THE WEAPON OF PRAISE PART ONE

MEMORY VERSE: and when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever. 2 Chronicles 20:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 11 – Mark 13

What is a weapon? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a weapon is something used to injure, defeat, or destroy. If there is something the enemy does not want you to know, it is this, ‘praise is a weapon.' A revered man of God once said, ‘if prayer fails, try praise.’ Friend, you can pray amiss. James 4:3 says: 'ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon lusts.' You can pray amiss, but you can never praise amiss. If only you will start praising God over that stubborn child, God will touch his heart and he will change. If only you will stop worrying about that relationship and start praising God, the storm will seize. In 2 Chronicles 20, three mighty nations - the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir - came together to invade tiny Judah. When Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, heard the news, he was perplexed. In his prayers, he said to God, ‘we have no might against this great company that cometh against us (2 Chronicles 20:12).'

The Lord spoke after He heard his confession: 'but our eyes are upon thee (2 Chronicles 20:12). One of the reasons why God has not sent help to some of us is because we are too strong. Friend, God is not interested in helping a strong man or woman. The bible calls Him, ‘the helper of the helpless (Psalm 10:14)', not the helper of the mighty or strong. He told Paul: “my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jehoshaphat did not come to God as a strong king; he said, ‘my eyes are on you’ and God arose on his behalf. Friend, you need God. You cannot do it without Him. Are you not tired of struggling on your own and not getting results? Are you not tired of trying different medications and all to no avail? Are you not tired of using your brains, yet no results? For God to help you, you need to agree that you are weak, first. Accept that you are weak and let God help you. You cannot win the battle on your own or using self-will. Cry to Him today and He will come to your aid.

PRAYER POINT: Let us pray for those suffering from one form of addiction or the other that as they surrender to God, He will help them and heal them.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

“PRAISE ME MORE”

MEMORY VERSE: And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 2 Chronicles 20:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a

READ: 2 Chronicles 20:1 – 26.

IN 2015

While waiting on the Lord in December 2014, asking Him what He intends to do in my life and in the life of His children in 2015, this phrase “MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENT” dropped in my spirit. The title of our message on 1st of January 2015 was MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENT. In that message, as led by the Spirit of God, i said, “This year God will remember many. This year many will succeed where they failed last year. This year many will become married. This year our testimonies will be many. A lot will pass their exams and many other things.” God fulfilled all He said. Recently, a sister in Christ, someone very close to me, shared her testimony of 2015 and as i read it, i saw that her testimonies were many - just like many of us. She said one thing that humbled me: “Indeed, this year, to the glory of God, we recorded the highest number of marriages in our midst -over 20 marriages. Many, indeed, became married. In my personal life, it has been testimony galore. Time may not permit but i will share one. In my place of work this year, God promoted me and i went three scales (positions) up in one single day!

LESSONS LEARNT
As someone from a project management background, PRINCE 2 (PRoject IN Controlled Environments), one thing we do at the beginning of every project is we capture lessons learnt in previous projects. In 2015, i learnt a lot of lessons but i will share one with you today (1st of January 2016). Am i calling 2016 a project? Well, looking at some of the characteristics of a project according to PRINCE 2 - something that is temporary in nature i.e. have a defined start and end, plagued by threats ( dangers) and opportunities , cross-functional i.e. working with people from different background, etc – we can call it a project. One of the important lessons i learnt in 2015 is IT PAYS TO BE OBEDIENT. From time to time, you will pray and make plans. The moment you sense God trying to change your plans don’t struggle with Him. Even if you are at the execution phase of the plan and He says stop, please stop. It may cause you some embarrassment, yes, but in the long run you will be happy that you did. I wanted to do a particular IT training to develop myself so I found a trainer. We agreed on the price and a date. Meanwhile i had been praying about this particular training even before i got the trainer. A day to the training, i sensed in my spirit that the Lord was not in it so I called off the training. As expected, the man got really angry and I was embarrassed. Few days later, the Lord led me to do another IT training course and i obeyed. On the first day of my training, i met a man who had already completed the training the Lord told me not to go for. After speaking with this man for 20 mins, i thank the Lord that i listened when He told me to stop. I pray that you will not waste your resources on a project that will not yield any benefits.

IN 2016
One question people kept on asking me in 2015 was, “are you a pastor”? My response hasn’t changed; I am not a pastor. I am just an ordinary brother - a worker in the vineyard of God. What work do I do? I am part of the SANCTUARY KEEPERS. However, God, out of His mercy, shares a thing or two with me. Whilst men look at titles and positions, God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Looking back at all He did in 2015; the accuracy of His prophecies at the beginning of the year, i didn’t need anyone to tell me to wait again to hear what He has to say for 2016. This time, in few words, He said “PRAISE ME MORE”. To confirm this message - the bible says by the mouth of two or three witness shall every word be established ( 2 Corinthians 13:1) - during our end of the year revival, the pastor, on the 30th December 2015, preached a message titled “PRAISES GO BEFORE LAUGHTER”. He repeated the same thing during our watch night service. One of the texts he used is 2 Chronicles 20.

ACTION: Praise Him like never before this year.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TAKING LITTLE THINGS FOR GRANTED?

MEMORY VERSE: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Ephesians 5:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 3-4

Recently during one of our mid-week services in church, the Lord used an unfortunate incident that happened, to wake every one of us present that evening ,to the fact that we have been taking some of the little things we enjoy (as a result of God’s goodness) for granted. It was time for the service and none of the brothers in the media department was around. The brother who was going to lead the opening prayer went into the media room, picked a microphone, stood by the altar and began to lead prayers. Suddenly, we started hearing a high pitched static sound coming from one of the speakers. One of the brothers went into the media room to check what’s wrong and see the possibility of fixing it. The brother tried and tried but the noise persisted. At this point, we could barely hear anything as the noise was deafening. After a lot of removing-this-cable, plugging-that-cable, tuning-the-mixer, adjusting-the-amplifier, the Lord took control and the noise stopped. The service continued but we had all learnt something valuable. Firstly, you don’t know the value of a thing until it is gone or develops a fault. Although we appreciate the selfless work the brothers in the media department are doing, the Lord used that opportunity to show us all, their worth. Every one of us, minister and the congregation, are used to a 'functioning’ media equipment. Do you know those equipment don’t function well without an expert, like those brothers in our media department, standing by them, tuning them to get the perfect sound and preventing that high static sound during a church service? 

Secondly, don’t take things no matter how little for granted. Every one of us at that service – and many more Christians – is guilty of taking little things that are functioning in the church for granted. After that incident, the Lord opened our eyes to see how we, all, have been taking little things that are functioning in our lives (as a result of God’s goodness) for granted. A lot of us take it for granted that after every meal, we don’t have to inject our body with insulin. Sometimes last year, a friend and i went to greet another friend. When we left the place and got back into car, he took out a machine to inject himself with something. Out of curiosity i asked him, what are you injecting yourself with and why? He told me his body can’t produce insulin so whenever he eats, he has to inject himself with insulin to break down sugar. I pray for everyone sick person that the Lord will heal you in Jesus name. Some of what could happen if he does not inject himself after eating are kidney damage, stroke, eye damage, heart attack, etc. A lot of us take it for granted that we can hear. I heard about the daughter of a millionaire who had to quit her job to look after her dad who lost his hearing. One thing she said that touched me was her father can't hear anything even if you put him beside a loud concert speaker. Even If he is about to walk into fire and you shout at the top of your voice, he won’t hear. A lot of us take it for granted that we can bathe ourselves or brush our teeth or feed ourselves. There are many who have hands but can’t use them because they are paralyzed. Don’t take it for granted that you can control yourself when you want to urinate or defecate. Always remember to thank God for those little things. Ephesians 5:20 says: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” That you are able to sleep is something to thank God for. Psalm 4:8 says: “I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” There are lot of people who can’t sleep no matter how tired they are. That you slept last night and woke this morning is a cause to thank God for. Psalm 3:5 says,” I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.”

CONFESSION: Father, i thank you for those little things that you have done for me.

ACTION: Thank God for those little things you have. Most of the 'big' things you are asking God for will mean nothing to you, if you have them without little things like the ability to see, to hear, to speak, to feel cold and hot, to move your hands, to move your legs, to bath yourself, to stand and sit,etc.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

OH THAT MEN WILL PRAISE THE LORD

MEMORY VERSE:  Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:31

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Timothy 5- 2 Timothy 1

The Psalmist said: “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men (Psalm 107:31).” Oh that men would praise the Lord not oh that men with good jobs would praise the Lord; not oh that the married with children would praise the Lord; not oh that men with fat bank balances would praise God. The Psalmist said: “Oh that men” in other words, oh that ‘all’ – men and women, young and old, tall and short, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, single and married, landlords and tenants, car owners and non-car owners, etc – would praise God. Many of us are crying to God to reveal His purpose to us. Friend, God’s primary purpose for your life is for you to praise Him. According to Revelations 4:11, you and I are created for His pleasure. We are created to give Him pleasure, every other thing is secondary.

Why should I praise God? The bible says, “Praise the LORD for his goodness…” The reason why many don’t praise God as they should is because they don’t consider his goodness. Only few sit down to really think of God’s goodness. Not too long ago, I decided to sell my dumbbells, barbells and other gym equipment. Until recently, probably three to four years ago, I was into body building, but now I build my spirit. Besides, I was too busy for all that now and I needed the space they were occupying so I put them on a site to sell them. When the buyer arrived at my place, we got talking about body building and general health issues. He told he had not slept in 18 months. I said what! He said, “Yes, I cannot sleep. As a result of this, I am always having terrible migraine. At times, my body becomes paralyzed for several minutes.” I asked if he has a family, he said yes, wife and kids. Friend, we need to thank God for His goodness. Sleep is one of His goodness. Psalm 127:2 says: “for so he giveth his beloved sleep” Not everyone can sleep.  This man told me how doctors gave up on his case because drugs could not help. Many of us moan and complain to God when we should be thanking because we spend time looking at what He is yet to do. Friend, how about what He has done? A lot of us murmur to God because we do not have this and that, how about the ones you have? You are looking at your age mates who are married with kids, have you considered your age mates who are dead and buried? You are unhappy because you were refused visa to go and see your uncle, have you thought of those who cannot afford three square meals talk less of saving up to buy a plane ticket? You have refused to be grateful because that relationship did not work out, have you thought about those who are on the death bed, fighting for life? Thank God for His goodness. No matter what you are going through, there is a reason to thank God. There are people who are praying to be in your shoes. You are unhappy because you don’t have a shoe, there are people without legs. Because you failed an exam, you said God hates you. Have you considered those without hands? Thank God for His goodness.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The fact that you do not have something today does not mean you will not have it tomorrow. Praise Him today for what you have.

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for not thanking you as we should.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

PRAISES AND FAVOR

MEMORY VERSE: Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47).

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 13, Acts 17, Jer 26, Mark 12

What is favor? Favor is simply receiving what you do not deserve. If a fellow who is not qualified for promotion gets promoted, we say such fellow has been favored. One of the ways to attract God’s favor is through praises. The world is full of complainers – people who are always reminding God of what He is yet to do in their life. Oh Lord you have not done this or that. Oh Lord you are yet to give me a life partner; you are yet to buy me a house; you are yet to buy me a car e.t.c. There are others who challenge God. Oh Lord, why was I not shortlisted for the interview? Oh Lord why am I facing these challenges? Oh Lord why am I broke e.t.c. Before you go and complain to God, ask yourself when was the last time you sat down to thank God for the gift of life, at the end of the day only the living has challenges and face difficulties. When was the last time you thanked God for the salvation of your soul? Someone died in your place, don’t you think you need to tell Him thank you daily?

Once in a while when God hears people praising Him on earth, He becomes happy. When people praise Him, He personally visits them and deal with anything that requires His attention in their life. This was the exact thing that happened when Paul and Silas were praising God in prison (Acts 16:25-34). When God heard them praising Him, He decided to personally pay them a visit. As He took the first step, the earth shook a little because of His weight. He took the second step and the earth quaked, by the time He took the third step the foundations of the prison were so shaken that the doors flung open and every one’s bands were loosed.

Acts 2:47 says praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Praises attract favor from God. The last person you would expect God to anoint and his cup would run over was David. The boy did not merit it in anyway because he was a product of adultery. No wonder he said behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Psalm 51:5). Bible scholars told us that he was an embarrassment to the father. The old man messed up with a woman and the product of the affair was David. So whenever the family was around they would keep David away because he represents shame. While in the forest, David began to praise God. He said it is true no one wants to see me but I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth, Psalm 34:1. The Lord decided that in that case, I will promote you. It is true that no one wants see you (David), but I will promote you so that you will be their head. He decided that it is true they have relegated you (David) to the background, but I will bring you (David) to the palace. That was how David found favor before God and became King.

ACTION POINT; Dedicate time to praise and worship God frequently.

GLORIFYING GOD

MEMORY VERSE: Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God, Psalm 50:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 35, Ps 79, Isa 27, 1 Jn 5

Anyone can praise God. Anyone can decide to sing a special song when God has just done something big in their life. Anyone can decide to give God a special offering especially when God does the unimaginable in their life. I read on a Facebook page called Testimony board, the mighty thing the Lord did in the life of a sister. The sister was employed as a cover for a month. One way or the other the Lord turn this one month contract into a two years contract and this two years contract turned to a permanent contract. If the Lord does such thing in your life or in the life of someone close to you, you will definitely praise God.

Psalm 50:23 says whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God. When you study this verse very well, you will notice that the Lord was not actually referring to those that praise Him when something good happens to them or when all is well. He is referring to those that praise Him in difficult situations or when things are not going as planned. An example of this is found in Acts 16:25-34. Paul and Silas found themselves chained inside prison. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves they began to offer praise to God. Although these men were in bondage they sang like free men. While they were singing the Lord sent an earthquake that shook the prison and the chains fell off.

When you ignore your problem and praise God, you are glorifying Him. When you glorify God, He will take on those things that are troubling you. Two mighty nations - Ammonites and Moabites came to trouble a small city called Judah, 2 Chronicles 20:1-24. Jehoshaphat led a team of choirs and some instrumentalist to war against them. As they were praising God, the Ammonites and Moabites began to fight each other. Before you know it, the whole place was littered with the dead bodies of the enemies of Jehoshaphat. Two hours to a very tough exam, the Holy Spirit led me to praise God. The songs did not flow but I tried to sing as many songs as i could. Ten minutes into the exam, the hall was empty because the questions came from a past paper none of us had studied. I did the best i could with the help of the Holy Spirit and at the end i passed.

KEYWORD:  During challenges praise God more.

DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 42, Mark 12, Job 8, Romans 12

Mark 6:3 is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at him

Bible studies: Mark 6:1-6

Mighty signs and wonders were happening in the ministry of Jesus. Everywhere He went to preach, people received major miracles. One day He decided to visit His own country to bless them, heal their sick, raise their dead, perform mighty signs and wonders, fellowship with them and spend a nice time with them. When He got there, He could not heal them or render much assistance because of their unbelief. Instead of exercising their faith they began to doubt and look down on Him. They said ‘is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at him, Mark 6:3. Because they knew the family of Jesus, they took Him granted. Because Jesus grew among them instead of taking Him as a prophet, they took him as the son of an ordinary carpenter. They did not even listen to Him and because of this they missed out on their blessings. They took the relationship they had with Jesus for granted and they missed out on the benefits of that relationship. The relationship that could have resulted in having unlimited access to Jesus was taken for granted. Because they took the relationship and visit for granted, the bible did not record Jesus going back to His country again after that incident. People who take their relationship with people for granted end up not benefiting from that relationship. Do not take your husband or wife for granted. There are many single who crying to God day and night for a husband or wife. Do not take your children for granted. Do not take your Pastors for granted. Do not take your friends for granted. There are people who are looking for a shoulder to cry on and there is none. If you have people who care about you and call you from time to time to check on you ,please do not take them for granted.

Judas Iscariot did not value the opportunity to be the disciple of Jesus so he exchanged Him for thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 27:3. At the end he regretted and committed suicide. People who take opportunities for granted lose them. Maximizing the benefits you can get from a relationship will be impossible if you take it for granted. Please never take anything for granted. Thank God for everything you own. Please do not take your spiritual gifts or your advantage for granted. I know of a sister who did dry fasting for fourteen days for the gift of speaking tongues, if you speak in tongues don’t take it for granted. Do not take your employment for granted, there are people who will do anything to get a job. Do not even take your freedom and liberty for granted, there are many innocent people in the prison.1 Thessalonian 5:18 says in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you. You might be looking to God for one thing or other, thank God for the gift of Life because only the living has needs.

KEY WORD: Opportunities taken for granted are lost. Benefiting from a relationship taking for granted is impossible.

GETTING THE ATTENTION OF GOD

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 15, Matt 14, Neh 4, Acts 14

1 Kings 18:38 then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 kings 18:31-39

There are several ways to get God's attention. One of it is by living a life of righteousness. Psalm 11:7 says for the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. Psalm 4:3 says but know that the Lord has set part for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Another way to get the attention of God is through giving - giving to the poor and the needy. Proverbs 19:17 says he who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given. Also supporting kingdom projects. Luke 6:38 says give it will come back to you, for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Another way is through prayers. James 5:16 says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

In 1 Kings 18:31-39, we see an effective way of attracting God's attention. After the whole nation had gathered, Elijah stepped forward, repaired the altar and began to Eulogize God. He began to call Him names like Lord God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Israel and before you know it, fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering. If you study the passage carefully, you will notice that Elijah did not even request for fire. According to Numbers 14:28, it is what God hears you say that He will do. If you call Him the great Physician, He will heal you. If you call Him the Help of the helpless, He will help you. Elijah knew this, so he started by calling God “Lord God of Abraham". According to Genesis 18:1-15, with the God of Abraham nothing shall impossible. The impossible happened because fire came from heaven and consumed the offering. He went further to call God "God of Isaac". According to Genesis 26:12-14, the God of Isaac is the God of steady greatness. The family of Elijah was nothing to reckon with in Israel. The bible did not even make mention of his family but from the moment fire fell; the whole nation began to look up to him. He now ended by calling God “God of Israel". According to Genesis 30:41-43 , the God of Israel is the God of exceeding greatness. Elijah ended up as the only man in history who rode on the chariots of fire. When you worship God, He gives to you what you did not even ask for. All Hannah asked for was a son, 1 Samuel 1:9-17. After she got the son, she praised God to the extent that God gave her another three boys and two girls, 1 Samuel 3:21.

ACTION POINT: The more time you spend worshiping God, the less time you will need to make your request known to Him.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

1 Thessalonians 5:17: pray without ceasing

In 2 Kings 13:14- 19, a king was given an opportunity to permanently deal with his enemies –the Syrians. Elisha told him to strike the ground with an arrow; each time he struck the ground stood for a victory over the Syrians. The foolish king struck the ground three times and began to look. Even when he was rebuked, he did not even make any more attempts. The attitude of this king could be compared to our attitude in prayers. God inspires the pastor to lead a particular prayer point, after praying for five minutes, we stop. At times we pray for two or three days over a matter ,if we do not get a response we stop praying. 1 Thessalonian 5:17 says pray without ceasing. John 16:24 says we should ask until our joy is full. If your joy is not full over a matter please do not stop praying. At times when ask God for one or two things and we do not get an answer within days we get angry at God. The truth is if we petition the president of our country, he is not obliged to answer immediately and we have no choice than to exercise patience. How much more God? He is not our servant or our employer. He can decide not to answer and nothing will happen but thank God He is merciful and He has promised in Isaiah 65:24 that while you are praying, He will answer Hallelujah.

How do I make request known to God? Acts 4:24-30 shows us how to do this. The early Christians had challenges in the area of boldness and evangelism. They went to God in prayers. They started by praising the name of the Lord – Acts 4:24. After that they proceeded to thank Him for the things He had done in times past – Acts 4:25-27. After this they reported what was disturbing them to Him – Acts 4:28. They concluded by telling Him what they wanted Him to do for them – Acts 4:30. By the time they finished praying, the bible records in Acts 4:31 that there was an earth quake. If anyone will go before Him in prayer and start by spending time to exalt His holy name, calling Him the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Most High, other lovely names. Then spend time again to thank Him for the things He had done in past. Then proceed to report everything disturbing them to Him and conclude with what they want to Him to do there will be an earthquake. Also when we make requests to Him, it should be in the name of Jesus. John 14:13 says and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And also when we ask let’s do so through the spirit of God (i.e. speak in tongues) .Romans 8:26 says for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. When God sees our prayer request in heaven signed by Jesus (when ask in the name of Jesus, we are stamping our request with the signature of Jesus) and our requests packaged by the Holy Spirit (when we pray in the spirit), He will say yes! I pray that the Lord will say granted to all your petitions in Jesus name.

ACTION POINT: Start your request by praising God, then thank Him for the things He has done in times past , bring to His attention everything disturbing you and ask Him what you want Him to do with them.

PRAISING GOD

Psalm 150:6 let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise you the LORD.

There are few things that move God on the throne and one of them is praises. Every time God moves on the throne, something happens and at times the earth shakes. Isaiah 66:1 gives a brief description of God’s size when it says He sits in heaven and uses the earth as His footstool. Due to His size the earth cannot carry His weight so every time He moves the earth shakes. That’s part of the reasons why the Psalmist say in Psalm 68:1 let God arise and His enemies be scattered. If you were about to fight a man and every time he takes a step towards you the earth shakes, will you not run ?Exodus 15:8 says the blast of His nostrils is enough to part a sea. If you suddenly find out that the blast of nostrils of the man you want to fight can part a sea, will you want to stand before him in combat? In Acts 16:16-40, Paul and Silas began to praise God in chains and God moved. The bible records that there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. In 1 Samuel 4:5, the children of Israel praised God and shouted and God moved which caused the earth to shake. Every time we praise God, He rises on His throne against our enemies. One secret to victory is praising God.

Psalm 150:6 says let everything that has breath praise the Lord. The fact that we are alive is a reason to praise God. We might be going through one challenge or the other but that should not hinder us from praising God. Only the living have prayer requests, only the living get hungry , only the living has needs and wants . The dead have no stimulus. The elders have a saying when there is life there is hope. We can only reach our goals when we are alive. We can only win battles when we are alive.

ACTION POINT: Thank God for the gift of life, when there is life there is hope.