If someone told you praising God was a key to receiving increased blessings in your life, would you begin to praise God consistently on a continual basis?

I think all of us would, and yet that is exactly what the Bible tells us. For one thing, the Bible says God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3).

Therefore, if you get God on the scene, no matter what you're going through, you'll have the power of God manifested in your life. Wherever the praises of God abound, God's Presence abounds - and joy and victory.

Praise is a key to receiving increased blessings poured out in our lives. I'm not suggesting that praise is a way to manipulate God into giving us what we want in life. Praise is not a method of flattering God so He will give us what we want.

But praise is a lifestyle, demonstrating your continual trust in your Heavenly Father. Because you trust God, you believe that what He promised you, He is also able to perform, and you praise Him for it (Rom. 4:21; Heb. 10:23).

Praising God regardless of circumstances that come our way is God's means of bringing us increase in every area of our lives. In praising God for His goodness, we demonstrate our trust in Him.

Sincere praise flows out of a relationship of trust in God, and wholehearted praise produces fruitfulness in our lives.

Also, we see in Second Chronicles 20:1-25 that praise is an offensive weapon against the enemy when Satan tries to come against our lives. Praise also puts us in a position to receive from God all He has for us because praise is an expression of faith. Praise is the language of faith!

I am convinced that as we spend quality time fellowshipping with God and praising Him just for who He is, we will find we have more answers to our prayers with less struggle and effort! I'm also convinced if we would spend more time praising God, we would spend less time praying over and over again about the same situations in our lives.

Think about it: As long as we're praying in line with God's Word, we know God hears us because that's what the Word says. And the Bible also assures us that if we know God hears us, then we know we have the petition we desire of Him (1 John 5:14,15). And if we know God hears our petition, all we need to do is praise Him for the answer!

You can actually hinder your faith by praying over and over again about the same situation in an attitude of doubt and unbelief, as if God did not hear you the first time. Stay in faith when you pray! Praise helps to keep you in faith.

I believe if we live a life of praise to God, God will increase our prayer "fruit" - our answers to prayer. God is able to increase our results in prayer because praising God for the answer before we see it is faith in action (Heb. 11:1). Faith is what moves God (Heb. 11:6)! Therefore, living a life of praise is really living a life of faith!

Source: The Untapped Power in Praise by Kenneth Hagin Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications