Tag: praise

Bible

Thanksgiving 2019

everydaywiththeking

We need Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving tends to realign our thinking and correct crooked attitudes. A mind directed toward thanks and gratitude should be our normal way of thinking. But, as you know, it doesn’t take much to knock us off course and we soon start forgetting to give thanks on ordinary days.

If you have a Topical Bible you can look up thanksgiving and/or other similar words and find many verses. Select some favorites and keep them handy. Here is a link to an online Topical Bible – Thanksgiving

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”  – Charles Dickens

“This way of seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart, and, more than that, a gayety of spirit, that is unspeakable.” – Hannah Whitall Smith

“Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.”  – A.W. Tozer

Happy Thanksgiving!

thanksgiving-3719249_1920

 

Bible, Quiet time

Secret Place

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Many phrases are used to refer to the abiding life but one of my favorites is the secret place. One of the most well-known Psalms begins by describing the life of those who live this way.

Please read Psalm 91:1-2  in your choice of Bible versions. Below are the AMPC and YLT which seem particularly helpful in a study of this portion of scripture.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him, I lean and rely and in Him I [confidently] trust!    – Psalm 91:1-2 AMPC

He who is dwelling In the secret place of the Most High, In the shade of the Mighty lodgeth habitually, He is saying of Jehovah, `My refuge, and my bulwark, my God, I trust in Him,’      – Psalm 91:1-2  Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

Are you dwelling in the secret place? Are you living every day with the King?

An excerpt from Matthew Henry’s Commentary explains a little about this kind of life.

 …It is the privilege and comfort of those that do so that they abide under the shadow of the Almighty; He shelters them and comes between them and every thing that would annoy them, whether storm or sunshine. They shall not only have an admittance, but a residence, under God’s protection; He will be their rest and refuge forever…

-from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Psalm 91

Read more from the commentary –  HERE

I thank You for the bitter things

They’ve been a friend to grace,

They’ve driven me from the paths of ease

To storm the secret place.

I thank You for the friends who’ve failed

To meet my soul’s deep need;

They’ve driven me to the Savior’s feet

Upon His love to feed.

I’m grateful too, through all life’s way

No one could satisfy,

And so I’ve found in You alone

My rich, my full supply!

– Florence White Willett

Florence White Willett quote

 

Goals, Jesus

Appreciate

everydaywiththeking

 We turned our clocks back one hour this past weekend.

I love it when we Fall back into Standard Time!

I went to bed Sunday night happy about the time change. I fell asleep with the expectation of jumping into Monday feeling great. But, that’s not what happened. Instead on Monday morning, I woke up with an awful headache and nausea which lasted the entire day. So much for expectations…

So apparently I had some type of 24-hour virus.

Once I returned to feeling normal, it didn’t seem like normal anymore. No longer being sick seemed marvelous! Each ordinary day this week, after Monday, there has seemed to be so much to notice and appreciate. I am sure you’ve had this same experience after a bout of sickness or pain. This happens because returning to a life free of sickness, pain or _____causes fresh appreciation and a feeling of true gratitude. When we are living in a state of appreciation and thankfulness we are seeing things clearly. If only we could continue in this attitude but it always seems to wear off quickly.

Take a look at the definitions below.

Appreciate

a. to grasp the nature, worth, quality, or significance 

b. to value or admire highly 

c. to judge with heightened perception or understanding: be fully aware 

d. to recognize with gratitude

Since we are only two weeks away from Thanksgiving I am hopeful that I might be able to maintain this attitude. I would love to live with thankfulness, wonder, gratitude and fully appreciating every single day.

The only way I believe to make this happen is to ask Jesus to make me more aware of His Presence with me as I read His Word each day. What could inspire more of an attitude of appreciation and joyful thankfulness than knowing I am invited to walk through each and every day with the King! And so are you!

I am praying that this Thanksgiving season we will not be satisfied to be thankful for a day but will pursue a lifestyle of thankfulness and appreciation that spills over wherever we go.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin],  having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude.  – Colossians 2:6-7 AMP

Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.   – Colossians 3:16  AMP

Appreciate

Here is a link to a post I wrote two years ago about the time change Redeem the Time

 

 

prayer, Summer of Prayer Series

Praise Part 2

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Summer of Prayer Series

Do you think of praise as an option? Is it like a p.s. that you might tack on at the end of a prayer? Is praise something you do when things are going your way?

Praise is an important part of prayer and a joyful life.

“There should be a parallel between our supplications and our thanksgivings. We ought not to leap in prayer, and limp in praise.

– Charles Spurgeon

Praise is worship

Praise is not about your circumstances but about Who you are praising. God is always worthy of praise no matter what is happening or not happening in your life or mine.

A praise-filled day is like the perfect outfit. It is always the right fit and goes with everything.

So, anytime is praise time!

Praise is a key to constant prayer.

God is with us at all times. We live in His continual presence.

He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being,   – Acts 17:27-28

We need to grab onto this powerful reality and apply it to our lives each day. Living in this awareness will cause praise to happen easily and often.

Praise can become a lifestyle.

Sing out your praises to our God, our King. Yes, sing your highest praises to our King, the King of all the earth. Sing thoughtful praises!     Psalm 47:7 (TLB)

I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace.                       Psalm 34:1 (TLB

_Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it. One who always prays is ever giving p

Need some help getting into praise mode?

Turn on some praise and worship music!

Please share your thoughts on praise in the comments below ♥

 

 

 

 

 

prayer, Summer of Prayer Series

Praise Extra

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Summer of Prayer Series

This was not originally going to be a blog post at all but only shared on the Facebook Page. But Facebook has taken it down each time I attempted to share it. So, instead of giving up I decided to share through this blog post. Of course, that means it will actually reach more people than it would have through Facebook alone 🙂

The Leading the Way website offers literally 200 choices for sharing the content. So especially strange that Facebook is not allowing it since Facebook sharing is clearly encouraged on the website.

Follow the link below to the Empowered by Praise audio series by Michael Youssef

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Empowered by Praise

Please take a moment to leave a comment below and consider sharing ♥

Summer of Prayer Series

UPDATE on Facebook situation

Guess what happened?

Every one of the posts that Facebook had taken off the Every Day with The King Facebook Page was mysteriously put back up on the Page!

Interesting…

prayer, Summer of Prayer Series

Praise Part 1

everydaywiththeking

Summer of Prayer Series

Praise – an act of worship that focuses our attention on God

Praise is an important part of a healthy prayer life.

Like supernatural effervescence, praise will sometimes bubble up from the joy of simply knowing Christ. Praise like that is…delight. Pure pleasure! But praise can also be supernatural determination. A decisive action. Praise like that is…quiet resolve. Fixed devotion. Strength of spirit.    – Joni Eareckson Tada

In Michael Youssef’s book The Prayer That God Answers, he says, “Without praise, we get too self-conscious. We get preoccupied with who we are, and not enough about what God thinks of us. And then we get grumpy and critical.”

I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will constantly be on my lips.

-Psalm 34:1

Christians are made to glorify God. We are never in our element until we are praising Him. Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.

-Charles Spurgeon

Do you want to improve your prayer life?

Start praising and thanking God.

A day filled with praise is a sure way of keeping your focus and attitude right.

Infuse your life with praise and you will soon find joy in ordinary days.

Praise part 1 (1)

How important is praise?

Share your thoughts ♥