Saturday, November 1, 2008

What happens when we praise God?

Our intimacy with God –His highest priority for our lives-determines the impact of our lives

What happens when we praise God?
Charles Stanley Bible Page 722

Perhaps no book exemplifies the spirit of praise and worship more than the book of Psalms. It records more verses of praise than any other book of the Bible. Obviously, God wants the praises of His people.

God tells us to give Him thanks in everything ...

(I Thess. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.),
....even when things press against our souls.

We may not understand what is happening, we may never understand. But God’s will in each circumstnce is that we praise and thank Him.

But why? It’s because praise is the clearest and most direct means by which you declare your dependence on God. It repeats your trust in Him in the midst of darkness. It confesses your allegiance and devotion to the One who was crucified for you and to whom you are eternally joined.

Consider a few of the specific benefits we derive from praising the Lord:

Praise magnifies God: Praise puts our focus on God, not on our problems. God’s power, and presence, and ability transform our thinking.

Praise humbles us. When we worship God, we gain a right view of ourselves. Praise deflates excess pride and ego. We gain a healthy self-image, based on God’s view of us. By removing pride, praise strengthens us against temptation.

Praise reveals our devotion to God: If I love Christ, I will prise Him. If he has first place in my life, I will honor Him with worship and thanksgiving.

Praise motivates us to holy living. Priase opens our hearts to want to live the way God desires-holy and separated unto Him, to do His will above our own, to want to be like Him more than like anyone else. The more we worship Him, the more like Him we will become.

Praise increases our joy. Joy is the constant companion of praise. If we feel depressed or discouraged, praising God will soon bring us joy.

Praise establishes our faith: The greater we seee God, the smaller we see our problems.

Praise elevates our emotions. Worry, fear, and doubt cannot survive for long in an atmosphere of praise.

If you want to see a difference in your relationship with Christ and in you walk with Him, start to praise Him today. Continue even when you feel prone to give up. Commit yourelf to a life of praise and fellowship with Jesus – and experience the fullness of what God means by “joy.”
Do you have breathe? Then praise the Lord! Praise Him before you turn the page. Praise Him in your car. Praise Him at home. Prise Him while you work. As long as you draw breath, praise Him!

Psalm 150:1-6

1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.



Genesis 1:26

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

The Holy Spirit and the Trinity
Genesis 1:1,2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The Cover-Up
Leviticus 6:6-7
And as a penalty he must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, his guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty."

Enjoying God’s Presence
Eccl. 2:26
To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

God as Our Lover
Song of Solomon 2:4
He has taken me to the banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love.

The Best Friend you will ever have

Song of Solomon 5:16

His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my lover, this my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

Knowing All of God
Hosea 2:19-20
I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD.

God’s Forever Love
I Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Spiritual Growth
2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!
Amen.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know who you are, but right now I'm thanking God for allowing me to come across your blog. It is going to help me become a more dedicated 'praiser' of our Lord and King. Thank you, very much for writing it.

I have been searching the internet for a couple days now, looking for info on praising God. There hasn't been much to my liking, but yours I'm glad I found.

Very informative.

Anonymous said...

Oh, a couple more things. You are definitely a woman who has a deep relationship with the Lord. That's obvious by your writing. And another thing, I'm making this post my homepage. That's just how much I like it. Thanks again.

Unknown said...

Praise God. Bless you. I needed to know why i felt so happy praising God in the depths of drought! :) Prayers your way and blessings!