The Weapon of Praise

Using Worship as a Weapon
“The rules are simple. Take this Bluetooth speaker into that room, blast some worship music, and start worshiping and praying out loud together.”

You’re both going to pray out loud for 30 straight minutes at the volume of the music. When he saw the deer-in-the-headlights look I gave him, he explained the method to his madness. He reminded us we were in a battle, and the first two weapons we needed to use were prayer and worship.

But then he said something that changed the trajectory of
my life: “Satan hates it when we pray like this. It destroys him.”

That’s what I needed to hear. His words instantly brought me back to something that had happened less than a year prior, an experience that changed my family’s lives forever. An event where I felt like God was telling me to stop seeing worship as singing songs in church and begin viewing it as a weapon to battle for my freedom.

In Joshua 6, as soon as they started worshiping, Jericoh’s walls, which were securely barred, miraculously fell, and the Israelites were able to overcome the city.

The Israelites didn’t have a chance on their own strength. However, right in the middle of their confusion, fear, anxiety, depression, and (I have to believe) feelings of hopelessness, God showed up in a spectacular way. They experienced freedom and a victory they never dreamed possible. And the whole thing was put in motion with a weapon called worship.

Sometimes we worship because we’ve had a victory. But sometimes we worship until we see one.

God demonstrated to Joshua that there would be times in life where worship would be the way to victory. Worship will be the way you defeat your enemy. Worship will be what brings you the very freedom you so badly desire.

A key principle is that we don’t have to live afraid because we can stand on the promises of God’s word. The key verse was Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Through all the confusion, I realized the real question I was trying to ask. “What do I do when I’m standing on your promises that say I don’t have to be afraid, but I still feel afraid?”

I’ll never forget the response. I didn’t hear God’s audible voice. But a thought I never would’ve come up with on my own hit me so clearly that it must have been God.

When you’re standing on my Word that says you don’t have to be
afraid, but you still feel afraid, put your foot down, and put your hands up.

I knew exactly what God was saying to me. This is what I’ve been trying to articulate to our church for several weeks. God gives us promises in Scripture; our job is to put our foot down and stand on those promises while we lift our hands and worship.

Claim the promises and then praise God as if they have already come true.

Sometimes you will worship because of a victory, but other times you worship until you see one.

So, put your foot down, and put your hands up because it’s time to use worship as a weapon!

God was telling me to do the very same thing he had told Joshua to do. And I believe that’s exactly what God wants you to do right now. I know that what you’re up against feels impossible. I know that what you’re up against scares you to death. I know the walls in front of you feel like a prison that will never come down.  So I’m telling you, starting right now, I want you to worship until the walls fall down.

That night was the scariest moment of my life. It was panic, fear, and uncertainty all at the same time, but I put my hands up in the air, I stomped my foot on the floor, and I just began to stand on the promises of God:

• No matter what comes my way, I don’t have to be afraid because even if I can’t feel it, I know God is with me. (Joshua 1:9).
• God has a plan for my life and for my loved ones, even if I don’t understand it (Jeremiah 29:11).
• God is working in my life and in my son’s life right now, even if I can’t see it. (Romans 8:28).
• No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17).
• Greater is he who is within me than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4).
• In all things, I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me. (Romans 8:37).

I started speaking these promises out loud, telling Satan what God has to say about my future. Before I knew it, I was using worship as a weapon to battle for my sanity, peace, and freedom. If you happened to be walking around the hospital that night, here’s what you would’ve heard:

God, I know your word promises that you’re with me and that you’ll never leave me or forsake me. I know I don’t have to be afraid. I know you have a plan, even when I can’t see it or understand it.

Your word says no weapon formed against me shall prosper. God, I worship you tonight. I know that you’re good, even though I’m hurting. I know that you’re good, even though I’m confused. I know that you’re with us, and I know you are still a miracle-working God who is in the miracle-working business. I stand on your Word, and I put my hands in the air, and I praise you tonight.

Some unbelievable things happened. My son was miraculously healed. Doctors in the hospital were literally using the word “miracle.” A few days later, we were able to leave the hospital, and today, he is 100% healthy and whole.

My family and I learned firsthand that worship is an absolute weapon. It is a weapon of mass
destruction that destroys Satan’s ability to mess with your mind, your will, and your emotions.

The War Room
We were armed with the weapon of worship, ready to battle for my freedom from anxiety and depression.

I found some songs that talk about peace, freedom, and victory, and I continued to wield the weapon of worship by putting those songs on repeat.  I declare God’s promises over my life every day.

“I will see a victory. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. There will be a day when I will have a breakthrough. This will be my testimony, not my long-standing reality, in Jesus name.”

Worship sustained me through one of the most challenging seasons of my life. I leaned on it every day. I worshiped in the mornings, in the car, and every night. Whenever I started to feel an anxiety attack come on, I played worship music. I don’t know where I would be without this weapon called worship.

My challenge to you, even if worship music is not your genre of choice, is to ask around, get online, do what you need to do to find some songs that speak to your soul. Find songs that declare the goodness of God and talk about finding peace, joy, purpose, and freedom. Create a playlist and go to battle with it daily.

Why Worship?
At this point, you might be asking how worshiping could possibly change your situation. Great question.

In Scripture, God taught as two unique ways to experience his presence. The first is the public gathering. There are several reasons we gather together as a church, but one of them is because of God’s promise, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20).

The other way is worship. Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. Which is a fancy way of saying, when we worship, God’s presence shows up! And that is a big deal because here are the byproducts of spending time in God’s presence:

• Peace (Philippians 4:6–7)
• Joy (Psalm 16:11)
• Rest (Exodus 33:14)
• Confidence (Jeremiah 17:7)
• Guidance (Exodus 15:13)
• Protection (Psalm 5:11; Isaiah 41:10)
• Power (Joshua 1:9; Ephesians 3:20)

What do peace, joy, rest, confidence, guidance, protection, and power all have in common? They are the opposite of fear, worry, anxiety, and depression. In other words, God is the solution! If we just spend time in God’s presence, he promises to give us the very things we are praying for every day.

If you have anxiety or depression, I want you to continue praying for peace, joy, rest, confidence, guidance, protection, and power. But I also want you to realize that worship will bring those things into your life.

Worship defeats depression. Worship overcomes anxiety. Worship restores confidence.

Worship is a weapon that can defeat the things that the enemy is trying to use to take you out.

It’s time you started fighting. It’s time to attack anxiety! Stop being so mad at yourself. Stop being so hard on yourself. Stop blaming yourself and start blaming the enemy. It’s time to get angry and go to war. It’s time to begin battling for the freedom Jesus has given you, and one of the best ways to fight for your peace, joy, purpose, and freedom is to use this weapon called worship.

Praise the Lord in the Midst of the Problem
I spread forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts after You like a thirsty land [for water]. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Psalm 143:6

The psalmist knows the importance of praise; he lifts his hands in worship. He declares what his need truly is—he needs God. Only the Lord can cause him to feel satisfied.

Two other spiritual weapons available to us are praise and prayer. Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be genuine heart praise, not just lip service or a method being tried to see if it works. Also, praise and prayer both involve the Word. We praise God according to His Word and His goodness.

Develop a Thankful Mind.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! Psalm 100:4

A person who thinks in accordance with the mind of Christ will find his thoughts filled with praise and thanksgiving.

Many doors are opened to the enemy through complaining. Some people are physically ill and live weak, powerless lives due to this disease called complaining that attacks the thoughts and conversations of people.

A powerful life cannot be lived without thanksgiving. The Bible instructs us over and over in the principle of thanksgiving. Complaining in thought or word is a death principle, but being thankful and saying so is a life principle.

If a person does not have a thankful heart (mind), thanksgiving will not come out of his mouth. When we are thankful, we will say so.

Be Thankful at All Times
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. Hebrews 13:15.

When do we offer thanksgiving? At all times—in every situation, in all things—and by so doing we enter into the victorious life where the devil cannot control us.

How can he control us if we are going to be joyful and thankful no matter what our circumstances are? Admittedly, this kind of lifestyle sometimes requires a sacrifice of praise or thanksgiving.

I would rather sacrifice my thanksgiving to God than sacrifice my joy to Satan.

I have learned (the hard way) that if I get grumpy and refuse to give thanks, then I will end up giving up my joy. In other words, I will lose it to the bad habit of complaining.

In Psalm 34:1 the psalmist says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” How can we be a blessing to the Lord? By letting His praise continually be in our thoughts and mouths.

Be a grateful person—one filled with gratitude not only toward God, but also toward people. When someone does something nice for you, let him know that you appreciate it.

In the presence of the Lord, there is abundant joy, shouting, singing, praising, and worshiping. That’s what heaven is like, and it’s how He expects us to be here on earth!

Stress wouldn’t be a part of your life if you were constantly in God’s presence loving and worshiping Him.

Better Than Griping and Complaining
When in bad situations, some Christians discipline themselves to “praise” God through gritted teeth. They know that praising the Lord is strength to “still the enemy and the avenger” (Ps. 8:2).  Although they may not truly mean it from their hearts, they’re doing “spiritual warfare.” Since praise drives out demons, they exercise themselves to “praise” those problems right out of their lives. Hey, if that’s the best reason you’ve got, it’s better to praise God like that than to gripe and complain!

Here’s a radical truth: They weren’t praising God just to escape their
problem; they really loved Him! Backs beaten in shreds and ankle-deep in
filth, they just continued worshiping and enjoying the Lord’s glorious presence.

The true goal of salvation – loving and worshiping God!

Too Much Credit!
I was giving Satan too much importance in my life with all the time I spent binding and rebuking, learning about, and focusing my attention on him. The Lord showed me that I had glorified the devil and given him more power than he actually had. I immediately repented and decided that the best defense is a good offense. So I became  constant and bold in praising and worshiping God

If I kept my focus on the Lord, it would totally destroy Satan’s inroad into my life.

I had empowered the devil through my own fear and the undue emphasis I was placing upon him in my life.

This happens over and over again in the Body of Christ today. We’ve given Satan too much credit. He is a factor, going around seeking whom he may devour, but the only reason the devil can actually do something to someone is because they empower him through their fear. Much of what is being taught as “spiritual warfare” today is ascribing to the devil more power and authority than he really has.

Drive the Devil Out
Praise is a very powerful weapon against the devil! It literally drives him out. He can’t stand to be around the praise and worship of God. Once every couple of months, I’ll rebuke and bind the devil over something, but it’s not because he has this awesome power coming against me. It’s just that the battle in my mind—my thoughts—has become so intense that I verbalize my resistance, saying, “I rebuke these thoughts in Jesus’ name. Satan, you have zero right and zero power over me!” But most of the time, I don’t ever have to say anything out loud. I just counter the lies that come my way with truth and continue in constant praise.

This might not be aggressive enough at first if you’ve been dominated by the devil for a long time. If you’re demonized and are trying to come out of it, you might need to emphasize, rebuke, and speak things aloud more.

Once you’re free, it’s fairly easy to keep that freedom just
by staying in the truth, in constant praise and thanksgiving.

Enter His Gates
Go ahead and enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise Him. Thank Him for the fact that He is holy and kind, pure and good. Praise Him for being your Father and not your Judge! He’ll be the Judge of nonbelievers, but He isn’t going to judge you.  Your judgment was placed upon Jesus. When you stand before Him on that Day as a believer in Christ, it’ll be for the presentation of your eternal reward, not condemnation. There’s simply no need to be afraid of your loving heavenly Father!

Praise Changes Perspective
Your perspective changes when you put God first by praising Him! Many of your cares cease being problems anymore. As you spend time with the King of kings and Lord of lords, His attitude becomes your attitude. The entire way you think changes because of His influence. You aren’t even bothered by the things that upset others and cause them to spend days, weeks, months, and even years praying about it!

Not Passive!
The Word says, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1).  This isn’t telling you to just “fake it ’til you make it.” Rather, this is talking about drawing out what’s inside of you.

Through praise and thanksgiving, I draw on the joy that God has already placed within my born-again spirit to live a consistently victorious life. In the midst of great adversity, I’ve experienced continual joy and peace. It’s not because I’m never tempted with the other but because I know in my heart that God has already done His part.

New Testament believers praise God for what He’s already
done and offer themselves as a vessel for the Lord to work through.

I start focusing on the Lord and His Word and draw out His abundant life from within me.