“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).
Welcome to 2012! Wow! Greater are the things the Spirit of the Lord’s going to do in our lives. For us on this blog, this is “Our Year of the Word of God”; praise Him forevermore. This year, we’re going to learn the Word of God and be filled with it like never before. As we do, the glory of the Word will be reflected in our lives. From the Amplified Bible, 2 Corinthians 3:18 states: “And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continue to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.” Praise God!
We alter the outward appearance of the Word as we continue to behold, read, study and look into It; we’re transformed! We change in nature and metamorphosed, just like a worm physically changes into a butterfly! Notice the Bible said in the same verse that we’re changed, not just for once but in ever increasing splendor and from glory to glory. That splendor there means great brightness, as the splendor of the sun. Meaning, we display the real life in the Word to our world; we display its glory. Hallelujah! This is too big for the natural man, I tell you. The Word is the glory of God and we’re reigning with it this year.
As our opening scripture declares, we’re to always go to God with thanksgiving and a joyful heart. The Word says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving...” This is awesome. You see, there’re some Christians who think they can get God to do something for them by crying. When you listen to the lyrics of the songs they sing carefully, you’ll realize the words are that of a troubled heart. And it keeps them in sorrow instead of happiness. God doesn’t delight in a sorrowful but a happy Spirit. As a Christian there’re certain songs you’re not supposed to sing. There’re even some gospel songs you don’t have to sing because they don’t praise God. When some believers seem to be in trouble, they go for songs that keep them sorrowing instead of encouraging them.
Meanwhile, God’s Word tells us: “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6. Notice this verse didn’t say you should make your requests known to God by prayer and supplication with crying but with thanksgiving. I know about groaning in the Spirit. Some cry as they worship God but remember such instances take place when the people are filled with joy, such that they surrender their all to Him. They’re not sorrowing but are filled with true happiness and thanksgiving to God. So there’s a difference between this kind of cry and the one people do, thinking it’ll move God to do something for them.
God expects you to pray to Him with a joyful heart, for that’s the kind of prayer He delights in. You see, praying with thanksgiving gives God the assurance that you’re operating from the realm of faith and He responds to it. In fact we have all things, “For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption ) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4 AMP). If you know this scripture and you go back to God asking Him for something with complaints, then you don’t know what He’s given you. It’s just like your parents leaving you at home. They fill the refrigerator with everything you’d ever need, and as they go, they tell you to take whatever you want from it.
While they’re gone, you give them a call telling them to give you something already available in the refrigerator. What do you think they’ll say to you? You don’t know what belongs to you; and it’s the same with most believers today. God’s made them know what He’s made available to them but they’ve refused to recognize them. Instead of going to God with praise, thanking Him for what He’s provided for them, they go on complaining. What would God even think of you as you keep going to Him that way? You see, there’s so much power in praising God and one of the ways of claiming what He’s given to us is by praising Him nonstop!
I want to share two beautiful stories from the Bible with you. Have you ever heard of king Jehoshaphat in the Bible? Let’s see what we can learn from this wonderful king. The children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir came against king Jehoshaphat and his people for battle. Bible says, “Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” 2 Chronicles 20:2-4.
As all Judah stood before the Lord, Bible says “Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-19. So this was the prophecy the Lord brought to Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and king Jehoshaphat. Now on the following day, they went out as the Lord had promised and “…Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.” 2 Chronicles 20:20-25.
What a story! From this story, when it was reported to king Jehoshaphat that a great multitude were coming against him, though he feared, he sought from the Lord. He wanted to know God’s mind concerning the matter. How much time have you invested to search the Bible for what the Lord has said concerning your situation? It doesn’t matter how big it is, because God’s Word has the answer to every problem. There’s a solution in there! Now when the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and gave them a prophecy concerning the matter, Jehoshaphat with all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping Him. The Levites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. Praise be to God!
I’d also like to ask: what did you do when you found out what the Lord has said concerning your situation in His Word (the Bible)? Did you praise and worship Him for it like Jehoshaphat and his people did? If you didn’t, that should have been your response. Live and act as though the Lord’s brought what He’s said about you into reality, glorifying Him. That’s the way to get the answer; via thanksgiving. Hallelujah! On their way to the warfront, “Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” In other Words, believe in God even in the mist of adversity and you’ll be established, believe what He’s said concerning you in His Word and you shall prosper! He reminded his people about the prophecy that came; so remember the promises of God, no matter the opposition.
After Jehoshaphat had reminded his people about the prophecy, he appointed singers to lead the army. That’s remarkable! Appointing singers to lead the army doesn’t make sense in the field of battle. How can you take singers to war? Now remember when the prophecy came, God didn’t tell them to sing during the battle. The Spirit of the Lord told them: “...the battle is not yours but God's... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you...” God told them to only stand still but Jehoshaphat decided to back it up with praise. They sang saying, “Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever.” No wonder it was as they praised the Lord that He set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir and they were smitten. Bible says no matter what comes our way, “…we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37. So this becomes your prophecy.
Whatever comes your way, begin to thank God for the victory He’s given you in His Word. That’s faith! Faith doesn’t try to get the answer, faith claims it has happened! Bible says when Jehoshaphat and his people got closer to their enemies after they had been smitten, they found great wealth with them. The wealth was more than they could carry and it took them three days to collect. All of God’s blessings are behind His gates; kept away from intruders. Praise and worship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. So, for you to gain access you have to fulfill the requirement: enter with thanksgiving. Access is automatic the moment you come with thanksgiving. Nothing shuts a man out of God’s blessings like murmuring, grumbling and ingratitude. But the more thankful you are the more access you gain. In Hebrews 6:12 we are told, “Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Faith is what you require to bring God’s Word concerning you to reality and the peak of faith operation is thanksgiving.
The second story I want to share with you is that of Paul and Silas. This Bible story begins with the unjust arrest of Paul and Silas because they had cast a spirit of divination out of a girl. The Bible records their story: “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.” Acts 16:16-24. So this was how Paul and Silas were cast into prison. And according to the standards of that day, a prison was more like the resemblance of a dungeon; it was very uncomfortable to stay there. It was a dark, damp, stench-ridden place, with no facility for waste or comforts of any kind. You can imagine how terrible that was, yet in spite of the sufferings, throbbing pain in their bodies and disheartening atmosphere, Paul and Silas never murmured or made complaints against God.
Instead, in Acts 16:25-26 Bible records, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 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.” Glory to God! Such is the power of praise. They refused to be taken over by the pains; rather, they were heard praying and singing to God. The sound of the praise must have been strange to the other prisoners because they were used to only hearing the groans or cursing of those who had been beaten. Paul and Silas decided to do it the other way round and it worked, because God delighted in it.
When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus and told the people to take away the stone, Martha answered him by saying he’s stinking by now because he’s been dead four days. But Jesus told her she’d see the glory of God if she believed. And when he had said this, He went ahead to demonstrate His faith by thanking His Father for always hearing Him when He prayed. Afterwards, He called Lazarus to come back to life with a loud voice and he that was dead came forth (John 11:39-44). This took place when Jesus praised God.
The story of the ten lepers, recorded in Luke chapter 17 is also a very good example. They cried out for mercy and when Jesus saw them He said, “Go, shew yourselves to the priest” (verse 14) and as they went, the miracle took place; they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back immediately, falling on his face and glorifying God with a loud voice. Jesus asked about the other nine and realizing that he was the only person who came back to give thanks after the healing, said unto him, “…thy faith (which you expressed in thanksgiving) has made you whole” (Luke 17:19). So among the nine, he was the one who was completely made whole. There was no verbal expression of faith from the man, he only returned to give thanks and as far as Jesus is concerned, thanking God is an expression of faith in God.
The Bible says that God inhabits in the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of His praise. This means that praise is not merely a reaction from coming into His presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Jesus’ saying in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”, corresponds with our opening scripture. This means that God’s presence inhabits the gathering of believers who congregate in His name. A “gathering in His name” means that Jesus must be the focus, the center of the assemblage. He must be the one preached about, sung about — the one praised and worshiped. Consequently, Christ’s presence, along with His virtue and anointing, is manifested in this type of gathering.
As a matter of fact, the highest form of faith is thanksgiving; there’s no dimension of faith that competes with it. Your prayer may offend God but your thanksgiving can never offend Him. He can be tired of your prayer but He can never be tired of your praise. He said, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalms 50:23). Now, have you ever noticed when “gifts of the Spirit” operate in a church service? The power and anointing of the Holy Spirit usually becomes evident, subsequent to a time of worship and praise. Some think that worship is a response after the Holy Spirit moves upon them. However, it’s the other way around. God’s presence responds when we move upon Him with worship! Lifting up Jesus Christ through praise and worship invokes the Lord’s presence and power to flow in our midst.
So, thanksgiving is your final signature in the school of prayer because it is the will of God concerning you (I Thessalonians 5:23) and every time you do His will, you qualify for the fulfillment of His promises (Hebrews 10:36). Thanking God is like carrying Him in a palanquin and it’s also an expression of confidence in Him. Hebrews 10:35 says, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” Genuine praise to God is a matter of humility and sincere devotion to the Lord from within. It has to come from your heart because some hypocrites behave as though they’re praising God, which in fact they don’t. An example of such people are the Pharisees in Jesus’ time and He testified of them saying, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
Below are some Biblical Expressions of Praise:
Declaring of thanks (Hebrews 13:15)
Clapping hands and shouting (Psalm 47:1)
Musical instruments and dancing (Psalm. 150:4)
Singing praise songs (Psalm 9:11)
Psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19-20)
Making a joyful noise (Psalm 98:4)
By lifting our hands (Psalm 134:2)
By being still (Psalm 4:3-5, 46:10)
By being loud (Psalm 33:3, 95:1-6)
When you express confidence in God, your reward is guaranteed. Do you want to see God’s promises fulfilled in your life? Start thanking Him and make it a lifestyle!
God bless you!
Labels: THE BELIEVER'S AUTHORITY