Private Praise

 

 

Private Praise

 

 

Contents

 

Introduction

I. Praise Requires Effort, Will Power, And Boldness

II. An Attitude Of Ingratitude Is The Basis Of No Praise

III. Praise Signifies Confidence That God Has The Solution And Will Provide It For You

IV. Praise And An Undedicated Life Just Do Not Harmonize

V. Praisers Are Most Often The Happiest

VI. Praise Is A Language Of Faith, And Establishes An Inner Image Of The Greatness of God (Romans 10:17)

VII. Praise Brings Freedom For The Gift Manifestations

VIII. Praise Drives Out Cold Formality In Services

IX. Praise Will Often Fight Your Battles And Defeat The Enemy For You (II Chronicles 20:21-25)

X. Spontaneous Praise Comes After The Victory In This Area

 

Private Praise

 

 

Introduction

 

In this study we will deal a little with public praise, but primarily I want to deal with you along the line of private praise. The reason for this is that until you can come to the place where you can really enter into that private, personal praise, just between you and the Lord, there are always going to be some hindrances and some holding back between you and the Lord.

I thank God for public praise when we gather together. It helps you to get among a body of believers as they praise and magnify the Name of the Lord. But God wants you to get so free that when the Spirit of the Lord starts moving on you at home in your kitchen, out in the yard by yourself, out in the woods hunting, on the river fishing, or driving down the road in your car, you can just rear back and let it flow and just have that personal communion between just you and Jesus.

Now listen, it’s good to gather together and praise the Lord. There will be someone in the fellowship who makes a lot of noise, and we need that kind of people. This helps the ones who are kind of quiet. I can remember the first time I went to one of these meetings. People started raising their hands, and I looked around and felt like a nut with mine down, but when I raised mine, I felt crazier.

Praise is one of the most tremendous experiences that you will ever come into between you and Jesus, whether it be in English or in the Spirit. You need to be free in praising God in English, in your known language, but also, you need to come to that place of liberty and freedom where you can praise the Lord in the Spirit, and sing unto Him in the Spirit.

Many of you will say, “Brother Willis, I just don’t have that.” Well, when you learned how to talk in English, it did not just flow. There were some words that you had to work on pronouncing. Brothers and Sisters, I want to show you that in praise you are going to have to do a little entering in yourself.

 

Hebrews 13:15 says,

 

 

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Continually is what the Bible says. Now you say, “Brother Willis, I cannot do that.” Well God wants to bring you and me to the place where we can offer the sacrifice of praise continually. “That is, the fruit of our lips.” This means that the fruit of your lips is praises unto God. The words that come forth from your lips are fruit to God, “Giving thanks to his name.” He wants us to offer praises continually.

 

Psalms 22:3 says,

 

 

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” What He is saying here is that God inhabited the praises of Israel. We are the spiritual Israel today, so therefore, God inhabits our praises.

Now the first Scripture that we read said that the fruit of our lips is praise. Therefore, when I offer the fruit of my lips I am offering praise to God, either in English or in the Spirit, and God inhabits that praise. This means that as we praise God, He is living and abiding inside of those praises, and everywhere the sound of our voice goes, God inhabits that praise.

Wherever people praise God, He lives in that praise and this causes depression, bondage, and defeat to be broken. You see, He inhabits the praise of His people. He lives in it. The sooner you learn how to praise God, the sooner He will be living in your words.

Also, you must realize that when you praise God personally, for example, when you are in your car praising and magnifying Him while driving down the road by yourself, your voice fills that car doesn’t it? It goes up under the seats and up under the dash. It just fills the car. God is inhabiting that praise. You see, the more you praise God, the more you are surrounded by the praises of God, and as you live more in that atmosphere of praises, it makes it harder for the devil to get to you. It makes it hard for him to beat you, or for him to hit you.

The Bible says that God inhabits my praises. If He inhabits my praises, how far out does He inhabit my praises? As far as the sound of my voice goes… “Glory! Hallelujah! Praise God! Blessed by the Name of Jesus!” As far as my voice sounds, God is living in those words.

When the devil gets anywhere near me, do you know what he gets? “Glory! Hallelujah! Blessed be the Name of Jesus! Blessed be His holy Name!” He gets about twenty feet above my head and he hits, “Glory!” If he comes through the window of my car, do you know what hits him? “Jesus!” If he comes in the door of my house, do you know what hits him? “Glory!”

If you go around with your mouth shut and not praising God, then God is not in your praises, and the devil beats on you. What I’ve learned to do is continually praise God, and let the devil hit my praises ten, fifteen, or twenty feet out in front of me, and I just live in the midst of that thing all the time. God says He inhabits your praises. As far as my voice goes every demon and the devil, if they get anywhere near me, hear, “Glory! Hallelujah! Praise God!” They stick their fingers in their ears. They want to get away from me.

But you see, most of you go around and the devil looks at you, and you don’t have a shield up. He can get right to you, but I’ve got a shield out. Get your shield out. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. There is power in the Name of Jesus. If there is power in the Name of Jesus, that means that that power is released when I speak it. You see, as you begin to speak forth those words, the man inside of you begins to rise up, and the powers of darkness outside of you begin to go back.

When you praise God, it just engulfs you. Sometimes you just feel the presence of God. Private praise is a beautiful way to live. Give the first fruits of your day to the Lord in private praise and confession, and your day will be so much different. Give the first fruits of your day in moping around, and that’s how your day will be.

I’m just using a few Scriptures, but I would say that the Bible talks more about praise and shouting and glorifying God than anything. That’s what it’s all about.

 

Psalms 34:1 says, “his praise shall be in my mouth just when I feel good.” No! The Scripture says,

 

 

“…his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” It shall continually be in my mouth every time I get an opportunity.

 

Most people have to stop what they are doing to try to get into praising God, but you need to have this in reverse. You need to be praising God so much that you have to interrupt your praising to do something else. Interrupt your praising to do your work. Interrupt your praising to talk to someone. Interrupt your praising to answer the telephone. You may be out there on the job just quietly praising God in your mind. If your boss comes up to talk to you, interrupt your praise to talk to him. Give him a little of your time, but let your mind get back on God. It says,

 

 

“…his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

 

Psalms 71:14 says,

 

 

“But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” Do you know what happens to most Christians? Whey they first get filled with the Holy Spirit, man, they praise God. But after they go along a little while, they begin to “mature,” and they slow up. The Bible says that we should praise Him more and more.

You see, the longer you live and walk with Jesus, the more God blesses you, and this causes you to have more to be thankful for. He has let you live longer, and has kept you healthy longer, and has provided for you, and has protected you longer. Therefore, you should have more and more to praise God about. If you are not praising Him more, you’re not looking at this right. You’re not getting a clear picture of the value and importance of praising God. I have more to praise Him for today than I did yesterday, because I’ve lived another day. I’ve got a day more. Just thank Him for that.

 

Psalms 113:3 says,

 

 

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Now listen, David was a man of God. God said that he was a man after His own heart. Read the Psalms. All that old boy did was to praise God. He praised Him in the morning, he praised Him at noontime, and he praised Him in the nighttime. David was king of one of the greatest nations the world knew at that time. He wasn’t a Joe blow walking up and down the streets, yet he wasn’t bound up. “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Who’s going to praise Him? I know I’m going to do it. I’m going to say this with love and kindness. The Catholics, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, and the Episcopalians are not, unless it’s in, “Amen.”

Praise God, somebody needs to do it. God says that if His people don’t praise Him, He will have the rocks and the mountains to cry out to Him. I’ll tell you, sometimes when God gets His people praising Him, it’s like getting rocks and mountains to cry out. Some of God’s people are harder to get to praise Him than rocks and mountains. But God is so gracious. I’m free in praising God now, but when I started off, well…I graduated from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and I couldn’t be doing things like that. I was going to get my doctor’s degree and pastor some big First Baptist Church.

Listen, you talk about a hard thing. I know about this. I’ve been there, and I know where I am now. It’s the most beautiful experience that I have daily with the Lord with my worship and my praise time. I start this first thing in the morning. I want to tell you that by the time evening comes, my battery is so charged up that I come to the service and behave myself on account of the visitors. But most of you praise God just enough during the day that when you get to the service, you just get started about five miles an hour, and you wonder why.

The Bible says in Corinthians that speaking in tongues edifies you. This means that it builds you up. It charges you up. If you’re not charged up, it’s because you are not obeying the Scripture. If you will spend that time speaking in tongues and praising God, I guarantee you, He’ll do what He says, He’ll edify you.

 

If you are not edified, don’t blame God. Blame yourself because you’ve got the fruit of your lips shut. You’re too busy doing other things.

 

 

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Now many Christians are not doing this. They are saved and they are going to heaven, but they are missing out on this great and glorious experience of being involved in worshiping and praising the Lord with the fruit of the lips.

You know, I do a lot of things for my wife, but women are real particular. She would rather have me to say that I love her and appreciate her more than anything. Isn’t that something? It seems like just because they have a roof over their head, they’d be satisfied. You know that just doesn’t do it. You can put a roof over their head, clothes on their back, put them in a car, and put money in their pocket, but that doesn’t do it. Can you men say, “Amen”? But I tell you, when you start opening your mouth, and put forth some of those words, it is different.

Well, it works the same way with you men, if you come home in the afternoon and your wife begins to speak some of those words to you. It is the fruit of the lips. It has to be involved. If it isn’t you’re missing something.

 

Psalm 119:171 says,

 

 

“My lips shall utter praise…” Read the Psalms and Proverbs and notice how much it talks about your mouth and about words. It is the key to a victorious and abundant life with Jesus.

 

We teach on confession of the Scripture, but what I’m talking about is that private praise. Get so free that at home, on the job in your spare moments, at coffee breaks, or any time you are by yourself, you can move your lips and can just hear it yourself. No one else around you can hear you, but Jesus can hear you. The devil can hear you, and he needs to hear you. He needs to know what you are doing.

 

 

“My lips shall utter praise.” Whose lips? Who is the “My” for? It is for anyone who reads it. It means you.

 

You can’t put it off on someone else. You may give all your excuses as to why you don’t praise God, or why it is not necessary, but that’s just hogwash. The Bible says that you are supposed to do it, and no excuse in the world is valid when the Scripture says,

 

 

“his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” “My lips shall utter praise.” “My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord” (Psalm 145:21).

I say every day that “My mouth is going to speak the praises of the Lord this day. My mouth is going to glorify the Lord.” Now sometimes my body says, “No you’re not.” Sometimes my feelings say, “No you’re not.” But I say, “Yes I am. My mouth is going to do it because the Bible says to do it.” So I open my mouth, and I praise Him.

 

 

Chapter I

 

Praise Requires Effort, Will Power, And Boldness

 

It takes some effort to open your mouth and praise God when every fiber about you wants to keep quiet. It takes some will power to praise Him, and it takes some boldness to praise Him. If you don’t believe me, just go back to your denominational church and try it. You can’t do it if you are not bold as a lion. It takes will power to praise. Everything about you will make you want to keep your hands down. The devil will tell you, “Well, I’m not going to do it because they are doing it. I want mine to just come up automatically.”

 

That’s what people say about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. “I’d speak in tongues if it would just take off.” Well, you don’t just take off. You have responsibility, so in praising God it takes effort. It takes effort to get those arms up. It takes effort many times when you don’t feel like praising. In the natural, you may not really want to praise Him, but the Bible says,

 

 

“My lips shall praise him continually.” Therefore, you exercise effort, will power, and boldness, and you get your hands up and begin to praise Him.

Sometimes it may take you two or three weeks to break the yoke. Sometimes it may take you two or three months to break the yoke. But if you will continue to praise Him, you’ll get to the place where you can break the yoke in two or three minutes 99% of the time.

You don’t get to the two or three minute point, however, until you start back there at the beginning. You can’t just come into free praise and liberation of praise all at once. Many times when you are going to praise God, it will require effort. Brothers and Sisters, you will never get free in praising God until you get bold as a lion with it.

The number one problem that people have with the Charismatic fellowships is praise, even though the Bible speaks so much about it. There are a lot of things you know, but they all talk about the noise, and say it’s not necessary.

I believe we ought to get noisier. Jesus is the One Who saved you, not anybody else. He’s the One Who set you free. He’s the One Who healed you. Praise Him. He’s the One Who is taking you to Heaven, not the world, not man, and not your denomination, but Jesus. Praise the One Who has done for you what none other can do, and don’t be stopped from it. This is what we need.

It does require effort. The Bible doesn’t say to praise God because you feel like it. It doesn’t say to praise Him continually because you feel like it. He just said to praise Him continually. It’s time we get to the place where we just do what He says about it. This is when you will come into the experience of it, and then you’ll taste more of the emotions of it. It’s not an emotional experience, but as you participate in praising God, you’ll get an emotional experience out of it. You can’t help but touch God, a God of love and joy, without something happening.

Now I know a lot of people say, “Well, the fire is burning deep down inside.” Well, I want to see some smoke. Wherever there is a fire you always see smoke. I know a lot of Christians have got a lot of fire down inside of them, but they’ve got the dampers closed. Do you know what happens to the fire after a while if you keep the dampers closed? It’ll get weak. If you’ll keep your dampers open, and that is your mouth, you’ll be blessed.

 

 

Chapter II

 

An Attitude Of Ingratitude Is The Basis Of No Praise

 

Anyone who has been saved, if someone would come to you and would give you a million dollars, five years from now you would be so grateful to them. You would tell everybody, “They gave me a million dollars.” Oh, you would be so grateful. Brothers and Sisters, Jesus has done much more for you than the million dollars, and we should be grateful to Him.

How are you going to be grateful to Him? With your mouth. You know that if someone gave you a million dollars, it would be good to shake his hand. It would be nice to maybe put your arms around his neck and hug him. Wouldn’t it be better when you shook his hand to say, “Brother, thank you.” This is giving him the fruit of your lips. Give Jesus the fruit of your lips. Be grateful.

Most people don’t have a consciousness of the gratefulness of what God has done for them. They so live day by day with their minds upon the problems and the difficulties, and on what hasn’t happened to them until they are not grateful for what God has done.

I’ll tell you how you can solve 99% of your problems with a quick manifestation of the answers to problems. It is by you starting to get so thankful for what God has done today. This will bring you to the place where you have a thankful heart, and you will be thanking and praising Him so much for just how He has blessed you today, that the next thing you know, your answer is here.

I’ve told my wife hundreds of times, “Honey, one of the keys to God blessing us is that I have a thankful heart.” I was saying He was good to us when we didn’t have anything, because He was good. He saved me. I was saying this back there, and Praise God, He has manifested it more and more for us.

An ungrateful heart will keep you from thanking God for what He has done for you. If you can’t get to the place where you are grateful and thanking Him for what He has done for you, that’s going to interfere, and hinder Him from manifesting other things because you won’t be thankful for them either. As quick as you get them, you’ll be wanting something else and forgetting about what He has done for you. Just stop and think of all the things He has done for you.

You see, what happens is that you get over here and you forget about the blessings He has given you, because you are looking to what He is going to give you. Now that’s good, but when you are looking to what He is going to manifest, don’t forget what He has already done.

I praise God that I am healthy. When we were just making it financially, and we didn’t know anything about the victory message, when we had beans, I thanked God for those beans. I appreciated Him for it. Because I was appreciative for the beans, He gave me steaks.

You’ve got to get appreciative and have a thankful, grateful heart, and the only way to express it is with your mouth. You cannot throw your arms around God. He’s invisible. You express your gratitude for Him by the fruit of your lips. “Father, I thank You for this day, that this is the day that You have made. God, I thank You that You are letting me live this day. God, I thank You that this day I’m going to have an opportunity to speak something to someone, whether a kind word, or an encouraging word about Jesus. Lord, I believe that You are going to bless them. Lord, I believe You are going to take those words and change their lives and let them have a taste of what I now have.”

Oh listen, folks. I just thank God every day that I have an opportunity to speak forth words. I have got an opportunity to witness. I have got an opportunity to encourage people. It blesses me, and it blesses those who hear it.

 

Chapter III

 

Praise Signifies Confidence that God has the Solution and Will Provide It for You

 

The Bible says that whatsoever you desire when you pray believe you receive them. Well, if you really have confidence in God then after you have prayed about something you need to be thanking and praising Him for the answer. If you continue to praise and thank Him for it, that’s demonstrating your confidence in Him.

For example, “I thank You, Father, that You heard me when I prayed. I know You are going to take the pain out of my body. Thank You, Father, that I got that thousand dollars when I prayed, and Father, I know that You are going to manifest it to me.” You keep on praising Him.

 

Chapter IV

 

Praise and An Undedicated Life Just Do Not Harmonize

 

Many times the reason you can’t praise God is that you just haven’t dedicated yourself to Him. You haven’t totally sold out to Him. You want the pie, but you don’t want to pay the price. There may be something there in your life, and you are going to have to ask Him to forgive you.

As long as that’s there the devil has got something to beat on you with, and it will keep you from praising God. Be quick to repent. Be quick to confess. There is no way that I can say this enough. Be quick to repent and be quick to confess and have a thankful, grateful heart.

Remember God’s blessings. Some people forget His blessings. I don’t see how they can, He has done so much for me. You may say, “Brother Willis, I was this way before He started giving me the things.” I’m not talking about the things. Praise God for the things, but one of these days when you get this thing straight, you’ll find out that the things don’t mean anything to the heavenly touch.

You say, “Brother Willis, if I had them, I could say that.” Well, I’ll tell you that when you get them, you’ll find out they don’t mean anything to the heavenly touch. There is nothing like walking with Jesus. There is nothing like being with the Lord. You can have all the homes and the Cadillacs and eat all the steaks you want, and wear the best of clothes, but nothing takes the place of that touch with Jesus.

These other things are all right, but they are not the number one thing. He says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, and you have to get that straight before you get anything else straight. When you get that straight, everything will start straightening out for you.

 

Chapter V

 

Praisers are Most Often the Happiest

 

Most people ridicule a person that really praises God because he is so loud and free. That’s the one they usually point at. People point at me, but I’m happy so let them point. They have the problem, not me. It doesn’t phase me one bit. I’ve got my shield out there, and there is nothing like it.

You’ll find out most times that praisers are the happiest people. Why? They are in the presence of the Lord all the time, and you can’t help but to be happy when you stay in the presence of the Lord. When you mouth, the fruit of your lips, is praising God and magnifying His Name, and you are conscious of His presence because of your communion with Him in praises, you can’t help but to stay happy. People think you are crazy.

Most people want to spend time with other people talking to them. I like to talk a little, but I love to talk up to Jesus. I talk to Him from morning to night. I go to bed and just about the time I’m thinking I’m going to sleep I say, “Thank You, Jesus. Praise God. Glory, hallelujah.” Then I just go on back to sleep. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is to say, “Thank You, Jesus. Glory. Hallelujah. Praise God.” It puts you in a world with God that shields you from so much of the things around you. You can’t see them and you don’t want to see them. You want to forget about them.

I was taught in the seminary that you didn’t want to get so Heavenly minded that you are no Earthly good. I found out that the more Heavenly minded I am, the more Earthly good I am to people. In the seminary they said, “Listen now, you don’t want to get too Heavenly minded. You get in your ivory tower as a minister of the Gospel, and you get in your ivory tower just staying with God, and you won’t be any Earthly good.”

Don’t believe that. Get as high with God as you can, and then when you come down, you come down running. You can’t spend time with God that you won’t come down running. Now you may not be running on the outside, but you are running on the inside, and the next thing you know, it’s going to show on the outside.

 

Chapter VI

 

Praise is a Language of Faith, and Establishes an Inner Image of the Greatness of God

 

(Romans 10:17)

 

Praise is a language of faith. Jesus is the Holy One, Righteous One, Creator, Eternal God, Sustainer, Giver, my Savior, my Lord, my Master, my Healer, my Baptizer, my Protector and my Provider.

 

As I use those words I constantly praise, and the Bible says in Romans 12:2,

 

 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” As you continue to praise God and exalt Him, His greatness, His grace, His love, and His generosity, everything about Him begins to build inside of you an image of the greatness, and the magnitude, and the majesty of God. It builds in you as you praise Him and magnify His Name.

Faith comes by hearing. As you praise God all the time, you hear it, and it builds into your inner man that image of God. If you don’t praise God and exalt and magnify His Name very much, then you don’t have a very big image inside of you of God’s greatness, because you haven’t let the fruit of your lips go up enough so you understand His greatness.

Praise is a language of faith, and it will build into you an image of God. This is because when you praise Him, you are worshiping Him.

 

 

Chapter VII

 

Praise Brings Freedom for the Gift Manifestations

 

You will find out that the more you praise God, and exalt and magnify His Name, that you are going to have a freedom in the Holy Spirit moving forth out of you. When praises can come forth out of you to the Father, you are going to find out that the gifts will flow forth out of you in a greater way, because all of the gifts are in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is in you.

They are going to come through your vocal cords, and you are going to speak them forth. Therefore, if you’ve spent time in praises, there is a looseness within you, because the Spirit of the Lord is there, and as you begin to praise Him, the Holy Spirit can just kick in gear and speak to you.

Where you don’t find praises, you just don’t see the gifts working. You can go to any of the prayer groups where the gifts are working, and you’ll find them praising the Lord, and singing in the Spirit.

I’m going to go a little further and say this. You don’t find the gifts working where you don’t find them speaking in tongues. I’m not going to say none, but I’m going to say probably 99%. This means that if 99% of the places where they don’t speak in tongues and sing in the Spirit and praise God the gifts don’t work, that means that tongues is worth something.

Praise brings freedom for the gifts of the Spirit. When you enter into that private praise, it will come over into your public praise, and you find out that the gifts of the Spirit will flow in your life. God wants the gifts to be manifested in every single one of your lives. People need a word of encouragement, they need a word of knowledge, or a word of wisdom, or a miracle, or a healing. The gifts need to be flowing.

A body where the gifts are not flowing is incomplete, because the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit are not there as they should be. Therefore, as you spend time in private praise, it’s going to open you up for the gifts of the Spirit to move in your life.

 

Chapter VIII

 

Praise Drives Out Cold Formality in Services

 

“Brother Willis, why?” Because you get to praising God, and the next thing you know, somebody is going to turn loose. Somebody will take off running, and the formality is gone. You never know what people are going to do when they start praising God, and that breaks the formality.

If you go to a place where they do a lot of praising, within six months, either you have to go or the pride has to go. One of the two will go. After a while, you won’t be able to take it. You’ll have to begin to worship God and praise Him, or after a while you will find some reason why you just can’t stand all that.

It drives out cold formalities in services. That’s why the Lord told me sometimes to just put my microphone down and run. The day He told me that was a Sunday morning, and we had a packed house. We probably had about seventy-five or a hundred visitors, most of them being first-timers. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Son, put that microphone down and run.” I just kept on, “Glory, hallelujah, praise God.” “Put that microphone down and run.” I said, “Oh, thank You, Jesus, thank You, Lord, glory, glory, glory.” “Put that microphone down and run.”

Listen, folks, I’m free, but it’s not an easy thing if He just hits you cold to put that microphone down and run. I said, “Lord, why do You want me to do that?” He said, “Son, to keep the atmosphere clear.” He said, “All those who can’t stand it will clear out.”

You say, “Brother Willis, does God want to run people off?” No, He just wants to run the pride off. He wants to get them free to worship Him, and to enjoy the praise and the worship, and to know what it is to worship the Lord. He doesn’t want anybody to leave, He just wants the things that hinder to leave.

 

Chapter IX

 

Praise Will Often Fight Your Battles and Defeat the Enemy For You

 

(II Chronicles 20:21-25)

 

 

Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going to war, and would not be able to conquer the opposing army. God said, “I’m going to fight it.” Let’s just read a couple of verses of that.

 

 

“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Now here is an army with singers and praisers in front of it. Now this wasn’t the only time this happened. There are other times that God has done this. They put the singers and praisers out there, and God confounded the opposing army, and they destroyed themselves.

I’ll tell you what, you praise the Lord, and it will confound the devil and his demons. It confounds the people of the world. They can’t understand it. They say, “I don’t see any sense in that.” It confounds the natural mind, the unrenewed mind, the mind that doesn’t know the Word of God, and the value of praises. They cannot comprehend it because it is foreign to them.

You can read on down in the Scripture. The opposing army all killed themselves. Judah then went down and took the spoils, and just got blessed and went back and had another praising party. If you’ll keep on praising God, and let that praise shield be built around you, that will win many a battle for you. It will drive the devil so far away from you that he can’t get back. He’ll go jump on someone else, and you’ll have the battle won. Private praise will win many of your battles for you.

 

Chapter X

 

Spontaneous Praise Comes After the Victory in This Area

 

There has to be effort and will power, and it may take some of you weeks. There are a lot of people who are free in praising God, but they may not have been this way five years ago. You may have to enter into praise by faith, but as you continue to praise Him, the next thing you know, it’ll just be spontaneous. You’ll just be walking along and your mind will be on something else, and all at once it will just come out, “Glory! Hallelujah! Praise God!” Spontaneously it will just rise up out of you.

Oh, it’s so good when you worship Him, and you enter into a freedom where sometimes it just rises up. Oh, the blessings there are in private praise. It will get rid of the pride. It will set you free like nothing else will.

You say, “Brother Willis, that’s just not my nature.” How free do you think the nature of praise is? Do you know the only binding factor on it is you or me? Your concept of your personality is the only binding factor on how free you can be. All of you have a concept of the kind of person you are, and you have a concept of the kind of person you don’t want to be by praising God.

A lot of you say, “Oh, I don’t want to be like Brother Willis.” I understand that. I don’t want you to be like me, either. God may want to make you worse, and give you a greater blessing. Your concept of your personality and what the world has told you about the kind of person you are is the only thing that will hinder you in freedom of praising God.

In praise there is no such thing as bounds to it. The Holy Ghost doesn’t know anything about binding factors except what you put upon Him. You will never know how free you’ll be until you just let loose and let God have His way.

Some of you that are really outgoing, you may be a lot quieter than you think you are. Some of you that are really quiet and timid, He may just burst you loose and you will be a barrel of fire. But you see, you don’t want that. You have your mental concept on how you ought to be and how you ought to do it.

How can you intellectually discern how the Holy Spirit of God wants you to praise God? I know there will be times of quietness, but you will find that there will be more time in praise and in exuberance and joy than anything else. It is going to take will power and effort. It’s going to take boldness. But it will be worth it because God is going to inhabit that praise.