Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
I Ogba Victor, a servant of the Christ unto those who have been elected to inherit eternal life by faith and through grace made available to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Brethren, time is short. We must pay diligence to the message of the Spirit of God. Although no one knows the times of God, but ever since the cross was raised, the lord has continually harvested souls unto life.
Now shall we pray or shall we sing songs?
What are songs of praise? Songs of Praise are uttered words with which Christians express our respect and gratitude towards God. Our way of expressing warm approval or admiration of His Majesty and anything we can think of that concerns Him and his works. Christians praise God by remembering his deeds, and with lifted hands, sing songs and utter words that magnify God.
God who is a spirit eats nothing but praises and his Spirit delights in praise songs coming from holy and righteous men and women. This is true. AMEN.
The theories attached to praises or worship songs goes as far back as the early histories of the world. It is believed that Angles were created to continually sing praise songs unto God day in and day out. Even from Israel’s magnanimous history we have seen God move in powerful ways when only praises were sung like the case of the walls of Jericho. The power of songs of praise cannot be over emphasized.
What is prayer? To a simple man prayer is talking to God or communicating with God. This definition doesn’t do justice to all that prayer is. One may pray without channeling the uttered words to God but directly at the problem or situation. One may pray, commanding demons to move and it is not channeled unto God. Yes! There are prophetic prayers, and other prayers. But all prayers are done in the name of Jesus; Amen!
Prayer is a spiritual exercise in which God has called all Christians to. An exercise aimed at implementing a spiritual or physical change of state and it is done by uttering words with the mouth or with the heart unto God or directly at the thing we want to change. Prayer is as vast as God according to LEONARD RAVENHILL.
God desires that men sing songs of praises to him. God also desires that men pray to him and pray for others. Did you read that carefully? In service unto God we sing praises to him alone, but we pray to God and also pray for men. We cannot praise God on behalf of others but we can pray to God on behalf of others. We cannot sing people into salvation; but we can pray for them to be saved. We cannot directly harm the devil in praises. God Himself will fight our battles. But for he who prays, God fights for by faith and himself fights the devil and makes Hades mourn. Prayer is therefore like a multi edged sword. It can do unimaginable things.
Over the years the so called worshipers, praise makers, song singers, praise leaders have grown in numbers in our churches. Do you know how many self-acclaimed, self-tagged worshipers and praise leaders are on Facebook alone? Too many.
There are worship and praise songs popping up every day from the church and from Christians. The market is full of songs that glorify God. When you go to market to buy songs, you may end up wasting your time checking out thousands of songs unless you have a target. English, foreign, local, contemporary, soulful, dance, there is nothing you are looking for in praise or worship songs that have not been sung and produced over the years. Evidently, despite we have been feeding God in and out, left and right, front and back with songs, worship, praises, the Church grows cold, weak, lukewarm and less effective to change lives day by day. What a sad truth!
Many Church member come with problems to the house of God, they sing songs and dance unto God but still go home with their troubles as if our God has changed or loves when we suffer. Oh! Many cry, shed tears, jump, dance, fall, lift hands and all that stuff we do whenever it is worship or praise time but they still do not know what it means be free and many remains under the devils yoke. The reason is that, songs melt the heart and uplift the soul but it doesn’t change the condition of the man’s soul, spirit or body unless God decides to move.
The theory that Praises move God to act or fight our battles is partially true. This theory is gotten form Joshua chapter 6 during the fall of Jericho as the children of Israel praised God. It is also gotten form 2 Chronicles 20 during the battle of King Jehoshaphat against Moab and Ammon. Now notice the untold real truth about this passages that you may apply wisdom. God sent Joshua to destroy Jericho. Joshua went to fight and saw that the walls of Jericho were too high. They were not witches that could fly and they became helpless to themselves and then Joshua prayed to God and then God told him to praise and make noise of victory instead for the impenetrable wall to fall.
Brethren we must apply wisdom here. God did not tell Joshua to stay at home or go to the church and sing songs of praise while Himself destroys Jericho. He rather sent Joshua to fight and make war. Of course God can do it all by himself. The same way God can fight all our battles and hand us victory on a platter, but no! He wants, and has commanded us to pray, battle and make war.
Also we can observe that when Joshua saw an obstacle he couldn’t surmount he went back to God in prayers, It was God who knew they were at that point helpless, and they needed a miraculous and divine response, who then commanded that Israel sing songs and make shouts rather for the walls to come down. If it was in our time, even battles below us which we can conquer, we will shift it to God in praises. Even when God has not commanded us to sing songs we enter into worship with tears hoping for God’s to come and fight for us. Even many can no more pray to consult God how to fight the battle we face, how to grow the church, how to bring revival. What a time we live in.
After the walls of Jericho was brought down by God, God did not fight Jericho while Joshua waited. For God had only removed the obstacle Joshua couldn’t surmount and then the great Judge of Israel overcame Jericho by his sword as the Lord has ordered.
Same case could be said of the battle of Jehoshaphat. The king faced more than his army can handle then he went to God in prayers and God commanded praises and songs instead. Christians of our time will skip the consultation prayer. They will raise up holy hands and sing with tears and groan for their troubles to go but they go home and remain the same if not worse.
By the grace of God we are living in more powerful and glorious days than Joshua and Jehoshaphat. We have been given the power of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit to take up battles and gain our victory. We now have divine mandate form Jesus himself who divided the veil to come to him in prayers and ask. We have the name of Jesus that works wonders. For he that is born of God overcomes the world says the scriptures. So we are inexcusable to pray and take our victory through prayers. Therefore God may continue to look at us all through our troubles until we start fighting the fight he sent us to fight. He may continue to remain unperturbed by our tears until we start to take our victory by power. For men ought to pray Jesus said.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the commandment of your God,I also will forget your children.
Hosea 4:5
What we need in these turbulent times is true and genuine prayers more than songs of praise. We need fire fighters who go to the devils domain to free lost souls through genuine intercessions. Praying warriors who pray in the power of the Holy Ghost is what the church lacks and what the church needs.
Jesus retreated and prayed often. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. If there ever was anyone who shouldn’t fast or pray that long it was Jesus. What was he praying for that he had to do 40 days fasting? God was ready to hear him already, but he was on his knees for 40 days praying. Whereas many who claim to be His children can’t pray for a single hour.
The only recorded miracle Jesus did with praise, in a better way ‘prayer of praise’ was the raising of Lazarus. But the prophetic utterance in the prayer “Lazarus come forth” should not be overlooked. Other miracles were done through prophetic prayer or proclamation. And then he said to us “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. Matthew 18:18
Why then do Christians sing praises waiting for miracle to happen when God has commanded us to implement those miracles in prayer? Why do we sing songs waiting for the devils to be bound when the command was for us to bind him? Why do we sing songs of gladness when sinners are perishing instead of rending our hearts for their salvation? Why do we sing songs of gladness unto God when the churches are wallowing in sleep and falling into darkness when we should arise and command the chains of darkness to be broken? Why do we continue to sing when Hades is prevailing against the church? Instead of the church to watch in prayers, praying for souls, praying for ourselves, praying for others, praying for the church, praying to attain eternal life we would rather sing songs and dance to unto God. Praises are good anyway, but when we neglect the more important things we only make caricature of our good songs and praises.
Have you seen Ephesians 6:10-18? As part of the armour of God and the overall summary of that armoury of a Christian, the preacher said “..And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”. Now shall we pray or shall we sing songs?
Finally brethren, songs are beautiful and lovely to sing unto God. God loves worship and praises from men of pure heart. It gladdens him. But no father loves a child who doesn’t grow to potential.
We are gods and have to take the god mandate and work powerful things as gods. If we pray power and praise power, we will shatter powerful spirits, Even the Spirit of God will be shattered in love by the glorious songs coming from his boys of war. Imagine an army brigade who were defeated in battle by the enemies coming home with songs of praises and victory when in truth victory was for the enemy. The commander will be abased and disappointed that he was not represented well.
But if they are victorious over the enemy and come home with soulful booties for the commander and they sing and shout songs of victory and praises, the commander will be pleased with them.