“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:1)

As I read this verse this morning a new thought came into my mind. It was about the place of praise and worship in intercession.

This scripture seems to be saying that when you are barren spiritually, then burst out in praise or song and watch the multiplication that will take place.

Indeed praising and worshiping God in the face of oppression and obstacles has a way of birthing something new in the spirit.

I remember in the early days of revival at Kinburn there was an oppression that would come over the atmosphere of worship.  It was difficult to sing and praise the Lord.

Many times as you worshiped there would come an accusatory spirit that would place the blame of lack of worship upon other people in the congregation.  Some of the leaders would even stop the worship and rebuke the people for not worshiping.  There was often a spirit of hate and anger that would manifest during these times, which only led to more barrenness.

In this barren and desolate place I have to admit there were times that it was so hard to worship the Lord.  I began to cry out to God and ask him what to do.

Two of us went for prayer during one service when the spirit was particularly oppressive and we both heard “worship in the face of the enemy.”

Further revelation has come to me during the years since I first heard this statement.  If you remember in the Old Testament it says, “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever (2 Chronicles 20:21).”

I want you to think about this picture for a moment.  Here are the armies arrayed against each other and Israel is sending a choir into the face of the enemy singing about how God’s love endures forever.  It is such a picture of lack of concern of what the enemy is doing.  They are just worshiping the Lord despite the obvious peril in front of them.

The next thing you know ^“as they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated (vs. 22).”

At Kinburn when we learned to worship in the face of the enemy, the atmosphere would shift and God’s presence would flood.  The spirit of hate was overcome by a spirit of joy, peace and love; by the very presence of God.

We learned that through praise we were helping to establish an atmosphere for the very presence of God to come and defeat the enemy in many lives.  We learned to worship until the atmosphere in the room was free from oppression and until the Holy Spirit came. Then as we prayed many healings and deliverances would take place.

In the same way you can shift the atmosphere and the enemy can be defeated in many places including in your homes, schools, jobs or wherever you may find yourself.

Praising in the face of the enemy is one of the most powerful spiritual warfare tools you can use on the road to fulfilling your destiny.

Have you experienced victory through worship in the face of the enemy? Please share your stories with the rest of your DWOD family.