"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most HIGH " - Psalm 7:17

PRAYER INTENTIONS

In thanksgiving for for Divine Protection. If the Lord should open our eyes to the things he has delivered us from, we will spend the rest of our days and years in his temple praising him non stop.

If you know anyone under any form of yoke or oppression, thank God for deliverance already.

Remember just GIVE THANKS, no ASKING.

Our Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. We thank you for all the graces and blessings, you have bestowed upon us. We thank you for the spiritual and temporal: for our faith and religious heritage. We thank you for provision of food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, for our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, we thank you for the continued graces and blessing you have already granted us throughout the coming year. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother we make this prayer. Amen.

WHY YOU SHOULD PRAISE AND GIVE THANKS WHEN TIMES ARE HARD?

Praise comes naturally when all is going on as planned. What about when there are difficulties? Is it easy to praise God in the midst of your pain? You will realize that we were brought up in a religious culture of always asking for this or that or only thanking God when things are going on well. The Apostle Paul however showed us how to give thanks to God despite our circumstances. Trials, difficulty, and persecution filled Paul’s life, yet he purposefully practiced THANKSGIVING.

He called the church to a constant attitude of gratitude even in times of difficulty. For instance, when the church in Thessalonica suffered persecution, Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus ” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).

What is that? That someone is going through a hard time, then you write or text or call telling the person to rejoice, what at all is joyful about persecution? But Paul was showing them a deep spiritual mystery.

And from prison in Rome, Paul encouraged by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

Paul knew that even when our physical conditions are bad, God is present and God is working for our good and His glory. Romans 8:28, “ all things work for the good of those who love God ….” Purposefully focusing on giving Him thanks opens the door to joy and peace even in the midst of heartache and struggle.

Why is praising God so important, especially when you’re facing great trials in your life? Praise is one of your greatest gifts to God and one of your greatest weapons against your enemies. When you’re in the storms of life, under fire from battles on numerous fronts, facing difficult trials, take hope in God’s power. Turn your heart to find praise for the God who loves you and is fighting for you. Believe in God’s great power and might and sing his praises, even when your heart is heavy, and you will see the wonders of the Lord.

PRAISE IS A COMMAND, Psalm 150 reads “Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD .”

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD, if you are alive you must praise him. Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord, it’s a command, you don't praise God when you feel like it, or only when you have testimonies. It is a command. and when you are able to carry out this mandate of praise, you establish your identity as a child of God, you now puy on praise as a garment, and then you now have authority to take and overtake.

Psalm 3:5-6 reads “I lie down and sleep, and all night long the LORD protects me. I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies who surround me on every side ”

You see how ungrateful we humans can be- you lay down and sleep every night right? For how many years have you been sleeping - every night, but God wakes you up, yet that is not an enough miracle- right?

God wakes you up after 4,5,6,7 hours of sleep, he protects you from the terror of the night even though they surround you all the time- yet we grumble and complain about everything- We wake up after being partially dead, only to complain and grumble - my people - let everything that has breath praise the Lord- it is a command.

When you praise God, especially in hard times, the following will happen.

God Will Fight For You

God will fight for you, when you place your full trust in him. When you stop worrying and stop trying to fix it all on your own, you allow the space for God to step in. Give the glory to God and praise his power and faithfulness. Trust that God is working for your good in all things. “ As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated .” 2 Chronicles 20:22 (NIV)

God Will Protect You

God is your shelter from the storm, your refuge in times of trouble. He will protect you from the battles in this life or grant you the tenacity, strength and fortitude to handle it. So, rejoice in the God who loves you so much and give him your praise. “ But let all who take refuge in you be glad; Let them ever sing for you. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you .” Psalm 5:11 (NIV)

PRAISE IS A KEY TO HEALTH AND LONGETIVITY.

Proverbs 17:22 reads “ A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. ” Have you noticed that anytime the devil wants to destroy you, the first thing that comes is that- he brings you to a point of silence through DEPRESSION, ANGER, BITTERNESS and SADNESS- thereby breaking your SPIRIT?

The characteristics feature of depression is that it brings you to a point, where you are robbed of joy and flavour. A merry /joyful heart doeth good. Like the therapeutic effect of a medicine, same way someone has a disease and the person takes a medication and feels better. Same way when you praise God with a joyful heart, it is good medicine to your BEING.

Then you say- Lord I see the things you have not done, God if you are in heaven- why is this situation still the same- why is my wife, father, sister, mother, child in this situation? 10 years my sister has not put to birth, the command is “let everything that has breath, praise the Lord .”

UNLESS you don’t breath- One of the greatest secrets of my life is that I live a life of praise and thanksgiving. If you enter into my car or my room you will think we are having a gospel fiesta, I jam my way out in the name of God. You will never hear from my mouth- oh God why didn’t you do it this way or that way - someone asked me, do you ever get angry, you always look calm, I tell tell it is the power of praise, dance and thanksgiving-

I learnt how to use songs, dance, praise, worship to navigate my way to breakthrough. Let me tell you eerrh, you hardly find DEPRESSED people LIVE LONG - check it out- we all gravitate towards gregarious/joyful people and avoid depressed environments.

See, we live in a system, where everything in our life-If you are not careful will bring you to a point of DEPRESSION. Things are not working like you want them- You listen to the news, this and that has happened, little money, fire on the mountain in your home, in your life, in your family, at work and it brings you to a point where you worry, get angry, get bitter, and all of those negative mental states.

High blood pressure for instance- used to be a sickness of old people, but right now as I speak to you- teenagers are developing High Blood pressure- the dude is 22 years and they can't perform a surgery because his blood pressure is high - Orga what are you thinking about, at age 22 you are already saying this life hmm.

Praise is the one secrets to health and longevity. When the trials of this life - leave you worn out and weary, singing God’s praises will fill your heart with joy. Lift up your heart to God and allow him to refresh and renew your spirit. Praise can turn around even the worst day and make your heart feel light. It can boost your spirits and put a smile on your face. So, turn up a worship song and sing along. Look around you and praise God for all the blessing you see. “ The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him ”. Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

TO BE CONTINUED...

Remember NO ASKING only THANKING🙏🏿

Shalom and God bless you

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