April 13, 2021 Open Heaven Devotional : Topic – Praise as a Weapon of Spiritual Warfare
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TOPIC: Praise as a Weapon of Spiritual Warfare
MEMORISE:
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” – (Psalm 22:3)
READ: Acts 16:25-26 (KJV)
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.
Open Heaven 13th April 2021 Tuesday Devotional MESSAGE:
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 92:1). According to Psalm 100:4, praise ushers us to God’s presence, and as you may already know, in the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Psalm 22:3 also says God inhabits the praises of His people. It is impossible to remain the same after being in the presence of God. This is why the devil does not like people praising God.
The Bible speaks of many weapons of spiritual warfare, however the most effective of them all is praises. The Lord revealed to me years ago that when you praise Him, you are submitting to God and asking Him to fight the battle on your behalf. In (2 Chronicles 20:15-25), three great kings had formed an alliance against Jehoshaphat. By the leading of the Spirit of God however, he realised that he could only win the battle by praising God. Thus, he organised a mighty orchestra to praise the Lord. As the singers were praising, the Lord took over the battle and fought on behalf of King Jehoshaphat. His enemies destroyed one another and the only thing he had to do was collect the bounty. The Lord will fight on your behalf, you will possess the gates of your enemies and you will know peace in Jesus’ name.
Psalm 67:1-7 explains what could happen when people praise the Lord. It says the earth would yield her increase and God shall bless His people. It also says that when people see the magnitude of God’s blessings on those who praise Him, the whole earth would fear Him. May the Good Lord give you the kind of blessing that will cause people to fear your God, in the mighty name of Jesus.
If you really want to experience increase, you must praise the Lord vigorously. A couple had been barren for twenty-two years until God led their pastor to ask them to carry out non-stop praise for twenty-four hours every day. Within three months of playing praise songs round the clock, the wife took in and an end came to decades of waiting. Praise was King David’s principal weapon; no wonder he said his heart was fixed on praising the Lord all the time (Psalms 34:1). If your praise would be effective however, you must be sure to live righteously; God would never accept the praise of sinners.
ACTION POINT: (Open Heaven 13th April 2021 Tuesday Devotional)
Set time apart to give God heartfelt praise today and cultivate the habit of continuous worship of Cod.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Corinthians 5-8
HYMN 20 – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear, now to His temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.
2. Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
Sheltering you under His wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen, all that is needful has been sent by His gracious ordaining?
3. Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend you.
4. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen, sound from His people again;
Gladly forever adore Him.
Open Heaven 13th April 2021 Tuesday Devotional Guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG)