OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 23/06/2014 - SECRETS OF PRAISE & PRAYER BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

SECRETS OF PRAISE & PRAYER

MEMORISE

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalm 18:3

READ

2 Chronicles 20:8-24

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 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.

23 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.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

MESSAGE

Our God is a warrior and the Man of War. He is also a Deliverer, as our Bible reading today reveals. Our God never does things haphazardly. Whenever He fights, He wins. He delivers permanently and saves to the uttermost. He does not limit His actions to healing and deliverance alone; He also grants His own wholeness and carries them on the wings of grace. Our God has secrets. The greatest secret of God is praise. God dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Many battles are fought and won whenever we praise God. Intense praise will always result in freedom and progress. God made it clear in Isaiah 42:8 that He will not share His glory with anyone. When we give intense praises to God, His glory is manifested. King Solomon in 2 Chronicles 5:13 brought down the glory of God through intense praises. In 2 Chronicles 20:20-22, King Jehoshaphat obtained victory over his enemies through praise and worship. Are you facing a situation that can be described as dicey? If only you can praise God in the beauty of His holiness, He will fight your battles for you and grant you victory. Praises should come from a pure and holy heart. If you claim to praise or worship God while your heart is busy doing other things which do not bring glory to God, then your praise or worship is mere lip-service. True and acceptable worship must be connected to a heart that is committed to God.

Another secret of God is asking. God revealed this secret to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 where He said:

“If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

This was what Jehoshaphat keyed into in 2 Chronicles 20:9, and he got deliverance. Do you belong to Christ? Are you called by His Name? Humble yourself and pray. You should seek God and praise Him like never before. Tell God how things are with you; don’t pretend like some people do. Humble yourself like never before (James 4:6). Begin to give cheerfully. If you have started, give more cheerfully like never before (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Trust man less and trust God more (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Walk more closely with God like never before (James 4:8). When you do all these, God promises to answer all your prayers. He also promises to forgive all your sins, heal your body and your land.

ACTION POINT

Spend quality time in praise and worship today and tell God how things really are with you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Numbers 1:1-3:4;

Psalm 137