By Toyin Olugbemi, PhD
Many times, one may feel perplexed and helpless in dealing with certain situations, challenges or confrontations, especially in a war situation, so much so, that you do not know what to do or the way out. Such moments call for a resort to God for divine intervention. There is reasonably no wiser thing to do at such moments than to look up to God. Praising Him and acknowledging His omnipotence, faithfulness, love, and sovereignty in and over all situations and circumstances.
Praising God in such situations delights God specially because it demonstrates that you are walking by faith and not being ruled by your physical circumstances or what appears. Much more, praise is a powerful instrument for provoking God’s attention, presence and intervention, because God inhabits the praise of His people, as clearly made know in Psalm 22:3.
- Deliverance Praise for breaking captivity: My brothers and sisters in the Lord, another approach to singing Audacious Praise is when in total captivity and there appears to be no way of escape or breakthrough in sight. Consider the case of two men, Paul and Silas, who were chained down and firmly locked up in the prison and commanded to be watched over by the prison superintendent till the following day (see Acts 16:20-34). They did not just pray but resorted to singing praise to God to the hearing of the other prison inmates. And then the miraculous happened! God arose, and there was instant deliverance for everyone! The prison walls shook to their foundation and the doors were supernaturally thrown open and all the chains and fetters with which they were tied broken. The prison superintendent wanted to kill himself thinking all the prisoners had escaped but for the timely assurance of Paul that no one had escaped. The jailer was totally perplexed and confounded by his witness of the open demonstration of God’s power to save and to deliver.
God will arise for your sake and all your oppressors, captors and taskmasters shall be devastated in Jesus name. Every bondage, every manner of captivity you may be experiencing, is scattered right now in the mighty name of Jesus. I decree that every chain and every wall of Jericho in your life be totally destroyed in Jesus name. You are set loose; enter into your season of Perfect Jubilee with total restoration in the name of Jesus.
- Set out battle-ready with audacious Praise and confront your confrontations for victory: It is indeed very instructive how Jehoshaphat got the children of Judah arranged to march out to battle against their enemies, holding fast only to the most potent offensive armour of God, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. As soon as the Spirit of God spoke that the children of Judah would not need to fight in the battle but be still and the Lord would fight for them, Jehoshaphat immediately believed and worshipped the Lord with his face to the ground, while, at the same time, the Levites instantly erupted in praises to God, because they knew Him as Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, the Man of war and Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner, to whom belongs victory. When praises go up, the Lord is aroused to fight for His children (2 Chronicles 20: 14-25).
Note that the Lord, as the Chief Commander, gave them complete information on what should be their strategic approach to the war. It is significant that Jehoshaphat and the children of Judah all responded by faith and total trust in the Lord. All they did was to praise the Lord all the way and their enemies were completely crushed. God has not changed; forget your problems and troubles. Wholeheartedly praise and worship Him in that very situation of yours and see the terrible way your enemies shall be dealt with, whoever or whatever they may be. Without controversy, jubilation shall be your portion. Praise is undoubtedly a very powerful weapon of spiritual warfare with which the strongholds of the devil are pulled down and scattered. You bind the captains of enemy forces and destroy all their armoury. The word of God makes this clear. See Psalm 149:5-9.
You are entering your season of Perfect Jubilee, and all concerning you is being perfected and made whole in Jesus name. Rejoice and shout hallelujah!
- Don’t give up! There are moments it may appear that the Lord is far away or delaying His response to our cry for help or in coming to our rescue. However, never lose hope and never give up. Oftentimes, the darkest hour is the closet to dawn. As one who experienced delay in child bearing, I would say that when I and my wife have tried all we could and it seemed to no avail, the resort to Audacious Praise was what ultimately bailed us out.
God‘s time is ever perfect. Though God’s time is not man’s time, God is never late. He does everything timely. Even when it appears that things are getting worse or out of hand, remain resolute and steadfastly looking up to the Lord, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). That’s one truth Paul and Silas knew that made their hearts not to be troubled when they were locked up in prison and fastened strongly in chains and fetters in the inner dungeon.
Learn to avail yourself of the power of praise. Praise moves God. May the Lord take reckoning of your praise this very season, just as He did for Paul and Silas, in Jesus name.
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