HABAKUK 3:17-19
17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18. Yet
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will
joy in the God of my salvation.
19. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like
hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief
singer on my stringed instruments.
INTRODUCTION
One of the weapons given by God
to all believers to bring the enemies down and win the battles of life is
PRAISE. However, we have not been
engaging this force like others – Prayer, Fasting, etc.
This month, God wants us to put
to use this powerful weapon so as to take a delivery of our stand out in the
year 2015.
Let me show you briefly what
PRAISE does.
1. PRAISE GUARANTEES DIVINE PRESENCE - Psalm. 22:3
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel.”
Praise is what it takes to
attract divine presence, divine presence is the believer’s backbone in the conflicts
of life.
Romans 8:31 says:
“What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Praise is the secret of
exploits. Look at Mark 16:20
“And they went forth, and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following. Amen”
Acts 10:38 also says
“How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
2.
IN PRAISE GOD TAKES OVER YOUR BATTLE - 2 Chronicles 20:13-23
From the above verses, you will agree with me that :
- Jehovah is the man of war – Exodus 15:3 says:
“The Lord is
a man of war: the Lord is his name.”
- He is strong and mighty in battle – Psalm 24:8
“Who is
this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle”.
- He takes over our battle in praise – Psalm 149:1-3
“Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his
praise in the congregation of saints. 2. Let Israel rejoice in him that made
him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3. Let them praise his
name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.”
- He executes judgment in praise – Psalm 149:5-7
“Let the saints be joyful in
glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6. Let the high praises of God be
in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7. To execute vengeance
upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
3. PRAISE GUARANTEES OUR HARVEST – Psalm. 67:5-7
“Let the people praise thee, O God; let
all the people praise thee. 6. Then shall the earth yield her increase;
and God, even our own God, shall bless us. 7. God shall bless us; and all the
ends of the earth shall fear him.”
A wise man says
“By
giving we sow, by speaking the Word we water the seed, but by praise we reap
the harvest”
- Multiplication
answers to Praise - John 6:1-11
I want you to know that Praise
is the highway to your high places.
4. PRAISE PROVOKES SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATION - Exodus 15:11
As they sang His hosanna, Jesus cleansed the temple and healed
them of their sicknesses
Mathew 21:9-14.
“And the multitudes that went
before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 12. And
Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought
in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, 14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the
temple; and he healed them.”
In the midst of praise diverse miracles, signs and wonders
are wrought and tides turned in the favour of the saints.
II Chronicles 20:20-24
“And they rose early in the
morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth,
Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets,
so shall ye prosper. 21. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed
singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they
went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth
forever. 22. And 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. 23.For the children of Ammon and
Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and
destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every
one helped to destroy another. 24. And when Judah came toward the watch
tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were
dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.”
When praise goes up, God
comes down to unleash the supernatural
Isaiah 30:29-30
“Ye shall have a song, as
in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one
goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of
Israel.
30 And the Lord shall
cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his
arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire,
with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.”
Conclusion
Are you ready to Praise? Are you ready to
give Him quality Praise? Are you ready to encounter Him in all areas of your life? If your answer to this questions are YES, then you are ready for your High Places because Praise is your Highway to Your High Places.
God Bless You!
Adekunle Adeyemi
Sanders Memorial Baptist Church
Iree, Osun State.
Pastor