The combination of the best

The combination of the best – One Hundred and Ten

     Praise the Lord has many flows but the main thing is to let it go.  There are different expressions and ways to praise the Lord.  The last we wish to look at is called Tehillah.  It became very popular back in the early nineties when the praise and worship movement was in its hey day.  People have discovered that praise and worship were not just hymns and choruses but so much more.  The Lord was just opening up a next age.  Were we going back to the days of David.  Yes we were but even more people were learning to praise the Lord.  This word Tehillah means to praise the Lord with many expressions.  It could be dance, shout, clap, raising of the hands, strumming of the instrument or the blowing of the horn.  The only thing that is holding back the worshipper is their fear or creativity.  It is singing, shouting, dancing and so much more.  So church come alive and praise the Lord.  Do not hold back there is no time like the present.  Do it now.  Be wild, have fun, rejoice and give the Lord praise.  Express you heart, soul and mind. 

     Do in private and in a group.  Do it for the Lord and do not worry about the troop.  If someone does not do it with you do not worry or fret, the Lord is your object and not the person beside you.  If they scowl, frown or stare a glare.  Just look back and smile then jump in the air.  Be like David when Micah gave him the gears.  He smile and said, “Dear you ain’t seen nothing yet.”  Those who do not praise the Lord become barren and cold.  Praise the Lord before you get old.  Age is not a state of physical prowess but a mind set.  So praise the Lord.  Let everything and everyone praise the Lord.  Let it flow and go.  Let’s just praise the Lord.

Move in the Lord

Move in the Lord – One Hundred and Nine

     When we praise the Lord we release an attitude of the heart expressed.  There is nothing quite like praising the Lord.  It frees the Spirit and soul like nothing else.  You are praising the God of heaven.  You are releasing your spirit to reconnect with the one who created it.  Praising the Lord is allowing the inner man to soar in a way unimaginable.  The new way to praise the Lord is called Halell.  This means to rave and boast about what the Lord has done.  Paul said, “I shall boast about what the Lord has done.”  What has the Lord done?  He has given you salvation, healing and deliverance.  He has given you eternal and abundant life.  He has given you the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit.  He has given you all the benefits of heaven.  These things that have been mentioned are just of the few things that you should rave and boast about in the Lord.  The Lord is the one who created you and has given you each breathe that you take.  The Bible says that God formed man out of the dust of the earth and then breathed into us the breath of life.  He gave the mental capacity of speech and thinking.  With our mouth we should declare, “Praise the Lord.” 

     There is a modern song that says, “Look what the Lord has done.”  What has the Lord done for you?  The hymn says, “Count your many blessing, name them one by one and you will be surprised by what the Lord has done.”  Being thankful gives you a point of reference when it comes to praising the Lord.  Taking a little inventory from time to time will help you see the Lord’s faithfulness.  He has been faithful and by counting your blessings you will see that. 

     There are physical ways in which we should praise the Lord.  There is the clap, the shout, the rave and boast but how about the dance.  There is nothing that frees the toes and legs like a good dance before the Lord.  Moving in the Holy Spirit sets your heart and feet to dancing. David danced before the Lord.  Now of course you are going to get the critic and the cynic who are going to try and stop you but remember you are not doing it for them.  You are doing for the Lord so dance and praise His name.  Be wild, have fun but praise the Lord and again I say Praise the Lord.  

Play unto the Lord

Play unto the Lord – One Hundred and Eight

     A worshipper is one who expresses their heart in worship.  Worship is an attitude of the heart expressed.  One way of worshipping that has a dramatic effect both on the player and the hearer is playing an instrument.  The word for worshipping with an instrument is Zamar.  Now instruments were made to express what was in the heart.  God made us people who love music.  It is part of our DNA.  Now Lucifer was the chief choir master in heaven and he knows that music is a vital part of the human core.  It is something that moves us right into our deepest being.  In the form of satan now he exploits and uses music the destroy expressions of music.  As a worshipper we can redeem music and bring it back to its original intent as a form to praise and glorify the Lord.  One of the greatest expressions of worship in tongues in a musical form.  It lifts the participant into the highest expression of praise.  Musical instruments have always been in one form or another used in worship.  David used a harp and lyre.  The priests used the cymbal, horns, drums and flutes.  In David’s times there were choirs of priests who all they did was sing praise psalms to God.  We are called to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in our hearts unto the Lord. 

     Today praise and worship has been taken to a high level or excellence and professionalism.  The greatest expression of a musician or worshipper is to play and instrument that glorifies the Lord.  Instruments that blast, some that strum and others that beat.  All with one purpose and that is to praise the Lord. 

     Nothing sounds more beautiful to the ears of God then when His children praise Him.  Instruments bring clarity and further expression.  An anointed musician playing their instrument to the Lord is truly an amazing thing.  When you have an orchestra playing songs unto the Lord there is nothing more beautiful.  So children of the Lord, praise the Lord.  Praise Him on the high sounding cymbal.  Praise Him with the strings, with the percussion and with the horns.  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.

The Shout

The Shout – One Hundred and seven

     Praising the Lord releases such an anointing but this next one is so powerful.  The Hebrew word for this expression is shabach which means to shout.  It was the shabach that brought down the walls of Jericho.  No demon and foe can stand before someone who shouts the name of the Lord.  It is praise that is given way before the answer even comes.  The walls came down after the shout was given.

     The shout is a declaration of faith.  When you shout before the Lord you are drowning out all doubt and noise that would contradict your faith or trust in God`s word.  There will always be the mockers, scorner, cynics and complainers but the shout drowns out their little whining sessions.  The sowers of doubt are silenced before the shout.  They are intimidated by someone who shouts before their God.  The devil hates the shout because it sounds through the heavenlies that inspite of what is going on you are going to praise the Lord. 

     When you shout before the Lord you are declaring that the Lord is alive and His word is true.  When you shout, “Praise the Lord,” you are declaring that God is worthy of all our praise.  You are saying that there is no one like our God.  Nothing and no one can defeat Him or you as you stand in His anointing, authority and power.  When you shout praise the Lord you are saying that all things will work together for good and you believe the answer is on the way. 

     So shout, Praise the Lord,” give thanks for He is alone is worthy.  Break those chains off your life, scatter the darkness, raise a shout of praise and let your whole world know the Jesus Christ is Lord.  In Him you will not be defeated.  In Him you are more than a conqueror.  You will overcome and be the victor in the Lord.  Shout and let all who know.  

I lift my hands

I lift my hands – one hundred and five

     We are all called to lift up holy hands before the Lord without wrath and malice.  As people of God the lifting of hands is a sign of surrender and homage.  The Hebrew word for the raising of the hands is yahad.  The lifting of the hands is in response to what the Lord has done in our lives and in our world.  It is one of the outward signs that show what the Lord has done in the heart.  It is a sign for all the world to see what the Lord has done for me.  It is a demonstration of our love.  Often it was a wave offering to the Lord.  Aaron and Hur helped Moses in the battle against the Amalekites.  He kept his hands up and this was a sign to Israel that God was with them.  The raising of the hands can be a sign for us and those around us that the Lord is with us. 

     Another use of the hands is the clap.  Isaiah and Ezekiel were told by the Lord to clap.  This in the world is a sign of applause or appreciation.  When we clap our hands we are in sinc with what the Lord is doing.  As the music breaks forth and we get into timing with the Lord it is a wonderful expression of our love for the Lord.  Something inside of us just has to praise the Lord.  The raising of one hand says Yes, I love the Lord.”  The raising of two hands says, “Lord I surrender.”  Clapping of the hands means I am worshipping and getting into the place of victory.  Clapping is breaking down strongholds in the spiritual realm.  The devil hates when people clap to the Lord.  He hates it when we break dividing walls.  We break strongholds through the clap.  Did you know you can break the stronghold in your life and others when you clap before the Lord?  There is nothing more powerful than a group of believers raising their hands and clapping before the Lord.  It releases the anointing and victory.  The Holy Spirit responds when we clap.  So praise the Lord with raised hands and clap before the Lord and bring about your victory and others.

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord – One Hundred and four

     The Bible has much to say about praising the Lord.  Each is powerful in itself.  To express oneself in praising the Lord is to free oneself in the greatest measure.  Nothing can change a situation like learning to praise the Lord today we are going to look at the Hebrew word towdah.  Carman put it this way.  , it's the sacrifice.  Praising God in spite the fact your world is in a vice.  It's praise that pushes through the wall of all adversity.  An offering that flows to heaven in our time of need “

     You need to say to your world.  I do not care what I am facing I am going to praise the Lord.  It is telling the world, the flesh and the devil that you are going to praise the Lord.  You say to your circumstances.  You are not going to get the best of me I am going to praise the Lord.  You praise the Lord because He is good not that what you are facing is good.  You praise the Lord when all around you seems dark and bleak because God is light and it is Him you seek.  You tell your mind to praise the Lord because this is where the battle is won or lost.  You tell your spirit to praise the Lord because this is place where you connect with the Lord.   When you are sick you tell your body to praise the Lord because no matter what aches or pains you have your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so praise the Lord. 

     It is time for the church to really praise the Lord.  Never lose sight of the fact that the Lord is worthy of all our praise.  If we do not praise the Lord the rocks and hills will cry out.  So church and everyone in the church say.  Praise the Lord.

Free Will

Free Will – One Hundred and Three

     There is a reason why God has given us a free will.  Free will allows us to love with freedom, willingness and from our heart.  Satan hates free will because it does give him control.  Pride is at the heart of everything he does.  When pride entered into his heart it totally corrupted him.  He allowed his beauty, position and authority to go to his head.  As Lucifer he had the power of choice.  When pride came into his heart he chose to rebel against God and thus he went to battle with heaven thinking he could actually win.  He lost of course because a creation can never defeat its creator.  A watch for example will never be greater than the person who created it.  A car will never be greater than the person who made it.  This pride and rebellion totally corrupted Lucifer and he was renamed satan, the father of all lies.  There is no truth in him and he hates anything that looks like righteousness.

     Man is God’s greatest creation.  Man is the only creature in creation with the power of choice and the understanding of how to use it.  Unlike the animals we do not operate by basic instinct.  That is why satan uses many methods in which to destroy or hinder free will.  For example evolution an invention of satan tells man that he evolved from lower species into a higher species.  This makes man no more than an evolved animal.  We then live by basic instinct.  Our soul and spirit are only an awareness of the material world and we are born, live and die.  We have no real higher purpose.  Life is nothing more than a short span of time in which we are conscious of our surroundings.  We procreate, live sometimes thrive and then die.  There is no eternity, no God, no eternal destiny and no real reason to exist. 

     Religion is another invention of satan.  Every religious system does three things.  It basis it rules and regulations on men trying to reconnect with God through a series of traditions, rules, regulations and secret or not so secret ceremonies.  Secondly it is man trying to recapture paradise lost.  Thirdly, it is man reaching up to God trying to pull Him down to our level.  The church does this by telling people that they need a priest or teacher to interpret the bible for them.  It is pastoral leadership imposing a set of so called holy traditions on a congregation and enforcing them like this is the law of God.  The Moslem faith imposes Sharia law where anyone who chooses to disobey them can and will be punished either with dismemberment or death.  Governments do it because free will and free thinking are hard to control.  The list goes on.  Anything that opposes free will is satanic. 

     Man is a creation designed to make our own choices.  God made it that way so our surrender and love would be voluntary.  The man and woman who freely love and care for each other is beautiful, it is ultimate human expression of love.  God did not make us ticky tack robots who just do His will that is not love.  When someone tries to force you into love it will destroy them and you.  Free will is wonderful because it gives us freedom to do what we want to do.  With that free will however has consequences.  The person who drives drunk they will find out quickly the price of that decision either they or someone will die.  The person who puts drugs in their veins will find out quickly that they will destroy their lives and others.  The man who decides to cheat on his wife will find out quickly that he will lose her trust and ultimately her.  The woman who sends encouraging words will see love and encouragement come back to her.  The man who loves his wife and children will see a happy and healthy home. 

     Satan hates your free will.  Today choose to love the Lord with all your heart and refuse to live in darkness.  Choose today to be an evangelist and soul winner for Christ.  Choose to be a blessing.  Refuse to give into the sin in any form.  Use your power of choice for God’s glory and never submit yourself to any forms of bondage.  Remember who the Son sets free, is free indeed.