Reply To: Prayer Basics Discussion Board 1

[Benny4real]

NAME: Owhondah Ugochi Benedicta
COURSE TITLE: Prayer Basics
LECTURERS: Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.) and Pastor Sola Akinwale

Praising God should be a lifestyle for the believer. God’s praises must continually be in our mouths. Before we think to worry, we should first Praise God for all He has already done and all He can and will do. The importances of praising God before your answers cannot be overemphasized, because they are a lot. But I will mention as many as I can in this assignment

1) Praise is the Language of Faith:
Praise is the language of faith. Praise is an act of faith; it is the evidence that proves that we’re in faith. When we praise, we express our faith in God. You cannot have faith, fear and worry in your life at the same time. It’s either one or the other. When we praise God even though we haven’t seen a tangible manifestation of our prayers we have shown unwavering faith. We praise God before we see our miracles. Faith is our lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
For we walk by faith, not by sight

Praise receives the answers to our prayers. Prayer asks but faith takes. Praise exclaims gratitude and thanksgiving. It says “Thank You, Father, for the answer! It’s mine. I have it now.” We cannot tell the story of faith and praise without speaking of Father Abraham. His Faith in God was outstanding. His story is marked with faith and praise.

Romans 4:18-25 (NKJV)
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

From the Strong’s Concordance, the Word “Glory” according to Romans 4:20 is the Greek word “Doxa” which means Praise, worship, honor, dignity, etc. The focus is the meaning “Praise”. A story of faith would not be complete without praise. Faith believes and praise receives.
How about Jesus who is God Himself? He always gave thanks whenever He wanted to perform a miracle, He understood the principle of Praise and faith. When He fed the Five Thousand
Matthew 14:13-21 (NKJV)
19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
From the Strong’s Concordance, the word “Blessed” is the Greek word “Eulogeo” which means bless, to speak well of, praise. This simply means that your Praise seals your faith. Therefore, we ought to always give thanks to God.

2) Praise Assures Us of the Continued Goodness of God:
When we praise God, we affirm His supremacy and Lordship in our lives, and we keep Him in control of our everyday existence. God is sovereign and His sovereignty is for good. God is excited when we trust that He is good.

Psalm 100:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

God’s glory (Doxa) is tied to His goodness, and God’s goodness is tied to His name, which reveals His character Therefore, praise produces an assurance of a future filled with the goodness of God. God desires to give us all we could ever ask for if only we.

Exodus 33:19a (NKJV)
Then He said, “I will make My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you

3) Praise Speaks of the Power of God to all who will hear / It paves the way for God’s power to be displayed:
Praising God displays His power, awesomeness and ability. When we praise God, we speak of what He has done, what He will do and what He can do. We give others hope when we maintain an attitude of praise and thanksgiving no matter the circumstance. It is good to praise the Lord and tell of His goodness because those around us will hear as well.
Praise affects the hearers.
a) The listening unbeliever: We can evangelize unbelievers through our praise
Acts 16:25-34 (NKJV)
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them
30 And he brought them out and said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Paul and Silas reached out to the keeper of the prison through their praise, and he was saved.
b) The listening believer: We can encourage and inspire others through our praise
c) You, the one praising: We get inspired ourselves when we praise.
2 Samuel 6:14
14 Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a line ephod
d) The enemies of God: The enemies of God are sickness, poverty, depression, confusion, any appearance of evil and their master. The enemies themselves quit because of your praise.
The walls of Jericho. Even the enemies of God hear our praises. (Joshua 6:1-27)
e) God: God is excited when He hears us praise (Psalm 50:23)

4) Praise Does Not Let One Forget (Leaving no room for negativity and complaining)
When praise becomes a habit, you become more conscious of all God has already done for you and less worried about the answers you haven’t seen. This gives you an attitude of gratitude while you wait on God.
Psalms 103:2-4
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul. And forget not all His benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
We have a constant reminder, that what God has done before He can do again. We are reminded that He knows all that concerns us and can take care of all that burdens us.

5) Praise Magnifies God Above All Else:
There is power in acknowledging the hand of God in our lives. God wants to have first place in our lives. When we praise God amid chaos, we show Him how important He is to us. God desires our whole heart. He longs for us to know the power of His presence in our lives.
As we praise God as Creator and King, we admit and recognize that we’re not in control, but He is. He is above all (Psalms 95:2-3, 35:18).