PRAISE

Praise and worship is a lifestyle of love from the heart.

• The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. (Matt 22:37)
• The dictionary definition of worship and praise are as follows (from the New Illustrated Webster's Dictionary):

Worship

• The act or feeling of adoration or homage; the paying of religious reverence, as in prayer, praise, etc.
• The act or feeling of deference, respect, or honor toward virtue, power, or the like.
• Excessive or ardent admiration; also, the object of such love or admiration.
• A title of honor in addressing persons of station.

Praise verb:

• To express approval and commendation of; applaud, eulogize.
• To express adoration of; glorify (God, etc).

noun:

• Commendation expressed, as of a person for his virtues, or concerning meritorious actions; utterance of approval; honor given; also, applause.
• Thanksgiving for blessings conferred; laudation to God; worship expressed in song.
• The object, ground, reason, or subject of praise.

When you look at the two definitions, we see that praise is an attribute of our worship of God. We express our approval, thankfulness, and respect for Almighty God by offering praises to Him. Praises then be

come part of our worship of the Great God. Worship involves more than praise. In our worship of God, we show our love through obeying His commandments, living the way of life He has revealed through His written word, the Bible, communicating with Him in prayer, meeting and fellowshipping with other believers, and in offering praises to Him.

• Worship is the fountainhead of all power: (Matthew 28: 16-20)
  The bible says when the disciples saw Jesus, they worshipped him. After worshiping Him, He then came to them and spoke to them. He then gives them the great commission.
  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)
• God is Holy and He Inhabits in the praise of his people (Psa 22:3). In other words, God dwells (He sits) in the praises of His people.
• Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Praise and wor ship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory (Psa 100:2,4)
• When you gather in the name of Jesus, He is there in the midst. Ask yourself what it means to be gathered in My name (Matthew 18:20)

Praise

• Praise means “to commend to applaud or magnify.”
• Praise to God is an expression of worship, lifting up and glorifying the Lord.
• It is an expression of humbling ourselves and centering our attention upon the Lord with heart-felt expressions of love, adoration and thanksgiving.
• High pra ises bring our spirit into a pinnacle of fellowship and intimacy between ourselves and God - it magnifies our awareness of our spiritual union with the Most High God. Praise transports us into the realm of the supernatural and into the power of God. (Psa 89:15)
• There are many actions involved with praise to God -verbal expressions of adoration and thanksgiving, singing, playing instruments, shouting, dancing, lifting or clapping our hands.
• True praise is not “merely” going through these motions.
• For Praise to be true, it should come from the heart (The deepest thoughts and feelings). Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within.
  Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, whose worship was only an outward show and not from the heart. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honouret h me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
• A true worshipper worships in truth and in spirit. (John 4:23).
• Look at blessing God at all times (Psa 34:1)
• Praise is a “sacrifice (that pleases Him),” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15-16).
• Since praise manifests God’s presence, it therefore repels the presence of the enemy, Satan.
• An atmosphere which is filled with sincere worship and praise to God by humble and contrite hearts is disgusting to the Devil. He fears the power in the name of Jesus, and flees from the Lord’s habitation in praise. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God” (Psa 50:23).
• When Judah was outnumbered by the soldiers of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, King Jehoshophat and all the people sought the Lord for His help. The Lord assured the people that this would be His battle. He told them only to praise Him for it was His battle. So Judah b eing the people of “praise” (Judah means Praise), and knowing that God manifests His power through praise, they sent their army against their enemies, led by the praisers! (2Chronicles 20:22). Later on, as they praised God, the enemy was ambushed by God and they destroyed one another.
• Paul and Silas were in prison in fetters. They began to pray and sing praises to God and there was an earthquake. Every prison cell was opened and the chain broke off. (Acts 16:23-26)
• When you pray and praise God, Situations of bondage are broken and you are set free.
• When God’s children begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy running!
  

Become a person

of praise, and you will experience the release of the power of God!

Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15)
Clapping hands and shouting (Psa 47:1)
Musical instruments and dancing (Psa. 150:4)
Singing praise songs (Psa 9:11)
Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20)
Making a joyful noise (Psa 98:4)
By lifting our hands (Psa 134:2)
By being still (Psa 4:3-5, 46:10)
By being loud (Psa 33:3, 95:1-6)

Article By Sheunopa Matambo