ADVANCED TRAINING

Apostle Jacquelyn Fedor

WHAT IS PROPHETIC PRAISE AND WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE



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God said through Amos that He would raise up David's Tabernacle.
Amos 9:11-12
11 "On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom (world), And all the Gentiles (heathen) who are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this thing.
He reiterated this again in the New Testament in Acts 15:16-18.
Acts 15:16-18
16 After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.
18 "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
Why is He restoring it? As verse seventeen says, "so the rest of mankind may seek the Lord." Seek Him for what? Guidance for their personal lives, direction for the church and most importantly, how to become that part of His people that will walk from Christianity to the Church Eternal, or into the age to come. The Songs of God shot forth from David's Tabernacle in Old Jerusalem for all these same reasons, only they were singing into being the birth of the Christian Church from Judaism.
The word David means "the beloved". The word Tabernacle means - house, palace, temple. I Corinthians 3:16 tells us that we are God's temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
We see this again in 1 Corinthians 6:19.
1 Corinthians 6:19
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Now let us look at Colossians 1:27.
Colossians 1:27
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Are we beginning to see the light? Now let us look into Psalms 102 and read verse eighteen.
Psalms 102:18
18 This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
So, we see God's Bride, His beloved, is being raised up to praise Him and worship Him. As they sing to the King of kings, they will at the same time possess the land and lead all of humanity into eternity. He prophesies and guides them through the high praises of His people The word possess is in Hebrew (yareah), meaning to occupy by driving out the previous tenants, to cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit. All this through praise! As we studied in an earlier lecture, the people of God are called to execute judgments written.
Psalms 149:6-9
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples
8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron
9 To execute on them the written judgment- This honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!
As 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 points out, our weapons are not carnal ones, but they are mighty.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Even the young are powerful praisers and should be encouraged to participate.
Matthew 21:16
16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, " Yes. Have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?
Now look at Psalm 8 verse two, and you will see why.
Psalm 8:2
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
Out of the mouth of the young comes the strength to stop the avenger!
We know that God has already given His people victory over earth's enemies, but we still must possess the land. Joshua and old Israel were a type and shadow of today and they had to "war" for the victory. God promised them He would be with them, and He promises us also, He will be with us as we praise.
Psalms 22:3
3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
As we praise and worship the Lord we create a habitation for His presence to dwell in. Let us read Exodus 15:13 concerning a praise song sung by Moses and Israel after God defeated Pharaoh at the Red Sea.
Exodus 15:1-3
1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying:" I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!
2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him My father's God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The LORD is a man of war The LORD is His name.
This song was sung so that future generations would remember.
David sang in Psalms 9:1-4 that he would sing praise to God's name and His enemies would be turned back. He said they fall and perish at the presence of the Lord as he praised.
Psalms 9:1-4
1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
When His people praise and the trumpet blows, God stands to His feet, and as He stands, His enemies are scattered.
Psalms 68:1-4
1 Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.

SPIRITUAL WEAPONS

As we have seen from the above scriptures, praise is a real weapon, a spiritual force that God has given in order to bring vengeance upon His enemies. Within the perimeters of praise there are many physical gestures that the scriptures encourage us to join in.
Psalms 47:1
1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
Psalms 149:1-4
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.
All are commanded to clap as above, dance, rejoice, etc. The word rejoice means to spin around and shout by the way. David's tabernacle was not the quiet sombre atmosphere that is found in many churches today. Remember that He is rebuilding that tabernacle. I wonder how many are ready?

CLAPPING

Our physical movements bring glory to God, but they have an adverse effect of the enemy. For instance, the word clap in the Hebrew language is the word "taga". It means to clatter, slap, to strike or drive a nail. In other words, by the definition we can see the aggressively violent dimension of this expression in praise. It is a strike on the enemy and it drives a nail into his strategies in the spirit realm.

SHOUTING

Then there is the command to "shout to God". The word shout in the Hebrew is the word "ruiva" and means to split the ears of the demonic forces, creating confusion in the enemy camp.
Joshua 6:16-20
16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!
17 "Now the city shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 "And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19 "But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD."
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (By blowing trumpets and shouting!)
This is an example of the high praises God loves.
2 Samuel 6:15
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. (what a joyous sound)

SINGING

As seen earlier, the high praises of God's people are a powerful weapon as well as being a beautiful means of loving God. As God wars through His people the enemy scatters.
Psalms 18:13-14
13 The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
We see another example of singing being used as a weapon is in 2 Chronicles 20:15-22.
2 Chronicles 20:15-22
15 And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, 0 Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever."
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
Then there was Paul and Silas that were thrown into prison and beaten. But, as they praised and prayed, their bonds were loosed, along with everyone else that was in the jail.
Acts 16:25-26
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
Praise is liberating to those who are bound. In fact, we put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness as well.

PROPHETICS SONGS

Jeremiah 1:9-10
9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant."
Through prophetic praise God speaks or sings changes that manifest to the earth in the form of restoration for His people and defeat for the enemy.
Through prophecy in song people are healed, delivered and given direction as individuals. God also sings prophecy to the church body as direction, comfort, rebuke, warning etc.
Zephaniah 3:14-17
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

DANCING AND TAMBOURINES

Isaiah 30:31-32
31 For through the voice of the LORD Assyria (the ones that scattered Israel) will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod (the voice of God or prophecy is a rod of authority).
32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, Which the LORD lays on him, It will be with tambourines and harps; And in battles of brandishing He will fight with it.
Timbrels are the Hebrew word for tambourine. These instruments were used in the dance. As God's people dance before Him a very militant force emits that blesses the people of the Lord, but has the power and strength to destroy the works of the enemy.
Psalms 149:3
3 Let them praise His name with the dance Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
Psalms 150:4
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Psalms 68:25
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments (see the stringed instruments above) followed after; Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
Of course we use Keyboards, bells, drums, tambourines, etc. but did you know our bodies are instruments also? Psalms 144:1 shows God as a signing instructor.
Psalms 144:1
1 Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle-
Our hands also war as we lift them to God with the palms up and open. This is a show of power that backs off a stronghold and leads us to victory. Our mouths, as we prophesy, have the ability to foretell events concerning the end time to warn, comfort and lead as a sword that either cuts or heals, and of course, our feet dance and stomp on the head of the enemy. The Shulamite, symbolic of God's Warrior Bride, is not only beautiful and delightsome, but also awesome as an army of flaggers or banners.
Song of Solomon 6:40
40 My love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, Lovely as Jerusalem, Awesome as an army with banners!
Old Israel carried banners to war with the name of God on them as well as the name of their tribe. We are the new generation of Israel and we too can praise with flags or banners. We should want to because the word says the enemy flees from the flutter of the flags. If we don't have flags we can wave our arms as the banners of Israel to make the enemy retreat.

PRAISE AS A SPOTLIGHT

Halal is a Hebrew word for praise that in David's day meant "cause to shine". Praise spotlights God, but at the same time the reflection on His face shines back on us. We see this lightness on those that praise. We call this the anointing. Those that are depressed will feel better as the light of God shines on them and they will be filled with the joy of the Lord along with having their strength renewed. The Light of God also exposes sin as it shines on His people when they praise, causing them to see their need for repentance. As their burdens are removed, they become lighter, as praise purges, joy enters and there is restoration.

PRAISE AS A CALMING AGENT

The word for praise used in the sense of calming something through singing is Shabach, meaning: to command, to adore, to praise or pacify, or to quiet or soothe. We say Shabach Shalom, meaning love and peace to Sabbath. He quiets or calms His people as He praises.
Zephaniah 3:16-19
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame; In every land where they were put to shame.

PRAISE OPENS GOD'S GATES TO US

Psalms 100:4
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
In the beginning, God came to earth in the cool of the day to visit with Adam and Eve, but their sin interfered with this fellowship. Now, thanks to Jesus, we can visit the Father in the heavenlies through our spirit man as we praise and worship Him. We go straight through His gates to His throne. We are sure of His attention and at the same time we are mindful of His holiness and presence. As we assemble together in unity and enter the throne room with praise, we are refreshed and renewed by His presence, but at the same time, inclined to see our faults and weaknesses in this holy atmosphere and its a beautiful time for repentance as we look into the face of God.

PRAISE CURES THE DRY TIMES

Everyone experiences "dry times" or moments where all seems to be old, but this is a time to gather together and praise even if you don't feel like it. Offer up what is now a true "sacrifice of praise" and He will refresh you with living waters of truth. We see a shadow of this very thing in old Israel as they traveled through their wilderness trek.
Numbers 21:16-17
16 From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people together, and I will give them water."
17 Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it-
David sang from the wilderness of Judah.
Psalms 63:1-5
1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips (this is a sacrifice of praise).
Here praise to God caused the living waters to flow with blessing and satisfaction and it will do the same for us today in times of anxiety, depression, or under pressure. Never stay alone, gather with your spiritual family and praise the One who can change things and start the well flowing fruitfully again. Praise the One who can cover you with hope and joy, warmth and covering.
Isaiah 61:3
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
Pass this information on to the next generation so they too will praise for victory over life. The enemy would love to lock us up in pews so we cannot dance, fill our hands with hymnals so we won't lift them to the Lord, tell us tambourines and cymbals are not for today's church, and above all, advise against war songs and make fun of the free spontaneous worship.
Psalms 145:3-4 says however:
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
The tabernacle of David has been raised!