The Power of Praise

What is Praise?
1 Chronicles 29:20 NIV 
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
Psalm 106:1 New King James Version
1 Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 117:1 New King James Version
1 Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
Psalm 150:6 New King James Version
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
The Scripture is filled with this command; PRAISE THE LORD!! 
As you can see, it’s not a suggestion, it is something that God expects us to do! And I believe there be something to it for the Holy Spirit to put in the Bible so many times. 
Today we are starting a new series called THE POWER OF PRAISE!  
But if we are going to obey God then we must learn what PRAISE is! So the title today is “What is Praise?”.
Definition of PRAISE: 
Praise includes commending; expressing approval or a favorable judgment of; and glorifying, especially by crediting with perfections. (Websters)
Look let’s break this definition down even more: 
COMMENDING
To commend someone is “to entrust for care or preservation” or “to recommend as worthy of confidence or notice”. 
In other words, means that we trust the Master so much for ourselves that we recommend others to do the same. Our testimony. 
How many of us can testify about our favorite restaurant?
David filled Psalm with testimonies of the LORD’s trustworthiness. 
Psalm 7:1 New King James Version
1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
Psalm 9:10 New King James Version
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 20:7 New King James Version
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
Praise by commendation applies the promises of God to our personal circumstances. 
When we hit a time in our lives when there seems to be no hope, we remember how much we can trust GOD!! We remember…we testify of His goodness, His faithfulness, His Mercy, We choose to remember…
Revelation 12:11New King James Version
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Praise includes commending; expressing approval or a favorable judgment of; and glorifying, especially by crediting with perfections. (Websters)
Look let’s break this definition down even more: 
EXPRESSING APPROVAL 
To approve of someone is “to have or express a favorable opinion” of him or to show esteem. 
Personal experience is at the heart of this expression of PRAISE. 
Again, we look at Psalms:
Psalm 10:14 New Living Translation
14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
    You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
    You defend the orphans.
Psalm 59:16 New International Version
16 But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 63:1-2 New International Version
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
Praise by approving is turning our thoughts toward God and remembering how He has won our hearts. It’s reciting the wonder of WHO HE IS and how HE has made a difference in our life and the lives of others. 
Psalm 23 is one of the most famous scriptures that exemplifies this “approving PRAISE”. 
1 The LORD is my Shepherd…My God, You are an awesome God. Even before I was born, You had a plan for my life. You are the Alpha and Omega who sees my tomorrows when I can’t even face today. You are the Faithful One who seeks Your sheep even when I wander from the paths You have chosen for me. You are the Tender One who comforts me when I am sad or lonely and heals me when I am hurt. You are the Forgiving One who looks beyond my failures to what I yet can be. You are the Living and Merciful One who loves me even when I am unlovable and does good to me despite the fact that I don’t deserve it. 
I shall not want…because You are always meeting my needs. You have given me a good mind so I can learn things. You have given me a job. You have blessed me and my family with a warm, dry house and an abundance of food in our refrigerator. We have never gone hungry or lacked clothes because you have provided for our needs. Thank you for being so good to me. Thank you for providing more than we need even when I forget that You are my source…
You can continue reading it and applying the goodness of God to that and many scriptures. Slowdown in your reading. Be careful not to read just because you feel like you have to read. Let the Holy Spirit make the WORD come alive…
Many Scriptures use words associated with PRAISE—words like thank, sing, honor, or worship—
In essence, PRAISE that approves is like writing a letter of recommendation for GOD!
Praise includes commending; expressing approval or a favorable judgment of; and glorifying, especially by crediting with perfections. (Websters)
Look let’s break this definition down even more: 
GIVING GLORY
To glorify someone is “to bestow honor, praise, or admiration”. 
In other words, giving glory is to highlight the attributes of God. Here are just a few of God’s attributes that worthy to be pointed out…
God is GOOD. 
Psalm 34:8 New King James Version
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
God is FAITHFUL
Psalm 33:4 New International Version
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
God is RIGHTEOUS (RIGHT DOING)
Psalm 11:7 New King James Version
7 For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.
God is MERCIFUL AND FORGIVING
Daniel 9:9 New International Version
9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
Psalm 103 in particular, is a good example of Scripture that glorifies God: 
David makes a list: 
Psalm 103:1-12 New International Version
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
There are so many more…we can go through His Names, His attributes…we would be here all day if we tried to list all the goodness of our God. 
As we honor God for who He is and for what He has done in our lives, we make room for Him to work for us and in us every day. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRAISE
PRAISE Puts God in First Place
Praise is always turning our attention from ourselves to God. 
We are incredibly self-absorbed, self-centered people. Our first thought is always how something or someone is affecting us. 
Praise turns our eyes to HIM. It focuses our thoughts on His majesty and power. 
In essence, Praise is bragging on God instead of ourselves or our idols of this world. 
PRAISE Flows from Our Intimacy with God
People who praise God on a regular basis do so because they have found the Lord to be altogether lovely…can’t stop talking about Him…gotten close enough to Him to see His true nature and character…
You see, you can’t brag about someone you don’t know—or at least your bragging cannot be truthful and sincere. 
Although Praise may start with what you know ABOUT God, it must eventually progress to what you have experienced of God. 
When you reach this level of intimacy, Praise isn’t a chore or a song, it’s an overflow of your heart. You don’t have to work it up. His your strength, your foundation, your rock, your shield…
This does not mean that you will always feel like Praising. In truth, feelings don’t matter. When your relationship with God is deep and lasting, praise comes no matter what you are experiencing, because how you feel does not change WHO GOD IS…not because of what you have heard…but you have seen that how you feel doesn’t change WHO GOD IS IN YOUR LIFE.
When you are feeling unworthy….when you have fallen into sin…when your emotions got the best of you…when you let your eyes wonder where they shouldn’t…when you are filled with despair…GOD IS STILL THE SAME. 
Which leads me to my next CHARACTERISTIC of PRAISE
PRAISE is a Conscience Choice
Praise is an act of your will!
When you offer God true praise, you make a decision to commend, approve, to glorify Him. 
Praise, therefore, is not based on your emotions or feelings….
Psalm 42:5-6a New Living Translation
5 Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and 6 my God!

 Perhaps you are carrying a heavy load right now, going through tough times. 
Don’t let those times keep you from PRAISING God! He knows you are hurting. He knows that things won’t always be the way they are now. In fact, He is waiting to act on your behalf, but He needs you to provide a dwelling place for Him, an altar in your life where He can show up. Praise is that altar. 
Which leads me to next. 
PRAISE is a Willing Sacrifice
Biblical expressions of praise often include the word will. 
Although “will” can indicate a future time, it can also speak of a conscious choice. In other words, 
“I am determined to PRAISE God.” 
Exodus 15:2 New King James Version
2 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will (determined) praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
Psalm 7:17 New King James Version
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Are you determined in your Praise? This is what the WORD calls a “Sacrifice of Praise”
Psalm 54:6 New International Version
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
Hebrews 13:15 New King James Version
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
PRAISE becomes a sacrifice when you offer just because He deserves it and asks you do to so. 
Notice the phrase in Hebrews, “the fruit of our lips”. 
Fruit speaks of harvest. 
Bringing in crops is hard work. 
Sometimes giving praise requires some effort. 
Sometimes you need to sacrifice your hurt feelings, your financial problems, your troubles with your boss or your spouse, or your friends or your children on the ALTAR OF PRAISE. 
Leviticus 22:29 New King James Version
29 And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will.
The sacrifice that is pleasing to God is what you give from your heart despite the circumstances or emotions. 
So don’t wait for things to go right before you start PRAISING God. Start PRAISING HIM and they will start going right. It may not be instant, but God is deserving of every word, song, action, good report, testimony…
Last one…
PRAISE is an Expression of Faith. 
James 2:17 New King James Version
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Faith without works is dead. 
Likewise, praise that is in the heart but is not expressed is dead. 
Faith is the highest act of praise, and praise is the highest form of faith. 
Both are expressions of agreement with God. 
When you have faith, you hold to His promises no what you see. 
When you praise Him, you proclaim what you know to be true despite the evidence to the contrary. 
PRAISE IS GIVING GOD ALL THAT IS HIS DUE 
AND 
GIVING HIM ROOM IN OUR LIVES TO DO ALL HE WANTS TO DO.