Freedom in Praise and Worship Part 2 with Pr. Paul Hohman

Freedom in Praise Overview

In this powerful continuation of his two-part series, Pastor Paul Hohman of NTC Ministries explores what it truly means to experience freedom through praise and worship. Drawing from James 4:8-10, Psalms 22:3-4, Ephesians 6:10-13, Zephaniah 3:14-17, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, Isaiah 61:1-3, and Jeremiah 29:11-13, Pastor Paul builds a compelling biblical case that worship is not merely a religious exercise but a transformative act of drawing near to God. He addresses the common misconception that God demands worship out of narcissism, revealing instead that God created praise as a channel through which His children open themselves to greater love, blessing, and deliverance. Using personal testimony about stepping out in faith as a young worship leader, the story of David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, and the Battle of Jericho, Pastor Paul illustrates how humility, vulnerability, and persistent praise position believers to receive God’s tangible presence. He also unpacks how praise functions as a spiritual weapon that tears down strongholds, silences the enemy, and brings every anxious thought into captivity under Christ.

Freedom in Praise Outline

• 00:00 – Opening Prayer and Series Context: Pastor Paul recaps the core theme from Part 1 and opens in prayer, inviting God’s tangible presence and setting the tone for a word that changes lives.
• 06:30 – Why God Created Praise and Worship: Addressing the question of whether God is narcissistic for desiring worship, Pastor Paul explains that God is love and created praise as a channel for His children to receive more of that love.
• 14:00 – James 4:8-10 — Drawing Near to God: An in-depth look at the promise that when we draw near to God He draws near to us, and how humility before Him unlocks a vulnerability that releases greater blessing.
• 22:30 – Psalm 22:3-4 — God Inhabits Our Praise: Pastor Paul unpacks how God is enthroned in the praises of His people, delivering them from strongholds just as He delivered the fathers who trusted Him.
• 30:00 – Ephesians 6:10-13 — Praise as Spiritual Armor: An examination of the full armor of God and how praise and worship are essential to standing firm against principalities, powers, and the wiles of the devil.
• 38:00 – Zephaniah 3:14-17 — God Rejoices Over You with Singing: The congregation is called to match God’s own enthusiastic rejoicing by singing, shouting, and clapping with all their heart, releasing fear and strengthening their hands.
• 44:30 – 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 — Tearing Down Strongholds: Pastor Paul explains how the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds and bringing every thought into captivity to Christ.
• 51:00 – Personal Testimony — Taking the Step of Faith: A personal story of how Pastor Paul was challenged at age 14 to lead worship despite fear, demonstrating that stepping out in obedience opens the door for God to show up.
• 56:30 – Joshua 6 and Closing Exhortation: The Battle of Jericho is introduced as a biblical picture of how obedient praise brings supernatural victory, closing with a call to press in daily and serve the Lord with gladness.

Scripture References

James 4:8-10, Psalm 22:3-4, Ephesians 6:10-13, Zephaniah 3:14-17, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, Isaiah 61:1-3, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Psalm 47:1, Joshua 6

Key Takeaways

• Drawing near to God through praise and worship activates His tangible presence and releases His blessing into every area of your life.
• God did not create worship because He needs validation; He created it as a channel of love so His children could open themselves to receive more of Him.
• Praise is a spiritual weapon that tears down strongholds, silences demonic voices, and brings anxious thoughts into captivity under the Lordship of Christ.
• Humility in worship means releasing concern about what others think and surrendering your heart fully to God, which is the posture that causes Him to lift you up.
• God inhabits the praises of His people, meaning His holy presence displaces fear, anxiety, and pain when His children choose to worship wholeheartedly.
• Taking a step of faith in worship, even when your heart is in your throat, is what pleases the Father and begins a journey of growing strength in Him.
• Clapping hands, shouting, singing, and even dancing are all biblical expressions of worship that God Himself mirrors as He rejoices over His people with gladness.

Freedom in Praise Notes

God Created Praise for Your Benefit

Pastor Paul opens by dismantling a common objection: if God is all-sufficient, why does He require worship? The answer is rooted in the nature of God as love. He did not design praise to feed His ego but to create an avenue through which His children open themselves to receive more of His limitless blessing. Just as a parent rejoices when a child reaches out for connection, God responds to praise by drawing near with His tangible anointing. Understanding this reframes worship from a religious duty into a relational gift that positions believers for divine encounter and supernatural increase.

Praise Pulls Down Real Strongholds

Drawing from 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, Pastor Paul defines a stronghold as anything that holds a believer back from the full potential God has ordained for them. These strongholds can be financial anxiety, unhealthy relationships, pride, or the relentless lies of the enemy spoken directly into the mind. Praise is the God-empowered weapon that dismantles these mental and spiritual fortresses. When believers choose to worship instead of worry, they actively cast down arguments that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and bring every thought into alignment with the truth of Christ’s finished work.

The Armor of God Includes Worship

Ephesians 6:10-13 calls believers to stand firm in the full armor of God against principalities and powers. Pastor Paul connects this armor to the daily practice of praise and worship, arguing that believers who draw near to God through consistent worship are the ones who stand firm when the enemy attacks. The baseball batter analogy is instructive: a player whose feet are firmly planted in the correct stance can absorb a push without moving. Regular worship plants a believer’s spiritual feet in a position of strength, so when the enemy comes with fear, shame, or deception, they do not fall.

God Sings and Dances Over His Children

One of the most striking revelations in this message comes from Zephaniah 3:17, which declares that God rejoices over His people with gladness, quiets them with His love, and rejoices over them with singing. Pastor Paul uses this verse to argue that if God sings and dances over His children, believers should mirror that same enthusiasm back to Him without inhibition. This eliminates every excuse rooted in self-consciousness. Whether clapping hands, shouting, or lifting a voice that cracks off-key, the Father is not looking for technical perfection. He is looking for a heart turned fully toward Him in joyful, vulnerable surrender.

A Personal Testimony of Stepping Out

Pastor Paul shares his own journey from a self-conscious 14-year-old who was afraid to sing in front of his peers to a worship leader who learned that private worship in his bedroom was simply preparation for public ministry. When his father challenged him to lead chapel worship at school, Paul negotiated a compromise: he would teach the biblical basis of praise first and then lead. That first terrifying step became the foundation of a lifetime of leading others into God’s presence. His story is a direct encouragement to every believer who uses inexperience or fear as a reason to hold back their worship.

Daily Worship Builds Spiritual Strength

Pastor Paul closes with a practical exhortation drawn from Jeremiah 29:11-13 and Isaiah 61:1-3. God has plans to prosper and not to harm His people, plans to give them a hope and a future, but those plans are accessed by those who seek Him with all of their heart. Daily worship in the home, in the car, at work, and in quiet moments is not optional enrichment. It is the spiritual practice that keeps a believer rooted, grounded, and strong enough to carry the anointing described in Isaiah 61, bringing good news to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, and liberty to those who are bound.

Frequently Asked Questions