Praise Unfeigned

What does it mean to praise the Lord? Why do we praise the Lord?

David said,

“Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips” (Psalm 17:2).

Praise, as much as the prayer, must not go out of feigned lips or else it is not worthy to be offered up to an Almighty, all-wonderful, all-knowing God. Each individual has the responsibility to honor God with the praise of his lips.

The scripture says,

“the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

If anybody wants to receive anything from the Lord they have to cry out to God to get it. If they want salvation they have to ask. If they want healing they have to ask. We have to preach to them the word of faith that saves the sick (James 5:15). Then they have to reach out in faith believing the word of truth that saves, that heals. Both the prayer and the praise must be sincere, God does not accept fake or insincere praise.

The Bible in Psalms 22:3 says,

"But Thou Art holy, O Thou that inhabits the Praises of Israel."

God inhabits the Praises of His people...

"Sing to the Lord, all ye Saints of His..." - Psalm 30:4

How powerful is the praise of those who offer Praises unto God in spirit and in truth. It is not just a word of 'Praise the Lord' or 'Hallelujah' (which means the same thing) it is the union of ourselves to a most holy God through praise. We are uniting with God in prayer and praise so that His will would be accomplished on the earth; to allow the Holy Spirit to move in us to make new creatures of the lost souls.

The psalmist said in Psalm 86:11-12:

"Teach me Thy way O Lord I will walk in Thy truth unite My heart to Fear Thy Name. I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart and I will glorify Thy name forever more."

The Lord brought to my memory of portion I knew was in the scriptures that talks about Strange Fire. I looked it up and found it is in Leviticus 10:1- 3:

"And Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his sensor and put fire there on and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron this is it that the Lord spake saying, I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh Me and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace."

We read in verse 10 of the same chapter after God had given them further instructions on how the priests were to conduct themselves, it says

"And that ye may put difference between Holy and unholy and between unclean and clean."

The other day a sister shared the following scripture: Exodus 19: 5-6,

"Now therefore if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep MY Covenant, then shall he be a peculiar treasure unto ME above all people for all the Earth is Mine and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which Thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

May the Praises that we offer be wholly Sanctified, worthy, acceptable, in His eyes to bring glory to HIS name. Let us close with the scripture Hebrews 12: 28-29:

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have Grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a Consuming Fire.”

A Spanish gospel song says,

I will praise You, my Lord, I praise You,
Because You are precious for me, 
Because together with You I am walking, 
Because I feel your presence in Me 
I praise you, I Praise You, 
My Soul does not get tired of praising you, 
I praise you, I praise You, 
While life exists in my being.

Amen. Glory to God!

May God be with you always.