you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee. Zechariah 9:12
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Praise is a weapon and stronghold that brings deliverance. Unfortunately, many are unaware of its potency. It has been taken for granted in the Church as a result of ignorance. But let me show you how effective it is by comparing it with the force of prayer.
To show how powerful and effective this weapon of praise is, you will discover from scriptures that while angels attend to prayers, God personally attends to praises! How is this so? When Peter was locked up in jail by Herod "the Church made prayers without ceasing unto God for him, " An angel was sent to deliver the answer in response to their fervent prayers, for the night before he would have been brought out and killed, God sent an angel to bring him out of prison (Acts 12:5-7).
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We also find three instances of angelic responses to prayer in the book of Daniel Daniel in the den of lions (Dan. 6:19-22) and twice when Daniel prayed (Dan. 9:3, 21-22; 10:10-14). Though angels excel in strength, they are limited in power, as there is no omnipotent angel. Only the Almighty God can fill that position.
Even Jesus confirmed that angels are the ones that attend to prayers. This is what He said when he scolded Peter for using the sword against one of those who came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane:
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels! Matthew 26:53
On the other hand, however, when we praise God, the Almighty Himself arises! The Bible says:
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of israel. Psalm 22:3
God inhabits our praises! No wonder He came down Himself when Paul and Silas began to sing praises to Him in the Macedonian jail! The Bible says:
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Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered let them also that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax l: melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. Psalm 68:1-4
God arose in Acts 16:25-26 as Paul and Silas began to sing praises unto Him. And the Bible says when God arises, His enemies must be scattered. No wonder there was an earthquake that shook the prison, causing all the chains that held them bound to fall off!
Notice that Paul and Silas first prayed. They must have felt that the answer was not getting to them fast enough, so they switched to praise. Sure enough, when they began to sing, the Almighty, Whom the prince of Persia cannot withstand, arose and came down by Himself! How do I know? The earth trembled! And the Bible says, "The Lord reigneth...let the earth be moved" (Ps. 99: I
Whereas an angel can be waylaid on the way with your answers, no one can waylay the Almighty! Answer to Daniel's prayer had been released from when he began to
pray;
