I was reading the Bob Gass reading from ‘Word for Today’ on being thankful today and added part of it to this message.
God is crystal clear on the issue of being thankful: we are all called to be thanks-givers. Who? You! When? In all circumstances! Why? Because it's God's will for you! Whatever else you may be confused about concerning God's will, this part is clear. It's not a suggestion - it's a commandment. And since there are more commands in Scripture about thanksgiving than anything else, God evidently enjoys receiving thanks. The psalmist said,
'I will praise the name of God with a song, and...magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull' Psalm 69:30-31
Why does God need to remind us to give thanks? For the same reason you remind your child to do it - it's considerate and, until it becomes habitual, we forget! David, a man after God's own heart, prodded his often-forgetful soul into thanksgiving:
'Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits' Psalm 103:2
When you feel ungrateful, stop and read David's 'benefit list' in your Bible - it will fire up your attitude of gratitude. Even when circumstances don't look good, God can turn them around for your benefit. In all things he deserves your thanks. Even at his lowest point in the belly of a whale, Jonah recognised the need to thank God:
'When I was in danger, I called to the Lord... I will praise and thank you' Jonah 2:2, 9
We need to constantly charge up our spiritual batteries and thus renew our strength. Life often isn’t fair and we constantly have to fight against decay, and subtraction, for we are like vessels that leak and constantly need to be topped up.
We are also like a garden that produces weeds. Weeds just happen naturally and you need to work hard to grow plants like orchids in your garden. So do you really have to work hard to produce a spiritual harvest, as that requires pulling out weeds.
“He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31
One of the most powerful ways to charge yourself up is through thanksgiving and praise. You may not be much of a reader and really struggle to study the bible. You may not have the gift of tongues to build yourself up, but all of us can be thankful and praise God.
One night after I got up to pray and reminded God of His promises I heard God say to me. “If you don’t have a firm foundation of praise in your life you will fail in these Last Days. All that you are asking me for will overwhelm you.” I then felt God say that He would gladly give all His Children a lot of things but it would destroy them, for they are not strong enough. We are strengthened by thanksgiving and praise.
It’s like those who win it big in lotto. If they got all that fast money it would destroy them. Time and time again we read of it happening. It’s better to work for it than to have it dumped suddenly in your lap.
It’s like that in the spiritual realm too for we need to have the strength of character to handle His power. God’s gifts don’t make us strong it’s the fruit of the Spirit that does that for us, and that comes from a platform of praise and thanksgiving. A lifestyle of praise is absolutely essential, not just once in a while but all the time.
There is so much thrown at us by the Devil, especially when we start being used in ministry and it’s praise that gets us through. Look at anyone who is used by God and all the lies and propaganda that are leveled against them. So many enemies come out of the woodwork. Pastor Bill Johnson is used a lot in healing but if you look on the web you’ll see that he has plenty of enemies, and that's Christians.
Lets look at these two verses again and see how the word praise and strength are interchanged.
“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou might still the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2
“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hear thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? “ Matthew 21:15-16
Praise is strength. Praise is not just a nice song to sing to God but also a powerful weapon against the enemy. Look at psalm 149. Praise is like a sword that attacks the enemy. It binds him in chains and this privilege have all God’s Saints and not just His Pastors.
“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 149:6-9
Out of the mouths of children God has ordained strength/praise. Have you noticed how children are not afraid to say things? I remember the story of this little girl. All throughout dinner my wife's best friend's four-year-old daughter stared at me as I sat opposite her. The girl could hardly eat her food for staring. I checked my shirt for spots, felt my face for food, and patted my hair in place, but nothing stopped her from staring at me. Finally I asked her, "Why are you staring at me?" Everyone at the table had noticed her behaviour, and the table went quiet, waiting for her response. The little girl said, "I'm just waiting to see how you drink like a fish."
Children have no inhibitions. They sing loud songs about Jesus not caring about who’s listening and they aren’t easily embarrassed as we adults are.
“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
Children believe what their Father says. They have complete trust that he will do what he said he would do for them. This is too their credit. Are we like little children believing the promises of our Heavenly Father?
God even ordained the weakest child to have power through praise. They don’t need to be clever either for through praise they can outwit the Devil. In its context the leaders were telling Jesus to keep the children quiet but he said it was perfect praise that they were expressing.
God has ordained strength in praise. Are you feeling weak, confused or distressed? Praise God and it will give you strength. Be thankful for all you have and forget not all His benefits.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Psalm 103:1-2
The amazing thing is that when we praise God He comes and dwells in our praises.
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
The Japanese people have an interesting way of translating this verse. Since the Emperor was once considered a deity, they would carry him around on a throne. So they translate this verse: 'When we praise God, we create a seat, and God comes down and sits on it.'
Whether you are driving to work or working around the house, any time you begin to praise God you create a seat, and God will come down and sit in it. Never leave church and say, 'The pastor wasn't on' or 'The choir didn't ring the bell.' Ask yourself; 'Did I, by my praise, create a seat?' For any time you do, He will come and sit in it. Today you as His Levite can carry His presence everywhere you go, by praising Him.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
When we thank God we enter into a new realm. We go through His gates into a large place. We enter into His chambers and when we praise God it’s like a flag that catches His attention.
When Paul and Silas were in prison they praised God while in chains and the whole prison had an earthquake that set the prisoners free, for all the chains fell off.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” Acts 16:40
When Jehoshaphat put ‘Praisers’ in front of his army the enemy was put into confusion and ended up attacking themselves. 2 Chronicles 20:21. Praising God stills the enemy and the avenger, Our enemy is cunning but we have authority over Him and can exercise this with our praise.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
We often don’t know what is going on in our lives and we don’t always need to either, but praise puts the enemy to flight. The Devil wants you to try and work everything out. To try and understand what is going on or look into yourself and try and solve the problem. ‘What Demon is causing this? What curse is on me? What sin have I committed?’ But when we ask God we don’t get an answer so we keep looking within year after year and find nothing. Maybe God is wanting you to take the attention off yourself and start praising God regardless. Often we have to rejoice by faith even when we don’t feel like it, for the Bible says we already have the victory - so rejoice.
Notice that it’s out of the ‘mouths’ of babes. It’s out of our mouths that the power of God comes. We forget that we have great power in the words that we speak. Look at these verses as an example
“There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” Proverbs 12:18
“Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee:” Job 22:28
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:23
Notice that is says that you need to believe that the words you are saying will come to pass. So often we don’t believe that we have the authority and that what we say in faith will come to pass. Start today by praising God with your mouth and believe that it will come to pass.
