One of my favorite praise scriptures is Psalm 149. It is what I call an open invitation to God's people to rejoice and be glad in their King. "Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name in the dance.Let them sing praises unto Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the meek with salvation."

The King referred to is none else but Jesus Christ. He is the beauty of our salvation. That is why praise is a heritage of believers. Salvation is not to be taken for granted. It is a thing to celebrate all lifelong.

Psalm 149 also reflects the heart of a triumphant warrior, ostensibly King David, who trusted God to deliver him from all his enemies. David fought many enemies and triumphed over them all. So, you can say, the Psalm narrates the war exploits of a victorious leader.

Furthermore, Psalm 149 reveals the authority that God bestows upon His children to rule over principalities and powers of darkness. It is a given heritage of the saints of God to disband evil conspiracies and dislodge all satanic installations. "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance on the heathen, and punishments on the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron. To execute on them the judgment written: this honor have all His saints."

You can say therefore that praise is a weapon of war. It is a honor for God's people to be victorious in the daily conflicts of life. "Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the fragrance of his knowledge by us in every place." (2 Corinthians 2:14)

In my experience, I applied praise in a time of strange opposition attack and I triumphed. I even got a promotion to cap it up. My career took a new turn for good. When praise is in motion, no power on earth can stop it. God is the object of our praise and when He is receiving our praise, anything can happen.

The reason for this is because praise is a habitation for God. As Psalm 22:3 says, "God inhabits the praises of Israel". Exodus 15:11 also says, "He is fearful in praises, doing wonders". THIS IS THE SECRET ABOUT PRAISE. Praise derives its unfathomable power from the fact that God resides where praise is. As the Apostle said, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" God is moved, entertained and aroused by our praise. "God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises to our King, sing praises." (Psalm 47:5-6)

Praise gets the ears of God without protocol. Prayer is great as Elijah proved in Samaria, praying for rain to not fall for 3.5 years. And when it was time for rain to return to the earth, he again prayed on Mt Carmel (1 Kings 18:41-46, James 5:17-18). But not many of us have the capacity for prayer as Elijah. However, we all have the capacity to praise God. Revelation 5:8 gives us a hint about how our prayers travel: angels collect them and present them at the court of God.

Whereas prayer is strong and dynamic, praise has unlimited supernatural ability. It goes directly to God. It penetrates all bulwarks and breaks every rampart.

King Jehoshaphat's Battle Singers

The story of the battle of King Jehoshaphat of Judah against three large nations in 1 Chronicles 20 proves beyond doubts how God does fearfully in praise. Judah was a small kingdom being attacked by a confederacy of three larger kingdoms: Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir. Jehoshaphat and his people in Jerusalem and the rest of Judah were, to say it mildly, terrified. But in a timely fashion, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, a priest of the Levite clan, who called on the king and the people to not be afraid but to totally rely on God.

"Thus says the Lord to you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. You shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, standstill, and you will see the salvation of the Lord... Fear not, nor be dismayed, tomorrow, go out against them: for the Lord will be with you". (2 Chronicles 20:15-17)

Well, after making consultations, King Jehoshaphat adopted a strategy that modern military strategists would consider naïve. He appointed singers and placed them in the forefront of the battle line. In other words, singers were in the front and the fighters followed. Whereas the opposing armies relied on their chariots and horses, King Jehoshaphat and his people trusted in the Lord. We are told that as they began to sing praises, God laid ambushes against the enemies. God caused confusion among their ranks so much that they started fighting among themselves helping to kill each other.

When the Psalm says praise is a heritage and honor of the saints, it means we can effectively use it to disband unlawful gang-ups and confederacies.

These two hardworking apostles had been thrown into prison because the leaders of Thyatira, a suburb of Philippi did not want to hear about the gospel. The chance of their survival was slim, they either got out of the prison or faced execution the next day. So they prayed for divine intervention. We are told they also praised God in such a manner that everyone in the prison heard them. They were unpretentious. We're told that while they sang, something unique happened; there was an earthquake that erupted in the prison and everyone's bands were broken. All their chains were broken and the prisoners were all free.Let's say this clearly: God raises earthquakes when His people praise Him. Even though they are genuine earthquakes, they don't kill, they liberate the prisoner. 

When you're in a "prison experience", try praise and the power of God will come down to break the bars and let you go free. When it is praise, every prison barrier is broken and you get your liberty and triumph.

We invite you to please go ahead and employ this incomparable power to good use. Establish your authority over the kingdom of darkness, dislodge principalities and powers. Imitate the kings, apostles and prophets who triumphed over difficulties and challenges through praise. You will win battles, gain favors and advance in your career as you make praise a lifestyle. Amen.

Do you have testimonies of praise to share with us? Please write to the Editor at news@nwcmpls.com and we will certainly publish your story.

1. Praise is your heritage as a believer. You should delight in praising the Savior Jesus Christ who paid for your salvation with His blood.

2. Praise is a weapon of war. It is your platform for unending victory.

3. Praise stands out among spiritual weapons at the disposal of the church. Other resources like prayer and fasting may fail or be delayed. Praise never fails. Praise enjoys direct access to God and is express in its effect.

4. The power of praise derives from the fact that it is God's habitation. God inhabits our praises and does fearfully when we praise Him.

5. Praise is an expression of your faith. So, when you engage praise you're saying you believe God to answer quickly.