PRAISE IS A POWERFULL WEAPON
PRAISE IS A POWERFULL WEAPON
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
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 foundation of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were open, and everyone’s bands were loosed.
The oxford English Minidictionary defines praise as an expression of approval or administration of honor to God. It is also a way of showing gratitude to God.
Psalm 149:6 says
Let the high praise of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand.
In the verse above, praise is being described as a two-edged sword. A two-edged sword is a powerful weapon of war, as it can pierce or harm the enemy at both ends. No matter how you turn or use it, it can destroy.
To bring out the effects of praise as a weapon, I will elaborate on each of the two verses quoted from Acts 16.
Acts 16:25
There are two things I will like to highlight in this verse;
At midnight
Sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them
Midnight in this context signifies two things:
It was late in the night, they should be tired and weary and should be sleeping after all they went through during the day, eventually resulting in being thrown into prison. Bound in chains and fetters with no way of escape.
It also refers to the darkest night I our lives. The time where circumstances and prevailing situations leave us with no hope. We may have tried all the possible ways of resolving or overcoming our challenge. We are tired worn out and ready to give up.
Paul and Silas found themselves in the two situations explained above. However, they did not give up, though the situation looked hopeless. They did not yield to the temptation of sleeping out of exhaustion and hopelessness.
They decided to sing praises. Not weak praise, but powerful loud praise such that the other prisoners could hear them. Thanking God in spite of their challenges. This was a way of witnessing to the prisoners, assuring them that God is able to do the impossible
Acts 16:26
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.
In this verse, I will highlight three issues:
Suddenly there was an earthquake
The foundations of the prison were shaken
Everyone’s bands were loosed
“suddenly, there was an earthquake” while you sing praises to God anything can happen at anytime. Just keep praising God. It does not matter whether things are not changing physically or in the natural. As soon as you start praising, spiritual forces go to work to resolve your issue. At the appointed time, things happen in the spiritual realm will be seen in the natural realm. This is confirmed by Daniel 10:12-14
Then said he unto me, fear not Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself, before thy God, the words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
But the prince of the langdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to helping me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Now I am come to make thee understand __ __ __ __
God released the answer for Daniel’s request as soon as he prayed but the answer was withheld.
In the same, when you praise God, the answer you need is released, continue praising and praying for grace to wait patiently and “SUDDENLY” quickly and unexpectedly your answer will come, after God releases the power to shake and change your situation.
“the foundations of the prison were shaken” when God works or resolves an issue, He does it fully and completely. He handles the root cause and completely takes away everything that has to be removed to set you free. As you praise God the foundations of the kingdom of satan are shaken, and whatever needs to be uprooted will be removed.
“everyone’s bands were loosed’ when God resolves an issue the benefits extends not only to you but to all those in your household. Paul and Silas as well as all the other prisoners had their bands loosed. They were all saved.
Acts 16;31 says
And they (Paul & Silas) said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Conclusion
Never stop praising God, it will pull down all the evil stronghold in your life and the lives of all your loved ones.
References