Effective Prayer Life

By: Pastor Gary Linton

The Bible says, “Elijah was a man subject to like passions (weaknesses and failure) as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:17-18 KJV). Now that is exciting!

What James was saying was that if Elijah could pray so effectively so can we. A prayer life like this will make a major difference in our life. It filled Elijah with such excitement that when he saw just a hint of the rain on its way he outran Ahab all the way to Jezeel, with Ahab in his royal chariot and Elijah on foot. Kind of like the road runner flying past Wile E. Coyote. Seeing God miraculously answer your prayers will fill you with such an anointing and zeal that you will be able to outrun the best of the enemies chariots.

Here are a few keys to having an effective prayer life:

Our prayers must be divinely directed (1 Kings 18:36). Elijah heard from God and prayed accordingly. “The word of the Lord came to Elijah” (1 Kings 18:1 NASB). And again, “Let it be known … that I have done all these things at thy word” (1 Kings 18:36 NASB).

Our first prayer should be directional. “God how do you want me to pray”? I’m convinced that if we would wait on direction from God first and as we receive word from Him we would pray accordingly, we would have much more effective prayers. Prayer must be done in dependency on the Holy Spirit, in accordance with His will (Rom 8:26-27 and 1 John 5:14-15) and with the goal of seeing His will implemented upon this earth in the affairs of men (Matt. 6:10).

Praying must be done in the name of the Lord (James 5:14). There is power in His name. So much so that God “bestowed on Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father” (Philippians 2:10-11). The devils even believe and tremble (James 2:19). Praying in His name is not simply a blank check that we sign His name to and get whatever we want. It means four things:

1. Power of attorney. If you are given power of attorney over someone’s finances, you are to use it for their purposes only. You can use it however you choose. However, there will be a day of accounting when you will give an account as to how you used what was theirs. There will be an accounting one day of how we used His name.
2. In His will (1 John 5:14-15). Praying in His name means we are praying for His purposes (will) to be implemented in the affairs of men (our affairs and life) on earth (Matt. 6:10).
3. In His merit as opposed to our own (Romans 5:1-2 and Hebrews 4:16). When we come to Him, praying in His name, we are coming in His merit and not our own. We come in His righteousness, having been made worthy by His finished work on the cross for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. For His glory (John 14:13). When praying in His name we should be praying for that which will bring Him glory. Judge what you are praying for and if it will bring God glory then you are praying rightly and if not don’t pray for it.

Praying must be done in faith (James 5:15, James 1:6-8). Jesus said if we have faith we can move mountains (Mark 11:22-24). Below are some things that will help to build and strengthen our faith.

1. Be sure you are divinely directed (1 John 5:14-15). Elijah was filled with faith because he knew he was in God’s will and acting according to His word.
2. Read the word (Romans 10:17). Time in the Word of God helps build and strengthen our faith. Read and study it.
3. Meditate (Psalm 1:2-3 and Joshua 1:8). We need more than a casual reading of the scriptures. We must spend time not only reading the Word but meditating on it. This means we take a passage, verse or phrase and toss it over and over in our mind, letting it sink deep within our spirit. This will build and strengthen our faith.
4. Use your imagination (John 5:17 and 19). See God doing what you’re praying for and see it as a completed and done deal. Jesus saw what the Father was doing in the spiritual realm before He did anything and then acted accordingly. If we really believe something our imagination will be stirred and our imagination will stir our faith.

We must be bold in our praying. Elijah was bold in two ways:

1. He was bold (confident) in his declaration (17:1, 18:44). He was bold or confident in what he believed (knew) God was going to do and declared it.
2. He was bold in what he prayed for (1 Kings 17:1, 19-22). He prayed that it wouldn’t rain until he said (17:1), in praying for widows son and actually expecting life to come back into him (17:19-22), there was a drought for three and a half years and he dared to think God would make it rain again. If we are afraid to exercise great boldness in our prayer life we will never experience great effects from our prayers. Psalms 81:10 says, “open thy mouth wide and I will fill it”. George Mueller said this meant we should open our mouth wide in big requests.

We must pray specifically. There is a difference in a time of prayer, communing and fellowshipping with God and asking God for things to see something accomplished for His glory. Elijah was needing to see something happen. He didn’t pray in general, “Lord do something to turn this people around”. He sought the mind of God as to how He wanted to do it and then prayed exactly that way. If we are to pray effectively, we must be specific in what we are praying for.

We must pray fervently (James 5:16-18). Fervent means to work hard at, hot, boiling over, to put all you have into your praying. If you were in a really desperate place and needed someone’s help immediately, you wouldn’t calmly say to them, “would you mind helping me for a minute”? You would raise your voice (yell if you will) and say, “get over here and help me now”.

The early church prayed fervently for Peter and God sent an angel and miraculously delivered him out of jail and from the hand of Herod (Acts 12:1-17). It was said of Jesus, “who in the days of His flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared” (Hebrews 5:7). God told Isaiah, “Put me in remembrance; let us argue our case together; state your cause that you may be proved right” (Isaiah 43:26). Let’s remind God of His Word and put all we have into our praying.

We must pray with persistence (1 Kings 17:19-21, 18:41-44). Whatever you’re praying for you mustn’t loose heart and give up. Be persistent. It’s not if we believe we only ask once. True faith believes when we have prayed, we have already received what we have asked for (Mark 11:22-24) but it goes on to continue to ask or remind God of our request until the answer to our prayer has materialized.

There are many examples of persistence in prayer: The widow’s son, Elijah stretched himself out on him three times (1 Kings 17:19-21); Elijah was praying for rain and had his servant look for a sign of rain seven times (1 Kings 18:41-44); The Syrophonician woman (Mark 7:24-30); Jacob (Gen. 32); A friend asking for bread at midnight (Luke 11:5-10); The widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Let’s lay hold of God and not let up until we have received what we have requested (Isaiah 64:7).

We must pray with anticipation (1 Kings 18:41-45). When Elijah began to pray for it to rain again, after being dry for three and a half years, he prayed with expectancy. He put his head between his legs and prayed. He then asked his servant if he saw anything. He said, “there is nothing”. He did this seven times, until after the seventh time the servant said, I see a cloud about the size of a man’s hand. When Elijah heard this, he knew the rain was on its way. Pray and keep praying in faith, looking for and expecting your answer, until it manifest itself.

The one praying must be righteous (James 5:16). The blind man who had been healed said, “We know that God does not hear sinners” (John 9:31). Sins blocks our prayers from being heard and answered (Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalms 66:18). We have no righteousness of our own (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). The only righteousness we will ever have is inputed righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is why we need Jesus. He is the substitution for our sins. The moment we put our faith in Jesus, as our only hope of salvation and the one who paid the penalty for our sins, we are declared righteous by God. Jesus’ righteousness is put to our account and we are righteous in God’s sight. He sees us just as if we had never sinned. From that point on you can pray effectively as a righteous man or woman.

We also should daily ask God to search our heart for anything that may not be right with Him and make it right by confessing it as sin (1 John 1:9). This should be done at the beginning of our prayer time. We should also ask God to show us anything that might be wrong between us and anyone. If there is anything, we should do our best to make things right with them as well (Matthew 5:23-24). This assures there is nothing standing in the way of our praying effectively.

How to avoid Temptation and sin?

By: Kim Linton

The proliferation of false teaching and lack of commitment in the body of Christ comes as no surprise since the Bible warns us about various trials believers will face as the return of Jesus Christ draws near. As Christians, how do we avoid temptation and overcome intense times of testing?

1.  Be honest with yourself and God

Some Christians are thinking and doing things they never thought they would as followers of Jesus Christ. The biggest trap of the enemy is to convince us things we know are wrong for us personally (through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the Word) are really okay. Be honest, call it what it is. And if in doubt, don’t do it. You will always be able to find folks who will help you rationalize sin – but if you know in your heart God is telling you no, walk away and never look back.

1 John 1:5-6 says, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”

2.  Fellowship with balanced, positive people

Be careful about who you let into your life. If he can, the enemy will use those closest to us to bring turmoil and confusion at every turn. And remember, no other person or thing can make you happy or complete – don’t put that burden on someone else.

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good character.”

3.  Renew your mind

We must always examine our thoughts, motives and desires to make sure they line up with what God wants. Bad habits are formed over a long period of time and it takes just as long to change our behaviors. Dwell on what is good and not what is evil.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

4.  Don’t beat yourself up over the past

Once you’ve confessed your sins to God, he casts them as far as the east from the west. However, our friends, family and even other Christians love to bring up our past because it makes them feel better about their failures. Don’t give in to the temptation to hurt or punish yourself because you feel guilty about former sins; it’s really no different than the young girl who cuts herself to get relief from the emotional pain she feels.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

5.  Study and memorize the Bible

John 15:3 says, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Studying the Bible is the most powerful thing you can do to avoid temptation and sin. The more you understand the promises of God, the more confident you will be in your ability to overcome temptation. Find and memorize passages that deal with your situation and repeat them until you believe them in your spirit.

Romans 8:31 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Regardless of what others tell you, God wants you to succeed in all you do – he is for you and not against you.

Our God is Able.

By: Pastor Gary Linton

Do you believe God can do anything? Is there something you are facing that makes you wonder if God is able to handle it? Scripture tells us there is nothing too hard for God. Here are five different accounts in the Bible where God declares there is nothing too difficult for Him.

In confronting Abraham with Sarah’s laughter and unbelief. Abraham was entertaining three persons who appeared to him (God appearing in human form) and they gave him the promise of having a son. Abraham and Sarah were advanced in age and way past child bearing age. I assume she had already gone through menopause. It was impossible for them to have a child in the natural. Sarah heard the promise from her tent door and laughed. And the Lord said, “Is anything too difficult for the LORD” (Genesis 18:14 NASB)? Is there something you feel God has promised you that seems impossible? It may be so outlandish that if you told someone they would laugh. God’s question for you today is the same question He asked Abraham, “Is anything too difficult for the LORD” (Genesis 18:14 NASB)?

In relation to God’s purposes being fulfilled. In the midst of all his trouble, trials and testings, Job said, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You” (Job 42:2 NKJV). What are you presently going through? What trial or time of testing are you facing? Do you believe God can do anything, and that nothing can thwart His purposes from being fulfilled? It’s one thing to believe in God’s ability when all is well, but quite another when (like Job) you’ve lost everything and your world is falling apart.

In comparing His ability to His creative power. In contemplating the creation of the universe, Jeremiah wrote, “Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You” (Jeremiah 32:17 NASB). If God was able to create the heavens and the earth with His spoken Word, could there possibly be anything that is to hard for Him to handle?

When dealing with Mary’s astonishment that as a virgin, she would give birth to the Son of God. Mary was engaged to be married, and unlike most today, she had never slept with her fiancé. An angel appeared to her, telling her she was going to give birth to a son. In her astonishment she said, “”How can this be, since I am a virgin” (Luke 1:34 NASB)? “The Angel’s response was, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:35 and 37 NASB). I love Mary’s response. It was one of faith. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). Let’s respond to His promises in faith like this young women did.

When dealing with the impossibility of man to be saved in and of himself. Jesus had just finished ministering to the rich young ruler, who said he had kept all the commandments from his youth. Jesus told him he lacked one thing, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:21-22 KJV). Jesus went on to tell his disciples it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples responded, “Who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).

God is omnipotent and is able to do anything. No matter what you are going through or facing today, our God is able! It may seem impossible in the natural, but let me assure you on the authority of God’s Word, He is able. I am personally going through something right now that seems impossible. There have been times that the situation seemed dealt with, but the same thing continues to raise it’s ugly head over and over again. I am reminded of something I once read in Dake’s Annotated Bible. “All men (Christians) believe God can do anything, but few believe He will.” Will we dare to believe God is not only able to work in our situation but that He will?

God is able…

God is able to save. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25 KJV). The word uttermost in the King James Version can be translated, completely or forever. God is able to save us completely and forever. No matter how messed up you are, or how far you’ve fallen into sin, God is able to save you completely (and forever) if you will surrender to Him with all your heart.

God is able to deliver us. The three Hebrew children expressed confidence in God’s ability and said, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17 NKJV). They not only expressed faith in God’s ability, but that He would deliver them – “He will deliver us”. God is able to deliver us from sin and peril. “He shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 KJV). “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27 KJV). Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18 KJV).

God is able to heal. “The blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord” (Matthew 9:28 KJV). Jesus is still in the healing business. He is able to heal us from whatever ails us. Whether we are suffering physically, emotionally (from depression), or some sin that has us in it’s grip, God is able to heal us. The key is, will we let Him? Jesus said to a lame man, “Do you wish to get well” (John 5:6 NASB)? Do we really want to be made well? That was Jesus’ condition of healing and deliverance. Frequently, people hate their illness and sin, but they do not really want to be made whole.

For those whose lives have thrown them into intense bondage, there is something that is necessary on your part. You must give your life to Jesus. It’s usually the case of those who have sold out to sin that they must fully surrender to Christ with all their heart. It’s then that salvation, deliverance and complete wholeness comes into their life. On the authority of God’s Word, God is still in the business of saving, delivering and healing.

God is able to keep us from falling. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24 KJV). Once He has delivered us, God is more than able to keep us from falling into the same sins and traps that have held us in their grip. If we will cling to and hold onto Him, He will sustain us and keep us from stumbling.

God is able to deliver us from temptation. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV). When we are facing temptation on every front, God is able to deliver us and will provide a way of escape. We must, however, walk through the escape route He provides.

God is able to provide. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 KJV). The context of this verse is referring to financial provision. The key is, God is able to bless us financially so we can abound to every good work – and not just lavish it upon ourselves.

There are some who are reading these words that God has blessed abundantly. If you want to continue in His blessing, you must find an outlet for the blessings you have received. Find a reputable ministry and sow into it. God has blessed you for that very purpose, in order that you might be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). If you do not use some of your abundance to abound to every good work, God may take away that which you have. “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Matthew 25:29 KJV).

In closing, let me share a couple of encouraging verses from God’s Word.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20 KJV).

“The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB).

There is Power in Praise and Worship!

by:  Gary Linton

 There is power in praise. We will see that Praise is the means and response to the infilling of the Holy Spirit, praise sets an atmosphere for our hearing from God, praise releases stress and anxiety, praise releases the generosity of God and praise causes the enemies of God to flee before us.

Praise is both the means and response to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19NKJV).

1. The means to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Praise and worship triggers the overflow of God’s Spirit in our hearts. We not only enter God’s presence through praise (Psalms 100:4), but we are also filled with His presence (the Holy Spirit) through praise and worship. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8 NASB). Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. This He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive” (John 7:37-39 NASB). Are you feeling spiritually dry? Begin worshiping Jesus with all your heart and the Spirit of the living God will begin filling your innermost being.
2. The response to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Praise is also the response to our being filled with God’s Spirit. His Spirit cries out from within us in prayer and praise. “You have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15 KJV). “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6 KJV). We see throughout scripture people worshiping and magnifying God when filled with the Holy Spirit. “On the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God” (Acts 10:45-46 KJV). Worship is at least one of the evidences of the Spirit filled life. As the Holy Spirit flows within our heart, the natural response of the human spirit is Praise and worship.

Praise sets an atmosphere for our hearing from God. If you find yourself in need of hearing from God, you must begin worshiping. It’s in an atmosphere of Praise that we begin hearing from God. We see this to be the case of the Antioch church. “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said” (Acts 13:2 NASB). It was while they were engulfed in ministering to the Lord that the Holy Spirit spoke to the church saying, “”Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for he work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2 NASB ). I have found when I am in a service where the praise and worship service is the most intense is when I sense the greatest anointing in my preaching and teaching. It’s in this type of atmosphere that God seems to speak the clearest. Whether in your personal time with God or a public setting, praise is the key to our hearing the voice of God.

We find this true when in a spiritual battle as well. It’s when we are going through a time of difficulty and spiritual conflict that we need desperately to hear from God. Ahab and Jehoshaphat were going to battle with Moab when they ran out of water. They were perplexed as to what to do, and afraid they were being led to be defeated by Moab. “Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah. Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him” (2 Kings 3:11-12 NASB). They went to Elisha to get a word from God and one of the first things Elisha said was, “bring me a minstrel (musician). And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. He said, Thus says the LORD” (2 Kings 3:15-16 NASB). It was when the musician began to play that the Lord spoke to Elisha, giving him the needed Word to lead them to victory.

Elisha knew worship was a necessary factor for him to hear from God. This shows us how very important the worship leader’s job is. Those who minister on a worship team must never underestimate the importance of their calling. They are the ones who set an atmosphere for the church hearing God speak. Notice, “when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him (Elisha).” Worship ushers in the anointing of God. Ministers of the Word are more dependent on the worship leaders than we will ever realize. This is why worship is so imperative to any church service, meeting where the Word is going to be preached, and even our personal time with the Lord. We should always have a time of praise and worship prior to our study of the Word, whether it’s in a corporate setting or our personal devotions.

Praise releases stress and anxiety. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). The prescription for stress and anxiety is threefold – Prayer, Praise, and Positive mindset (Philippians 4:8). We are to bring our problems to the Lord in prayer – “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV). Read also Matthew 11:28-30.

You might be surprised to hear me say, prayer alone is not enough. Prayer focuses on the problem whereas praise focus us on the solution. Prayer keeps our concentration on the cause of our stress and anxiety. It is important to pray but we dare not stop there. We must move from prayer to praise, so that, we do not dwell on the problem but on the solution – thanking Him for the answer.

Praise releases the generosity of God. Think about your young children coming and telling you how wonderful and great you are. Our immediate response is usually, okay what do you want? We laugh, but if they are constantly praising us, we are apt to give them anything they desire. This is especially true of grandchildren.

God is the same. If we are continually praising and worshiping the Lord, telling him how much we love Him and how great He is, He is likely to give us anything we desire, sometimes even before we ask. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24 NASB). How great is that? Praise brings this to fulfillment in our lives. If we will spend more time in praise and worship, we will have a lot less to pray about.

Praise causes our enemies to flee before us. The enemy was coming against the people of God and Jehoshaphat was afraid and said, “we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NKJV). Have you ever been in a place where you were afraid, felt completely overwhelmed and had no idea as to what to do? That is exactly where they were. A good outline for this chapter might be: Prayer (2 Chronicles 20:5-12); Prophecy (2 Chronicles 20:14-18); Praise (2 Chronicles 20:19-22); Prosper (2 Chronicles 20:20); Prevail (2 Chronicles 20:22-25). It was when they set their hearts to praise and worship the Lord God, that He struck down the enemy from before them, without them lifting hand to fight. Their praise was not some mild, ritualistic worship service but they “stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice” (2 Chronicles 20:19 NASB). They praised Him with all their might, and as a result, God Himself fought for them and gave them complete victory.

When “Amalek fought against Israel at Rephidim” (Exodus 17:8 NASB), Moses sent Joshua out to fight for Israel, while he stood on the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. “It came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek. Moses built an altar and named it (Jehovah-Nissi) The LORD is My Banner” (Exodus 17:11, 13, 15 NASB). As long as Moses kept his hand lifted high in praise, Israel prevailed against the enemy. The same is true for us. If we will constantly praise and worship Him, God will cause us to prevail and the enemy will flea before us. Let’s lift up His banner high for all to see.

Note:- This articles was a great blessing to me while I was reading and meditating upon God's Word. I am posting this  article here with a purpose to encourage my friends to apply the truths of Praise and Worship in our daily lives.  This was written by  Pastor Gary Linton - With over 30 years of teaching, church planting and ministry experience, Gary Linton helps pastors, ministers and church leaders pursue their call to ministry. Pastor Linton is also available for seminars, leadership conferences and speaking engagements for churches both large and small.