CALL TO UNITY IN THE NAME OF ECUMENISM! We must never compromise the Truth of Gods Word for the sake unity. There is only one truth, and that is found in the Gospel and the doctrines of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the Bible. When we worship God we draw upon His Life and Power. There is power in praise and worship that pushes back the powers of darkness, breaks the chains that bind us and liberates us so that our thoughts can be taken captive by Jesus Christ. Read the whole of Psalm 149. God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3) and while we praise and worship Him, the power of the Spirit is awakened in us and the enemy must flee! In James 4:7 we read: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. After submitting myself to God, and giving no place to the enemy, I start praising and worshipping the Lord. The enemy flees through praise and worship. The devil hates to hear a child of God praising the Lord! Remember the way in which king Jehoshaphat and the army of Israel advanced on the enemy? I believe that as the people came against the foe, with their spirits lifted to God in praise and worship, they were truly in one accord, singing praises in spirit and in truth! They worshipped Him, and the Holy Spirit created a new song within them. As they ministered to the Lord, praising Him for His greatness, the enemy was defeated!

Think of Paul and Silas when they were flogged and put in prison because they preached the Gospel and exorcised a demon from a young girl. They sang praises to the Lord in jail, and He opened the prison doors, and they were free. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyones bands were loosed. (Acts 16:26) Praise and worship opens our prison doors by the power of God! We are vessels for the life and power of God in this dark world in which we live. Jesus is the LIFE, and as we come to Him and drink, His life flows into us. As we praise and worship Him, He gives us power to overcome every circumstance and difficulty we face. When we are obedient to Him, His life flows through us and draws others unto Him. He has made us His ambassadors in this wicked world, and this is a great responsibility! We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that (we) may proclaim the praises of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9. What a challenge for us! We have been chosen to reach out to a lost and suffering humanity, with the message of hope in the Gospel, which is that Jesus came to this world and died to give us eternal life, and life more abundantly. It is up to us to allow the very life of God, by His Holy Spirit in us, to flow through us to reach the unsaved. If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink! He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him should receive. (Joh. 7:37 to 39) Worshipping God keeps us spiritually balanced. It helps us to see our lives in the right perspective, and have the right set of values and priorities. It is important however, that we focus our attention more on the Person of God than upon His blessings. We often point a finger at the Pharisees because they were so unfulfilled in their religiosity. They worshipped everything ABOUT God, instead of worshipping HIM! When Jesus came they chose to keep to their ritualistic, legalistic, religious ways and did not recognise their Messiah. Let us not be guilty of the same thing! Right throughout the course of history we see God using men as vessels of His power, but it is a tragedy that so often those who are called, choose to cling to their idols and religious traditions, quenching the Holy Spirit and making the power of God of none effect. Men often turn from the True Life which is found in the simplicity of the Gospel, and which is given to us by the Holy Spirit, to a form of godliness and ritual which is powerless. Gods ways are completely different to mans ways. The Word tells us in Isaiah 55 verse 9 that Gods ways are higher than mans ways and thoughts, and in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 19 Paul says that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. When the people of Israel were bitten by poisonous serpents according to Numbers chapter 21, God instructed Moses to make a copper snake and exhibit it on a pole. Every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (Numbers 21:8) At that stage the LIFE of God flowed through the image of the serpent and when the people looked at it, they were healed. But Israel forgot about the LIFE and kept on looking at the image, for we read in 2 Kings 18:4 that 900 years later Israel was still worshipping and burning incense to images of serpents, until King Hezekiah had them all cut down. Thus we see that the people of Israel had fallen into the trap of worshipping the instrument God had used, instead of worshipping God Himself. We find this is true even today. We must guard against the worshipping of a certain ministry or denomination where you may have received a special blessing from the Lord remember God is very jealous of the praise of His people and no man or ministry may take His glory! Whenever we exalt revelations, methods, religious rituals or any other thing above the

Lord, we are actually WORSHIPPING these things, and this is idolatry! We become dead to the voice of the Holy Spirit as we cling to lifeless forms of worship, and are therefore without the true LIFE of God in our lives. I believe that is why Jesus said: Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (Matt.15:6) However if we put Him first and worship and serve Him above everything else, our lives will be continually enriched by Him, and we will be vessels through which He can bless many others. You can never love the Lord too much! You can never spend too much time in His Presence! You can never praise and worship Him too much! THOU ART WORTHY, O LORD, TO RECEIVE GLORY AND HONOUR AND POWER: FOR THOU HAST CREATED ALL THINGS, AND FOR THY PLEASURE THEY ARE CREATED. (Rev. 4:11)

CHAPTER SEVEN

A PRAISE CELEBRATION THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Gods feasts are described in detail in Leviticus 23 and they are The Feast of Passover (Pesah), The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost in Greek, Shavuoth in Hebrew) and The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (also known as the feast of the harvest Lev. 23:33). The Feast of Tabernacles is the Feasts of Feasts, it lasts seven days (and eight days if the Feast of Ingathering is included). It is the ultimate festival on Gods calendar, and evokes greater celebration, greater abundance, the best and most of food, music, colour, fellowship, dancing and praise. This is a glorious time. It is fulfilling, happy, resounding with a sense of victory. Those who celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles have a sense of oneness with the Lord of delighting in Him fully and completely, of satisfaction in His presence and of total reliance upon Him for provision. Jesus celebrated the feast of Tabernacles and we read in John chapter 7 that He made some of the most profound and far reaching statements of His entire earthly ministry while attending the Feast in Jerusalem. On the 7th day of the Feast, as the water ceremony reached its climax, Jesus stood and cried: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:3738). Most Biblical scholars agree that it was during the time of the feast of Tabernacles that Jesus was born. We read in John 1 verse 14: And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Many believe that it is most likely to be during the time of this special feast of the Lord that Jesus will return! These two events are sufficient reason alone for us to rejoice and to celebrate, but in addition to them, it is a COMMAND of God the Father that we MUST be glad and joyful particularly at this timel! God knows that it is needful for His people to celebrate and rejoice at given times, because that is our strength. Therefore there is one theme and one them alone which permeates the entire Feast of Tabernacles during the 7 days of the feast, and that theme is PRAISE! Praise to the Most High God for who He is the eternal I AM, Almighty God of Heaven and earth! Praise for His magnificent deeds on our behalf! Praise for the promises He will fulfil in our lifetime! Praise to Jesus for all that He is in our lives today all He has done for us on the cross! How shall we rejoice? Lets recognise that praise is voiced. It is expressive. It is exuberant. It is a physical manifestation. Praise is worshipping with every fibre of our being. When we praise the Lord, we are not trying to show how religious or righteous we are as Christians, because the focus must be upon Jesus, not upon ourselves. Neither are we in fear of losing our reputations. Praise is realising that we have abandoned everything to the Lord and we are totally at His pleasure. Praise requires complete personal freedom. It requires centring in on Jesus with no thought for self, fame, fortune or future.

Body language is the foundation for our verbal expressions. It is the most basic form of communication, and God loves our physical expressions of worship unto him, such as the following: Clap your hands all ye people (Ps. 47:1) Shout unto God unto the Lord.. (1 Tim. Tim. 2:8) Bow before Him, worship and adore Him.. (Ps. 95:6) Lift up your heads all ye people of the Lord.. (Ps. 24:9) Sing aloud on their beds (Psalm 149:5) Praise is an utterance. It is never done in silence. You may have quiet times for meditation. You may sit silently in His presence with awe. But the very nature of praise is a loud joyous celebration. In fact, the name Judah from which the word Jews comes means praise to God, celebrated in the Hebrew language. God has desired from the beginning that the leaders of His chosen people on the earth would be people whose mouths were filled to overflowing with praise. It is Judah that was the tribe encamped at the entrance to the Tabernacle of Moses. It is Judah who led in battle, with singer and dancers leading the way. Praise overcomes the enemy. (Psalm 8:2) Praise reaches your very soul. Praise frees us in our personalities and in our relationships with others. Praise is for EVERYONE. It requires no great skill in singing or praying. It is spontaneous, unrehearsed outbreaks of rejoicing. Praise is often accompanied by music. Read praise worship at the time of the Psalmist: lute, trumpet, harp, timbrel, stringed instruments, flutes, loud cymbals, high sounding cymbals. Praise is for today. Praise is for you! And because praise is first and foremost a personal matter, you can rest assured that you can keep the Feast of Tabernacles in your own heart no matter what those around you maybe doing. Your family can keep the Feast, even if nobody else in the neighbourhood understands. Your community or church group can keep the Feast, even though it may be an unknown activity in the rest of your nation. The feast of Tabernacles, also known as Succoth, is a much larger celebration than any one church group or denomination or nationality. It is a festival that cannot be boxed in, labelled, and shelved as belonging to any particular place, denomination, or group. It is a celebration that can reign in the hearts of any believers any place they find themselves on the earth during the coming years. Praise cannot be contained. Praise can come from any vessel yielded to the Lord. Jesus is always central to our praise. (Revelation 5:12) Praise is an attitude and an action. It is also an atmosphere that you can create around yourself. Those individuals who personally dwell in a Succoth of praise will have their mind stayed on God and the promise to them is perfect peace. Isaiah 26 verse 3. As you go about your daily activities, keep praise music filling your mind. Have it playing by radio, record or tape in your home and car. Sing along! Memorise the words and quote them aloud as unto the Lord as you go about your daily chores. Create a dwelling space of praise around you! With an attitude of praise, begin to make up your own songs to the Lord. This may mean adding a simple melody to a psalm that you have memorised. It may mean taking a praise expression, such as hallelujah, hosanna, or praise the Lord and adding a line of melody to it. You dont need to be concerned about making up lines that rhyme. You dont need to be worried about musical composition. Any melody and any words you choose can be a praise offering to the Lord. Become accustomed to hearing the sound of our own voice lifted in praise. Even though these simple praise expressions may not sound right to you at first, keep praising! It is always pleasing to the Lord. (And youll have all eternity to improve!) Also sing in your personal prayer language given by the Holy Spirit. Sing in the Spirit for a while, and then sing in your own language for a while. (1 Cor. 14:15) Even when you dont feel like praising the Lord, read and sing praises anyway! This is a

time for absolute obedience. As you read and sing, the feeling of love for Jesus and His joy for you will overcome you and wash away the anxiety and cares you feel. We praise the Lord in remembrance of what He has done for us. We praise Him for our protection, because we can trust God to protect us both naturally and supernaturally. We have the name of Jesus to use in withstanding our enemy, Satan. We need only to read Psalm 91 in order to take courage from Gods promised protection. We praise Him for His provision. He provided for the children of Israel in the wilderness, food, water, clothing and health. Their shoes did not wear out, and what He did for them, He will do for us as His children. As believers in the Lord Jesus today, we can know Gods promise of provision in our lives. On the natural level, we too can trust God to provide the food, water, clothing, freedom from disease and shelter we need during the coming years. We can trust Him to provide ways to escape the plagues and pestilences that now exist. We can trust Him to provide safety for us and our families. We can also trust God to provide the spiritual nourishment that we require to give us fellowship, access to His Word, and refreshment in His Holy Spirit. We can also trust Him to provide in us the fruits of His nature as we work and glean in His fields. Above all we can trust in the fact that Jesus does not change..yesterday..today.forever! Hebrews 13 verse 8. We praise Him for His promises, which are yea and amen, because His Word is forever established and He assures us that He and His Word are one. Jesus is the Living Word, and because He never changes, neither does the Word of God. We can be assured that God will never break His Word, nor will it return unto Him void, but it will accomplish that which it is meant to do. Isaiah 55 verse 11. You can, with great assurance and trust, rely on His unfailing promises. Of course, the ultimate fulfilment of His promise will be the appearance of Jesus, our Messiah returning, firstly, for His Bride, with the Rapture, and then with His Second Coming in triumph, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The Feast of Tabernacles speaks prophetically of the return of Jesus, so let us be glad, and rejoice, and as we celebrate the feast of tabernacles each year, let us make a quality decision to become a praising people! CHAPTER 8

HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN AND A CHILD OF GOD

1. ACKNOWLEDGE: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) God be merciful to me a sinner! (Luke 18:13) In the light of Gods Word you must acknowledge that you are a sinner. 2. REPENT: I (Jesus) tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts 3:19) Realise the ugliness of sin and turn away from it. 3. CONFESS: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Joh. 1:9) . With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10) Confess your sins before God. 4. LEAVE: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord for He will abundantly pardon (Is. 55:7) Just to be sorry about your sin is not enough. We must desire to forsake it forever. 5. BELIEVE: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart

that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Rom. 10:9) Believe that Jesus Christ delivered you completely at the Cross. 6. RECEIVE: He came unto his own, and his own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:11 and 12) You must, by faith, now receive Jesus Christ in your heart so that you can have the experience of being born again. 7. WRITE DOWN: Todays date, on the inside front page of your Bible or next to a scripture verse which has special significance. Let this always be a confirmation to you that you have dedicated your heart and life to the Living God, and that He has received you in His Love. Resist the devil by pointing him to that particular scripture and date every time he attacks you with doubt and confusion. 8. READ: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17) Begin everyday by reading a chapter from the Bible then apply Gods instructions in your daily walk with Him. 9. PRAY: God is now your Heavenly Father: talk to Him everyday. Confess your sins, praise Him for setting you free, tell Him your needs, and thank Him for supplying all your needs: physical, financial and emotional (Philip. 4:19) The following is a prayer which you can use as a guideline. Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I am a lost sinner. I thank You that Jesus died for my sins, that by His shed blood I have been forgiven and that His Body was mutilated beyond recognition and that by His wounds He purchased healing for me. Lord Jesus, I now receive you as my Saviour, my Healer, my Lord and my God. I ask You to forgive all my sin. I now open the door to my heart and life to You. Please come in and cleanse me. Take the reigns of my life: I want to be led by Your Holy Spirit. Father, I thank You that Jesus Christ is now my Saviour and Lord that I am now Your Child. Amen. 10. BE BAPTISED: You are now a child of God, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The next step is baptism by full immersion. Mark. 16:16 Jesus says He who believes and is baptised shall be saved. Remember, now that you are a child of God, your name has been entered into the Book of the Lamb, as you have been obedient to the Gods instructions. 11. BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT according to Gods promise in Acts 2:38 & 39 12. FELLOWSHIP: Find a group of bornagain, believing Christians and fellowship with them on a regular basis. Always keep in mind the picture of the coal which is on the fire and glows while it is in contact with the fire, but which grows cold and dies if it stays out of the fire too long. 13. WRITE TO US: We will gladly assist you in your continued spiritual growth.