Bribe God? Impress God if you can
Praises bring down the power of God. You can get the heart of God through praises. You can eulogise God to the extent that His head will swell until He begins to give almost the whole world to only you (like a man who is under alcoholic influence). You can even cause God to release blessings He didn’t want to release before to you. If you know the secret of praise, you can make much of it. In fact, if you can just go and learn eulogies, memorize them, and you will just be a star, because God would have showered the whole world on you before you know. His head would have swelled towards you such that He like Herod and the daughter that danced before him, would just say ask anything you want, giving you a open cheque. Marvels of praises! In fact, one may be the worst of sinners, if he can know how to eulogise God, he will escape much punishments and get more blessed than a person who is trying to live holy but does not know how to praise God; such will get heavy punishments for little sins he has done. So praise can make God to forget your sins and hurriedly bless you like Jacob and David as opposed to Esau and Saul. It’s only a person that know how to praise know how to receive from God. Oh without praise, you cannot even enter His gates because bible says “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Without praise, God will not come down no matter how hard you pray, because God dwells in the praises of His people. In fact, God does not know how it is doing Him again whenever people begin to praise Him: He just gets to begin to bless like a drunkard. So I may not be a spiritual “jim jim” (i.e. giant). I may not know the bible much. I may not be that holy, but I know how to turn God from His anger and He won’t know what he’s doing again and just begin to laugh like a man who is being tickled, and before you realise it, He has turn from His wrath.
Wow! Really? Praise is good. “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord… (Psalms 92:1)” “oh that men would praise the Lord (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21)”, “bless the Lord oh my soul… (Psalms 103:1)”. Praise is what should be the lifestyle of every Christian. However, the line must be clearly drawn on what praise what can do/not. Praise must not be taught outside Christ o.
Imagine this. Whichever man has been with this perception of praise has seen praise as a talismanic tool to get God. He is saying “I now know how to catch God”. Praise is now seen as a juju you can use to bring God down anytime. God is now your dog that you tie a rope around its neck. God is now your puppet that you can by your works pull from wrath to peace. Praise is now like Professor’s magic powder, just blow it in His face and that’s all.
Let’s quickly deal with the scriptural portion that must be coming into your mind to cancel this out.
But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalms 22:3 KJV)
Hmmm! Correct! So when we praise God, He will choose to come down. But thank God our God isn’t like that. For we walk by faith and not by sight; saved by grace and not by works.
Please brother/sister! Read that passage again, if you like from verse 1, and be open-minded.
Mark the word “inhabit”.
So, that passage is not saying, when Israel praise, God comes down. Rather, the praises of Israel is not to be seen as an activity, but it appears like a structure. As if there is an arrangement on ground called the “praises of Israel” inside which God does not come down into, but dwells. This “praises of Israel could mean the tabernacles, the ark, the temple, the sanctuary etc, in which in those days, the people of Israel go to meet with God. The Amplified Version helped here:
But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]. (Psalms 22:3 AMP)
Therefore, God dwells (and not come down) in the praises of Israel. He is there even when the Israelites are not dancing or singing. He was there uninvited to rebuke Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12:15). Therefore, it is not the praise and worship of the Israelite congregation that invited God. God who is not far from us (for in Him we live and move and have our being) is simply called upon. ”I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies”( Psalms 18:3). A day in thy courts (which is the praises of Israel) is better than a thousand (Psalms 84:10).
Today, we (saints) are that “praises of Israel”, where God dwells. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV) So if we want to glorify God, it is in our bodies and spirits which are God’s.
So how does God come down today? Error! Better put, why has God come down (dwelling in me, the praises of Israel) till today? Answer: Jesus Christ!
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:38-39 KJV)
Wow! Really? Praise is good. “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord… (Psalms 92:1)” “oh that men would praise the Lord (Psalms 107:8, 15, 21)”, “bless the Lord oh my soul… (Psalms 103:1)”. Praise is what should be the lifestyle of every Christian. However, the line must be clearly drawn on what praise what can do/not. Praise must not be taught outside Christ o.
Imagine this. Whichever man has been with this perception of praise has seen praise as a talismanic tool to get God. He is saying “I now know how to catch God”. Praise is now seen as a juju you can use to bring God down anytime. God is now your dog that you tie a rope around its neck. God is now your puppet that you can by your works pull from wrath to peace. Praise is now like Professor’s magic powder, just blow it in His face and that’s all.
Well! I wish to shock you, God cannot be eulogised.
In fact, that word “eulogise” is never found in the bible. It is just a tradition common among the Yoruba culture and some other tribes too as a means of appreciation of a mighty king or ruler or warrior. It is a way of hailing a respected man. God is great and greatly to be praised (Psalms 48:1, 96:4, 145:3); with all instruments you can think of (Psalms 92:3), in the dance (Psalms 149:3), with the loud trumpets (Psalms 150:3), in spiritual songs (Colossians 3:15, Ephesians 5:19), in claps (Psalms 47:1) etc. That’s all! By none of this is God “moved”. What can you do to really impress God? Nothing, but faith (Hebrews 11:6), nothing but the blood of Jesus. The Lord does not take delight in sacrifices and offerings (Psalms 40:6). What is a sacrifice? It is whatever you do by your own self effort in order to get God to bless you, as opposed to the faith way. Like I hilariously say, if God’s head can swell, I will be a vulcaniser or buy a pump to blow His head. And one of these days, somebody will zealously over-pump it, and it will burst away, eh! Praise cannot “move” God, only a reliance on Jesus finished work does. We must be careful lest any man spoil us through philosophy and vain deceits after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. Any doctrine that takes the attention of Christ’s work into some self effort to earn what has been given freely in Christ will spoil you of your reward in a voluntary humility. So believers, set your mind on things above. The concept of praises bursting God’s head is not only ridiculous, it is of the earth, but “ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”Shock number 2 will be that, praise CANNOT and CANNOT bring down God,
lest it be by works, lest God becomes a man that can be impressed, lest God becomes like a man that can be fascinated by human machinations. What do you want to do that will surprise God? You want to clap the two hands which He gave you and already know every sound it can produce even before you clap it? You want to shake your body and think that’s what God has not seen before? Nothing in your body is designed to be an instrument to catch God. God is not meant to be invited, yet He is not an intruder. But He won’t come because of your sacrifice in inviting Him, He will come because He wants to.Let’s quickly deal with the scriptural portion that must be coming into your mind to cancel this out.
But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalms 22:3 KJV)
Hmmm! Correct! So when we praise God, He will choose to come down. But thank God our God isn’t like that. For we walk by faith and not by sight; saved by grace and not by works.
Please brother/sister! Read that passage again, if you like from verse 1, and be open-minded.
Mark the word “inhabit”.
So, that passage is not saying, when Israel praise, God comes down. Rather, the praises of Israel is not to be seen as an activity, but it appears like a structure. As if there is an arrangement on ground called the “praises of Israel” inside which God does not come down into, but dwells. This “praises of Israel could mean the tabernacles, the ark, the temple, the sanctuary etc, in which in those days, the people of Israel go to meet with God. The Amplified Version helped here:
But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]. (Psalms 22:3 AMP)
Therefore, God dwells (and not come down) in the praises of Israel. He is there even when the Israelites are not dancing or singing. He was there uninvited to rebuke Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12:15). Therefore, it is not the praise and worship of the Israelite congregation that invited God. God who is not far from us (for in Him we live and move and have our being) is simply called upon. ”I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies”( Psalms 18:3). A day in thy courts (which is the praises of Israel) is better than a thousand (Psalms 84:10).
Today, we (saints) are that “praises of Israel”, where God dwells. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV) So if we want to glorify God, it is in our bodies and spirits which are God’s.
So how does God come down today? Error! Better put, why has God come down (dwelling in me, the praises of Israel) till today? Answer: Jesus Christ!
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet [given]; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:38-39 KJV)
Today, Christ is glorified! He’s died, He’s risen! Today, the tabernacle of God is with men!
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33 KJV)
However, does it mean praise is useless? No! Certainly, there is a shew of wisdom in it (Colossians 2:23). And what is it? Praise cannot again be to bring God down, but now because He has come down to fill our lips.
In Acts 2 they declared the wonderful works of God “Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD”. Act 2:11 . They did this, not in order to make Him puff up or make Him to bless them, but because He has come down.
So today, the Holy Ghost is instrumental in the praise we give. God has come to help us praise Himself! To serve Him acceptably (Hebrews 12:28). To praise Himself through our lips and to offer that sacrifice of praise.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15 KJV)
So it is no longer I that praiseth, but Christ which praise in me… this is how best to eulogise God. Out of the mouths of babes (immature, incompetent to praise people) has thou perfected praise (Matthew 21:16). Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it (Psalms 81:10). Oh it’s all about Jesus! It’s not a charm, it’s not talisman. Praise is not a thing that should be done neglecting Christ. So what can praise help us get? It stirs up our spirit (just like praying in tongues does) to take what has been given to us in Christ Jesus; not to force a penny out of God’s hands, not to “move the hand of God” or “swell His head”. God is impressed with Jesus, so take rest in Him from your labours.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33 KJV)
It is now a reality! God with us!
However, does it mean praise is useless? No! Certainly, there is a shew of wisdom in it (Colossians 2:23). And what is it? Praise cannot again be to bring God down, but now because He has come down to fill our lips.
In Acts 2 they declared the wonderful works of God “Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD”. Act 2:11 . They did this, not in order to make Him puff up or make Him to bless them, but because He has come down.
So today, the Holy Ghost is instrumental in the praise we give. God has come to help us praise Himself! To serve Him acceptably (Hebrews 12:28). To praise Himself through our lips and to offer that sacrifice of praise.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15 KJV)
So it is no longer I that praiseth, but Christ which praise in me… this is how best to eulogise God. Out of the mouths of babes (immature, incompetent to praise people) has thou perfected praise (Matthew 21:16). Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it (Psalms 81:10). Oh it’s all about Jesus! It’s not a charm, it’s not talisman. Praise is not a thing that should be done neglecting Christ. So what can praise help us get? It stirs up our spirit (just like praying in tongues does) to take what has been given to us in Christ Jesus; not to force a penny out of God’s hands, not to “move the hand of God” or “swell His head”. God is impressed with Jesus, so take rest in Him from your labours.
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