THE HOUR BEFORE THE HOUR (PART #2)

"PRAISING GOD, and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved". (Acts 2:47)

This is part two in the series, "The HOUR before the hour". In this lesson we shall expound on one of the two weapons Jesus used, and left us to use, to be able to stand in your coming hour. First, let us recap the reason for this series. In the previous lesson, we learned there is a coming HOUR for everyone, Jesus our Lord was not exempt from this hour. It is an hour coming upon this earth of tribulation and trouble scheduled in the life of every believer. For Jesus, it was the horror and suffering of the cross, for you and I it will be some type of trial or trouble that will be the hardest, strongest, we have ever faced. It will destroy, as it is designed, any type of half-hearted life to God. No type of doubt filled faith, lukewarm or middle of the road christian lifestyle will stand in this hour. One thing is for certain, it is not a 60 minute time period, but an undetermined time of testing and trial, and when it will come to you and me I do not know, but it will come.

The good news are the weapons Jesus left us to stand in this hour. These weapons are mighty and powerful to the pulling down of strongholds, the kind that will try our faith and lifestyle to God in this coming hour. These weapons are annointed to help you to stand, victorious, in this hour, and at the end be standing strong in the grace and favor of God. You can make it thru the coming "hour", but only by using these weapons and them only. let's begin with the first weapon: PRAISE AND PRAYER.

For time and space sake, I will focus on the topic of PRAISE here, and PRAYER in the next lesson. Webster's dictonary defines the word praise as this; "To adore, to hold in deep affection, to love intensely". Praise is a powerful tool that throughout the Bible was used to bring down the presence of God in a place or situation, to drive out demons and devils from a person or place, and to win important battles and defeat armies. King Saul, after being rejected by God for disobedience to his command, was given a demon from Hell to torment him day and night. This demon was driving Saul to a nervous breakdown, and he had no peace day or night until he would call on a young king to be, David, to come play his harp and sing praises to God in his presence. David's praise would drive out the demon, every time, and give Saul peace in his soul.

Praise and worship is NOT just a function in a church service. It is not twenty minutes of singing red hymnal songs that makes praise and worship. It is a weapon of war, It is a lifestyle, it is a heart that is so full of affection and love that it cannot contain it and must come out by lifting a hand in the air, by shedding tears till your eyes are red as stop lights, by using your mouth to sing and shout aloud the wonder and love and adoration that is in your heart and soul for a God and father that has loved you with a love that you did not deserve.  Look at our definition, praise is to love intensely, passionately, as the woman in the Song of Solomon. Praise is not a noun, it is a verb, which means it requires physical action and response. The days of those who just sit in a pew, fold their arms, and never move one muscle to sing, shout, cry and phsically praise God are gone. The true worshippers, the ones that have the power and grace to stand, are those you will find that are beating there chest in service, crying tears, dancing before the Lord, and have a heart that knows to whom much has been forgiven, must love out loud and physical.

Praise is commanded and desired by God. The Bible tells us he wants us to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts (Church) with praise. Priests were commanded in the Old Testament to have a job day and night to only sing a praise God in the temple. To approach him before this action was done would cause some serious problems for you. The Bible also tells us to praise him with our lips, with our musical instruments ( God help our church of christ brothers who are wrong), and with our hands and with a lifestyle dedicated and consecrated every day to a Father who forgave us and bought us when we didn't deserve it and he didn't have to do it. The victory of praise and worship to God in your prayer life, at church and work is this: IT BRINGS DOWN THE HOLY GHOST INTO THE PLACE YOU ARE IN.

I want to say something here to any preacher, teacher or singer reading this; it is not how loud and good you preach, it is not how deep and intelligent you teach, it is not how good and pretty you sing that makes any difference or moves a devil one inch off of a believer. It is the power and presence of the HOLY GHOST that breaks bondages, saves souls, destroys the enemies plans and drives Satan out of your church and life. All your plans, programs and denominations mean nothing and do nothing. It is only when we praise and worship God till the same presence that formed the worlds, raised Jesus from the dead and filled the disciples on pentecost comes down will people be healed, saved and delivered. Without him preacher, teacher and singer you are as blind, poor, wretched and naked as the Laodicean church in Revelation. God help us to get this back into our services, churches and personal lives.

One of Satan's main devices thru the ages has been to stop the Praise and worship in our church. Stop the flow of the gifts of the spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. Stop the physical action of lifting hands, crying at the altar, laying hands on the sick and depressed and singing till the Glory of God comes into the house. Now, he has placed hirelings, leaders with no sense of the moving of the spirit in charge, and they have confined this into 2 songs and take up an offering, very dignified, service. Everything is planned down to the minute. All the while the people recieve no power, no presence, and dry up and die under such devilish devices. Dear reader, if you are in a place of worship where you are not allowed to let the Holy Spirit move you to tears, move you working in the spiritual gifts, move you to go to the altar, move you to lift your hands in praise I have a word for you; GET OUT! RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!. Find you a place where you can move in liberty.

I pray today, make praise and worship part of your every day life. In your prayer time, begin with Praise first. Thru the day, every day, praise God by living a life and talking a talk that would not make God ashamed of you on judgement day. It doesn't take a pretty voice to sing, it doesn't take a minister to talk out loud of his praises. It just takes you, making the decision today, now. to say I will praise him with everything I have every day. Start now child of God, your life depends on it.