Praise and worship can be the breakthrough, in living in the blessing.
Living in the Blessing Lesson # 8 Praise and Worship in the Circumstance
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust.
Divine influence and union with Christ gets sweeter as our intimacy with Him grows. His divine power has given us all things… Look what our God has done. The Father has called us by glory and virtue. His heart is for us to live in the exceedingly great and precious promises; making us partakers of the divine nature is His heart beat!
Ephesian 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
God the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. We are chosen, adopted, made accepted in the Beloved. Imagine, it is His good pleasure to have it be so! Blessed is every believer, and yet so many have not walked in the blessing. It can be as simple as putting a praise in your mouth, to turn everything around.
Hebrews 6:17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath,
God’s heart is for your soul to be anchored to His trustworthiness. Trust in His immutable counsel, He cannot lie and has sent Jesus as your forerunner into His throne room. The Father is expecting you into His presence even in the hour you need mercy and grace the most; come boldly. Praise Him for His faithfulness!
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
The Father has begotten us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Child of God you have an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away. This should be enough to put a praise in your mouth. Rest in the greatness of your God.
1 Peter1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, [being] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see [Him], yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of [your] souls.
Even in the testing of your faith, what if you are found to praise, honor and glory God at the revelation of Jesus Christ? Your believing in the greatness of your God can bring you rejoicing with inexpressible joy and full of glory. Yes, absolutely opened to the manifestation of God in your life even in the midst of the trial of your faith. Put a praise in your mouth.
Acts 16:20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 "and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe." 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded [them] to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw [them] into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Paul and Silas are beaten with many stripes and thrown into the inner prison and shackles on their feet, all for preaching Jesus Christ.
Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 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 chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."
At the midnight hour… What is your response at the midnight hours of trials and tribulations of your life? Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas begin to worship God right in the middle of their mess. When praise and worship is the response to your circumstances you open all of heaven to respond. And heaven responded indeed! The doors were opened the chains were loosed all because Paul and Silas were worshipping in the middle of their trial. The jailer, supposing he lost the prisoners, was about to kill himself and Paul called out to him.
Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed [their] stripes. And immediately he and all his [family] were baptized.
The praying and singing hymns at the midnight hour lead to an opportunity to share Jesus. The jailer and all his household were saved that night. I wonder if any of Paul and Silas’s fellow prisoners were converted too.
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Living in the blessing comes with instructions to be filled with the Spirit, praise and worship with thanksgiving.
Colossians 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 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. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Living in the blessing gets sweeter when all that you do is done in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name.
Divine order is followed when we come into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Worship is often connected to being thankful to God.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
What thoughts have been the inhibitor to praise and worship in the midnight hour; bringing those thoughts into captivity unto the obedience of Jesus Christ can pave the way to victory and living in the blessing day by day.