Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right!

November 20, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right!

This Week’s Message: Praise through the storm

One of the most difficult things to do as Christians is praise and worship the Lord when the storms of life are threatening to take you out. You’re facing trial after trial, tribulation after tribulation and all the enemy has to do is take one more blow to knock you completely out. I have been there before and it is very challenging to get up enough strength let alone energy to utter any kind or praise or worship.

All you want to do in those moments is hide under the covers and never come out. The problem with that is that is exactly what the enemy wants you to do. He takes those negative emotions that you are feeling in that instant and he exacerbates them. He will take advantage of your vulnerability. I used to be that person that wanted to crawl into a ball and disappear when things were not going well in my life.

I learned over the years that if you will put all of that pain, hurt, and agony into your praise; it will be released from you and given to the Lord. Matthew 11:28-30 states, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We can see from these verses of Scripture that God wants us to give Him all of our problems, burdens, and stress and in exchange He will provide us with rest. We are all going to go through things in life whether you are a believer or a non-believer. The Word of God tells us that the rain will fall on the just and the unjust, Matthew 5:45.

What you do when you are faced with trying situations will make all the difference regarding the outcome of that circumstance. As Christians we have the power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us to give us the strength that we need to persevere. Yes we will still go through things but God promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us, Deuteronomy 31:8.

This week take a minute to analyze how you handle difficult situations when they arise. Do you seek the Lord for comfort? Do you allow your praise to confuse the enemy making him have to switch up his tactics? Or, do you allow your struggles to completely consume you?

I am going to list some Scriptures that you can meditate on regarding Praise.

Psalm 34:1

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

This Psalm was written by King David when he was facing the continuous persecution by the hands of King Saul. He wanted nothing more than to see him dead. David had to flee to save his life but was faced with tremendous opposition along the way. Regardless of how bad things got for him, one thing that he did not fail to do was praise the Lord.

This verse of scripture is stating that his praise was continually in his mouth meaning that it never stopped. One of the signs of true faith is when you can glorify the Lord before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm. He doesn’t want you to give Him honor and glory only when everything is going good in your life. He wants to see if you have enough faith in Him to know that He will get you through your trials and tribulations.

When your lips are consistently in worship to the Lord, there is no room for anything else. You have to get to the point in your life when you don’t allow anything to get you down. The fact that you still have breath in your body means that God still has a purpose for your life. Don’t let the devil steal your joy!

Isaiah 61:3

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

The part of this passage of Scripture that I want to highlight is when the prophet Isaiah states, “…the garment of praise of the spirit of heaviness…” That word spirit is referring to a demonic spirit that is creating heaviness in a person’s life. They can create this heaviness in so many different ways including depression, worry, anxiety, fear, doubt, and unbelief. The adversities of life can cause us to develop negative emotions that can turn into strongholds if we are not careful.

The Lord is giving us a clear remedy for this kind of weightiness that the enemy attempts to consume us with. He specifically says, “…the garment of praise…” A piece of garment is a piece of clothing that you actually put on. We want to do the same thing in essence when we begin to praise and worship the Lord allowing His presence to completely cover us.

Psalm 22:3 states, “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” The Lord is enthroned or dwells in the praises of His children. Never underestimate the power that takes place when you glorify God. Those things that are trying to weigh you down will begin to completely come off of you. The devil and his demonic kingdom hate it when you praise and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

There have been times in my life when I didn’t know what to do. The storm was just too much for me to contain and I was entirely overwhelmed. What I had to learn the hard way is that you have to let go and give it to the Lord. Fall at His feet and as you worship, let everything that you have built up inside completely go. It is a release that you cannot explain! He has your back no matter what you are facing; He will follow you to the pit of hell if He has to, Psalm 139:8.

Psalm 145:3

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

When you’ve been through some things in your life that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt; had it not been for the grace of God you would’ve been dead and gone, your praise changes. When He pulls you out of the gutter: cleanses you, washes you, delivers you, and makes you whole, your praise changes. When He prevents that sickness from overtaking you despite what the doctors said, your praise changes.

When we come to the realization of just how great and amazing our Lord truly is, our praise will change. A lot of times you will find it hard to give God the honor and glory that He deserves and what it boils down to is you not having that intimate relationship with Him. Do you worship Him because you want to or do you worship Him because you feel like you have to? When you can get to that place in life where you yearn to be in His presence, your life will completely change.

In this verse of Scripture David is boasting and raving about the goodness and greatness of God. He explains it as something that you can’t fathom or comprehend. David went through a lot of tribulation in His life but he remained very vocal about the majesty of the Lord regardless of the storms that he was facing.

Isaiah 43:2 describes it beautifully when the prophet declares, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

This Scripture is a depiction of the love of God for every single one of us. It doesn’t matter what your situation looks like; the floods will come but will not drown you and the fire will ignite but it will not burn or scorch you. Why? Because the Lord has you right in the palm of His hand.

This week analyze your level of praise and worship. Do you let your circumstances silence you, muzzle you, and consume you? Or, do you look at every storm as an opportunity to grow your faith knowing that all things will work together for your good? Be that radical Christian that confuses the devil and his demons by the power of your praise!

If you’ve missed some of the previous Positive Weekly Messages, no worries I am linking them below:

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! November 13, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! November 6, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 30, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 23, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 17, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 10, 2022

Positive Thinking-Get Your Week Started Off Right! October 2, 2022

Other blogs pertaining to this topic are:

There is Power in the Blood of Jesus-Justification and Sanctification!

There is Power in the Blood of Jesus-Redemption and Cleansing!

Why the Cross of Christ is so Significant!