“WHEN THEY BEGAN TO…PRAISE, THE LORD SET AMBUSHES AGAINST THE PEOPLE…WHO HAD COME AGAINST JUDAH.” CRONICLES 20:22 NKJV

There’s no law that says praising God is reserved for church on Sunday. It can be a lifestyle: at work, at school, at home and in the shower. Praise brings God's presence, along with His direct intervention. The psalmist said, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in mu mouth' (Psalm 34:1). Before David was a soldier or a king, he killed Goliath with a slingshot and a stone. You don't need an army to defeat your giants, just a well-aimed Scripture backed up with a shout of praise. Praise is an expression of faith; it's a declaration that God's in control. Praise is not something you engage in simply when you feel like it. The Bible says we're to 'offer the sacrifice of praise to God' (Hebrews 13:15). The more it costs, the more it pays off!

In the Old Testament when their enemies were arrayed against Judah) which means praise), Jehoshaphat their king sent the choir to the front lines ahead of the army to praise God. What a crazy strategy. But it worked! As they went forward worshiping, the Lord set ambushes against the people...who had come against Judah,’ and they were defeated. Anybody can praise God when 'everything coming' up roses,’ but learn to praise Him when you're in the trenches and He'll defeat whatever's waging war against you. A praise-filled environment stops Satan dead in his tracks because he knows that God 'lives' in that kind of atmosphere! (See Psalm 22:3.)

Evangelist Philip Jegede’s Reading Courtesy of DWFT: Num 13-18, Mark 10: 13-22, Ps 37:32-40, Pr 11: 7-8 www.mpbs247.org -