Worship Hymns in the Book of Revelation

  • John’s thanksgiving to Jesus for such great love that makes us kings and priests unto God – “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:5, 6)
  • The seraphim’s song magnifying the Father’s transcendent beauty – “The four living creatures . . . do not rest day or night, saying: ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, who was and is and is to come!'” (Rev. 4:8)
  • The 24 elders sing to the Father – This is the 1st “worthy song”. Note 3 themes in their praise. “The 24 elders fall down saying: ‘YOU ARE WORTHY, O LORD, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created.'” (Rev. 4:10-11)
  • The seraphim and the 24 elders before the Throne sing to Jesus – This is the 2nd “worthy song”. Note the 5 verbs that describe Jesus’ activity in redemption. “. . . the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang a new song, saying: ‘YOU ARE WORTHY to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us KINGS AND PRIESTS TO OUR GOD; And we shall reign on the earth.'” (Rev. 5:8-10)
  • The angelic host, the seraphim and the 24 elders sing to Jesus as the scroll is about to be opened – This is the 3rd and final “worthy song” in the New Testament. Note 7 themes in their praise. “. . . many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand saying with a loud voice: ‘WORTHY IS THE LAMB who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'” (Rev. 5:11-12)
  • The Song of all creation before the Throne as the scroll is opened – Note there are only 3 times that ALL the saints worship together before the Throne (Rev. 5:11-14; 7:9-12; 19:1-7). “And EVERY CREATURE which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!'” (Rev. 5:13)
  • Worship from all nations as result of the Great Harvest at the end of the age – “. . . a great multitude . . . of all nations . . . standing before the throne . . . saying, ‘SALVATION BELONGS TO OUR GOD WHO SITS ON THE THRONE, AND TO THE LAMB!'” (Rev. 7:9-10)
  • The angelic host responds seeing people from all nations worship God – Note 7 themes in their praise. “All the angels . . . and the elders and the four living creatures . . . worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen!’ Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'” (Rev. 7:11-12)
  • The tribulation saints worship in context to the end time judgments – “I saw . . . a sea of glass mingled with fire . . . standing . . . having harps of God they sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! Just and true are Your ways, O KING OF SAINTS! Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? FOR YOU ALONE ARE HOLY. For all nations shall come and worship before you, for your judgments have been manifested.'” (Rev. 15:2-4)
  • God’s righteousness is declared in light of His end time judgments – “. . . the angel of the waters saying: ‘YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS, O LORD, the one who is and who was and who is to be, BECAUSE YOU HAVE JUDGED THESE THINGS. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.'” (Rev. 16:4-5)
  • A voice from God’s altar of incense before the Throne – “I heard another from the altar saying, ‘Even SO, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE YOUR JUDGMENTS.'” (Rev. 16:7)
  • The Bride worships God in light of the end time judgments – Note 4 themes in their praise. “. . . a loud voice of a great multitude . . . saying, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! FOR TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS, BECAUSE HE HAS JUDGED THE GREAT HARLOT who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.'” (Rev. 19:1-2)
  • The Bride worships God at the wedding supper of the Lamb – “. . . the voice of a great multitude . . . saying ‘Allelulah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.'” (Rev. 19:5-6)

God Victoriously Inhabits Our Praise

12376260_1073835379346235_8548454892668843045_n“Praise causes the presence of the Lord to come into our midst. Even though God is omniscient, He manifests His authority and rule in our environment when we praise Him. When we praise, God comes in and leads us forth… When we praise, our faith and trust increase.” Chuck Pierce

Choosing to praise God is vital in bringing us victory now and in the days ahead. There is not one of us who will not be tested—or isn’t presently being tested—in the choice of whether we will choose to praise God in the midst of difficulty.

The spiritual battle is intensifying daily because the enemy knows that his time is short. He hates prayer because he knows that the power of prayer will overthrow every one of his plans. God inhabits our praise. The word “inhabit” or “enthrone” (yashab) means to judge in ambush. When we praise God, He will seat himself right in the middle of our lives and judge the enemies that are surrounding us. The Japanese translation of Psalm 22:3 is: “When you praise God He brings a big chair and sits there.” Think about that! God is seated in the center of your life. The enemy cannot dethrone you because God cannot be overthrown!

We must choose praise and worship as our main weapon of warfare.

The Apostle Paul is a great example of one who chose praise in very hard circumstances. God had given Paul a vision and told him to go to Philippi. But shortly after arriving, he was arrested and beaten. When he was thrown into prison, his feet were put in stocks. This was a humiliating method of torture because all night long he had to lie there in agony. You can imagine how painful this must have been. I doubt that he got much sleep. He had done nothing wrong and could have responded in great anger.

But what did Paul do in response to such harsh treatment? He sang praises to God. He filled that cell room with praises to God even in the midst of a painful situation. He held up the shield of faith through his praises. We can do the same. When we feel like complaining, and when we feel that we have been mistreated, we can respond in praise to God.

Many times we as believers do not actually understand and appropriate the power of praise.

This praise power is especially realized in the midst of hopeless or trying circumstances. Praise, thanksgiving, and worship go together. The Word of God needs to permeate our praises. The enemy wants to weaken and defeat us in the area of our faith. He will try to discourage and disillusion us. We must be on our guard, as he will do everything he can to bring us down from faith into fear. We must learn to walk in God’s supernatural peace as the days get worse.

The disasters coming upon the world are only going to increase. As I have said so many times before, God is presently shaking everything that can be shaken. Let’s learn to live a life of passionate prayer and praise. This is the season for God’s Kingdom to come on earth with increasing power. This is our opportunity to gather in the harvest.

The whole world is taking notice of this shaking. While I was on a train in a Muslim nation, I met a man who told me that the tragedies on the earth are increasing. This is what the Bible says about the last days. There will be terrible times (Matthew 24:6-8; 2 Timothy 3:1).

God is speaking to hearts throughout the world. I looked at several of the individuals on that train—young and old, male and female—and realized God’s great love for each one of those people. I knew that this city was on a fault line and ready for a major earthquake at any time.

The answer to every dilemma in the world is God. He wants us to ascend in prayer to a higher level of praise and worship. This will be our position in the last days. Keep on praising God in your situation. Don’t give in. Push through until you see the victory. Even when you hear discouraging news, choose to praise God and dwell on His attributes. We ready in Psalm 95:1-3:

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”

He is life and a focus on Him will minister that life to you. As you magnify and praise the Lord, He will become larger in your eyes. Your faith will be strengthened as you worship Him in every season of your life.

Praise Paves the Way

“Praise prepares us to pray. When we worship God as our Counselor, it strengthens our faith to pray for wisdom. When we praise Him as the Great Physician, it strengthens our faith to pray for healing. When we remember how He has provided in the past, it strengthens our faith to ask for provision again. Praise builds our faith in who God is: Redeemer Comforter, Savior, Deliver, Defender, Friend.” Buddy Owens

What happens when we choose to praise? Praise paves the way for the blessings of God to manifest in our lives. God victoriously inhabits our praise. Choosing to praise overcomes the enemy in every dimension. What are the results of praising God?

  • The enemy is defeated – Darkness cannot stay when there is light, and praise brings the brightness of God into our circumstances.
  • Our faith is strengthened – We actually cross over from doubt and negative emotions, and move into a new level of faith when we praise God in our trying circumstances. Amazing things happen in our own hearts.
  • We glorify God and advance His Kingdom – God’s Kingdom comes on earth wherever there is an atmosphere of worship and praise.
  • The way is opened for healing to take place – Faith is a needed ingredient for healing, and praise increases faith.
  • Our destiny comes forth – Our destiny comes forth in all its fullness when we praise God in every situation.
    Praise is a foundation for prayer. God has chosen you to live in such a time as this. Give it your best. Magnify and praise the Lord, and He will use you to reach the lost and needy ones who are trying to find answers in trying times. You will be one who brings His salvation, glory, and grace into their lives.

One of the main ingredients of your effectiveness will be to live a life of praise. You will ascend the heights in prayer as you worship God. You will touch heaven and change earth as you praise Him. Through praise you will live in the atmosphere where miracles are born. God victoriously inhabits your praise.

“Praise is a foundation for prayer. In worship, we declare the goodness and glory of the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Having declared who He is, we can come to Him with our requests, trusting that out of His very nature He will hear and respond to us with grace upon grace.” Buddy Owen

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
deb@intercessorsarise.org
www.intercessorsarise.org

The Power of Forgiveness

“We have been sent into the world to implement the rule of God on earth. Where there is discord we are to replace it with harmony. Where there is hatred we are to replace it with agape. Where there is an offense simmering into a murderous conflict, we are to replace it with forgiveness. When we choose to forgive, we invade the realm of darkness and defeat those dark forces with the power of a resurrected life.” Dudley Hall

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful responses that we could ever have, yet the steps in forgiving others may be difficult. Forgiving others is very hard. The love of Christ is the only way we can set free those who have deeply wounded us. The love of Christ gives us the only context we have for believing God has forgiven us.

There is perhaps no greater gift you can offer God than a heart that knows the power of forgiveness and decides to set others free. Forgiving shows that the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus are operating in our lives. It is time to access this life-changing grace of forgiveness.

Is there someone who has offended you? Are you able to release the person in forgiveness? God gives us divine power to forgive. We who have received the freedom of forgiveness have the power to set one another free. This is a power that truly sets the captive free and can affect the whole world. Forgiveness defeats darkness on a massive scale because it involves the resurrection power of Jesus. Nothing can defeat the greatness and glory there is in one act of forgiveness.

The need for forgiveness can be seen in a story of a father and his son in Spain. They had become angry and bitter toward one another. The son finally left home and ran away. His father began to search for him but was unable to find him anywhere. After months of frantically searching, the father came to the end of his resources and sat down sadly in a coffee shop. Suddenly he had an idea!

He put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad said something like this: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the men’s clothes shop at 2 p.m. on Friday. You are forgiven. I love you. Your father.” On Friday at 2 p.m., eight hundred Pacos showed up! They were all looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. How important it is that we seek forgiveness and offer forgiveness to one another. It is critical to our lives in every dimension—spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally.

“Would you like to see the Lord shatter the spiritual prisons in your life, the areas where you feel trapped? Then forgive those who put you there, for surely the walls of your imprisonment are made of your own anger and unforgiveness toward others.” Francis Frangipane


Steps in Forgiving Others

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).

Here are some basic steps toward extending and receiving forgiveness:

  • Recognize and call sin what God calls it – Be specific and thorough. Remember that forgiveness is not excusing and approving of inappropriate behavior or saying that an offense isn’t important. Be honest with yourself 
and recognize your emotional response. You may feel angry, sad, let down, or disappointed. It isn’t wrong to have emotions. They are natural. It’s what you do with your emotions that can be sinful. Make sure there is no offensive way in you.“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
  • Share with God honestly and let Him heal you – Tell God what happened to you and how you feel. Look at His evaluation of the situation. Focus on Him and His faithfulness. Spend time with Him, and let Him restore where sin has destroyed. Forgiveness releases God’s divine healing power.“O lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me” (Psalm 30:2).
  • Set the offender free, understanding that it is a process – Declare forgiveness. Say, “I forgive [name the individual
 or group] for [name the offense].” Don’t say, “I want
 to forgive.” It takes time to go through the process of forgiveness. The hurt can come up at different times, 
and we must choose to forgive again. It doesn’t mean we automatically forget the offense.“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
  • Release the offender to God – Repent of your desire to punish or take revenge. Let God deal with the offense. Focus on today rather than the past. Let the offender off the hook. Declare God as judge over the person and the situation.“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the lord” (Romans 12:19).
  • Bless the offender – Apply God’s forgiveness. Trust and reconcile when possible, but realize that forgiveness does not always mean we have to relate to the person in the future. In some cases, this is not possible. Know God’s protection and justice. We are God’s called-out people, who know who we are in Christ and walk in love with God and one another. We become partakers of His resurrected life. Forgiveness is essential if we want to walk in personal and corporate revival.“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14).

God will give us the grace to fully set everyone free. May we be like Jesus, who was the first one to love. When God forgives us, He gives us the power to forgive. May the river of God’s life flow through us in that we bless everyone we meet. May we remind people of how much they are loved by God. As we give our lives away in love and forgiveness, we become free ourselves. Many of us don’t realize the power there is in truly forgiving one another. It is much greater and has a far greater consequence than any of us have ever realized.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the power of forgiveness, and I choose to forgive everyone who has hurt me. Help me set [name anyone who has offended you] free and release them to You [Romans 12:19]. Help me bless those who have hurt me [Romans 12:14]. Help me walk in righteousness, peace, and joy, demonstrating Your life here on earth. I choose to be kind and compassionate, forgiving others, just as You forgave me [Ephesians 4:32]. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Forgiveness is the very spirit of heaven removing the hiding places of demonic activity from the caverns of the human soul. It is every wrong made right and every evil made void. The power released in forgiveness is actually a mighty weapon in the war to save our cities.” Francis Frangipane

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer (IHOPKC)
deb@intercessorsarise.org

The Power of a Thankful Heart

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

It is not always easy to give thanks, but this is the very thing we must do in order to see God’s will accomplished in our lives. This is how we move into higher realms of faith for ourselves, for our city, and for our nation.

Thanksgiving breaks the power of the enemy. Whenever you give thanks to God, despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life. When you give thanks in the midst of difficulty, you bring pleasure to God’s heart and breakthrough begins. He is looking for Christians who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate a person. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice pleasing to God. Are you thankful?

Are you thankful for your present circumstances?
Are you thankful for your salvation, your friendships, and your job?
Are you thankful for the way God made you?

Thankfulness is a key to your life. It is the key that turns your situation around because it changes you, your outlook, and your attitude. . There is power in a thankful heart. Thanksgiving brings contentment. An attitude of thanksgiving accepts and embraces God’s will. Begin to thank God for all the blessings he has given instead of dwelling on the negative. Discontent dries up the soul.

Look at what Elisabeth Elliott—who lost her husband on the mission field and has faced multitudes of hardships—says about loving God’s will and being content. In her book, Secure in the Everlasting Arms, she says:

“To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by one who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise apportionment. It is to follow in the steps of the Master, as did Paul, who was able to say that he had learned contentment no matter what the circumstances. His circumstances when he wrote that? Prison. No easy lesson, but great gain, which is the sum of godliness plus contentment (1 Timothy 6:6).”

Look at the example of Jesus. He followed the will of His Father to the very end. He obeyed without complaint. In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul says that we should have that same attitude. Jesus made Himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death. We also are to have this same attitude with a humble and thankful acceptance of God’s will for our lives. Elisabeth emphasizes the fact that Jesus embraced hardship without a complaint.

“Jesus loved the will of His Father. He embraced the limitations, the necessities, the conditions, the very chains of His humanity as He walked and worked here on earth, fulfilling moment by moment His divine commission and the stern demands of His incarnation. Never was there a word or even a look of complaint.”

The Duke of Wellington was a British military leader who regretted that he had not learned the secret of praise during his lifetime. He had many great accomplishments and even defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was a brilliant and demanding man and when he was older, he realized that there were areas in his life that needed to change. In his old age a woman asked him this question, “What would you do differently if you had your life to live over again?”

He thought carefully and said, “I would give more praise.”

This is a lesson for all of us. To learn to be people of praise and thanksgiving to God all the days of our lives would be a great accomplishment. William Law, who wrote A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, stresses the greatness and the happiness of thanksgiving. He says:

“Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God wills, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness and has a heart always ready to praise God for it… Could you therefore work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit, for it turns all that it touches into happiness.”

David writes in Psalm 116:17: “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.” Did you know that thanking God for a difficulty is actually an offering that He highly values? You are bringing a gift of thanks to Him. It makes Him smile. It’s so easy to complain. It is so easy to point the finger and find fault. But to come with the opposite attitude and give thanks brings breakthrough and joyful contentment.

Let each of us seek to have an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving, and rise to a new level of holiness. Here are some ways to practice this attitude in everyday life:

  • Thank and praise God for everything in your life – Thank Him for even the difficulties. It is a sacrifice to do this, but He can turn troubles to triumph.“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
  • Don’t allow yourself to complain about anything – During the difficult times, be very careful to watch your tongue. Instead of complaining, think of ways you can verbally offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:14-15).
  • Don’t compare yourself with others – Don’t wish your life were different. God knows what is best. The Bible says that having a thankful heart is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. When we begin to thank God for what we have rather than comparing ourselves with others, it opens the door for God’s blessings.“Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else” (Galatians 6:4).

The Apostle Paul was a wonderful example of one who practiced thanksgiving in prayer. He didn’t complain about anything even when facing imprisonment. He didn’t fall into self-pity or compare himself with others. That would be hard for most of us. Instead, Paul thanked God in every circumstance, even the difficult ones. He was thankful in his prayers for others even when they were having trouble spiritually. See 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:16; Phil. 1:3; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:3; and Philemon 4.

Most of us are in need of breakthroughs in prayer. The enemy is fighting hard with fiery darts of discouragement and lies. The way we will begin to deal with the lies and the vicious ways he tries to destroy our joy is through the power of a thankful heart.

As we cultivate a lifestyle of worship and praise the magnificent splendor of God, we will be able to break through the strategies of the enemy. A worshipful and thankful life permeates the atmosphere with the presence of God because worship is the atmosphere where God’s truth dwells. As Law says, thanksgiving turns all that it touches into happiness.

“God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually. Few things feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too… An amazing thing happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy.”


A Breakthrough Prayer For a Thankful Heart

Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstances. I thank You for… [Name a difficult circumstance in your life presently and thank God for it.]

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. I choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 7:17-18:1). In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
deb@intercessorsarise.org