Freedom in Praise and Worship with Pr. Paul Hohman

Freedom in Praise Overview

In this powerful message recorded live at NTC Ministries, Pastor Paul Hohman delivers a deeply scriptural and Spirit-filled teaching on the nature, purpose, and practice of praise and worship. Drawing from weeks of preparation, Pastor Hohman walks believers through key passages including James 4:8-10, Psalm 22:3-4, Zephaniah 3:14-17, Psalm 68:4-6, Psalm 150, Psalm 8, and Isaiah 61:1-3, revealing that praise is not merely a segment of a Sunday service but a lifestyle of drawing near to God. He addresses common barriers people face when coming from traditional or liturgical church backgrounds, explaining that God has literally designed multiple expressions of worship — singing, clapping, dancing, instruments, silence, and creative arts — as ways His children show love to Him. Pastor Hohman unpacks how God inhabits the praises of His people, how praise stills the enemy and the avenger, and how a lifestyle of daily worship opens believers to receive God’s tangible presence, healing, joy, peace, and provision. The message is both doctrinally grounded and practically urgent, calling every believer to step out of passivity and into passionate, freedom-filled praise.

Freedom in Praise Outline

• 0:00 – Introduction and Heart Behind the Message: Pastor Hohman opens by sharing his weeks of preparation and his excitement to teach on praise and worship, setting the pastoral tone for the entire message.
• 5:30 – Why Praise Matters and Common Barriers: Addressing those from traditional church backgrounds, Pastor Hohman explains why many feel uncomfortable with expressive worship and why that discomfort can actually be an act of faith.
• 14:00 – Praise as an Expression of Love — James 4:8-10: Using James 4:8-10, the pastor teaches that drawing near to God through praise is a relational exchange, not a religious obligation, and that God responds when we pursue Him.
• 23:00 – God Inhabits Our Praise — Psalm 22:3-4: Pastor Hohman unpacks the Hebrew meaning of enthroned and inhabits, showing that God’s tangible presence becomes manifest when His people offer sincere praise.
• 33:00 – God Dances Over His People — Zephaniah 3:14-17: This section reveals that God Himself rejoices, dances, and sings over His children, and that we are created to mirror that same demonstrative, celebratory worship.
• 42:00 – How to Praise — Psalm 150 and Psalm 68: Pastor Hohman walks through Psalm 150 verse by verse, affirming the biblical mandate for instruments, dancing, clapping, flags, and every creative expression of worship.
• 51:00 – Praise as a Spiritual Weapon — Psalm 8: Drawing from Psalm 8, the pastor teaches that praise literally stills Satan and the avenger, making worship one of the most powerful weapons available to every believer.
• 58:00 – Freedom and Liberty in Praise — Isaiah 61:1-3: Pastor Hohman closes by connecting Isaiah 61 to the freedom found in Spirit-led worship, exhorting the congregation to choose praise daily regardless of circumstances or feelings.

Scripture References

James 4:8-10, Psalm 22:3-4, Zephaniah 3:14-17, Psalm 68:4-6, Psalm 150, Psalm 8, 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 61:1-3, Hebrews 11:6, 1 John 4:7-8, Romans 12:1

Key Takeaways

• Praise is not a section of a church service but a daily lifestyle of drawing near to God, who promises to draw near to you in return.
• God inhabits and enthrones Himself in the praises of His people, bringing a tangible, manifest presence that goes beyond His general omnipresence.
• Zephaniah 3:17 reveals that God Himself dances, rejoices, and sings over His children, and we are created in His image to respond the same way.
• Psalm 150 gives every believer a biblical mandate to use their voice, instruments, clapping, dancing, and creative expression as legitimate acts of worship.
• Praise is a spiritual weapon that literally stills the enemy and the avenger, cutting off Satan’s access to the life of a worshipping believer.
• Humility is required for freedom in worship — choosing not to care what others think and focusing solely on God as your audience of one unleashes His presence.
• A lifestyle of daily praise transforms your emotional state, brings healing to your body, replaces anxiety with peace, and opens you to receive God’s abundant provision.

Freedom in Praise Notes

Worship as Relational Exchange Not Religion

Pastor Hohman anchors the entire message in the truth that praise is fundamentally relational, not religious. Drawing on James 4:8, he illustrates that just as a marriage thrives when both partners invest in expressing love, our relationship with God deepens when we intentionally draw near to Him through worship. God is love, as declared in 1 John 4:7-8, and His nature compels Him to respond to those who pursue Him. This is not a transaction but a covenant dynamic built into the design of creation — give your praise, receive His presence.

The Tangible Presence God Releases in Praise

One of the most powerful distinctions in this message is between God’s omnipresence and His tangible, manifest presence. Pastor Hohman explains that while God is everywhere at all times, there is a distinct anointing that comes when believers actively praise. Psalm 22:3 says God is enthroned in the praises of His people — the Hebrew meaning of enthroned carries the idea of God coming to surround, cover, and fill His worshippers like a blanket. This manifest presence dissolves anxiety, removes burdens, and brings the healing and peace that cannot be manufactured by human effort.

A God Who Dances — Zephaniah 3:17 Unpacked

Perhaps the most surprising and liberating moment in the sermon comes when Pastor Hohman reads Zephaniah 3:17 and explains that the word rejoice in that verse literally means demonstrative, dancing, clamorously joyful praise. God Himself dances over His sons and daughters. This image dismantles the idea that exuberant worship is emotionalism or excess — it is simply mirroring the nature of the Father. If God dances over us, then dancing, clapping, shouting, and singing before Him are not behaviors to be embarrassed by but expressions that reflect His own character back to Him.

Psalm 150 and the Full Biblical Palette of Worship

Pastor Hohman uses Psalm 150 as a comprehensive biblical blueprint for worship expression. The psalm calls for trumpets, harps, timbrels, dancing, stringed instruments, flutes, loud cymbals, and clashing cymbals — a full orchestra of sound and movement offered to God. He challenges the idea that certain instruments or expressions are too worldly or too loud, pointing out that these commands were written thousands of years ago and still stand. His vision extends to heaven itself, where he believes entirely new instruments and sounds await that no human ear has yet heard.

Praise Silences the Enemy — A Practical Weapon

Citing Psalm 8, Pastor Hohman teaches that praise literally stills the enemy and the avenger. The word stills carries the meaning of stopping completely. When a believer engages in genuine, heartfelt praise, Satan loses his foothold. This is not symbolic — the pastor shares a testimony of a woman who could not lift her arm above her shoulder due to pain, chose to raise her hands in worship in obedience, and left pain-free. Praise is presented not as a passive spiritual exercise but as an active, aggressive weapon that drives back darkness and enforces the victory of Jesus Christ.

Choosing Praise Regardless of Feelings or Circumstances

Pastor Hohman closes with a pastoral challenge grounded in practicality: do not wait for the storm to pass before you praise. Quoting the popular saying about learning to dance in the rain, he exhorts believers to make praise a daily non-negotiable regardless of emotions, fatigue, or discouragement. He connects 2 Timothy 1:7 — God has not given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind — to the practice of praise as a daily reset that reorients the mind, body, and spirit toward God and away from every opposing force.

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