Your Praise Will Never Replace Your Prayers
Your Praise Will Never Replace Your Prayers
By bishop Steve Crews
· Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
· Worship is a divine command.
· God’s people are to be a worshipping people.
· Worship is our response to God’s love, His holy presence, His greatness, and His deeds.
· We are to worship God alone, not other gods, not idols, not human heroes, not angels.
· Our worship is not to be mechanical, but from the heart.
· Our worship must be grounded in godly and obedient living.
· Worship includes awe, praise, thanksgiving, joy, music and song, clapping of the hands, lifting of the hands, kneeling, boasting, crying, volume and even dancing. It is to be exuberant!
· True worship can bring blessing, guidance, boldness, deliverance, joy, and a deeper sense of God’s presence.
· True worship can even convict sinners, when they come into contact with God’s presence.
· True worship can even silence the enemy!
· There is only ONE KIND of person that is exempt from the command to praise the Lord … J
o Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
o Ecclesiastes 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
o Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
o Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is notpruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am stro
· But with all the powerful things that praise can do, there is one thing that it CANNOT do. Your praise will never replace your PRAYER!
· Ephesians 6:11-18 (Amplified Version)
· Ephesians 6:18 (AMP) Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
· There are some things that prayer can do that praise cannot do (and vice versa).
· Prayer and praise are not meant to compete with each other, but to complement each other.
· But while we have made great strides in the realm of worship, PRAYER IS A DYING ART IN THE CHURCH!
· We can talk all day on the phone or spend hours counseling with someone who can’t do anything about our problem, but we have a hard time praying for five minutes to the One who can fix it!
· We can survive without many things in life, but we CANNOT survive spiritually without prayer!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: PRAYER EMPTIES THE HEART OF ITS BURDENS, ITS BONDAGE AND ITS BAGGAGE.
· Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
o KATHAROS – from this word we get catharsis and catheter (to clean out the heart)
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: Prayer acknowledges that the answer is beyond your ability. I don’t have to fix everything! I don’t have to know everything! . But I can POINT you to the Answer!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer:
· Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
· God’s will is ALWAYS done in heaven, but SELDOM done in earth. Why? Because that depends on PRAYER! Prayer is the umbilical cord that connects Heaven to earth and births the will of God in your life. Prayer brings what is happening in God’s house to YOUR house!
· But I know someone who prayed and still walked through a terrible trial. Here’s the difference: IF GOD GOES WITH YOU IN TROUBLE, HE’S THERE TO GET YOU OUT!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: Worship is a one-way street (God doesn’t worship US!), but prayer is a two-way street!
· The reason many people don’t get an answer in prayer is because they never LISTEN in prayer. Don’t call God up and dump on Him, then walk out! LISTEN!
· Some people have lived a lifetime manipulating others – BUT THAT DOESN’T WORK WITH GOD! (That’s why they pout!)
· Many modern Christians only perceive God through their church. What happens when you’re ON YOUR OWN?
· Here’s a final reason why your praise will never replace your prayer: PRAYER CHANGES ME!
· God never changes, because He’s perfect! Prayer doesn’t change God – it changes my attitude, my opinion, my perception, my decision, my perspective – ME!
Your Praise Will Never Replace Your Prayers
By bishop Steve Crews
· Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
· Worship is a divine command.
· God’s people are to be a worshipping people.
· Worship is our response to God’s love, His holy presence, His greatness, and His deeds.
· We are to worship God alone, not other gods, not idols, not human heroes, not angels.
· Our worship is not to be mechanical, but from the heart.
· Our worship must be grounded in godly and obedient living.
· Worship includes awe, praise, thanksgiving, joy, music and song, clapping of the hands, lifting of the hands, kneeling, boasting, crying, volume and even dancing. It is to be exuberant!
· True worship can bring blessing, guidance, boldness, deliverance, joy, and a deeper sense of God’s presence.
· True worship can even convict sinners, when they come into contact with God’s presence.
· True worship can even silence the enemy!
· There is only ONE KIND of person that is exempt from the command to praise the Lord … J
o Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
o Ecclesiastes 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
o Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
o Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is notpruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am stro
· But with all the powerful things that praise can do, there is one thing that it CANNOT do. Your praise will never replace your PRAYER!
· Ephesians 6:11-18 (Amplified Version)
· Ephesians 6:18 (AMP) Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).
· There are some things that prayer can do that praise cannot do (and vice versa).
· Prayer and praise are not meant to compete with each other, but to complement each other.
· But while we have made great strides in the realm of worship, PRAYER IS A DYING ART IN THE CHURCH!
· We can talk all day on the phone or spend hours counseling with someone who can’t do anything about our problem, but we have a hard time praying for five minutes to the One who can fix it!
· We can survive without many things in life, but we CANNOT survive spiritually without prayer!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: PRAYER EMPTIES THE HEART OF ITS BURDENS, ITS BONDAGE AND ITS BAGGAGE.
· Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
o KATHAROS – from this word we get catharsis and catheter (to clean out the heart)
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: Prayer acknowledges that the answer is beyond your ability. I don’t have to fix everything! I don’t have to know everything! . But I can POINT you to the Answer!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer:
· Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
· God’s will is ALWAYS done in heaven, but SELDOM done in earth. Why? Because that depends on PRAYER! Prayer is the umbilical cord that connects Heaven to earth and births the will of God in your life. Prayer brings what is happening in God’s house to YOUR house!
· But I know someone who prayed and still walked through a terrible trial. Here’s the difference: IF GOD GOES WITH YOU IN TROUBLE, HE’S THERE TO GET YOU OUT!
· Here’s why your praise will never replace your prayer: Worship is a one-way street (God doesn’t worship US!), but prayer is a two-way street!
· The reason many people don’t get an answer in prayer is because they never LISTEN in prayer. Don’t call God up and dump on Him, then walk out! LISTEN!
· Some people have lived a lifetime manipulating others – BUT THAT DOESN’T WORK WITH GOD! (That’s why they pout!)
· Many modern Christians only perceive God through their church. What happens when you’re ON YOUR OWN?
· Here’s a final reason why your praise will never replace your prayer: PRAYER CHANGES ME!
· God never changes, because He’s perfect! Prayer doesn’t change God – it changes my attitude, my opinion, my perception, my decision, my perspective – ME!