Hey friends!

Most of you probably have seen Kris’ announcement on her channel @ThinMint on March 8th. We indeed are starting a new series, today! We’re excited for you to join us in this topic of Praise and Worship.

We are calling it, The Harp and The Horn. A symbolic representation of the power of Praise and Worship.

Thanks for being here with us!
Oh, and before I forget, this series will continue on March 30th over @ThinMint, and I will repost it here as well.
You don’t want to miss it.

May you be blessed.

—Paula
@CallToBattle Telegram

The Harp and The Horn
Discovering the Power of Praise and Worship

When you think of worshipping the Lord what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Hands raised singing loud praises to the Lord?

On your knees giving thanks to the Lord?

Crying out to the Lord in reverence and humility?

Shouting and jumping uninhibited unto the Lord in joy?

Praying and supplication to the Lord?

Sacrificing your time in the community before the Lord?

Lamenting or calling out before the Lord?

Praising God amidst suffering?

A weapon used to combat the enemies assaults?

Obedience to the Lord’s commands?

Yielding and submitting to God’s will?

Surrendering your heart to God?

What if I told you all of the above are forms of worship and praise to the Lord.

Worship isn’t just Sunday morning church band and the congregation singing praise songs.

It is so much more.

You will never look at worship the same way again.

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What exactly is praise and worship?

We may tend to think of praise and worship as synonyms … it’s hard to praise the Lord without worship and vice versa. They are both connected as an expression of honor and glory towards God.

You praised the Lord, and sang songs in church, and gave thanks. It is something we Christians do because we believe God alone is worthy of both. And it feels good to praise and worship the Lord.

I never really gave much thought about what it really means to praise and worship our Lord. The power it holds to change the atmosphere is beyond comprehension. It boils down to the connection we have with God.

Why do we do it?
What is the difference between the two?

These are two simple questions that we will cover today and also the meaning of praise and worshipping the Lord and why.

Praise: Is given for what God has done. It is a joyful recounting of what He has done and is doing for us in our lives and others.

Worship: Is given for who He is. It comes from deep within our spirit. It is reserved for God alone.

And, yes the two can overlap with thanksgiving and gratitude. It all goes hand in hand.

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But there is something more….check this out!

It carries power.
It causes breakthroughs.
It brings peace in our souls.
It encourages us.
It strengthens us.
It displaces fear.
It builds our faith.
It is a weapon of warfare.
It bears our hearts open towards God.
It releases burdens, and cause to surrender to the will of God.
It acknowledges His goodness.
It expresses gratitude.
It demonstrates our adoration to God.
It moves heaven.
It transforms you.
It reflects our obedience to the Lord.
It is a willful response to who God is and what He has done.
It is a response to His deep love for us.
It declares His righteousness, faithfulness, and goodness.
It honors God.

No one can argue that praise and worship isn’t transformative.

The true definition of worship in the English dictionary: the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. Hebrew worship means: worship, bend, prostrate oneself, adore.

Worship is at the heart of God’s desire for us—to come together and celebrate all He has done. The Bible is filled with commands to gather and give thanks for His blessings.

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Given everything He’s done for us, worship is our way of acknowledging His goodness and expressing our gratitude.

Worship isn’t just about singing hymns or following rituals. It’s about a heart posture that acknowledges God’s sovereignty and a response of humble surrender.

We worship God not only with our voices but with our actions, decisions, and obedience as we offer ourselves to Him.

We worship not because of what God has done but because of who God is. Whether through sacrifice, song, prayer, or physical expression, biblical worship always places God at the center.

Look at this example in Psalm 95:

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. …
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. … Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7

Why do we worship? Because He alone is worthy. Revelation 4:11 tells us why.

““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.””
Revelation 4:11

Our worship and praise is a response to His love and the countless ways He has blessed us. As Psalm 40:9-10 reminds us:

I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, Lord, as you know. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.

David’s words underscore that worship is not just a personal experience but a communal one.

It is a time for God’s people to come together and openly declare His righteousness, faithfulness, and love. We gather to share these truths because they are too big to keep to ourselves. I just love that!

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When we come together praising God, we’re reminded that our collective identity is rooted in what God has done, not in our own achievements.

Worship allows us to be vulnerable and united, showing that we are not alone in this journey.

This is why you cannot be a Christian and walk alone in life without other fellow believers. We need each other, because God specifically designed it this way. He is about relationships. It is a reflection of His creation communing with Him.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25

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How do we worship Him?

Colossians 3:15-17 tells us.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

It’s easy to praise God when only blessings show up at your door. But what about the times when things in life are not ideal, or when disappointments come knocking? It’s like being a fair-weather Christian. How does that build your faith in God if everything goes perfectly your way? It doesn’t. You end up weak in your faith and knocked over each time a little storm comes through.

Compared to worship, which can be harder only because when we are in the midst of hardship and disappoints we begin to question God’s goodness, and start to believe He has forgotten us. It takes a humbled and surrendered heart to worship God even when things look like they are going in the opposite direction.

Worship is often tied to covenant faithfulness, obedience, sacrifice, and honoring God as holy. We give up our self and acknowledge who God is despite the setbacks, and disappointments.

We posture our surrendered hearts to Him alone during the most difficult times in our life. Most of all we are acknowledging God and His will for us, even when we are suffering. We see examples of this in the Book of Job, and in Psalms when David was hiding from his enemies.

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When we praise the Lord, you are acknowledging the mighty works the Lord has done, and is doing. You recognize that the Lord God can do what you cannot do in your own strength. It also tends to be public, you want to tell everybody what God has done. This is why testimonies are so important.

Praise has a way of keeping self pride at bay. We know only God can do the impossible. When one has walked with God for any length of time, you have to admit, you’ll be able to recall many times when God did something so unbelievable you just had to shout a praise to Him and share with others.

When we live in surrender and reverence to God, praise naturally flows, and worship becomes the foundation that allows us to lead lives that reflect and honor God.

Prayer of Praise:
Lord Jesus, I praise You that You are my light and my salvation. I praise You that when I feel afraid, You invite me to bring all my fear to your feet. Thank You that the darkness of my circumstances cannot overwhelm the light of Your glorious presence. I worship You as the Light that shines in the darkness. I praise You, that You are also my stronghold and safe place and that I can continually run to You. Even now, in this fearful time, Your presence surrounds me. I praise You for the confidence and courage that rises within me as I faithfully worship You. Lord God, You alone are worthy of all my praise.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:1-3

Did you all know God instituted rock bands?
Yeah, that’s right! Psalm 150 proves it.

Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

Testimony Tuesday

I am a creature of habit, yes sometimes good and bad habits if I am being honest. But today I want to talk about one habit that I look forward to every night.

Being an early riser, I find myself going to bed early. Part of my routine prior to bedtime is making sure the animals (my one cat, two if I’m cat sitting for my daughter) are fed, house is locked, and the door to garage is locked as well. I press my key fob to make sure my car is locked, and finally turn the furnace way down. I do a perimeter check before I head upstairs.

This all usually begins about 8:30 PM. I’m usually in bed by nine.
That’s when I grab my Bible on the nightstand. I open it to Psalms 91 and 121. I read them out loud because I want to speak these verses over myself and my family and I want to have those two verses so ingrained in my memory that I can quote any random single verse within them at any moment—well, that’s my goal. I almost have them memorized verbatim. So close.

One thing I’ve noticed since doing this habit, is that when I pick up my Bible to read the two chapters, I often fall asleep almost immediately. I’ve dozed off right in the middle of those Psalms, and yes I won’t even make it to the end of Psalm 91, let alone Psalm 121.

I used to feel guilty about this until I heard from a Pastor saying you should never feel guilty about falling asleep while reading your Bible at bedtime. He said something that changed my perspective…

“What father wouldn’t want their child to fall asleep in his arms while reading a story to them?”

After hearing that, it freed me. Now when I do my routine at night reading my Bible, I imagine climbing into Papa’s lap with Him holding me in His arms. This time He is reading Psalms to me as I sleep.

He covers me, literally. Even though I go around my house making sure it is safe and secure, I feel more at peace knowing I am covered under His Wings.

I’m not exactly sure why I shared this because it has nothing to do with today’s testimony video other than the fact it reminded me of it because the video mentions the protection of Psalm 91. In any case, when we speak the Word of God over ourselves and family it carries the presence of God’s protection.

And apparently here is proof that even carrying a Bible can offer protection.

“He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
Psalms 91:4

'A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. '
Psalm 91:7

This little girl just encountered angels from the throne room of God! Her description sounded familiar; she described the angels described in Revelations 4, and Ezekiel 10.
Her prayer is amazing! I got the chills!👇

The following testimony was shared with me by our friend Gail.
Most of you know Gail here, and over at ThinMint.

She received permission to share this testimony from a friend of hers. Gail previously had asked for prayers for her friend’s husband Tony.

This testimony reminds me that we need to keep speaking life over our loved ones, no matter what. We serve a mighty God who is in the business of miracles.

The following letter is written to Father Byerley, her pastor.

Father Byerley,
I told you on Sunday that I wanted to share my husband's Heaven story with you. He (Tony) was admitted thru ER on Wed 02/25, told he needed gallbladder removal. It was a 12 hour wait for surgery. Tony coded on the table as they began the routine surgery, when they introduced the CO2 gas into his abdomen. He is a healthy 63 year old, active, on no meds with no medical conditions to speak of.

When I got to my husband he was intubated and in ICU. Heavily medicated, not responsive. I was told by the surgeon as he walked me to Tony's room, "He is fine. It is just a precaution." I felt the medical professionals wanted me out of the way, sitting off to the side, not being in their line of work when I got to the room.

I don't know why, but I did not do that. Something strong was moving me - on reflection, I can tell you it was my faith. That night, and through this whole experience, my faith was as strong as our God. I felt mighty and confident in my helplessness and fear.

I never left Tony's side and never stopped speaking and praising our Lord to him. I spoke of God, I spoke to God and praised the greatness of our Lord for hours that evening. I was like a preacher. I probably looked like a crazy person.

My husband opened his eyes one time and tears came out. He squeezed my hand that one time and that was the most I got from him. I was not deterred. I loved on God, I praised His wonder and power. I said to everyone, "Let me tell you about my Jesus." And I told God to use me to proclaim Him and His name.

I told my husband not to speak to our loved ones who have crossed over. I told our loved ones not to speak to Tony. I told Tony only our Lord determines our time, and that the House of Many Rooms was not prepared for him yet. I pinched him, squeezed him, tapped him, massaged him and smacked him as I was speaking. I never stopped talking or touching him.

I won't belabor the details of the four days in ICU. I will tell you the breathing tube came out the evening of the day it went it and when Tony awoke the next morning, weak, hoarse and barely able to speak, I asked him, "Do you remember anything."

This is what Tony told me:

"I remember white, it was bright. Like white light. It was weird - I saw off to my left were tables, and there were men at the tables. I couldn't move and I couldn't speak. Then I heard your voice."

Tony fell off to sleep and I went into the hallway and fell to my knees. I was sobbing - part from fear, part from exhaustion and part from sheer joy knowing our God is real. Lord of Lord, King of Kings, on the throne watching over us. The decider of all fates, forever aware of who we are and our needs. He loves us so.

A janitor was outside of the room, he said to me, "Ma'am, I heard what your husband said." He was comforting me, he was a believer. I told him: "Don't let anyone tell you Heaven is not real. Don't let anyone tell you there is no God. Don't let anyone speak ill of our Lord or tell you He is not Great or the worker of miracles."

Here is her original letter.

Testimony Tuesday

This week’s testimony will be an extension of the Praise and Worship devotional that Kris and I have been featuring.

I sense the Lord wanted me to share an aspect of worship that is not commonly known or viewed as a form of worship. Per the dictionary; lamenting; laments: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret.

You might think that lamenting is just complaining but the two are very different in my opinion. (And, yes there may be some overtones of complaining in those laments)

For instance in the Book of Job you will observe a deep intimate conversation between Job and God. I find it very interesting because all that Job suffered he still spoke to God. He still went before Him. He still worshipped God in his pain.

Job trusted God even when his life fell apart, even when Job didn’t know the ‘why’ about his affliction he still honored God. And God saw every tear, every prayer, every moment of endurance.

You’ll also see that with David throughout the Psalms.

Lamenting is different from complaining, because it is done in relationship, knowing that God is there and hears you, and that there is still hope within that lamenting anger and sadness because you are turning it toward God, and yet you still have hope in God, you still believe. You can question God and ask ‘why me?’, but in the end you still turn to Him.

Complaining on the other hand is SELF. It’s all about you. You’re inconvenienced, and bothered, and nothing is working out the way you believe it should go. It’s always negative. And most of the time there is someone or something else to blame. But even in our complaining, sometimes God shows up because He is that good to us especially when we don’t deserve it. That’s grace!

But when we lament to the Lord about an unfavorable condition we are speaking to God Himself. We may not always understand the why about most of the events that surround us, but we still go to Him. This pleases God.

This is still considered worship because we are directing our emotions towards Him. We are acknowledging the fact that God is worthy enough so much so that we continue to seek Him for answers.

When we choose to look toward heaven, and present ourselves, our emotions, our anger even, we are still honoring God. This is a form of worship. He cares deeply when you are frustrated, hurting or angry. Just take it to Him, thank Him and praise Him for all He has done!


'Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.'
Job 1:20-22

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
Job 13:15

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Psalm 42:11

This first video is of a man having what he thought was going to be a disastrous day, ended up being humbled by God. What started out as complaining ended up a huge miracle he didn’t deserve…but God!

The second video is about the comparison of David’s lamenting and worshiping the Lord.

The third video is one I’ve posted before a long while ago but bears repeating.