Monday June 23rd 2014 - Secrets of praise and prayer

Secrets of praise and prayer

Memorize: I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. Psalm 18:3

Our God is a warrior and the Man of war. He is also a Deliverer, as our Bible reading today reveals. Our God never does things haphazardly. Whenever He fights, He wins. He delivers permanently and saves to the uttermost. He does not limit His actions to healing and deliverance alone; He also grants His own wholeness and carries then on the wings of grace. Our God has secrets. The greatest secret of God is praise. God dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Many battles are fought and won whenever we praise God. Intense praise will always result in freedom and progress. God made it clear in Isaiah 42:8 that He will not share His glory with anyone. When we give intense praises to God, His glory is manifested. King Solomon in 2 Chronicles 5:13 brought down the glory of God through intense praises. In 2 Chronicles 20:20-22, King Jehoshaphat obtained victory over his enemies through praise and worship. Are you facing a situation that can be described as dicey?  If only you can praise God in the beauty of His holiness, He will fight your battles for you and grant you victory. Praises should come from a pure and holy heart.  If you claim to praise or worship God while your heart is busy doing other things which do not bring glory to God, then your praise or worship is mere lip-service. True and acceptable worship is mere lip-service. True and acceptable worship must be connected to a heart that is committed to God.

Another secret of God is asking. God revealed this secret to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 where He said:

“If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

This was what Jehoshaphat keyed into in 2 Chronicles 20:9, and he got deliverance. Do you belong to Christ? Are you called by His Name? Humble yourself and pray. You should seek God and praise Him like never before. Tell God how things are with you; don’t pretend like some people do,. Humble yourself like never before (James 4:6). Begin to give cheerfully. If you have stated, give more cheerfully like never before (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Trust man less and trust God more (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Walk more closely with God like never before (James 4:8). When you do all these, God promises to answer all your prayers.  He also promises to forgive all your sins, heal your body and your land.

Action Point:

Spend quality time in praise and worship today and tell God how things really are with you.