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Remember: Gods Word never
commands us to change our feelings, but we are commanded to
change
our thoughts, words and actions by being obedient to His Word. Gods
commands are not burdensome. Jesus invitation is clear:
"Come to Me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew
11:28)
Your obedience to Gods Word is based on your love for the Lord Jesus
Christ instead of the unpredictability of your feelings. This is why God
has so many Scriptural commands to PRAISE and GIVE THANKS!
Heres a few of them:
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus." (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18)
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians
4:4)
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a
sacrifice of praise
the fruit of lips that confess His name." (Hebrews
13:15)
Before we come before the Lord with our requests, we are to praise Him
for who He is. This reminds us that He is God and we are His people whom
He loves. It lifts our thoughts to a new level. Psalm 100:4 says:
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His Name."
A spirit of depression cannot co-exist with a sprit of praise! Jesus
came for the express purpose of lifting the burden of depression. Notice
what He says in Isaiah 61:1, 3:
"
the Lord has anointed Me to
comfort all who mourn, and
provide for those who grieve in Zion; to bestow on them a crown of
beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a
garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
"
But He is only able to do this for us as we allow Him and moment by
moment submit to His will.
If you review the Prayer Plan, youll notice that praise is
followed by confession. We have been promised in 1 John 1:9 that
when we confess, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse from ALL
unrighteousness. Notice the example in Psalm 32:5:
"Then I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover up my
iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the
Lord" and You forgave the guilt of my sin."
What God did for David, He does for every true seeker. Notice the
promise that follows in Psalm 32:6-7:
"Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may
be found; surely when the mighty waters (problems
of life) rise, they will not reach
him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and
surround me with songs of deliverance."
It is possible to praise even when you dont feel like
it. Others have
you can, too. Note what Habakkuk said in the Old
Testament. Youll find it in chapter 3, verses 17-19:
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the
vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The
Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a
deer, He enables me to go on the heights."
The promise for obedience is written in Gods Word with the command.
Here it is:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
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)
You may be saying: "This all sounds
wonderful, but how do I go about practicing this plan?"
You'll get some definite steps to follow that will help you implement
God's plan when you click onto the last link.
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