TOPIC: DOMINION THROUGH THE POWER OF PRAISE
Text: Genesis 1:28

“…God blessed them, and said, Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.”

Psalms 8:1-9.
The Glory of the Lord in Creation
1. O LORD, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world! Your praise reaches up to the heavens;
2. it is sung by children and babies. You are safe and secure from all your enemies; you stop anyone who opposes you.
3. When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—
4. what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them?
5. Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honour.
6. You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation:
7. sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;
8. the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas.
9. O LORD, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world!

INTRODUCTION:
By definition from a dictionary, Dominion means the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority. It also means to rule, and control.

When God created man, the last statement He pronounced on man is to dominate, i.e. it’s your right to have dominion as children of God.

Psalm 8 is a summary of your position in the hands of God.
You’re created to have dominion…

At this juncture, I want us to have some understanding. To rule and have dominion, there must be a war between two kingdoms; each kingdom has its own language, voice, beliefs, and weapons to fight with the determination to win.

Anyone who wants to have dominion must have this in mind: you will engage in a serious war! For you to win, you must use the right weapon that goes along with the voice of the kingdom you belong to.

There are different kinds of war or battle individuals face. The challenge you are facing right now is the war you need to fight and win for you to sit on your dominion seat.

As you wage war against that challenge, your ability to acknowledge the supreme Ruler, (GOD) as the One who has the authority and ultimate POWER to overcome challenges without any physical weapon will determine your victory.

You must take your place as one who is entitled to have dominion on everything including your challenges by using the weapon of PRAISE.

DOMINION THROUGH THE POWER OF PRAISE WHEN FACED WITH BATTLE
TEXT: 2 Chronicles 20:1- 30

Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir Defeated
1. Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites, invaded Judah.
2. Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi).
3. Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the LORD for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country.
4. From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask the LORD for guidance,
5. and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them
6. and prayed aloud, O LORD God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.
7. You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever.
8. They have lived here and have built a temple to honor you, knowing
9. that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war, an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshipped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.
10. Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went around them and did not destroy them.
11. This is how they repay us—they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us.
12. You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.
13. All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple.
14. The spirit of the LORD came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah.
15. Jahaziel said, Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the LORD says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you.
16. Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel.
17. You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the LORD give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the LORD will be with you!
18. Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low, with his face touching the ground, and all the people bowed with him and worshipped the LORD.
19. The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised the LORD, the God of Israel.
20. Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the LORD your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.
21. After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: Praise the LORD! His love is eternal!
22. When they began to sing, the LORD threw the invading armies into a panic.
23. The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting.
24. When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked toward the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground dead. Not one had escaped.
25. Jehoshaphat and his troops moved in to take the loot, and they found many cattle, supplies, clothing, and other valuable objects. They spent three days gathering the loot, but there was so much that they could not take everything.
26. On the fourth day they assembled in Beracah Valley and praised the LORD for all he had done. That is why the valley is called Beracah.
27. Jehoshaphat led his troops back to Jerusalem in triumph because the LORD had defeated their enemies.
28. When they reached the city, they marched to the Temple to the music of harps and trumpets.
29. Every nation that heard how the LORD had defeated Israel’s enemies was terrified,
30. so Jehoshaphat ruled in peace, and God gave him security on every side.

Praise is a very strong weapon you can use to take your position as a man and woman of Dominion.

As stated in series 1, dominion is your right as a child of God, and for you to get to your dominion seat, there are wars to fight whether you like it or not. The challenges will come your way because you have a crown ahead of you; because you are going higher; because you are destined to be great. That is why you must know the language, voice, or weapon to use in the midst of your battle for you to win.

Praise brings down the hands of God swiftly to fight your battle if only you can use the weapon rightly. You may want to know how to use it rightly. It is simply by acknowledging God’s almightiness and surrendering the battle to Him.

Let’s go back to the Bible passage we read.

In verses 7-9, Jehoshaphat reminded God of what He did in the past, and God told him what to do through one of his followers, which he did. The Lord gave them victory over their enemies. The place was called Beracah in Hebrew word which means “Valley of Blessings”. “Blessing” is “Berakhah” in Hebrew.

That’s what praise can do.

I don’t know what battle of life you’re going through right now. Who is that person bragging or threatening you and you are terrified? Rise up right now and use the POWER of PRAISE to sit on your dominion seat.

ACTIVATING THE POWER OF PRAISE IN PRISON OR BONDAGE
TEXT: Acts 16:24- 27

24. Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.
25. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners.
27. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped; so he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself.

POWER OF PRAISE
1. Praise re-establishes God’s reign over our hearts: When you are helpless and don’t know what to do because you are in serious bondage or prison, you should praise God who rules in the affairs of men.

2. Praise is a very strong weapon you can use to remind God of His purpose of creating you when you use the language right.

3. When you praise and worship God, it can lead others to God.

When our hearts are turned to God and we worship Him even in seasons that could have us asking “Why me, God? Why this? Why now?”, then others notice something different about us. They wonder how we can praise God while we’re struggling.

There are different kinds of prisons or bondage experience. It could be barrenness, setbacks, sickness, financial bankrupt, bad luck, demotion, etc.

The cause could be as a result of jealousy, envy, hatred, braindance, promotion, etc.

This world is full of pathetic stories. The experience of Paul and Silas was because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ they preached.

Whatever experience of bondage you are passing through right now, the good news is that your Creator is aware of it and He will deliver you.

ACTIVATING THE POWER OF PRAISE IN THE STATE OF HOPELESSNESS
JONAH 2: 1-10

1. From deep inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:
2. In my distress, O LORD, I called to you, and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.
3. You threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me.
4. I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again.
5. The water came over me and choked me; the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head.
6. I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O LORD my God, brought me back from the depths alive.
7. When I felt my life slipping away, then, O LORD, I prayed to you, and in your holy Temple, you heard me.
8. Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you.
9. But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the LORD!
10. Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

From the time of Abraham to the days of the Apostles, praise was a very strong weapon used for quick action or for the speedy move of God for divine intervention.

There is a saying that, ‘If you have prayed and it seems nothing happened, try praise.’

Praise is more than singing songs. As a matter of fact, you may be singing and not praising God. You read that right! Praise flows from the rivers of the belly; it re-activates your mind towards God.

The worst that could happen to anyone whose hope is lost was what happened to Jonah. He found himself in the belly of a fish inside the deep ocean. Oh, quite unfortunate! Deep ocean alone is like a place of no return, a place of hopelessness and helplessness, let alone the belly of a fish that can bring death to Jonah.

I don’t know the depth of the ocean or the ‘fish’ of life that has swallowed you up, thereby rendering you hopeless and helpless, if you can say a louder Amen, THE HANDS OF GOD SHALL LIFT YOU UP FROM THAT STATE TO A SAVING LAND OF NEW GLORY IN JESUS’ NAME!

Every challenge of life that has swallowed your dreams and glory, IT SHALL VOMIT IT FOR YOU TO MANIFEST IN JESUS’ NAME!

In the deep ocean and inside the belly of the fish, Jonah used the right language:
8. Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you.
9. But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the LORD!

Whatever experience of hopelessness you may find yourself, don’t use the language of defeat; see yourself as a victor. Then call on your Creator, He is always present in the time of trouble.

CONCLUSION
You cannot continue to live like a slave when you have a living, kind, caring and loving Father. He has everything you need to enjoy your life in His custody. What you need to do is to align yourself with Him.

If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, enough of wasting your life and keeping yourself in the bondage. Accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and that is the beginning of your freedom.

John Aderogba, 2020.