by Doug Christoffel
IHH Director

Because we Christians are often unaware of the power of our praise, we  miss our opportunity to press the advantage it gives.

Psalm 22:3 says, "...You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel." Our praises are a throne for our holy God. Whenever we praise Him in spirit and in truth, we are recognizing and submitting to His rulership. As we do that, we are like Levitical priests raising God's glorious throne to our shoulders. We exalt Him as the champion Who reigns over all!

"What good does that do if no unbelievers see?" we may think. After all, most of our praising happens in private or in church where everyone present already acknowledges Christ's lordship. But hold on; is that really true? Aren't there some present whom we cannot see? Paul the apostle says he proclaimed "the unfathomable riches of Christ...in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:8b, 10). An important byproduct of praising God is: by doing so we reject Satan's rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places and all their efforts to steal our allegiance. By proclaiming Jesus as Lord, we reinforce the fact that our Lord "disarmed the rulers and authorities" and "made a public display of them, having triumphed over them" (Colossians 2:15).

In other words, praising God puts His triumph over Satan into effect. Praise enforces Christ's victory.

Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself" (John 12:32). Because God made us human beings the only free-will moral agents on Earth, our praises are a key element in His suppression of Satan. When we, "from the earth" lift Jesus up, Satan's grip of deception is weakened and all humanity is drawn that much closer to Jesus. That is why every renewal of fresh, heart-felt, Christ-exalting praise and worship in the church is accompanied by a great harvest of souls.

Even though this praise dynamic takes place in the unseen, spiritual realm its effect is real and powerful. Unfortunately, however, we often don't realize it's happening so our praise all too easily drifts away from exalting Jesus as Lord. We can get preoccupied with the pleasures of His goodness to us and then before we know it our praise is all about celebrating what He's given us and asking Him for more. Of course, there is nothing wrong with thanksgiving and petition, as long as we keep them in balance with exaltation and warfare praise. It is a fatal mistake to forget that the supremacy of Christ is enforced only when the Giver is the focus of our praise, not the gifts He gives.

Further Scripture passages pertaining to this topic: 

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).

So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live." And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:7-9)

[Hezekiah] removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. (2Kings 18:4)

When they had struck [Paul and Silas] with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. (Acts 16:23-26)

When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. (2 Chronicles 20:21:-24)

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, (Philippians 3:3)