Today, we shall focus on: Engaging the Power of Praise for Fearful Blessings!
We discover from scriptures that praise is a spiritual platform for fearful blessings. As it is written: Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him (Psalm 67:5-7). Praise is a proven, viable and dependable spiritual platform for encounter with fearful blessings. The reason for that is very simple; every time we praise God, we are blessing Him. The Psalmist says: I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34:1; see also Psalm 103:1). That means, praise is a spiritual way man blesses God. Also note that, whatever good thing any man does, the same he shall receive from the Lord (Ephesians 6:8). That means, by blessing God, we are provoking His blessings on our lives (Psalm 67:5-7). So, we are not entertaining God, we are blessing God; and as we bless Him in praise, we commit His integrity to bless us in return. So, let us go beyond seeing our praises as one of those things we do; let us see our praises as blessing God. That will entitle us to the harvest of His blessings. So, if we want to be blessed, keep blessing God because, nothing enhances destiny like blessings.
What are the Virtues in Divine Blessings?
It Empowers us to live a Struggle-free Life: The blessing of God is the gateway to a struggle-free life (Proverbs 10:22). We also know from scriptures that “sweat” is a curse (Genesis 3:17-19). Christ has redeemed us from every curse of the law, which includes the curse of a life of struggle (Galatians 3:13). Don’t ever think that everybody is struggling; that is a lie of the devil!
Divine Blessing makes us Indestructible: One of the virtues in blessings is our indestructibility. “…Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it…” (Isaiah 65:8). We are indestructible with implanted blessings.
Divine Blessing empowers us to Prevail: We prevail by divine blessings, where others travail. “I won’t let you go until you bless me,” was what Jacob said; and then, God showed up. “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” Then God said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel” (Genesis 32:24-28). Blessings change people’s status. From Jacob to Israel; from a person to a nation! So, his travail ended by an encounter with blessings.
Three Major Channels of Blessings in Scriptures
- From God Directly: In Genesis 22:16-18, God swore a blessing on Abraham. So, we can encounter the raw blessings of God directly from Him. However, such blessings always respond to our obedience to His instructions. God’s blessings will always trail our obedience; disobedience is a disqualifier for His blessings. God blessed Jabez directly, and granted him that which he requested (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). Also, God blessed Jacob directly and changed him from a person to a nation (Genesis 32:26-28). God’s Word says: A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time (Isaiah 60:22). That means, God did not stop turning men to nations with Jacob; He still does that. He said, “I am the Lord; I change not” (Malachi 3:6). “What I did yesterday, I am doing today and will keep doing it tomorrow” (Hebrew 13:8).
- Prophetic and Priestly Blessings: God gave Balaam commandment to bless, and because he proclaimed the blessings, God sealed it (Numbers 23:20). When prophets stand in the name of the Lord and implant a blessing, they commit God’s integrity to confirm it (Isaiah 44:26). It’s not enough to have the blessings of the Lord; we should also reach out for priestly and prophetic blessings, because in most cases, the blessings of the Lord are channeled through His prophets.
- Parental Channel of Blessings: The blessings of our parents are part of the making of our lives (Ephesians 6:2-3). It was the blessing of Jacob that prevailed in the life of Joseph (Genesis 49:26). It was the blessing of Isaac that caused Jacob to prevail, in spite of all his challenges in life (Genesis 27:22-29). So, there are automatic blessings that accrue to us through the parental channel. We must get to a point where we have such blessings proclaimed on us, so we can begin to manifest them.
Blessings Accrued to us by the Mystery of Praise
- Divine Favour: Divine presence is a carrier of divine favour and God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). So, when we are in praise, we enjoy divine presence, which naturally engenders divine favour.
- Deliverance from all forms of Bondages and Captivities: There was a king by name Saul and evil spirits came to torment him. But, every time David played on the harp, the evil spirit left him (1 Samuel 16:14-23). What does that mean? That means high praises guarantee automatic deliverance.
- Supernatural Harvest: He that reapeth receiveth wages as he gathers fruit unto life eternal (John 4:36). When we sow to the spirit, we reap life eternal.
- Supernatural Breakthroughs: When God came in the midst of Israelites, the sea saw them and fled (Psalm 114:1-9).
In conclusion, when praise becomes our lifestyle, blessings will become our natural experiences; we won’t struggle for them. That is why men that are addicted to praise don’t run out of blessings. However, without being born again, you cannot praise God acceptably. Are you born again? If you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!” For further reading, please get my books: Understanding the Power of Praise and Wonders of Praise.
Source: https://flatimes.com/engaging-power-praise-fearful-blessings-david-oyedepo/