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THE P WER  F PRAISE
Week 7: The Power of Praise & Worship
Psalm 150:6 New King James Version
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
So far we have established that Scripture is filled with this phrase to PRAISE THE LORD! And as we saw, 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. 
Together we have learned so much about Praise and Worship. We have been on this journey of the series by starting on What is Praise? How to Praise! When to Praise! Progression of Praise! Why do we Praise? (Because God is worthy!)
And truthfully, there is so much more we could cover but today I want to finish with the title of the sermon being the same as the series. The Power of Praise!! 
I have a question for you. 
How many of you need the power of God in your life? 
There is something going in your life where you can’t do it. There are areas in your life the enemy has set up a stronghold. You have felt under attack. You have been in despair. Maybe your family, maybe your health, maybe your finances, maybe work, maybe your friends, maybe an addiction, maybe depression, maybe anxiousness….you need, I need the Power of God in those areas of our lives. We all do. No matter where we are at in this life. We are in a war and  
Praise is a weapon of warfare--wielding not our own power but the power of the risen Lord to defeat the enemy.
This is the power of Praise--not our own power but the power of God delivers us. And though I’m careful using this kind of language because some misunderstand it, I think that we can rightly say that as we Praise the Lord we release His power in our lives.
Proverbs 21:31 NKJV 
…the victory comes from our God."

I want to take two stories in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and the other one in the New Testament to drive home The Power of Praise. 
First story is found in: 
2 Chronicles 20:1-4 NLT
1After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.
 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 
4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 
6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 
The people gathered in Jerusalem and the king cried out to the Lord. Then the Lord answers through the word of a prophet:
17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
Isaiah 64:17 NKJV
No weapon formed against you shall prosper…

18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 
19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
Faced with an impossible situation, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah, didn’t complain or argue or feel sorry for themselves, they went to the Lord, and the Lord answered them with a promise, 
They made a DECISION TO PRAISE
Sometimes you just gotta just make up your mind…despite…
We too have the promises of the Lord, 
that whatever we face He’ll never leave us nor forsake us, that all things work together for our good. That God has a good plan for our lives, yet so often faced with a difficult circumstance we choose not to praise but to doubt and worry and complain, and when we do so we forfeit the power of praise.
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
    his faithful love endures forever!”
DIRECTION OF PRAISE
The leading element of their attack formation was the worship band. You’d have to say that they we’re looking up. When you’re surrounded by what seem like hopeless circumstances, which way are you looking? 
Do you look around or do you look up? When things happen where do you look? What direction do you run? 
The direction of Praise is up. LOOK UP!!!
Psalm 121 New King James Version
121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
When circumstances have you surrounded, if you want to experience the power of praise, you’ve got to look up. It’s the Direction of Praise.
 Next it’s important to think about the...
DURATION OF PRAISE
So how long do we praise? It shouldn’t even be a question…
Before the Battle v. 18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. (a position of worship) And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.
During the Battle 
22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
Did you know that PRAISE is a very good way to resist the devil?! (The Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you!”) 
The devil’s most common methods of attack are to bring discouragement, negativity, hopelessness, despair into our lives - to paralyze us from within - to get our eyes off God. If that’s what he’s about in your life, then the best way to deal with him is to START PRAISING THE LORD. 
Get your eyes back on the greatness of God and declare His praises. Sing and shout of His love, and His faithfulness, and His goodness, and His mighty power. And you watch the enemy flee. His power of discouragement - HIS LIES - will be broken! Hallelujah!
Most of us don’t have trouble singing God’s praises once the victory is evident, but it can be difficult to praise before we "see the goods."

After the Battle 
26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today. 27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
PRAISE brings REVIVAL.
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
I want to quickly go to my last story in the Bible…
Acts 16:25-26 New Living Translation
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
We see revival here as well…explain or read….
 30 Then he (jailer) brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
SONG

I to end this series with this scripture that explains it all!! 
Psalm 150 New Living Translation
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
    praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
    praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
    praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
    praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
READ: Psalm 150. (Then paraphrase as follows . . .
1 Praise Him if you’re here, praise Him if you’re there.
2 Praise Him if He’s done this for you, praise Him if He’s done that for you.
3-5 Praise Him if you can play any kind of instrument, praise Him if you can just crash a cymbal.
6 FINALLY - if you don’t fall into any of the above categories - IF YOU’RE BREATHING WILL YOU PRAISE HIM?! He’s worthy of it!)