Vow of Praise || Pastor Jason Sharp

Praise is presented as a deliberate vow, not a mood. From Zion—the gathered people of God—praise is “the fruit of our lips,” offered by our own will, and kept continually. This vow is warfare. It confronts the stubborn human will by choosing submission—to God and to godly leadership—and by practicing thanksgiving when emotions and circumstances resist. Praise is a decision that refuses to let the moment dictate honor to the Lord; it is a steady covenant that outlasts good days and bad days, because God’s worth does not fluctuate.

Spiritual warfare is primarily a battle of the mind. Thoughts, imaginations, and proud arguments must be brought captive to Christ. That means guarding the gates—homes, devices, habits—because the enemy often comes as “an angel of light.” Accountability, honesty, and confession are not shame; they are protection. The spirit of heaviness is traded for a garment of praise, and if the garment is removed, heaviness returns. So the discipline of thanksgiving becomes oxygen for the soul in oppressive nights.

Praise also opens the field for God’s action. Jehoshaphat’s singers disarmed an army by worship. Jonah’s vow made a fish release him. Paul and Silas filled a midnight cell with songs until an earthquake shattered chains. Practically, this looks like worship that is heard, not hidden; confession that agrees with God—“Amen”—until the mouth pulls the heart into faith. God inhabits praise; angels are not bored when saints bless the Lord.

Giving is warfare, too. Tithes are returned, not paid, because they were God’s before they were ours. Offerings are free-will acts that reveal who we truly trust—God or mammon. Malachi promises both open windows and a rebuked devourer; generosity is not philanthropy detached from Scripture but faith enacted within it. The result is provision for God’s house and protection for God’s people. This is not passivity; labor and faith walk together.

The call is clear: make a vow of continual praise and generous obedience. Guard the mind, the home, and the mouth. Confess Christ, agree with the Word, and step into visible thanksgiving. Expect God to shake prisons, confuse enemies, rebuke devourers, and lead into a prepared future as the people move in praise, prayer, giving, and unity.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Praise is a deliberate vow. Praise is not a feeling but a chosen covenant that stands when emotions fade and circumstances darken. Vows anchor the soul so that thanksgiving continues in midnight hours, not just in bright mornings. When praise becomes non-negotiable, the will bows and God is enthroned. This posture changes the atmosphere and invites divine action. [63:27]
• 2. Spiritual warfare begins in the mind. The fiercest battle is fought in thoughts, imaginations, and knowledge that resists God. Taking every thought captive requires guardrails, accountability, and honest confession that shuts the door to disguised darkness. Victory is not vague; it is concrete habits of submission that free the mind to obey Christ. [56:12]
• 3. Praise releases angelic intervention. Worship confuses the enemy and mobilizes heaven. When saints sing, God sets ambushments; chains fall, doors open, and fear loses its voice. Angels love specific faith and active praise because it gives them real work to do in the will of God. [75:18]
• 4. Giving is spiritual warfare too. Returning tithes and offering free-will gifts breaks mammon’s grip and places finances under God’s rule. Scripture ties generosity to both pouring out and protection—open windows and a rebuked devourer. This is not charity on our terms but obedience on God’s terms, which funds the mission and shields the house. [91:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [43:12] - Anticipation and call to praise
• [47:21] - Discipleship, submission, and influence
• [50:01] - Vow of praise in Zion
• [53:10] - Sacrifice of praise continually
• [55:57] - Spiritual warfare of the mind
• [59:00] - Guarding homes, tech, and gates
• [66:48] - Praise that confuses the enemy
• [70:43] - Jonah, Paul & Silas: vows and deliverance
• [76:52] - Garment of praise vs. heaviness
• [82:01] - Tithing, offerings, and faith-filled giving
• [86:49] - Returning what belongs to God
• [101:29] - Confession and the power of “Amen”
• [114:45] - High praises and the two-edged sword
• [120:24] - Activate thanksgiving: step into the aisle

1. In Psalm 65:1, what is “waiting” in Zion, and what is to be “performed”? How do those two words show action happening in God’s house?
2. In Psalm 65:2-4, list the sequence you see: hearing prayer, purging transgressions, dwelling in God’s courts, being satisfied with the goodness of His house. What does that order reveal about how God welcomes people?
3. “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually… the fruit of our lips” [53:10]. What makes praise a “sacrifice,” and what specific part of the body is involved?
4. “Casting down imaginations… bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” [56:23]. What actions are named here, and where is the battle located?

1. If praise is a vow that is performed in Zion (Psalm 65:1), what does that imply about the difference between praise as a feeling and praise as covenant loyalty?
2. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal… bringing into captivity every thought” [56:23]. How does taking thoughts captive change what a person chooses to say with their mouth in hard moments?
3. “They began to praise the Lord… and the Lord sent ambushments” [01:06:48]. Why might worship confuse the enemy, and how should this shape expectations when a group praises God together?
4. “You gotta return them… which implies He owned it before we got it” [01:26:49]. How does viewing tithes as returning, not paying, reframe both trust and spiritual warfare over money?

1. Write your vow of praise. Using the language of Psalm 65:1, what exact words will you speak to “perform” your vow each day this week (morning, commute, bedtime)? Where will you keep it visible so you don’t forget?
2. When feelings are flat or circumstances are dark, what will you actually say out loud to offer “the fruit of [your] lips” and keep it continual? Choose two short sentences of thanksgiving you will speak this week [53:10].
3. What gate needs guarding at your house or on your devices? Identify one safeguard you will install and one person you will invite for accountability this week [59:00].
4. Where have you been wearing heaviness? Name one setting (car, shower, hallway) where you will put on your “garment of praise” by singing or speaking thanks for three minutes, even if you don’t feel like it [01:16:52].
5. Make your praise heard. In one place where you normally stay quiet, when will you praise out loud so that “the prisoners heard them” (e.g., kitchen, work commute, evening walk)? [01:11:05].
6. Put money under God’s rule. If tithes are returned and offerings are free‑will, what exact first step will you take this pay period—automate a tithe, set an offering amount, or ask God for a specific giving number? [01:26:49].
7. Aim your praise at a battle. Name one situation that feels like a prison or an army against you. What specific sentence of praise and promise will you speak over it daily, expecting God to act and angels to work? [01:15:18].