amen to that On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 9:01 PM, Simbarashe Mupfekeri <[email protected]>wrote:
> Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they > cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: > (24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner > prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. > (25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: > and the prisoners heard them. > (26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the > foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors > were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” > > This Bible story begins the unjust arrest of Paul and Silas. Because > they had cast a spirit of divination out of a girl, the local > Philippian authorities beat them and then threw them into a jail cell. > Besides the trauma of the severe beating, they were fastened in stocks > which clamped their arms and legs in an immobile position, causing > cramps and loss of circulation. The atmosphere there was depressing. > According to the standards of that day, a prison was more like the > resemblance of a dungeon. A dark, damp, stench-ridden place, with no > facility for waste or comforts of any kind. > > Yet, in spite of the throbbing pain in their bodies and the > disheartening atmosphere, at midnight Paul and Silas were heard > praying and singing praises to God! What a strange sound this must > have been to the other prisoners, who were used to only hearing the > groans or cursings of those who had been beaten. > > Then suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the prison! The > doors flung open, and amazingly, the bonds of Paul, Silas, and every > other prisoner were released! What caused this mighty discharge of > power? > > Praise Elevates us into God’s Presence and Power > > Paul and Silas knew the secret of how to lift their hearts above their > troubles and enter into God’s presence and power. Through praise and > worship their hearts were raised into the joyous presence and peace of > God, and provided God a channel for his power to operate in their > circumstances. > > The Bible says that God inhabits in the praises of His people (Psalms > 22:3). In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of His praise. > This means that praise is not merely a reaction from coming into His > presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the > presence and power of God! Praise and worship is the “gate-pass” which > allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. The psalmist writes, > “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with > praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalms 100:4). > > This corresponds with Jesus’ teaching, that His presence will inhabit > the gathering of believers who congregate in His name: “For where two > or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of > them” (Matthew 18:20). A “gathering in His name” means that Jesus must > be the focus, the center of the assemblage. He must be the one > preached about, sung about — the one praised and worshiped. “I will > declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I > sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2:12). Consequently, Christ’s > presence, along with His virtue and anointing, is manifested in this > type of gathering. > > Have you ever noticed when “gifts of the Spirit” operate in a church > service? The power and anointing of the Holy Spirit usually becomes > evident, subsequent to a time of worship and praise. Some think that > worship is a response after the Holy Spirit moves upon them. However, > it’s the other way around. God’s presence responds when we move upon > Him with worship! Lifting up Jesus Christ through praise and worship > invokes the Lord’s presence and power to flow in our midst. > > What is Praise? > > Praise means “to commend, to applaud or magnify.” For the Christian, > 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 praises 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. “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall > walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance” (Psalms 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. But > true praise is not “merely” going through these motions. 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 honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is > far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Genuine praise to God is a matter of > humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within. > > Unpretentious praise and worship pleases the Lord. He delights in the > love and devotion of His children. According to the scriptures, the > various expressions of praise bring blessing to the Lord. He eagerly > awaits the fragrance of our affections, desiring to manifest His sweet > presence and power in our midst. “...the true worshipers shall worship > the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to > worship him” (John 4:23). > > Praise to God is a Lifestyle > > All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at > church, an event that happens only when they come together with other > Christians. However, praise should be a part of a believers lifestyle, > inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the > car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the > refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing. > “...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually > be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1). > > Praise is an expression of faith, and a declaration of victory! It > declares that we believe God is with us and is in control of the > outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a > “sacrifice,” 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). > > Praise Sends the Enemy Running > > Since praise manifests God’s presence, we also realize that praise > 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” (Psalms 50:23). > > When the children of Judah found themselves outnumbered by the hostile > armies 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 to go out against them, and He > would do the fighting for them. So what did the children of Judah do? > Being the people of “praise” (Judah actually means Praise), and > knowing that God manifests His power through praise, they sent their > army against their enemies, led by the praisers! > > So on they went, ahead of the army declaring, “Praise the Lord, for > His mercy endureth forever!” And the scripture says, “...when they > began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the > children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against > Judah; and they were smitten” (2 Chronicles 20:22). > > When God’s people begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy > running! I challenge you to become a person of praise, and you will > experience the release of the power of God! > > Some Biblical Expressions of Praise > > Declaring of thanks (Heb. 13:15) > Clapping hands and shouting (Psalms 47:1) > Musical instruments and dancing (Psm. 150:4) > Singing praise songs (Psalms 9:11) > Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20) > Making a joyful noise (Psalms 98:4) > By lifting our hands (Psalms 134:2) > By being still (Psalms 4:3-5, 46:10) > By being loud (Psalms 33:3, 95:1-6) > > > -- > "When God has partnered with his people, NOTHING can stand in their way" > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "tribewithavibe" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<tribewithavibe%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tribewithavibe?hl=en. > > -- Delight Chamu -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "tribewithavibe" group. 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