"May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees" - Psalm 119:171
Praise will revolutionize your life! There's no doubt about it. It will reorient your thinking, taking your mind off of yourself and placing firmly on God, where it belongs. Rehearsing His mercies will open your eyes to them, and confessing His name as the source behind all your blessings will magnify your blessings enormously. Praise is a radical step in a life-changing direction. The problem many believers have with that is where to start. How do you praise God? Where do you begin? What if you're discouraged and depressed, and your eyes can hardly see the blessings He's given, much less prompt your mouth to praise him for them? What if you hardly know who He is and can barely come up with words to say? The Psalmist gives us the answer: Begin in His WORD. Very practically, here's a good way to learn to praise the Lord. Begin reading. Open your Bible to any page in any section - it doesn't matter where, although Psalms or the New Testament as a good place to start. Begin reading a passage. When you get a verse that speaks of God's faithfulness, praise Him for His faithfulness. Think of ways He's been faithful to you. When the WORD speaks of His sacrifice or His love or His promises, Praise Him for His sacrifice, love or promises. As often as His WORD reveals some aspect of His Character or His works, thank Him for that character and those works. Voice your gratitude for the way He is and the things He does. Before long, you will be an endless fountain of praise. Can you think of a better use of your life than being an endless fountain of praise? God uses such fountains mightily. He changes hearts and redeems souls for just such purposes. you might have always thought that He is focused on your behavior - and certainly He cares about it - but behavior begins in the heart. Praise reorient the heart. Focus there, and let your fountain flow. Man's chief work is to praise God - Augustine
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"Everyday I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever." - Psalm 145:2
As we step into the New Year, what would be our thanksgiving, praise and worship to our King be like? Is it a Sunday ritual or a emotion that we can put on and take off? Is it limited to one style of music or a particular church? God seeks those whose worship comes from deep within. He desires legitimate praise and integrity between heart and mouth. He wants to be one we treasure most. Most of all, He wants you. Yes all of you! If you don't have a daily time of thanksgiving, praise and worship, make one. Let us establish genuine praise of the Father, the Son and the Spirit as a daily experience. Psalm 145 is a good place to start. It mentions the urge to praise and worship our King daily. And it is glorious in it's sweeping praise of the Lord, so there's no shortage of material in it by which our mouth can honor Him, if for some reason praise is hard to come by. Read it daily - slowly, thoughtfully, worshipfully. Don't let it become a stale routine, only a treasured habit. The exaltation of the King is always to be treasured. God places great importance on thanksgiving, praise and worship. Withholding thanksgiving, praise and worship is an injustice toward God. We owe Him everything, and it is only right that we give thanks to Him and ascribe to Him "the glory due to his name" (Psalm 29:2). For these reasons and many others, thanksgiving, praise and worship is not a mere obligation. It is our greatest privilege as a children of the living God. It should rank high in our priorities! If you don't have a daily time of thanksgiving, praise and worship, make one. Put them even higher on your list of priorities than making prayer request to God. Let them be the springboard into your request and your study of the word. Stop now, if you can, and give thanks, praise and worship Him for at least one of His benefits. If you have ever needed a dramatic change, daily, heartfelt thanksgiving, praise and worship will bring it about. |
AuthorWarren Jhun Ocampo Archives
September 2017
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