We Have A Reason To Praise Him!

"For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds."(Psalm 149:4,5 NIV)

No matter what happens in our lives on a daily basis, we can always find a reason to praise God. When He delights in us, He gives us favor--with Him and others. We have opportunities to share His love that we didn't think about and yet, every time we open our mouths or tap the keys on a keyboard or speak into a system that will type for us--we can encourage others to live, pleasing God and watching Him work in our lives.

Does this mean our lives will be perfect? Not hardly, but it means our lives will be meaningful.

Look up at the sky on a sunshiny day and praise God for the sun shining and seeing a blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds.

If it's raining and all you do is to hear the thunder and see the lightning, praise God for hearing and sight.

If you wake in pain--praise Him for being able to feel the pain because some people can't feel anything.

If you don't have what you want to eat in the refrigerator, praise God for what you do have because some people, have nothing.

If you don't have the clothes you want to wear, praise God for something to cover your body; there are those who have nothing other than the rags they wear, daily.

If you don't have the kind of car you want to drive, praise God for having a car of any kind and the resources to keep it  moving.

If you don't have a car and have to catch a bus, praise God for the means to pay for the ride.

If you have to walk everywhere you go, praise God for legs that move when you want them to move.

If you don't have the type of job you want, praise God for the job you have or for what He's about to bless you with--always keeping your focus on Him and living to please Him.

If we tried--and for some it's really easy since they're never satisfied with their lot in life--we could complain about every aspect of our lives, but what would happen if we started praising God for what we have, instead of complaining for what we don't have?

Many of us don't have any more than we do because we have proven to God that we are not good stewards over what He has given so why would He give us more--to squander? Think about it! How many ways and how many times have you had an opportunity to do great things, but you chose not to try? We are not great or can do great things simply because we "think" about doing it--we actually have to get up and do--more than talk about it.

With every blog I write, every book idea I start, I keep at it because I'm trying to achieve something great in my effort to please God, by sharing what He gives me. Have I made it yet? I don't know, which is why I keep writing. When He stops talking to me, I'll stop having anything to say, but while I wait for Him to speak, I'm praising Him for using a little older lady like me, to share His goodness. Even though there are mornings when I think I'll give it up, I keep going because He keeps blessing me and I can hear the angels cheering me, "keep going, keep going, it's not over yet."

Yes, we have a reason to praise Him--and all we have to do is look around us or look within us to know what it is. Our God is an awesome God and I praise Him, just because He is who He is!

His Delight To The Faithful!

"For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds." (Psalm 149:4,5 NIV)

When does the Lord delight in His people? In the beginning, the children of Israel were His chosen, but since all Believers have been adopted into the family, we are all His children. Now the "delight" referenced in scripture is really about our efforts to please God and when we please Him, He gives us the desires of our heart.

How do we please God? We please Him when we honor Him with our obedience in all things. When we love anyone, most of us want to please the object of our affection. If we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love each other, we please Him. If we truly love self and others, we will not cause harm to them or see them harmed.

When we truly love, we can forgive and let go of those things that happened in our pasts and keep moving forward in the marvelous light of Jesus Christ.

When we truly love, we can see the good in people and caution them against opposing God with loving kindness.

When we truly love, we seek the best in everyone's life around us and certainly promoting the Gospel will lead them to receiving God's best.

When we truly love, what we do is not so much about us as it is about others as we stay in position to hear God and obey what He would have us to do for them.

When we truly love God, we acknowledge our imperfections and flaws openly and allow Him to transform us, no longer concerned with conforming to the world's way of living, but living life according to God's plan.

This is what happens when we love God and He is pleased with what we do (His faithful people)--He crowns the humble (not the boastful and arrogant) with victory in everything they do. He makes us glad and when we're glad, we praise Him and honor Him from sunrise to sunset--no matter what happens in between.

Let's take some time today to remember that our living is not about us, but when it is about Him, He makes sure the world knows we function in His favor!

Great Is He!

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." (Psalm 147:3-5 NIV)

For those who have heard the disdain in the voices (or the printed words) of those who don't understand God, take heart! No matter how many times or how many ways, the unbelieving attempt to undermine our faith, we know--Our God is great!

If having a broken heart from a broken relationship or the loss of loved ones led to our deaths (naturally), the world's population would be at a deficit--for all who are compassionate. When we feel as though our hearts are shattered, He comes in like a flood, washing away all the hurt and pain, and overwhelming us with His love (if we allow Him to do it). Sometimes, people are so hurt behind the death of a loved one, especially a child or parent, they feel they simply cannot go on. But we can continue to move forward, appreciating life and the time we have on earth to do great things--in memory of those we have lost.

When we incur injuries that need to be bound to contain blood lost, the tighter the binding--bandage, wraps, whatever it takes, the greater the likelihood, we stem the flow of blood until we can get medical attention. God does the same thing for our emotional wounds that others cannot see. He binds them tightly, stemming the flow of anguish and bitterness until His love seals the wound and makes us whole again. 

Since we know He cares enough about the stars to know their number and names, how much more can we expect Him to care about us? He knows our thoughts before we think them, He knows our desires before we speak them, the very hairs on our head are numbered by Him, and He cares about everything that will keep our focus off Him. His love is amazing and His mercy endures beyond our individual lifespans from generation to generation.

When He delights in us--there are no limits to what we can do when we do all to glorify Him. He is our Father and like any loving parent, He only wants what is best for us. And since that is the case, sometimes, He has to deny our requests that will distract us or harm us. So, when we don't always get what we want, we must remember--He knows best, and He will always provide our needs.

Great is He who loves us beyond measure!

How We Do It!

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land."(Psalm 37:3-5, 7,9 NIV)

There are a number of people who have many questions about a Believer's faith and why or how we do what we do. The answer for those who truly have a relationship with God is in The Word. This particular Psalm is one of my favorites and I recite and meditate on it to remind me how I know my Father determines when I please Him.

First of all, I must trust Him to do all He says He will do. God is not a man that He should lie, so I can place my total confidence in Him, even when I don't understand everything He asks me to do. I just do it. Writing this blog every day is in part out of obedience to Him. I don't know why He wants me to do it, I just do.

Making a conscious decision to allow God to direct our paths is only possible when we trust Him. He created the universe and set all things in motion so I know He has a plan to get me where He wants me to be--I just have to follow Him.

With everything I do, I think about whether or not God will be pleased. Not that I'm perfect, but when I do things that line up with the Word, I can't go wrong. When He is pleased with what I do--by faith, I know He'll give me the desires of my heart because His Word is true. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

As impatient as some of us are, we must learn to rest in Him, knowing He never tires or sleeps, but is always keeping watch over us and His plans for us. We must learn to expect the fulfilled promises in His timing, not ours. We simply praise and worship Him, while patiently waiting and when we least expect it--He'll show up and show out! That's how my Daddy does it! Hallelujah!

We acknowledge the evil in the land, know how to identify the spirit behind it, and know how not to be influenced by it, by submitting to God and watching the devil flee. We should never be concerned about the success of those who are duped by Satan, for their success will not last and we'll be standing by watching their fall. We can pray for God's mercy to embrace them and for them to repent, but what they get out of life--is completely up to them. We can either do things God's Way or our way--influenced by an enemy who hates us and God.

I've learned that there is nothing like pleasing God and reaping the rewards for being obedient. That's how we do it--by learning to trust and please Him!