Pastor Sidney Smith

POWER OF PRAISE

Praise is the fruit of our lips! "Peace, peace, to him who is far off [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near! says the Lord; I create the fruit of his lips, and I will heal him [make his lip blossom anew with speech in thankful praise]." (Isaiah 57:19; AMP) God creates the fruit of our lip, our praise, because if there were no God why would we praise anything? We should praise God for His goodness. How can we not offer up praise unto Him and sing praises unto Him throughout our day? Praise is to be done continually! "Through Him, therefore, let us CONSTANTLY AND AT ALL TIMES offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name." (Hebrews 13:15; AMP) It is a sacrifice unto God! A Sweet Smelling Fragrance! As the most precious incense one could buy, but of course, I've never seen it in a store, because no one else could smell it but God anyway!
God perfects our praise! "And said unto him, Hearest thou not what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye not read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected [completed, thoroughly framed, prepared, join together, make one what he ought to be] praise?" (Matthew 21:16) You know, I haven't thought of it much, but God has indeed perfected my praise, as I realize more everyday all the things He has done for me. And the amount of my praise has exploded like a thermonuclear bomb! It goes with me everywhere, literally never leaving my lips. As I drive, when I'm shopping, not out loud, but quietly, but I've been known to let loose and the stares never bother me. As I cook or shower, bottom line, it is constant. And I like that part in the Greek that said, "join together" because it is true. He inhabits our praise, He come and dwells within our praise. I know, I can always feel His Sweet Presence! Praise Him with the Word. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with Grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God and the Father by Him." (Colossians 3:16,17) I have to say this now, my Mom's name was Grace and she lived up to her name. I can almost see her on her knees before Jesus weeping and holding His feet, the feet of Him whom she loved more than anything in life! You can thank her, for my teaching too. Had it not been for her last words to me were, "Preach it, preach it!" Those words are indelibly engraved in my heart forever! And of course that absolutely, tremendously, blessing from God; praising God by singing in the Spirit. "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and SPIRITUAL SONGS, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:19-20) And can I ever sing in tongues! He has perfected that in me as well. And again, I can't stress enough that He actually comes and inhabits our praises unto Him. This is one of the main things, if not THE thing that has brought God's glory down around me as a mist 3 times so far in my life!
There is strength in praise! " With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless." (Psalm 8:2; CEV) One more verse of countless others, I have TRIED, TESTED, and found to be TRUE! countless times. Even as the "spirit of death" tried to take me, although it caused me to choke and cough uncontrollably, I praised Him all the louder! Nothing can take His praise from these lips of mine. You know people. You can always comment on these truths as they have applied to your lives. I wouldn't get upset at all! I welcome them. I want to see more thanks to God and testimonies here. I want to hear about Jesus' working in your life. TESTIFY! Share Jesus with everyone. You have a podium here. God inhabits our praises! " But You are holy, O You Who are enthroned on the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:3; ONMB) Praise brings deliverance and glorifies the Lord. "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thou vows unto the Most High. And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me...Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the Salvation of God." (Psalm 50:14-15,23) Set your manner of living aright! Praise God for what His Word says about your situation; that is rightfully ordering your conversation, your speech, your confession of faith aright before God. Praise puts us into God's will. "Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]: Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Why does He stress this is the WILL OF GOD for you? Simple, it goes back to the verse that God inhabits our praise, and it is His heart's desire that His glory comes down on you in praise is such a way that you can literally feel His presence, and who knows, you may experience actually seeing His tangible glory, to be immersed in His love, for in His presence is fullness of joy! It's no big surprise that as I praise and worship Him and He comes and joins me, that I cry tear of joy, and thanksgiving that He loved me even while I was a sinner lost in deep darkness, He reached down and touch me. That's enough to cause tears of gratefulness. Just consider the woman taken in adultery who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, whipping them with her hair and kissing His feet. (Luke 7:36-50) In (verse 47) Jesus said, "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." My tears are tear of gratitude and joy, and in the Spirit. "How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the gospel, who bring good tidings of good things." I am not ashamed of my tear at all, they are expressions of my love, gratitude and just being overwhelmed by His love. "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds! I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High! When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before You. For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging righteously." (Psalms 9:1-4; AMP) We are to praise with all our hearts; then our enemies will be turned back by the presence of God. Praise causes God to maintain our right and my cause.
Give thanks instead of foolish talk. "Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor course jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God]." (Ephesians 5:4; AMP) I share the Word of God, and God exalts His Word even over His name. For if His Word is no good, then the name of Jesus is no good. God’s Word never fails and He promises to watch over it to perform it. God's Word comes first and God said He was able to perform His promises and to keep us, and that keeping power is in His Word abiding in us. I build within you a deep dependency on God's Word and not on me. And you who know me, know that is the truth. I refuse to take any of the glory and exalt myself over God's Word! And He is alive in His Word and you can rest assured that if you seek anointing, there is anointing on the Word of God. And if a man isn't abiding in God's Word, and His Word isn't abiding in him, he has absolutely no anointing in his life and is deceived and deceiving others. I have a responsibility to God and to you to edify you and build up your faith by holding forth the Word of God that will always do the job successfully. I will stand before God one day and not be one bit ashamed of what I have just spoken to you as a warning in love, to trust God and God alone, and I will answer before Him for every post I make, whether it's God's Word or misleading from my sense of reasoning. I have confidence in my Lord that I will receive great rewards for my obedience to God, and not being a man pleaser! And I have confidence in this, "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) My confidence in God's working through me, and God's working in you is based solely on my faith in Him and His Word! "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious and lovely; praise is becoming and appropriate." (Psalm 147:1; AMP) "The living, the living---they shall thank and praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known to the children Your faithfulness and Your truth." (Isaiah 38:19) When you open the free gift box of God's praise, you'll find so many blessings that are included and come with the praise. God's very presence, His glory, protection, deliverance, fullness of joy, the miraculous, salvation for those around you. And I could go on and on. But I'll close with this, which is the closing verse in the Book of Psalms, "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
Please share what Jesus has done for you of this page. Give Him the thanks He's due by testifying of His goodness. No matter how small it may seem to you share it, because it not the size, but the power that is in it, that will touch others and build their faith, and perhaps even lead someone to our Lord Jesus!
In the Service of My King Jesus, and the Body of Christ!
"A Man of God" Pastor Sidney R. Smith
JESUS IS LORD!