“These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Many people allow circumstances to govern their thoughts and emotions. When circumstances are going well, they tend to be happy. When things are not going well, they tend to be negative and unhappy. However, the kingdom of God operates differently. The Lord tells us to rejoice always, no matter what the circumstance. He tells us that in all things we are to give thanks. A great example of this kingdom principle is shown in Acts 26. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison simply for doing good. Yet, instead of complaining and being upset, they chose to rejoice. They were in the depths of a dark cold prison, bloodied and in chains in the middle of the night. Yet they sang praises to God loudly! As a result, their circumstances changed. Suddenly, the Glory of God caused such a shaking in the prison, that all the doors were opened, the chains fell off and the prison guard got born again. He ended up taking Paul and Silas to his house, where they were tended to before being released the next day.
When a believer gets a hold of the power of praise, everything changes in their lives. Praise is a weapon. Praise is powerful. You might say, “You don’t understand. I don’t feel like praising. Everything has gone wrong. I’m just being honest with my emotions.” God does not tell us to wait until we feel an emotion of happiness to praise Him and give thanks. He commands us to give thanks and praise, regardless of how we feel. This is called a “Sacrifice of Praise.” (see Hebrews 13:15) It is an extremely powerful weapon. You do not have to feel joyful when you do it. However, when you determine as an act of your will to praise God anyway, regardless of how you feel, something very powerful happens!
Jesus says in Mark 11:23-24: “For verily I say unto you, That whosever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
Now that is reason to celebrate! Do you see what Jesus said? We don’t let the circumstances change us. We let the promises and Word of God change our circumstances. When we pray in faith, we do not wait until we see the end result of our faith to praise. Instead, we praise the moment after we pray, thanking God that it is already done. Then His Word and the heavenly hosts go to work to bring it to pass.
This month, make a commitment to Praise and thank God no matter how you feel. You could be crying and having negative thoughts trying to grip you, but you smile and say “Praise God! Thank you Jesus! I love you Lord! I win! This is tuning for my good!” Take hold of the promises of God and don’t let go. Create an atmosphere of celebration in your home. Then watch God go to work on your behalf. You will then truly have something to praise Him about!
For additional reading see: Isaiah 55:9-13, Philippians 4:4-8, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Acts 26:16-40; Psalm 34, Psalm 107:1-38, Psalm 103:1-5, Romans 5:3-5
