5 Things Worshippers Access from the Lord through Praise

Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving

While there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to praise the Lord, there is a Scriptural way and that is what matters when your heart’s desire is to honor the Lord in anything you do.

Whatever your praise style preferences are—liturgical, traditional, contemporary, fast or slow, acoustic or electric and beyond—the point of praise is the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

In Psalm 50:14-15 the Lord spoke saying, “Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and pay your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.” (MEV)

Psalm 100 gives a great layout of how believers access the presence of the Lord through praise:

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him and bless His name.”

Here is the breakdown:

• “Make a joyful noise…”
• “Serve the Lord with gladness…”
• “Come before His presence with singing…”
• “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving…”
• “[Enter into] His courts with praise…”
• “Be thankful to Him…”
• “Bless His name…”

The desire of every true believer is to have more of God, but to understand how that desire is fulfilled according to the Scriptures, it is important to note that there isn’t “more” of God to be had. He gave you everything, including His own flesh and blood!

But.

There is more of you to give to Him. Giving more of yourself to God is how you experience more of God. Throughout the Bible there is ample evidence to show that people always have a choice in how closely they want to walk in relationship to the Lord. 

If you want more of God, daily give Him more of yourself—more of your thoughts, your weaknesses, your fears, your strongholds, your habits, your time, your focus, your burdens and cares—there is always more!

Praise and worship are fueled by the sacrifice of thanksgiving. As you walk through life as a person of faith in the Lord, as a person of the Word, as a person of prayer, and as a person of praise, what you access in the Lord will increase proportionally to what you allow the Lord to access in you.

5 Things Worshippers Access from the Lord through Praise

Praise and worship have a specific role in your life and that is by design from the Lord. The Lord is holy and worthy of praise—that is the only reason why He deserves the sacrifice of thanksgiving in praise.

Because of His great, unfailing faithfulness, the Lord has entwined an endless supply of benefits that come through His presence in praise and worship.

Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord “dwells within” the praises of His people. What an extraordinary promise! 

Let’s explore five powerful dynamics you’ll find in God’s Word that He has divinely interwoven into praise:

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1. Stepping into Spiritual Warfare

One of the greatest weapons the Lord has given His people is the supernatural power of praise and worship. Yet, plenty of people around the world give their praise to idols and even to themselves and feel it has “power”, so what makes God’s praise any different?

The vibrant presence of the Spirit of the Living God is what makes the praise of His people alive and because the Word of God is alive, and because Jesus Christ is alive, your praise and worship have a living power when offered to Him! 

That also means that praise and worship can be weaponized and used as defense against the attacks of your enemy. 

• In Revelation 19:10, an angel spoke to John saying, “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (MEV)
• In Isaiah 61:3 the prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah whom the Lord said would bring, “…the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” (MEV)
• In Revelation 12:11, John recorded a voice from heaven crying out that God’s people overcome the enemy, “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (MEV)
• In Psalm 40:1-3 David shared a testimony of God’s faithfulness and then said, “He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many will see it, and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” (MEV)

Your enemy seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy”, but when you testify if your praise of what the Lord has done, you are doing powerful warfare in the spirit against the strategies of Satan:

1. You are strengthening your own faith and the faith of another person because faith comes by hearing the words of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
2. You are speaking prophetically that what the Lord has done for you, He will do for another person—healing, provision, rescue, salvation, restoration and more and faith arises!
3. You are laying down your flesh and your feelings (where the enemy wants to keep you trapped) to offer to the Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving. That is true freedom.

1 Samuel 16 shows that demonic entities are driven out by the presence of the Lord through worship. “Heaviness” according to Isaiah is a demonic spirit, however, as you praise the Lord, that “spirit of heaviness” departs from you—among many others!

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2. A Way Where There Seems to Be No Way

In Psalm 50:14, the Lord spoke through Asaph saying, “Whoever sacrifices a thank offering glorifies Me and makes a way; I will show him the salvation of God.” (MEV)

Believers often say the Lord “makes a way where there seems to be no way” – but did you know that is because your praise opens the way for the King of Glory to enter in?

So many times in life, situations seem impossible and seeing how to move forward looks impossible, and finding the answer feels impossible – praise the Lord! “With God, nothing shall be impossible,” the angel Gabriel said to Mary. (Luke 1:37)

Gabriel didn’t say those words because he was speaking from faith—Gabriel was speaking from experience! If you’re in an impossible situation, worship the Lord with your sacrifice. For how long? As long as it takes! You can trust the Lord.

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3. The Blessings of Bowing Down

There are many songs believers like to sing about “blessings” and “miracles”, but in reality, life doesn’t always seem filled with those, does it? Life is hard. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Yet, there are blessings attached to praise and worship. God promised in Genesis 22:17, “…in blessing, I will bless you…” However, seeking blessings is wrong thinking in praise and worship. Worship is about ministry to the Lord only. 

The blessings of bowing down before the Lord because He is worthy don’t look like the world’s ideas of blessings, abundance, or even miracles—and they do not always appear as material blessings.  

• Peter wrote, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence…” (2 Peter 1:3)
• Paul wrote that the Lord has blessed you, “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

When you bow before the Great King Above All Gods (Psalm 95:3) and bring yourself low to lift Him high, you are submitting your will to His and acknowledging that He is greater than you are. That submission is how you bless the Lord.

And… “in blessing I will bless you…” – You are not problem-free, but you are blessed. Praise the Lord with no agenda other than to bless Him and watch how He blesses you!

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4. Moving the Mountains (and Walls)

Your faith in the Lord can be expressed in worship because God has acted, but also because you know that He will act. That is why Paul and Silas could praise the Lord while in prison. (Acts 16:16-40)

Jesus famously said, “Have faith in God. For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:22-23, MEV)

Psalm 97:5 says, “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the earth.” (MEV)

Yes, you can speak to your mountains and walls in the authority of Jesus’ name, but you should also praise the Lord because those walls crumble and the mountains will melt in His presence!

What mountains are you facing right now? Bring them to God in prayer. Speak the Word, and praise the Lord!

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5. Strength to Stand in Faith

1 Chronicles 16:27 says, “Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His dwelling place.” (NIV) 

Amid the trials and tribulations of life – you are blessed! However, if you’re going to have the strength to stand in faith when everything is falling apart, you must minister to the Lord in praise!

• Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord dwells within the praises of His people. 
• David wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11)
• Nehemiah said, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength…” (Nehemiah 8:10)

Living a lifestyle of praise and worship goes well beyond a Sunday morning gathering. If you are in a battle season, you need the supernatural strength of the Lord. That comes through joy, and that joy comes from God’s presence through praise. 

Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not FOR everything, but IN everything. 

The sacrifice of thanksgiving “makes a way” – and the Lord is seeking for those who will worship Him in “spirit and truth.” Will He find you there?

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