Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment—this honor have all His saints. (Psalm 149:6-9 NKJV)
What a strange image this conjures up, people of faith singing loudly… in bed? Praising God and then swinging a two-edged sword to execute vengeance on nations and punish people? What an odd combination of ideas, and yet when you really know God, it makes perfect sense. God’s promise is that we who are saved and belong to Him (His saints) are given this honor. We have authority to bring vengeance and punishment, not against fleshly nations and peoples, but against the demonic powers and kingdoms that unjustly rule in this world.
Jesus says that the devil is the prince of this world, and has set up a rogue kingdom to impose his dominion over any who live in sin. But Jesus’ death on the cross, destroyed that power. We can now live in freedom if we do three things. Become born of God (saints), be joyful and praise Him always (even in our beds), and be warriors who fight with the double-edged sword of the Word of God (read Hebrews 4:12 to find out more). We have the honor to be joyful and full of praise, and at the same time to be instruments in God’s hands to destroy the dominion the devil has in our own lives and in the lives of others.
There are demonic principalities that try their best to rule over you, even though you have given your life to God. They know that if they can fool you into believing that they are stronger than you, they’ll be unhindered. In Ephesians 6, God commands us to put on His armor and go into battle. That’s our job. We fight, but the victory is always His. You have power to rebuke, to stand firm, to cast out demons and to determine miracles based on His promises. All the while, we are to have joy and songs of praise on our lips.
Praising God in the middle of problems is as powerful as rebuking the devil. In fact, the two of them combined is an unbeatable force. It goes against our nature to be joyful during struggles, and it’s a weapon that few actually use. Begin praising God in advance before the miracles happen. Praise God for the waiting period because you know He’s perfecting your faith. Praise Him for the people who irritate you because He wants to use you to impact their lives in a positive way. Praise Him the first thing you do when you wake up, and lying in your bed before you fall asleep. Praise Him for the authority He has given you over all evil and that your victory is sure. Fight, praise, and enjoy this honor that He has given us all.
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