The Battle Cry Of Praise

TITLE: THE BATTLE CRY OF PRAISE

SCRIPTURE: II SAMUEL 22:4

Would you agree with me that this world is full of traps and snares.

• You know sin brings negative consequences to your life

• You know you are going to face temptation to sin every day

• You probably even know what some of those specific temptations are

You have an enemy who comes only to steal - kill - destroy and who is prepared to do battle with you every day. However, if you want to experience victory, then you also need to prepare.

• The soldier who enters battle unprepared will experience defeat rather than victory

• If you want to overcome sin and temptation, you need to prepare for battle

• And so that’s what we are looking at today

• How do you prepare yourself for battle with the enemy?

The first way you prepare for battle is to engage in praise and worship of God. Now that may seem strange to you at first, but it makes sense once you think it through. Let’s face it when you’re going through trials, struggling through praise is probably the last thing you “feel” like doing. But this one act of sacrificial submission moves mountains of despair. It weeds out complaining and adverse thoughts because you can’t praise and complain at the same time. you don’t feel your way into worshipping, you worship your way into feeling.

Praising in the midst of your storm doesn’t mean your problems don’t exist or that the situation you find yourself facing is not real because they are.

• Praising means you are choosing to believe more in your God and His ability than in your problems and your inability

• When we praise, we are declaring for all who see that our God is bigger, that He is faithful, and He is more than able to deliver us

Yes, my brothers and sisters - Praise! It is not always weapons of iron and steal and fiery bombs that wins the day. Often it is simple praise, hands lifted in prayer, voices raised in praise. Never underestimate the power of the liturgy to change world history, to turn back threats and see the devil’s power crushed. Indeed, scripture says, PSALM 8:2 “OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES AND SUCKLINGS HAST THOU ORDAINED STRENGTH BECAUSE OF THINE ENEMIES, THAT THOU MIGHTEST STILL THE ENEMY AND THE AVENGER.”

• What is it that comes out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings?

• It’s Our Praise!

Let’s sing our battle cry of praise and use worship to halt the enemy's progress. News flash --

• You don’t have to be a Worship Leader to worship

• You don’t have to be a Singer to sing

• You only have to be a child of God, which is a good thing, because there are many battles we win in song!

There is such power in praise. I believe when we sing God’s Word, we make the enemy shake and tremble. Now hear what I just said.

• Our Praise does not Scare the Enemy

• Our Praise does not Confuse the Enemy

• I know it sounds good when we sing those type of songs

• Devil has been at this for a long time

• We don’t scare him

• Even had the audacity to try to tempt Jesus in the wilderness

• Our praise begins to reshape the atmosphere

• Keep on Praising your way through

As we wield words of adoration and gratitude — often spoken as songs — heaven is accessed, and an audience in the courts of our Father is granted. The combination of musical instruments and song has the power to alter the very environment that surrounds us.

• When we sing, God is magnified

• His dominion is declared over our situation

• So when we choose to praise Him in the midst of battles unseen, He fights for us

• That’s THE BATTLE CRY OF OUR PRAISE

As you open the gates of your heart through intentional gratitude and thankfulness for what God has done, you come in contact with all that He is.

• Our songs in the night move Him into our day, and the enemy’s progress is arrested as we are brought into God’s presence

• What a magnificent thought!

• I challenge you this week to ask God where you can step out on the battlefield with your Praise

• Let’s sing our Battle Cry of Praise!

I don’t want to downplay this or make it sound too simplistic. Waiting on God can be hard and trying. We can feel forgotten, unseen. Perhaps, even unheard. We wrestle with thoughts of worst-case scenarios, what if, and if only. In all of this, what we are focusing on is us and our eyes become filled with the death of our situation. But, when we choose to Praise Him, we are drawn out of “us” and into His presence.