PSALM 119
164. Seven times a day and all day long do I praise You because of Your righteous decrees.
DEFINITIONS
Praise -c) to be clear, to shine, to make a show, to boast, and thus to be clamorously foolish, glory, give light.
Dwell -c) to tent or encamp, to occupy (as a mansion) to reside (as God did in Tabernacles of old, a symbol of protection and communion. A hut or temporary residence as the human body (the abode of the Spirit) This is the definition of Tabernacles from the Feast of Tabernacles which is the last feast, a symbol of how we end up with the Lord.
I have studied and written and spoken about Praise many times. I believe it is one of the very most important things we as Christians do to keep us spiritually healthy. But I also believe there are very few new praise songs available to praise to these days. The song is vital to praise. The words can make or break you. If He inhabits our praises, then we should learn how to praise Him. He wants to dwell in us.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore be glad (exult), O heavens and you that dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in fierce anger…
14. But the woman was supplied with two wings of a giant eagle, so that she might fly from the presence of the serpent into the wilderness where she is to be kept safe for 3 1/2 years.
The Greek definition of the word dwell in Rev. 12:12 means a lot more than reside. When we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts by our obedience it becomes a place of communion and protection. This is vital for our safety in the last days. We must learn to dwell in the heavenlies and not on the earth where the devil has come in fierce anger. This is our lifeline. Without it we will not make it. One way we grasp this power is through Praise and Worship.
The woman here is the bride of Christ, and she is still on the earth because she must fly to the wilderness to be safe from the serpent. She is given 2 wings of a giant eagle to lift her into the heavenlies where she might fly away and be safe. But Woe to the earth and sea. They whom dwell on the earth are not safe. She must put on these 2 wings.
We enter His courts with thanksgiving in our hearts and into His courts with Praise, Psalm 100:4. Now that means we must carefully pray and choose the songs we sing. When I listen to the majority of new Christian songs they would not classify as Praise songs.
Most of the songs of today are inspirational that would lead to repentance. Therefore, they still talk a lot about man’s weaknesses, sins and failures. When we Praise, we must have already passed through the repentance phase and are focusing on the great thing the Lord has done for us. We are no longer hypocrites or failures, but we are more than conquerors.
Psalm 30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.
12. To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Amp. C.
This is the working of the Holy Spirit within us. He has changed our sinfulness and made us glad. We can be happy. He wants us to be happy and show it by singing in a very joyful way, We are to make a joyful noise. So many songs I hear are not joyful.
If the Lord forgives our sins He forgets them. He wants us to forget them. Satan is the one who brings up the sins and failures from our past. The songs we sing should be about Him and what He has done for us. But most of them are still stuck in the sin and repentance mode and quench the Spirit because you cannot Praise to sad songs.
We must put on the Wings of a giant eagle which I believe are my strength and my song, Isaiah 12. We must repent of our sins and allow the Lord to turn our mourning into dancing, or we will not dwell with Him in the heavenlies.
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