The Power of Praise – What Does God Say?

You can check a person’s spiritual pulse by examining how thankful they are.  The amount of time you spend praising God is a great indicator of where you are in your relationship with the Lord.  Anyone who isn’t praising God and operating in thanksgiving – regardless of what is going on in their life – doesn’t really understand what God has done for them.  Most people are content to praise God when things are going well, but their praise stops when the stress of life starts pressing in.  Yet times of conflict are when we should be praising God the most.  Praise builds your faith, runs off the devil, and ministers to God.

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  (Psalm 34:1)

This verse doesn’t say to praise God when you feel like it, or when things are going great.  It says to praise at all times.  The Word tells us to praise God because it makes us focus on what God says rather than on our problems. 

If the doctor tells you that you are terminally ill, remember that the Word says to
give thanks in all circumstances (not “for” all circumstances).  Start praising God, and
it will redirect your attention to God’s will for you and build your faith to receive a miracle.

Your life is going in the direction of your dominant thoughts (Proverbs 23:7).  Whatever you think about and focus your attention on determines the course of your life.  Thoughts that focus on the circumstances around you only lead to discouragement and hinder your faith.  Praise, on the other hand, will establish you in faith.  It will draw on God’s power and allow you to receive the provision that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. 

“God inhabits the praises of his people” (Psalm 22:3)

 When you start praising God, it will break your chains and draw the power and the anointing of the Lord into manifestation.  Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Most of us long for peace, and Christians especially desire to live in this place of perfect peace. However, this scripture states very plainly that perfect peace comes from God, and more specifically from keeping our minds stayed on God and trusting in Him. Begin with that.

Then, I believe one of the greatest antidotes is thanksgiving and praise. When we thank God for all His blessings, it refocuses our attention from the negative to the positive things in our lives. Sure, all of us have problems. We live in a fallen world, but God is good, and God’s goodness to us is greater than all of the enemy’s attacks.

Every one of us has much to be thankful for and more than enough reason to be praising Him. We just need to put everything into perspective. Paul praised God after being beaten, stoned, whipped, and thrown in jail. Then he said these were but light afflictions that last for a moment, nothing to be compared to eternal things (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

Paul understood that praise coming from a thankful heart has great power. It will
build you up spiritually, it is a source of strength, it is a powerful weapon against the
devil, and it ministers to the Lord, just to mention a few. Praise and worship is a source of
peace, joy, pleasure, and contentment in every area of your life. It will change your perspective.

What Does God Say? Praise Scriptures…

God inhabits the praises of his people. (Psalm 22:3)

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  (Psalm 34:1)

I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17)

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (Psalm 29:2)

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.  (Psalm 50:23)

All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name.” (Psalm 66:4)

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  (Psalm 100:1-2)

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  (Psalm 103:1-2)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever (Psalm 107:1)

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:8)

“I will praise you, my God, with all my being. I will praise your name forever and ever, and I will extol your greatness, generation after generation.” (Psalm 145:1-2)

“Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the cymbals; praise him with the loud-sounding cymbals.”  (Psalm 150:1-6)

“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.”  (Isaiah 25:1)

“Therefore by Him (Christ) let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)