Summary: In spite of circumsances,we must battle through and praise God

The Pathway To Victorious Praise pt.4 in the sermon series ’Lessons From Macedonia’

Acts 16:22-26

In spite of circumstances, we are commanded to praise God.The enemy will do all he can to stop us but we must battle through.

1.The enemy will use:

a.Intimidation (pressure,threats) v22 ’commanded to beat them’

b.Incarceration (locking,binding) v23 ’they cast them into prison’

c.Isolation (separation) v24 ’the inner prison’

2.Along the path to victorious praise, I need:

a.Adversity/an adversary

ex.discouragement

deficiency(lack)

disease(sickness)

The enemy means to use these things for our harm;;God causes all things to work together for our good;even those things that don’t seem good at the time..praise Him still!

Read Psalm 71:13-14

b.Awareness

Psalm 150:2

c.Appreciation

119:164 ’times a day’

d.Assurance

of who He is

of who I am in Him

Remember that:

Praise honors God

Praise helps me focus on God

Praise helps me know God

Praise breaks the enemy’s oppression

Praise confuses the forces of evil

I love the words from this song by the Imperials:

When you’re up against a struggle

that shatters all your dreams

And your hope’s been cruelly crushed

By Satan’s manifested schemes

And you feel the urge within you

To submit to earthly fears

Don’t let the faith you’re standing in

Seem to disappear

Praise the Lord!

He can work through those who praise Him

Praise the Lord!

For our God inhabits praise

Praise the Lord!

For the chains that seem to bind you

Serve only to remind you

That they drop powerless behind you

When you praise Him

Now Satan is a liar

And he wants to make you think

That we are paupers

When he knows himself

We’re children of the King

So lift up the mighty shield of faith

For the battle must be won

We know that Jesus Christ is risen

So the work’s already done

Praise the Lord!.....

Psalm 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me:therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.