Ever have one of those mornings when you’re in a funk know you need to change your mood, but just can’t seem to do it?
On one such morning I added the song “Praise” to my running playlist (song link below). One line stood out to me: “My praise is a weapon.”
Wait, what? Why have I never recognized praise as a weapon before? I know I’m supposed to praise (I’ve read Psalms), but I didn’t connect praise and defense. Let’s check this out.
We need weapons.
First, let’s acknowledge that we do, indeed, need weapons against Satan. Sin and temptation are real, and we need to be active to protect ourselves:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV)
What happens when we praise? Where is our focus?
On the goodness of God.
On who He is.
On His character.
On His power to overcomes all things.
How do we praise?
At all times: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 ESV)
With spirit and mind: “What am I to do? I will pray within my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” (1 Corinthians 14:15 ESV)
Bonus point: The Crossway ESV Study Bible defines “spirit” as an “inner, invisible faculty that can be especially attuned to the things of God” and “mind” as “the human faculty connected with intellectual understanding.”
And when our mind is focused on these things, we are not focused on the ways of the world or temptations. Because what we think about matters:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 ESV)
This is why we’re to praise even when life’s not great: “Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.”(Psalm 42:5 ESV)
If you’re praising with spirit and mind, your whole being is focused on the truth of who God is. And Satan hates that.
And by the way, when I wake up in a funk I’ve started playing music right away. I’m a Pandora user, and I pop on the Sandi Patty channel and relive my childhood. Then I turn on 90s & 2000s Youth Group Radio and the party really gets started (Point of Grace was my jam). Nostalgia can be a good thing!
