[00:00:00] Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is, and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God.
[00:00:27] So here we have a wonderful truth about the importance of singing and about the importance of being filled with the Spirit. I have discovered this is a wonderful truth to put into practice. It said singing unto the Lord, singing in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, and many times in my own walk with the Lord, I've discovered the Spirit will prompt me just to take time to sing,
[00:00:52] and I begin to obey His command, and I begin those songs will minister to me and will bring a sense of great liberation and victory. So you can start out rather dull and dry in your own self, but if you can sing yourself right into victory, you can sing and make melody unto the Lord and it will bring the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, enable us to speak in that heavenly language, that supernatural language.
[00:01:21] The Bible says, He that speaketh an unknown tongue, speaketh not unto man but unto God, howbeit in the Spirit he speaketh mysteries unto God. And He says that speaking in tongues whereby we're edified or built up. So this is the manifestation of the Spirit too. There's no reason to feel defeated. When you understand the Bible pattern for victory, you can sing and shout every day of your life.
[00:01:45] This part of the verse that says to sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord falls into a wonderful category of Christian living. Now most people don't understand that part. And I want to say that it's so important that you understand that God is not looking for workers, He's looking for worshipers. Listen to John 4, 23. Jesus said,
[00:02:08] The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth and because the Spirit is whom the Father sends as we submit to Him. Now let me read that scripture again. John 4, 23. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.
[00:02:36] So God is looking for worshippers, not just workers. If He can find somebody who will worship Him, that person will come into a place of freedom, victory and liberty because worship will bring him into God's presence. In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy. And when you are full of the joy of God, you'll have the strength to do whatever He says and what He wants you to do. Now a Christian is not even a fit worker until he learns how to worship God.
[00:03:05] I say a Christian is not even a fit worker until he learns how to worship God. And also without worship, you are just limited because somewhere along the way, fear will overtake you. You'll not be able to do what God wants you to do because you have not entered into His presence. You have not been the worshipper that God wants. Now the Holy Spirit is here to make us worshippers.
[00:03:30] We have to somehow avail ourselves of His help by speaking in other tongues, not just the occasion of the infilling, but by every day to stir up the gift of God and let Him minister through us. And we can stay then filled with the Spirit to hear from God, minister to Him. The difference between believers today and many of them in days gone by is that believers today are willing to accept responsibility placed on them.
[00:04:00] 2 Timothy 1.6 Stir up the gift of God which is within you. I mean, in years gone by, if people didn't understand events or a lack of power in the Christian life, they blamed somebody else or even blamed God. If they didn't understand anything, it was God's sovereign will. Today we're starting to accept responsibility. We're starting to judge ourselves so that victory can come to our lives. Thank God for this.
[00:04:27] So now is the time to judge ourselves in the area of worship. God is seeking worshippers. When we worship Him, He speaks to us. When David understood this, we understand and have not always understood how it happened, but in the tabernacle there are worshippers 24 hours a day. We may have not understood that God wants His people worshipping Him all the time. However, the church is worldwide, so when some are asleep, others are awake.
[00:04:57] Psalm 134 Those worshippers on the night shift, those servants of the Lord would stand by night, they would get tired and sleepy and started slacking up on the job, and they were told to start lifting up their hands. Well, there wasn't really praising God, just going through the motions. Well, that's what happens to us. If we somehow don't really consider that God wants a continual life of praise, it doesn't mean we're going to praise Him 24 hours a day,
[00:05:26] but we're a part of the worldwide church, the Lord has, where people in Indy are praising God another time, and we here are praising Him. I mean, we're singing. We're speaking unto Him in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We're praising the Lord in every way possible. And the sooner we start praising God all day long, no matter what's happening or where we are, the more blessings are going to come into our lives. Let me repeat that, friend.
[00:05:56] The sooner you start praising God throughout each day. Hebrews 13, 15 says, By Jesus, therefore, let's offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That's the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Now, I've discovered that when we really lift our voices with volume, loud praise will just drive the devil insane. Well, that's just a proverbial statement. For loudness is related to authority.
[00:06:24] The devil will not pay attention to just a somehow little passive person. The only thing he understands is supernatural force, and that force is the Holy Spirit. You don't play the games with the devil. There is a direct correlation between the loud cry and the voice of authority. A passive individual will be run over all his life. The Bible tells us that we are an army. An army is not a passive group. When we make up our minds to go ahead and possess the land,
[00:06:53] that means we'll have to fight for it. And when you feel empty or barren, or when you're in trouble, learn to reach down on the inside of you and let the power of God come out. Jesus said in John 7, 38, He that believeth on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. When the devil is attacking you or your family, when you're dealing with the forces of hell, you need that power like a river, not as a stream or a trickle of water,
[00:07:21] but it says it'll be powerful water. Rivers of living water. And then when you break forth into singing to God, you'll break and overcome spiritual barrenness. Then growth will come. Enlargement will come. For your life will be pleasing to God, and He'll manifest Himself. So start breaking forth and singing on a regular basis, and you'll have to enlarge the place you are in your walk with God. And when your captivity gets turned,
[00:07:51] when the time is redeemed, and you start singing to the Lord, now I've discovered a long time ago, a church that really doesn't sing with a real authority, with a real delight, doesn't really worship God, for God wants us to praise Him, and to sing to Him in all things, as well as giving Him thanks. So I say sing not just in good times, or when you're happy, but sing in the bad times, amidst the persecution and opposition. The same pattern will bring victory
[00:08:21] in the working of God by His grace. So this is my challenge to you. You say, What should I do? Well, remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16, they were there for preaching the gospel, and the Bible says at midnight, they begin to sing and praise God, and thank God the Lord manifest Himself. And so God wants us to know that there's something about volume with praise that's important. Now there's, of course,
[00:08:49] there are times when we quietly praise God, but there's a good possibility that you may be like Paul and Silas, a lot of opposition, a lot of persecution, but that's the time to sing praises to God. Now, I know that many of us can't always see the good in a situation that seems bad in the natural, but Paul did. He took the opportunity of being in prison in later years to write most of the epistles, and where would the body of Christ have been
[00:09:18] through the centuries without Paul's letters? Most people can't see the positive side of bad situations. They can't see how God can take the situation and bless it and turn it around, and whom the Son has set free is free indeed. Don't let anything keep you from praising God, and it doesn't matter what comes. We are to be free in the Lord. So I say again, an evidence of the true spirit for your life is your singing, giving thanks unto God in all things.
[00:09:48] That's what Ephesians 5, 18 through 20 says. And thank God when you are in a bad situation, just lift your heart and voice and give God praise and thank Him. Now, many wives want to submit to their husbands, as the Lord tells us here in Ephesians 5, 22, but just don't know how. Many members of churches can't submit to their pastor, and I'll tell you why they don't. They are not ministering to the Lord. They don't speak themselves in songs.
[00:10:18] They don't give thanks in all things. Therefore, they are in a rebellious and self-centered attitude. So God wants us to practice these instructions in Ephesians 5. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. So your spirit gets built up by speaking in tongues. So he that speaks in unknown tongue edifies himself
[00:10:47] or builds himself up. And now your mind doesn't get anything out of it. For the mind to get built up spiritually, you need the interpretation of what has been said in tongues. And the way to begin operating interpretation is to pray in tongues until you sense a satisfaction in the Spirit. Then stop and begin listening to the words in English. Start speaking out those words. So if the song don't sound right, well, just keep going
[00:11:15] because it's an unknown tongue to you, but it's known to God. And that's the great delight of being a Spirit-filled Christian. So I want to urge you to stay continually filled with the Spirit. Enter into praise and worship and begin with that and then press onward. This is God's will for you. That's what he said. Be not wise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And I want to pray for you that desire the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit. Father, I pray for every person
[00:11:45] who is desirous of being filled with your Holy Spirit, with the initial physical evidence of speaking in other tongues as you give them utterance. I pray they'll drop any prejudice or bias or improper appropriation of this and receive this mighty and doom and of power, Lord, to be witnesses for you, to be endued for being effective, effective for you, Lord, in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, I think it would be appropriate
[00:12:14] right now for you and me to praise the Lord. Let's say, Praise you, Lord, and say it five times. Praise you, Lord. Praise you, Lord. Praise you, Lord. Praise you, Lord. Praise you, Lord. Hallelujah.