Download Praising and worshiping God is not about a ritual, or prayer

PROPHETIC FOCUS FOR NOVEMBER 2016
Kingdom Growth greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that everyone of us have been a
partaker of the recently concluded month of SOUL WINNING, which has unveiled a glimpse of heaven as
validated by lots of humbling testimonies in our midst. The scripture says in Daniel 12:3 “And they that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever
and ever.” My prayer is that this shall remain the experience of each one of us for life as we continue to win and
minister to the lost. (Amen).
All these incontrovertible testimonies go to validate the reality that God has indeed been in the midst of us and
unto Him be all the glory and praise, forever more. Amen!
But what is the Spirit of the Lord saying concerning the month of November, 2016?
To praise and worship God is to express our love and awe of who He is. Isaiah the prophet in chapter 66:1 God
says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” He is the Creator of the universe and everything in
it, which includes you and me. How wonderful and amazing is that!
Worship, according to the dictionary means: a) to show profound religious devotion; b) to have intense love and
admiration; and the definition of praise is: a) to express admiration or approval for; b) to express thanks and
worship to God. In other words, praise and worship go hand in hand. Worship, however, comes from a
different place within our spirits. Worship should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8). Worship is the art of
losing self in the adoration of another. Worship gets to the heart of who we are. To truly worship God, we
must let go of our self-worship. We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of
our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done. Worship is a lifestyle, not just
an occasional activity. Jesus said the Father is seeking those who will worship Him "in spirit and in truth"
(John 4:23).
Praising and worshiping God is not about a ritual, or prayer repetition. It’s not about spending a few minutes a
day reading our bible or about reciting our wish list on a daily basis. TRUE WORSHIP REQUIRES TOTAL
COMMITMENT OF OUR BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT. It’s about exalting, adoring and acknowledging
the God of the Bible. It has nothing to do with religion, but it has everything to do with having an intimate and
profound fellowship with God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Praise is the joyful unfolding of all God has
done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty
works on our behalf. Praise is easy; worship is not. In Scripture, praise is usually presented as boisterous, joyful,
and uninhibited. God invites praise of all kinds from His creation. Jesus said that if people don't praise God,
even the "stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40).
When the Bible mentions worship, however, the tone changes. We read verses like; "Worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9). And, "Come let us worship and bow down" (Psalm 95:6). Often, worship is
coupled with the act of bowing or kneeling, which shows humility and repentance (2 Chronicles 29:28;
Hebrews 11:21; Revelation 19:10).
It is through true worship that we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us, convict us, and comfort us. Through
worship, we realign our priorities with God's and acknowledge Him once more as the rightful Lord of our lives.
Just as praise is intertwined with thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with surrender. It is impossible to
worship God and anything else at the same time (Luke 4:8). The physical acts often associated with worship—
bowing, kneeling, lifting hands—help to create the necessary attitude of humility required for real worship.
In spiritual warfare, the church for so long has recognized prayer and fasting as the only or major weapon of
victory. While this is true to some extent, there is another vital aspect of spiritual warfare we must engage,
particularly in order to see prophecies fulfilled. This is Praise Warfare. It is one of our winning weapons in
warring a good warfare, as it is written,
“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that
thou by them mightest war a good warfare;”– 1 Timothy 1:18
We recognize that every prophetic word is a spiritual seed and according to the parable of the sower, the seed is
the Word of God, which is also defined as the incorruptible seed (Luke 8:11, 1 Peter 1:23).
Furthermore, the Word of God is also defined as a more sure word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:20-21).
This implies that every prophetic word is an incorruptible seed. But according to scriptures, every seed delivers
on praise, “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her
increase; …” – Psalm 67:5-7. This is why no prophetic word will ever see the light of day without praise,
because when joy ceases, the harvest of the field perishes (Joel 1:11-12).
Hannah, on receiving the prophetic word from Eli, the Bible records that she took bread and her countenance
was no more sad. That is, she was celebrating the reality of that prophetic word, which provoked divine
visitation that led to the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:13-19). Concerning Abraham, the Bible says, he staggered
not at the promise of God (prophecy) through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. That was
what provoked fulfillment of prophecy leading to the birth of Isaac (Romans 4:19-21).
We also saw how Jehoshaphat and the army of Judah had to sing and praise to see prophecy fulfilled (2
Chronicles 20:14-24). In addition, Christ had to give thanks at the tomb of Lazarus for prophecy to be fulfilled,
as it is written, “…The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God:
and they that hear shall live.” – John 5:25
Jesus gave thanks for this prophecy to be fulfilled as Lazarus heard Him and came out of the grave (John 11:4044). Moreover, fulfillment of prophecy is a supernatural act, which is triggered by signs and wonders because
only the hand of God has capacity to fulfill the plan of God in our lives (1 Kings. 8:15).
When we engage in praise and worship consciously and spiritually, we are simply provoking divine intervention
to fulfill His prophetic Word, both in our midst as a people and in our lives as individuals (Exodus 15:11).
Therefore, the prophetic focus for November 2016 is PRAISE AND WORSHIP – JOHN 4:22-24
Therefore, no matter the circumstances or situations you find yourself, no matter the afflictions that has plaque
you, your family, business, education, health and even your spiritual life, the Master is calling you to come into
His presence with spontaneous praise and worship for a strategic repositioning. Psalm 22:3 “But thou art holy,
O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel”.
In this month of November, by the force of grace and by the agency of the Holy Spirit, your praises and worship
to GOD is bringing you and your family to a permanent state of favour, the grace of God is bringing the very
best out of the worst situation in your life, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen! YOU ARE BLESSED!