LESSONS OF THANKSGIVING: PRAISE

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."   (Hebrews 13:15)



November is the month we have set aside for Thanksgiving.  As children of God, we should celebrate and give thanks all the time.  This should be as natural as taking your next breath.  God has done so much for us and continually blesses us with His love.  The phrase "thank you" is just not enough for us to offer in return.  Praise is one of the best ways to express our thanks to Him.  David said in Psalm 34:1, "...His praise shall continually be in my mouth." He also said, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments." (Psalm 119:62)
How many of us can say that we praise God in the midnight hour?  Later in that same chapter of Psalms, David says "Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." (verse 164).  Do we even stop more than once a day to praise Him? 

No matter what our circumstances are -  whether things are going great or we're going through the fire - we must always remember to give Him the praise!  There is so much power and many benefits in praising God! 

1. His Presence: When you praise and worship God, you are bringing down His presence, because he inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 100:4).
2. His Power: When you praise and worship God, He manifests his power (Acts 16:30-31). His power saves, heals, and delivers.
3. His Glory: When you praise and worship God, the Glory of God comes down (1 Kings 8:10-11).
4. His anointing: When you praise and worship God, the anointing of God descends upon His servants. Because of this they are able to minister more effectively. (II Kings 3:15-16).
5. His deliverance: When you praise and worship God, the deliverance power of God comes into play (II Chron 20:1-20). God comes down to deliver His people as they praise and worship Him.

We serve an Almighty God, and we have so much to be thankful for.  Here are a few reasons to praise Him...continually.



P - Because He is POWERFUL!

      "Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand."
Nehemiah 1:10

"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict."
Job 27:23


R - Because of His RIGHTEOUSNESS!

      Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast."   Psalm 36:6
"...for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth..."  Daniel 9:14



A - Because He is ABLE!

       "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."   Ephesians 3:20

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."   2 Corinthians 9:8




I - Because He is INFINITE!

     "'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath
been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."
Romans 11:33-36




S - Because of His STRENGTH!

      "God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect."   2 Samuel 22:33

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved."   Psalm 93:1




E - Because He is EVERLASTING!

      "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."   Isaiah 40:28

"...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."   Isaiah 9:6


Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,  I thank you for all that you are. There is none like you!  You are my source, my supply, my way-maker, my comforter, my peace, my strength, and everything I ever need.  Today I offer true praise as a form of my thankfulness to you.  Every breath I take reminds me of your love for me.  Today, fill me with more of you, and take away less of me.  In Jesus name, Amen.


Praise Him in every circumstance!!