Welcome to another exciting week! I hope you were blessed by last week teaching. This week, we shall focus on: Engaging the Mystery of Praise for Fulfilment of Prophecies!
From Scriptures, it is clear that prophecies are not religious wishes or psychological predictions, they are the unveiling of God’s plan and purpose for us as individuals. We serve a good God and He speaks good things (Psalm 118:1). The Bible says, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). God is not a man that He should lie, everything He says comes to pass (Numbers 23:19; 1 Kings 8:15). As it is written, There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass (Joshua 21:45). Scripturally, there are two main sources of prophecy:
The Word: The Bible is the Word of God and it is defined as a more sure Word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19, 20-21).
From Prophets sent our way: God is still sending prophets to the way of His people. As it is written, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all theland (Luke 4:25; see also, Matthew 10:41; Deuteronomy 18:21-22);
Furthermore, God speaks according to Himself not according to us. Concerning Abraham, he said, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-17).God does not speak according to what we will do but according to what He will do. However, to see prophecies fulfilled in our lives, we must secure the hand of God and His hand can only be secured on the platform of praise (Isaiah 53:1). Prophecies never get fulfilled in the lives of murmurers and complainers; but when we are praiseful, we create an environment to secure God’s hand (Psalm 22:3; Habakkuk 3:17-19). Concerning Hezekiah, the Bible says when he received the verdict of death over his life, he turned to God and then God reverted the verdict by adding to him fifteen more years (Isaiah 38:1-5). However, to facilitate the fulfilment of that prophecy, he said, The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord (Isaiah 38:20). As a result, God stepped in and got rid of those tormenting forces in his life.
What is in Praise that Engenders Fulfilment of Prophecies?
God is in Praise: Wherever praise is, there God is. As it is written, But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3).
Signs and Wonders: Praise is the atmosphere for the manifestations of the wonder working God. As it is written,Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders (Exodus 15:11)?
Then, how should we Praise God?
We must Praise Him with Joy: Joy spurs praise. The Bible says, Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds (Psalm 149:2-3, 5).So, it takes joy for our praise to be acceptable unto God, and joy is stirred by gratitude. If we are not grateful, we cannot be joyful; if we are not joyful, we cannot be praiseful and as such, our praise is limited. That means our praise will be noise in the ears of God without joy in our hearts (James 5:13).
We Praise Him with Singing: As it is written,It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).
In summary, when we are addicted to praise as a lifestyle, whatever gives way to God gives way to us. However, your praise must be acceptable and the first step for acceptable praise is new birth. Thus, if you are not born again, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I know I am born again! For further reading, get my books: Understanding the Power of Praise and Wonders of Praise. I invite you to fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:55 a.m., 9:50 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. respectively. Also, you can join our live services via Facebook: David Oyedepo Ministries International, Twitter: @Davidoyedepomin, Instagram: davidoyedepomin,YouTube: Living Faith Church Worldwide, Hebron 95.9 FM, Winners World App, Impact Africa TV (on Startimes and NigComSat), Domi Radio and via the Church Satellite. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, call 01-4548070, 01-4548280, or E-mail: dphprints@gmail.com.