Understanding the mystery of praise and worship.

Understanding the mystery of praise and worship. 

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Mark 4:11 KJV

When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people— Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing, Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”

Mark 4:10‭-‬12 MSG.

E kon tel dem, "God don show una di kindom sikrit. Bot doz wey dey outsaid God Kindom, na parabol e bi for dem. Mark 4:11. PIDGIN. 

In the kingdom of God praise and worship are part of the mystries and the weapons we must understand. A lot of people praises, worships and dances to the tune of the music without engaging the mystery behind it. 

What is praise? 

The dictionary defines praise as giving thanks to God and showing respect to Him, especially by singing and dancing in the  ⛪ church. 

Worship. 

Worship on the other hand goes beyond singing a slow type of song to refrence God. A lot of people believes that worship is when you change the tempo of the song to a slow tune. No it is wrong understanding of the  subject. Religion makes people to believe it to be so because it does not have a scriptural backing. 

Worship is the submission of our will to his purpose. 

Archbishop Temple defined worship as the quickening of our conciense by His truth, 

Purifying of our imagination by his beauty, 

Opening of our hearts by his love and the submission of our will to his purpose. 

Apostle Paul captured in this way in his epistle to the Romans in two different places that I saw. 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1 KJV.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Romans 12:1 NLT.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:13 KJV.

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Romans 6:13 NLT.

Can you now see through these scriptures that worship goes beyond singing and dancing. I know that you already have an understanding of what praise and worship is but I plead with you to permit me to add a little to what you know.

A lot of believers that lacked the revelation and understanding of the mystery of praise and worship misses it when it is going on in the church and in their homes, some were taught that the power and the spirit of God will come down when the minister is preaching or teaching, others assumes that it is when the prayers are going on, that is the right time for He will come down, but all these assumptions is wrong because it is not proven from the scriptures. I will prove to you that it is actually when praises go up to God, that is when He comes down to enjoy it and the same time releases blessings to His people. 

The Bible decleares that God inhabits, dwells or lives in the praises of His people. 

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Psalms 22:3 KJV.

It then follows that He is ready to bless His people whenever they praise Him. So anybody that avoids the time of praise and worship whenever the people of God gather, he or she is deciving and shortchanging his or her self. 

In John chapter 5, the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda with infermity for 38years, gives us a clue to understanding this mysterious operation in the  kingdom. 

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

John 5:1‭-‬4 KJV.

What I want you to focus on here is the troubling of the pool by the angel, it is a type of spritual activity that is liken to the people of God praising Him. As the angel troubles the water, whosoever that went in first will be healed of whatever disease he or she is carrying, so also, anytime the people of God are praising Him,  it is the time for healing, blessings and empowerment, just picture the Almighty preparing a table before you and asking you to choose what you want.

As we continue in this study, first of all, I will like to show you you how to get into the this mysterious spiritual operations, most of the times we violates the protocols of His palace and expect to get blessed by Him, we badge into His presence without acknowledging Him and giving Him the necessary recognition that will make Him to take notice of us. 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalms 100:4‭-‬5 KJV.

When we enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise, then acknowledge Him for Who He is and thank Him for what He has done for us in the past, He will be eager to to more for us. My people says that (eto Dike n'nkeomeleme omeeozo) meaning that if praise a powerful man for what he has done, he will do another one. Therefore we must understand this important aspect of coming into His presence with a quality praise to trigger His blessings. 

The second thing I will like to highlight in this study is the  fact that a lot of believers are lazy spiritually, some are only encouraged and mortivated only when they in church, not having the understanding that they are the real temple of the Holy Ghost, therefore they miss the whole essence of praise and worship. It is only when some believers are inside the ⛪ church in premises that the conciousness of who they are and what they carry hits them, they forgets that this mystery is an ongoing thing, that their lifestyle matters, wheather they are in the ⛪ church premises or anywhere else.  The Bible decleared that it is a continual thing. 

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalms 34:1 KJV.

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

Psalms 34:1 NLT.

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.

Hebrews 13:15 NLT.

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV.

Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Hebrews 13:15 AMP.

Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:19‭-‬20 AMP.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:19‭-‬20 KJV.

I took this long route in order to show you what a lot of children of the kingdom are missing in praise and worship. If look at the above mentioned scriptures again you will notice the word, continually, at all times, always, this signifies that this mystery is to deployed not only in ⛪ church premises but also anywhere we have need of it. 

The question here is, what Is the spirit of God telling you today? 

It very simple, looking at the epistle of Apostle Paul to the Romans in chapter 12:vs2.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1‭-‬2 KJV.

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

Romans 12:1‭-‬2 AMP.

1. We must change our thinking about praise and worship .

2. Changing our thinking will help us to understand what is good, acceptable and the  perfect will of God. 

3. As our thoughts is changed,  it now open our eyes to see that the submission of all our will to his purpose is our real worship. 

It is said and believed that praise and worship is the highest form of prayer, because you can pray and miss but you cannot praise and miss, you can argue about it, but it is obvious that it is not for everyone, it is for the matured minds, those that have caught the revelation of praise and worship. 

Let me give you an illustration, when you are in the primary and secondary school, the teachers uses timetable to control your activities in school, the time table tells you when to wake up, go to the assembly ground, go to classes and later to dininig hall, then to afternoon sisester and finally to other activities before going to bed. But in the  University, it is a different ball game, from the  first day you come into the University, what the school authorities owe you is what is called orientation, after that you are on your own. If you  don't decipline yourself to understand and do the necessary things you were told in the day of orientation, you will have yourself to blame. Nobody will wake you up to go assembly ground because there is nothing like that, you are at the liberty to wake up when you like and you have the choice to go or not to go to lectures but your eye will only open after the first semester results comes out. 

In the same way, to praise God in the ⛪ church premises is easier because you have a lot of things to your advantage.

1. The reyrics of the  songs.

2. The rethyme of the songs. 

3. The praise team to mortivate you. 

4. The minister in charge to wake you up.

Now taking the Same praise and worship your home is where the problem is, knowing that there is no instruments to back you up, nobody to lead you in the praises and no minister to encourage you. This is where you spiritual decipline will be tested, since you now know that praising and worshipping God is continually, always and at all times, what manner of a believer will you be.

I will like to use this opportunity to 🚶 walk you through the things that happens when you engage the mystery of praise and worship. 

1. When you pray, God sends an angel to attend to you, but when you praise Him, He comes down to attend to your matter. 

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Psalms 22:3 KJV.

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.  Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

Daniel 10:12‭-‬14 KJV.

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.  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.  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.  Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 16:16‭-‬31 KJV.

2. Minimizing your request and maximizing your praises will skyrocket you to the place of promotion. 

3. If you know how to connect your business, marriage, ministry, and family to your praises and dancing, you will see increase and the blessings of God manifesting in your life. 

May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.

Psalms 67:5‭-‬7 NLT.

Let me share this testimony with you, I went to passport office renew my passport and procure a new one for my daughter, after the necessary protocols of filing the forms and making payments,  they told us that there is no booklet to produce the passports, and we need my daughter's own urgently because of her exams that requires a valid passport to enter the exam hall. We went home and I told my wife that we must engage the mystery of praising and dancing to God, three days before the exam date, they called me and said that they are surprised, they did not know where some booklets came out from, that we should come and collect my daughter's passport. When I heard that,  I said to myself that I know where it came from,  where praised and danced it out. 

4. When you turn your praise and worship to a sarcrifice, your enemies will fight and destroy each other.

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.

2 Chronicles 20:22‭-‬23 KJV.

5. When you are concious of the fact that your ministering angels  are at alert to take orders from you and you know when to give such orders through praises, your prison doors will open.

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.

Acts 16:25‭-‬26 KJV.

6. When you understand how to deploy they mystery of high praise, God will execute vengeance on your enemies. 

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;  To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;  To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;  To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord .

Psalms 149:6‭-‬9 KJV.

7. Taking the praises or the Glory that belongs to God will always kill a man. 

And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Acts 12:21‭-‬23 KJV.

8.  Ingratitude is the quickest way you to loose your miracles and testimonies. 

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?   There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:12‭-‬19 KJV.

9. Ingratitude will always close the door of blessings for whosoever engages in it. 

And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.  And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord ; and she despised him in her heart.  And they brought in the ark of the Lord , and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord .  And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.  And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.  Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!  And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord , which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord , over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord .  And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.  Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

2 Samuel 6:14‭-‬23 KJV.

10. Murmuring and complaining is not a gift of the spirit, neither is it a fruit of the spirit, so avoid it the way you avoided Ebola virus and corona virus. 

11. Instead of murmuring and complaining, why don't you praise God because murmuring and complaining is one of the ways to be destroyed by the destroyer. 

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:10 KJV.

12. Some people die carelessly because they choose not to praise God  or acknowledge Him as their source after He has blessed them. 

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.  He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’  Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.  And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Luke 12:16‭-‬21 NLT.

13. You may be praise, worship and give to God but with a wrong motive or intentions, it will do no good because the Almighty sees the heart of men. 

Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord , but not with a perfect heart.

2 Chronicles 25:1‭-‬2 KJV.

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6‭-‬7 KJV..

14. Some people's ingratitude is so loud that all they can remember is what God has not done from the list of their demands. 

“O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

Psalms 50:7‭-‬15 NLT.

Shout with joy to the Lord , all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalms 100:1‭-‬5 NLT.

In conclusion,  I want you to decipline yourself and activate this mystery of praise and worship as you go into your secret place, make it a habit to live with and watch the miracle of God show forth in your life. 

Remember that it is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, either good or bad, therefore force yourself to form this good habit of prasing and worshipping God.

Change your operations with the spirit of God by minimizing your request and maximizing your praises and worship to Him. 

The Lord will bless you as you obey to praise and worship God not only at your convenience but continually and always. 

God bless you all.