Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
8 22 2023
The Sacrifice of Praise – How do you do that? Part 2 of 2
Sacrifice of Praise: The idea of complete dependency is impossible without coming to the end of our shelves and that can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit. Since we started walking, we have had control of where we go and what we do. It was encouraged, rewarded, and praised. Of course, it took us many decades to learn that we are not in control regarding the things that matter. But even that did not curb our compulsion to try.
We control just enough to keep us trying.
When we realize through His Spirit that we need to align with Gods plan, that we need his strength to walk in the Spirit and that is the only way to please God and love God it leads us into a deeper place of humility and remembering our dependency on God, as we acknowledge that we need him. Psalms 95:2–3 says “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving:
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise”
I’ve learned through experience that praise and worship make the enemy flee. It pushes back the darkness and blocks the attacks on our lives. Dark and light cannot sit in the same space. Evil thoughts of despair and selfishness cannot stick around when we’re praising God. He promises to fight our battles for us. 2nd Chronicles 20:22 “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord sent ambushes against the men Invading Judah, and they were defeated.
Even in our prayers, we can tend to complain about our problems. But God knows our hearts. When we offer the sacrifice of praise, we’re no longer allowing too much attention to be centered around our issues. We are reminded that he’s capable of taking care of all of our burdens… in his time. Not ours! Psalms 103:2-4 Hebrews 13:15 says, “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name”.
Offering the sacrifice of praise opens up the doors of God’s blessings. Psalms 100:4 Ephesians 1:3. His word promises that God dwells close to us when we do that. It says in Psalms 22:3 “he inhabits the praises of his people. And then 1st Peter 2:9 promises: “That he has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light”.
Offering up the sacrifice of praise and worship causes us to be strengthened with his peace… refueled with his joy. God doesn’t just change our situations to work through problems, he changes our hearts. Psalm 16:11 “In his presence there is fullness of joy”.
There are multiple moments in every day when we have “a new chance” of what we choose to focus on. We can stay tuned into the roar of the world, the voices of others or we can look to him, the one who holds it all together
and who holds us personally in his hands.
Offering up the sacrifice of praise means dying to ourselves in a number of areas. It shouldn’t be so hard, although it is, because we don’t typically have control over them anyway. But we hold onto them like a pit bull as they drag us down into deeper anxiety and at times greater darkness. It is here at the bottom of it all, that we find the love and compassion of the Holy Spirit to lead us into giving our whole hearts again to Christ. (One locked closet at a time… when you’re ready).
He waits for us to return if we drifted away. He longs for us to know the power of his presence and grow into that truth. (Reading His word and claiming the contents personally) He desires to bless us more than we could ever imagine.
He is always calling us closer.
That often begins with offering up the sacrifice of praise.
Excerpts taken from: Debbie McDaniel “What it means to offer God a sacrifice of praise”.
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