Joy and praise together release strength on the inside of you and power on the outside. Psalm 22:3 says God inhabits our praises. When God’s presence begins to come into our midst, our enemies fall back. They can’t stand the presence of God.

Psalm 68:1-3 says, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.”

Now, that’s power! When God’s people rise up in praise and worship and celebrate the victories of God, His enemies are scattered.

No wonder Satan has tried so hard to get God’s people to sit still. No wonder he has bound us up with traditions that taught us to sit back in “dignified” silence. For most of us, our traditions have taught us not to do the very things the Bible says we are to do when we worship and praise.

But tradition’s day is over. I’m telling you, when the Spirit begins to move, inhibition has to flee. The Bible says, “And they…shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine…” (Zechariah 10:7).

You know what happens when people drink wine—they lose their inhibitions! That’s what happened to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. They had been hiding out only a few days before, but when the Holy Ghost came upon them, suddenly they were on the streets acting so wild, everyone thought they had been drinking.

What God considers “dignified” and what you consider dignified are two different things. God wants you free. He doesn’t want you bound up with traditions or fear of what other people might think.

He wants you to be free to laugh. He wants you to be free to leap and praise and sing. He wants you to be free to rejoice. He wants you so free that other people won’t understand it—they’ll just want it!

Speak the Word

I sing praises to the Name of the Lord. When my enemies are turned back, they fall and perish at the Lord’s presence. (Psalm 9:2-3)