Seven Enemies Of PRAISE

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Rev. Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:14] Be blessed. Father, thank you for the entrance of your word, gives light and brings understanding to the simple. Inoculate us with your word. Give us an exposure to you, to yourself through your word.

[0:27] In the name of Jesus Christ, we thank you. We give you praise. In Jesus' name. Amen. Seven enemies of praise.

[0:40] Seven enemies of praise. Hallelujah. Seven enemies of praise. Number one enemy of praise is memory and complaining.

[0:54] Memory and complaining. Why? Why should this happen to me? Why me? Why me? Why me? Why me? Why me? In 1 Corinthians 10, verse 10, Bible says that they murmured.

[1:07] They murmured and God was not pleased with them. 1 Corinthians 10, neither murmured ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer.

[1:18] When you murmured and were murmured. When you murmured, you expose yourself to destruction. You can't be praising God with murmured in your heart. Once you complain, you can't praise God. Anytime something goes wrong, thank God that he's with you.

[1:34] Instead of complaining. Instead of complaining. Why should this go like this? Why? God, look at it. There are people who come and they are singing. But in their heart, they are murmuring against God.

[1:44] Because they think they deserve better opportunities. They think that they should have gotten that job. They think that the money should have come through. They think that something, they should have been married by now.

[1:55] And so they come. And even though they say, God, I'm looking up to you. I'm really not happy with you. Memoring is an enemy of praise. And if you keep murmuring and complaining, there's no way your praise can be genuine.

[2:09] And if your praise cannot be genuine, you can't secure God's presence. And if his presence is no, you are doomed. Because the only safety for tomorrow is the presence of God. He said, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I have no fear, for thou art with me.

[2:22] It's the presence of God that guarantees your safety for tomorrow. Not your certificate. Not your account. Not your friends. Not your contacts. Not your job. Some of us think our job is good enough.

[2:33] It's not. Your job is not good enough. Your business is not big enough. God is bigger. Someone shout hallelujah. Number two enemy of praise is the spirit of heaviness.

[2:46] Let's all say that together. Say it again, please. The spirit of heaviness. In Isaiah chapter 61 verse 3, it says that to give us the spirit of joy.

[2:58] It said to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beautiful ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for what? The spirit of heaviness is the spirit.

[3:12] Heaviness is the spirit. You just feel, I don't know why, I feel so down. I feel so down. The devil likes it. As long as he can keep you down, there is no way God can really help you.

[3:26] As long as he can keep you down. That is why sometimes things happen in your life just to distract you and derail you. There are people who times come and they feel like, I'm even tired.

[3:37] I'm just tired of all this. I don't want to continue. It's the spirit of heaviness. Depression comes through the spirit of heaviness. And once you are depressed, you'll be oppressed. Depression is the highway of oppression.

[3:50] You cannot be oppressed until you are depressed. And so the spirit of, and Bible says that to appoint the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

[4:01] So when the spirit of heaviness is on you, you cannot praise God. That is why I said, enter his gates with gratitude, thanksgiving. Thank you that I'm alive. Stop the complaining.

[4:13] Thank God that you are alive. I don't have any, I don't have shoes. All my shoes are old. At least you have legs. Thank God for the legs. Thank God for the legs.

[4:23] Thank God for the legs. I don't have any food to eat. All I have in my house is a piece of small, small rice. And there's no steel, nothing. Thank God for the rice. Someone will praise God just for that rice.

[4:36] Just a handful of that rice. Thank God. And as you thank him, you tell him to take over. Heaviness will kill you. Have you realized heaviness is possible to all kinds of sicknesses?

[4:49] Heaviness kills you before your time. Heaviness. Heaviness. People, have you seen people who are at a certain age and you can't tell that's their age? But there are others who can be younger.

[5:01] And because of heaviness, they are not happy. They begin to grow age. They age so fast. Heaviness will make you age faster than normal.

[5:12] So that means that heaviness facilitates and accelerates your movement towards the grave. You are growing faster.

[5:23] So you are going faster. You are going quicker. Heaviness puts one of your legs on a banana peel and the other one in the grave. Now watch this. Joy is so important.

[5:34] Joy is what will take care of the heaviness. You can't praise God without joy. Joy. There are people who come to church and you are just dumb. Because the day has been bad.

[5:45] So you don't feel like it. You are dull. You don't have to feel. You just have to do. You're flowing it. Heaviness. The devil likes to target your joy.

[5:57] Can you imagine? God said, because you did not serve me with joyfulness and gladness of God. Deuteronomy 28 verse 47. Deuteronomy 28 verse 47.

[6:08] Look at it from the screen. He said, because you did not. Because you did not. Can you imagine? Because you did not serve the Lord your God with what? Joyfulness. See, happiness will take away the joyfulness.

[6:21] Joyfulness and gladness of God for what? For the abundance of all things. Joyfulness. He said, because of that, look at what happens. You become a victim in life. So many people, they are joining prayer lines.

[6:34] Receiving prayer upon prayer. But the problem is the heaviness that is operating in their life. It has 10 of God. That's why anytime we come to church, we normally start with singing. So that you can enter his game with thanksgiving.

[6:45] And express your joy. And then joy begins to well. When joy wells up, you can draw from God anything. When David sinned against God by going for someone's wife and marrying the woman.

[6:58] David, when he saw his sin in Psalm 51, he prayed. He said, take not away your Holy Spirit from me. And then in verse 12, he said, restore unto me the joy.

[7:09] He said, there is joy in serving God. There is joy. Spirit of heaven. He said, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. You are coming to church and your heart is bubbling.

[7:20] You are excited. But when you come to church, you are so doubted. Things have happened to you. The devil has put so much on your head. Sometimes when people are standing up singing, you just sit down.

[7:30] Because you can't be bothered. You are too tired and fed up in life. The devil is getting closer. He's keeping God away from you. David said, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. That's why he said, I was glad when he said unto me.

[7:41] He started to go to church. I can't wait to go to church. If you can't wait to leave church, there's a problem. Hallelujah. Number one is memory and complaining.

[7:52] Number two, spirit of heaven. Number three, discontentment. Discontentment. What you have is not enough for you. You are looking at your shoes. You compare with someone's shoes. So your own is not enough.

[8:03] At least you are married. You have a husband. You wish your husband was like that sister's husband. You see, that's the problem. That's the problem. Discontentment. You are not satisfied with what you have got.

[8:15] You always feel it should have been better. You are always comparing, looking. And so as long as you feel it's better over there and you should have been there, you should have been there instead of here.

[8:27] Can you imagine as old as certain people are? In this morning day, you are still lamenting that you were not born in a royal family. At your age, what can that do for you?

[8:37] Think about it. At your age, you keep hoping. I wish I was born in a royal family. I wish I was born in a royal family. I wish I was born an American.

[8:48] I wish I was born British. And so what? Be content. Be content. Thank God for your nose. Thank God for your hair. It does not matter.

[8:58] It may not be long. At least thank God for that hair. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Be content.

[9:11] 1 Timothy 6, verse 6. It says be content with such as you have. Because, say, but godliness with, but godliness with contentment is big game.

[9:23] You've got something. Godliness. Stop comparing. Why am I, why is it all my friends are married? I'm not married. And even look, that kind of job I'm doing, I could have done better.

[9:34] You see, there is, watch this. That's the truth. Someone will always be better than you in something. Yeah. And the truth also is, you are also better in something.

[9:47] So why do you leave the one you are better in and begin to concern, worry about what you are not better in than someone? Because someone will always be better than you. The richest man this year is not likely to be the richest man next year.

[10:03] Because someone will always be better. The richest man may not have a daughter. He has all the money, but not a daughter. Right. Or not sleep. Be content. Tell someone to be content.

[10:14] Be content. Lack of contentment is something that will push people to grave very fast. Graveyard. Very fast. But you see, you can't praise God when you are not content.

[10:28] Let Jesus, he said, my grace is sufficient for you. What a game. What a game are you looking for? And particularly, most of the time, when we talk about contentment or discontentment, it is always connected to material things.

[10:43] Material things. Yeah, I don't have a car. I don't have my own. My number plate is 08. 08. Someone say, hey.

[10:54] Hey. My number plate is 08. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. And so you begin to compare yourself to other people and it makes you discontented and you come to the house of God and you don't appreciate where you are.

[11:07] Right. Right. Right. You can't appreciate because materialism is dwarfing you. It's drowning you. You are being drowned in the need to have, the need to have, the need to have.

[11:17] Whilst having Christ means everything to you. Oh, yeah. Having Christ should mean everything. Having Christ should mean everything. Yes. Shout hallelujah. Hallelujah. So, discontentment is a poison.

[11:31] It is an enemy to praise. Proverbs chapter 30 verse 15 says that the horse leech has two daughters crying. Give. Give. There are three things that are never satisfied.

[11:45] Yeah. Four things. Say not. It is enough. What's the next verse? What was the first one? Grieve. Grieve. When you are not satisfied, you are heading towards the grave.

[11:57] Lack of contentment exposes you to barrenness. Be content. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5, I think so. Yeah. Hebrews 13 verse 5. Very, very interesting text.

[12:08] It says that let your conversation be without what? Convertuousness. Do you know what covetousness is? We see something that belongs to someone and you like it. You want that one.

[12:19] And I want this one. I want like Michael Jackson in the shop. I want this. I want this. I want this. Every time you want something that belongs to others. Unless you don't see a sister with another shoe.

[12:30] You will ask her, where did you buy this shoe? I will go and get this one too. So you have made yourself a competition guru. That's why you are struggling.

[12:42] One of the things that have really helped me personally in life, when you are content and you are serving God, then you have great gain. Gain becomes your portion in life. In the name of Jesus.

[12:53] In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. So number one, memory and complaining. Number two, spirit of heaviness. Number three, discontentment. Number four, holding on to the past. It will stop your praise.

[13:06] Holding on to the past. Going forward barrier. Holding on to the past. Looking at the past. Paul said, one thing I do, forget about the things that they are.

[13:16] Holding on to the past. Every time, if I had done it, it would have been like this. Or this one. Sometimes pain, unforgiveness and all that. But God said, I know the plans that I have for you.

[13:28] Hallelujah. So live a life that trusts God's provision for you tomorrow. That trusts God.

[13:39] So, holding on to the past will strip you of your praise. It's an enemy of praise. Look at how it says in Ecclesiastes.

[13:51] Look at this text. I think Ecclesiastes chapter 7. I should remember. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 9. Verse 9 and 10. This is a very interesting text. I think. Ecclesiastes.

[14:03] Oh God. Thank you, Jesus. You are the object of our worship. You alone matters. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 9.

[14:15] Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry. For anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say. Watch this. This is a serious one. Do not say.

[14:26] Why were the former days better than this? For you do not. For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. When you begin to think about. Ah, yesterday was better.

[14:37] Egypt. When they left Egypt. They think Egypt was better. Things could have been. Those days were. The garlic in Egypt. Better than now. See. When you begin to keep looking to the past.

[14:49] Keep looking. There is. Almost everything God created moves forward. That's why your legs. Look at the way they point. They move forward. You're supposed to move forward. When I was going.

[15:00] There's only one insect I knew. It moves backwards. It doesn't move forward. We are praising God. And you are thinking. What happened the other time? You are praising God. You are always looking. How many of us have sat in a.

[15:12] If you sit in a bus. And the driver is only looking at the mirror. You have to get down. Because why? You are heading for a crash. If you move forward looking backwards.

[15:25] You are heading for what? A crash. Don't look. Don't be. Sometimes just good to look. At the past. And just compare it. And make wise decisions.

[15:36] But you don't go forward. Focusing on the past. And so if you hold on to the past. Hold on to someone did this. Why did this person did this to me? Why did this? Someone should have given me this.

[15:48] Someone should have done this. The past will hold you captive. And hostage. But I see someone's going free. Praising God.

[15:59] Because you are a free man. Someone say I'm free. I'm free. Shout I'm free. I'm free. Okay so number five. Number one. Memorizing and complaining. Number two. Spirit of heaviness.

[16:09] Number three. Number four. Number five. Being offended in God. It's an enemy of praise. It will poison your praise. How many of you have an idea what I'm talking about?

[16:23] Some of you don't know. You can be offended in God. Bad. To understand that you don't understand this. Good. Why? I'm really upset. Listen.

[16:38] Judge God always right. In spite of what you have been through. What you are going through. Why? It shouldn't have been you. It shouldn't have been that. It's it. Judge God always right.

[16:50] Can you imagine? You give all your savings as author of sacrifice. And right after the week before.

[17:03] The week after that. You lost your job. And now they are kicking you out of your house. And you went to pray. Not at that time people come and pray. They put it in the box. Expecting that now.

[17:13] Now that I put it in the box. It will change. It's sorted. And just be thankful to God. Right. Do not complain. Do not complain. And and and as as you come before God.

[17:28] You have to be very careful. So that you be you don't end up complaining and become offended. You see you can always have a chance to be offended in God.

[17:39] Do you know what? John the Baptist. The Bible didn't say it. There was no prophecy that said John the Baptist should lose his head. But when you study that text very carefully. Should I take you to it a little bit and show you?

[17:50] In Matthew. Matthew chapter 11. 11. Matthew chapter 11 verse 2 and verse 3. See what it says. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ.

[18:03] What did he do? Where was he? Where was he? He was the one who introduced Jesus. I said this is the man. I gave him opportunities.

[18:15] I gave him a platform in life. I launched him up. I connected him. I referred. I wrote his CV for him. I did it for him.

[18:28] When he came. I was the one who hosted him. He was sleeping in my house. For three years. He was eating free. Drinking free. Using the loo free.

[18:39] He was sleeping free. You live in my house. No electricity. No pay anything. And I took care of him. And because. Because I used my position.

[18:50] My influence. To open the door for him. Now. I ended up now in prison. And this man has forgotten about me. John the Baptist said. Hey Jesus. Hey. So when he heard about that.

[19:01] The works of Jesus. He sent two disciples forward. Go ahead. Look at the next verse. No. This is the man. Okay. What did he say? Oh. She will look for another one.

[19:12] No. Someone say. Ow. Ow. No. This is the man. In John chapter 1. Verse 29. When he saw Jesus coming.

[19:23] John 1. 29. Do you know what he said? He said. The next day. John saw Jesus coming towards him. And he said. Behold the Lamb of God. Who takes away the sin? Hey.

[19:33] The same man. The same man. Prison has not changed his mentality. The same John. Yes. Oh no. The same John.

[19:44] Because of prison. Now he said. Jesus. Are you the one to come. Or you should expect another one? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is this the same God.

[19:55] Who told me? Is this the same God. Who spoke to me? Yes. Is this the same God. Who blessed me with that job? Is this the same God. Who gave me that husband? Is this the same God.

[20:05] Who gave me that wife? Is this the same God. Who gave me that child? And now look at this child. Oh.

[20:16] Oh. Oh. Now. So they went to ask Jesus. Are you the one. It's very interesting. No. Watch this. When Dr. Baptist was baptizing Jesus, the Bible said heaven was open. And the dove, the Holy Ghost descended like a dove in a bodily form.

[20:32] He was a witness. And a voice came from heaven. Now when this guy ended up in prison, he sent disciples. Because Jesus didn't come to visit him in prison.

[20:46] Or maybe Jesus didn't do what he was expecting. So he said, are you really the one? Pastor, are you really my pastor? Because when I was sick, he used to visit me.

[21:00] Nowadays I don't hear from you again. Even my birthday, not your phone call. Pastor, are you really my pastor? Oh, how is you look for?

[21:12] I don't know why. Can my pastor do this to me? When I was hungry, he didn't give me any money to buy food. Pastor, are you really? Are you really?

[21:23] Now I want to see you. I have to call the office and book appointment. Hey! Pastor! Are you really the one? See Jesus' answer.

[21:35] When they went to ask, look at verse 6. Look at verse 6. Let's, I think it would be nice if we all read it together. This is what Jesus said though. Go to verse 5, so that we can at least make sure we are following the text.

[21:45] So, okay, let's go to pick it from verse 4. So, Jesus answered and said to them, go and tell John the things which you hear and see. What did he see?

[21:55] He said, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Go to the next verse. Blessed is the one.

[22:07] Offense. Offense. Offense made him lose his heart. He should have lived longer. But he was in prison, he was complaining, he was offended in God.

[22:22] Why? God, why? I'm upset, I'm upset. Please, choose to be on the other side. Don't choose to stay and say, God is wrong.

[22:33] God, this time, he didn't do well. God, this time, I will tell you, he didn't do well. Is someone ready to praise God? So these five things, the last two is virtually the same, Holy Spirit.

[22:48] Because the Holy Spirit is the one who glorifies Jesus. If you don't open up your spirit to the Holy Spirit, your praise will not be genuine. You can't really praise well. It's the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that, Jesus said, when the Spirit of God comes, when the Spirit of God comes, he will glorify me.

[23:01] All right? And then, the last one is virtually the same, besides the singing in the spirit, in the spirit. He said, 1 Corinthians 14, verse 15, he said, I will sing with my spirit and I will sing with my understanding.

[23:14] Or when you sing with your spirit, you hit another realm. I will sing with my spirit. So if you fail to sing with your spirit, if you fail to engage your spirit in the Holy Spirit, guess what?

[23:26] It becomes an enemy to your praise. I don't know who God is speaking to, but your time has come for a change. Listen, praise God, watch this, praise God for your status, and he will deliver the status he has for you into your hands.

[23:46] Don't complain about your status, that I am this, I'm not healthy, I am sick, I don't have money, I am that, I am that. Just praise God for his faithfulness.

[23:57] My book says, Abraham judged God faithful. We thank God for using the servant, Reverend Dr. David Entry, to share this awesome word. If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it and send us an email to amen at caris.org.

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