Praise is a part of worship but did you know that praise defeats your enemy? You have three enemies: Satan and his imps, your own flesh/desires/nature and the world. And your praise actually helps you defeat all three enemies. It helps you defeat your own selfish nature because it is hard to be selfish while praising God for how wonderful He is. The world is always trying to fill us with lies and half-truths that are against God and His Word. So spending time in God’s word helps us to get to know Him. When we do this, we can’t help but want to praise God. Praising God helps us keep things in perspective and our focus on God and His truth instead of the lies the world tries to make us believe.
In 2 Chronicles 20 the Moabites, Meunites, and Ammonites were going to attack and destroy Israel. King Jehoshaphat gathers Israel to fast and pray and seek God’s help. He prays, pleading for God’s help and admitting their helplessness, “We are powerless against this vast army. We do not know what to do — "but our eyes are on You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Then God speaks through a prophet — “Do not be afraid. The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). So they went out to battle. What happened? “When they began to sing and praise, God caused the enemy armies to fight each other, and they destroyed each other (2 Chronicles 20:22-23). They used worship as a weapon. Notice — it was when they began to sing and praise that God conquered their enemies. In the same way, when we worship Jesus Christ and by the Spirit’s work see and feel His all-satisfying glory, God conquers our spiritual enemies. God says praise silences our enemy, the avenger. The avenger is one of the names that the Bible calls Satan. Satan is an avenger, accuser, deceiver and destroyer.
So take a few minutes right now. Ask for God to increase in you the work of His Spirit. And set your heart on becoming a CONQUEROR over the avenger!