Can You Praise God in Advance of....

Q:    What is that circumstance in your life that you are battling with?

Q:    And can you praise Him in the midst of that particular storm?

Marvin Sapp: the famous Gospel Recording artist and Pastor had his world turned upside down in 2010 when he lost the love of his life. His wife of 18 years, to colon cancer, and instantly became a single parent to his three children.

In his words he said, “All I had was God and because of that, my dependency level grew.”

The widower, who once depended upon his wife to share the parenting load, found help through seeking God, which increased his capacity.

He shares that he prayed daily for his kids and for the wisdom, and strength to raise them. He also prayed for God to give his kids strength as well. Today they are grown and well-rounded individuals.

6 years later, despite the painfulness of his loss he was able to say it made him a better man.

Sometimes it’s in the midst of pain, we cry out to God and yet that’s where God meets us. He never turns his back on us. And it was from the depths of his pain that he could pen the song:-

“I’ve had my share of ups and downs. Times when there was no one around. God came and spoke these words to me.  Praise will confuse the enemy.” He found the “key”…..

“So, I started singing. I started clapping. I started dancing. People were laughing. Cos, they knew my problems. They knew my pain. But I knew God would take them away.”

“That’s why I praise Him with my hands. That’s why I praise Him with a dance. He’s given me a second chance. Come on let’s praise Him in advance. That’s why I praise Him with a song. When things are right and when they’re wrong. He’s given me a second chance. Come on let’s praise Him in advance. Praise Him. Praise Him.”

The enemy is constantly throwing things in our paths to cause us to fall and bring us down. He doesn’t fight fair. He doesn’t even let you get in the ring before he starts throwing the blow. What is your ring?

Do you like watching boxing?

In the natural when two opponents are about to have a boxing match, it’s customary to allow each opponent to enter the ring and go to their designated corner. This allows them to compose themselves and get ready for the fight. It’s also an opportunity for the trainer and their team to whisper in their ears any last-minute tactics so that they are better equipped for the fight.

I’m not really a boxing fan. But I have never seen an opponent not allow an individual to get to his spot and instead starts fighting him before he gets in the ring. That wouldn’t be a fair fight on the other individual. But often this is what the enemy does. He’s not going to allow you to get to your corner and get yourself prepared to face life’s challenges. No, instead he’s going to stop you in your tracks as soon as your feet hit the ground when you wake up in the morning. Because he’s relentless.

Have you ever suffered at the hands of a bully? Perhaps at school or in the workplace or even within your family context. Do you know the secret as to how you disarm a bully? You stand up to him or her. You don’t run on retreat in a corner.

You face them head on and look them directly in the face and say “No more. This is where it stops. It stops today.” Right there and then, you’ve just taken the power back and confused them. Because the power for them is watching you be fearful of them and squirming every time you see them. But when you take the power back, they have no ammunition and they are rendered powerless.

Let’s praise God in advance of whatever situation we are trying to get a handle on and confuse the enemy. He won’t get it.  John 10:10 gives us insight into the enemy’s ultimate plan of attack. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy........”

The Passion translation of that same verse puts it like this. “A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy.” Does that sound like someone who wants to be your friend or have your best interests at heart? Not at all......far from it.

Let’s relate this scenario to Job when the enemy unleashed a severe attack on everything he owned. Livestock, servants, property, family and even his very body. And then he waited for Job to curse God and die. Which was the callous suggestion of his wife. But regardless of how dire the situation looked. Job had a praise on the inside and he dug deep to retrieve it. His praise confused the enemy, because Job was not meant to recover from the severity of what the enemy had unleashed on him and neither are you meant to. When the whole force of hell Is attacking you. Can you muster up a praise in advance of the situation turning around, and confuse the enemy?

You weren’t meant to survive that cancer diagnosis. Neither were you meant to come out of that abusive relationship with your mind intact. Neither were you supposed to come out unscathed when the bailiffs were hunting you down and terrorising you. But you overcame everything that was thrown at you because you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. You found a praise somewhere on the inside of your soul and determined that you weren’t going to turn your back on God. But rather instead you would choose to trust and obey Him because of the promises in His Word.

God’s Word has all the answers for our lives. Get God’s Word on the inside of you by finding a scripture that deals with the very thing you are facing and stand on that Word; that promise which is specifically for you. Every time the enemy comes to try and dangle that problem in your face; counterattack it by dangling the Word of God back in his face.

Here’s how you do it: -

The enemy’s accusation: “You’ll never get out of debt”.

Your response: “My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory” - Philippians 4:19

The enemy’s accusation: “You’re nothing. Look at how many mistakes you’ve made”.

Your response: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” - Philippians 4:13. Also  “Psalms 139:14 - states that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

And you stay constant. As he throws the blows. Like the boxer, you have your gloves on and throw back scriptures as your defence. The enemy’s not going to let up and neither must we. We must fight until we win. We must praise until we see the victory in whatever situation we are walking through.

The enemy will fight and wrestle with you to get that Logos (God’s written Word) or the Rhema (God’s spoken Word) from you. Remember what was said earlier. He doesn’t fight fair and will attack you prior to you getting into position. He knows how powerful God’s Word is and if you can get just one verse for your situation and stand on that one truth. He knows he’s lost you because 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”.

A boxer never goes in the ring without having first been trained in the art of boxing or being equipped to stand the blows. The Word of God equips us to withstand the enemy.

That’s why you can praise God in advance because the Word of God equips you to stand when all hell breaks out lose against you.

THE WORD OF GOD EQUIPS US

Hebrews 4:12 equips us in the knowledge that “the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”.

THE WORD OF GOD REBUKES

The Word of God rebukes the enemy and stops him in his tracks because he has no filter and will come after you if you are ill-prepared - James 4:7 “submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you”.

THE WORD OF GOD CORRECTS

There’s always two sides to a story. The correct version or a fabricated attempt at the real story. When Satan comes after you with one of his lies; the Word of God will always give you the correct version. It will always expose the enemy’s lies for what it is which is another reason he will try and get you from reading the truth because he doesn’t want there to be a praise on your lips.

I’d like to draw an analogy from the movie, Karate Kid (1984) of how a young boy prepares in an unusual manner to fight off his enemies.

Daniel and his mother move from New Jersey to Los Angeles. His mother having to move there to find work, following the loss of her husband. Daniel struggles with finding his place in his new environment and school and understandably misses his old life and friends. On top of that, being the new kid on the block, he finds himself an easy target for bullies to pick on him. Does that sound like anyone we know?

Daniel makes friends with the caretaker of his building, Mr Miyagi, and asks him if he can teach him martial arts, if only to defend himself against the bullies, when they chased him home after school.

Mr Myiagi’s teaching methods are not conventional and instead he gets Daniel to wash his car giving him instructions of how to specifically do it. "Wax on with right hand. Wax off with left hand. Wax on with right hand. Wax off with left hand."

Then he gives Daniel a pot of paint and tells him to paint the fence and house. "Brush up with a stroke and brush down with a stroke", making sure he has good hand reflexes. Then he gets Daniel to sand his floors by waxing it in a circular movement.

After a while, Daniel gets frustrated that the old man isn’t really teaching him any martial arts at all, but instead is just using him to do the shores around his yard. But then Mr Myiagi shows him what he really has been “learning” unbeknownst to him.

After some time, Mr Miyagi enters Daniel into a Martial Arts competition and his very opponent is the person who has been bullying him. Also, throughout the competition he was doing illegal moves that was weakening Daniel’s ability to perform at his optimum best. Again, does that sound like anyone we know?

In a very weakened state, Daniel has one more move and his final blow is what is known as the crane kick. The move involves a one-legged karate stance that launches into a flying jumping kick. Which Daniel learned in training by balancing on one leg whilst on top of a steep mountain. At the time he didn’t know the significance of what that balancing act meant, but it proved to be the trump card, because with that final kick, he knocked out his opponent and won the competition.

I wonder what are we learning unbeknownst to us which acts as weapons in destroying the enemy’s lies? The songs we sing at church and in our own worship times, do they hold the answers? The Bible classes and studies we attend where we learn divine truths. What light are they shedding? The sermons we take in week after week and the ones we watch online are all there to build up our spiritual arsenal so that when the enemy comes at us with his onslaught and attacks, we already have something on the inside of us to fight back with, thus confusing him. That one blow makes all the difference. That one scripture is all that is needed to send him packing.

What are some of the lies and obstacles that the enemy tells you that you can’t do or achieve?

Whatever lie he has been trying to feed you. God is always there, and His Word can be depended on to draw strength from.

“Open your ears, God, to my prayer. Don’t pretend you don’t hear me knocking. Come close and whisper your answer. I really need you. I shudder at the mean voice, quail before the evil eye, as they pile on the guilt, stockpile angry slander.” Psalm 55:1-3 (TM)

“I call to God; GOD will help me. At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh deep sighs—He hears, He rescues. My life is well and whole, secure in the middle of danger. Even while thousands are lined up against me. God hears it all, and from His judge’s bench puts them in their place. But, set in their ways, they won’t change; they pay him no mind.” Psalm 55:16-19 (TM)

“Pile your troubles on GOD ’s shoulders— He’ll carry your load; He’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin. But you, God, will throw the others into a muddy bog, Cut the lifespan of assassins and traitors in half. And I trust in you.” Psalm 55:22-23 (TM)

EXAMPLES OF HOLDING ONTO GOD’S PROMISES WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE OTHERWISE

Abraham

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Romans 4:18-21 NIV

Abraham had a promise from God; but it did not materialise straightaway; he had to fight with his thoughts and emotions whilst he waited to see the manifestation of the promise; he had to continue praising God in advance of what he could not see with the physical eyes, but because he could see it in the spirit realm; he wouldn’t let it go and eventually that word came to past.

Hezekiah’s Prayer

“Hezekiah received a letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

“Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.”  Isaiah 37:14, 16-20 (NIV)

Look what Hezekiah did when he received bad news after reading a letter that was sent to him. He went to the throne. It is often said that instead of going to the throne; we go to the phone. Our friends cannot help us when we are in the depths of despair, but if we can praise God in spite of our circumstances, we will confuse the enemy. And if we can raise a hallelujah in the presence of our enemies, fear cannot win and cannot have victory over us because the battle is already won.

ITS TIME TO CONFUSE THE ENEMY – ARE YOU READY?

Instead of rehearsing your problems, rather praise God in advance of your breakthrough. Don’t focus on how big your problem is; rather focus on how 'BIG' your God is and who your God is and who you belong to and watch that bully flee before your very eyes, as you rehearse that you are more than a conqueror.