8. What Praise Will Do!

Adverse tidings and circumstances can cause the devil to instantly strike fear into your heart. Praising God will just as instantly start driving that fear out! Praising God brings you into His presence. Here is the key, your problems cannot and will not follow you there!

Praise is expressing your love and worship toward God. God is continually showered His love on us so much so that He gave His life so that we could go free. In return we need to express our love and appreciation towards Him and make that our priority! Anyone who loves needs to have love returned. God had a strong love and affection for us and wants our love returned. 
God inhabits the praises of His people. Start praising Him for His for His love, might and power and the troubles of this world instantly start losing their grip on your life.

Psalm 59:9
“O my Strength, I will watch and give heed to You and sing praises; for God is my Defense (my Protector and High Tower).”

Never allow any problem to grow bigger by turning it over and over in your mind until it forces you into fear, hopelessness and depression. Praise to God and gratitude for all the good in your life puts your attention on the solution rather than the problem 
Focus your attention on God and His promises and not the problem! 
God is the source of all that is good in your life. By operating in praise we build our faith and thus shorten the manifestation time for the promises of God to come to pass.

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1

As we consider or look to Jesus in praise and adoration, and to God’s word, faith starts flowing! 
That means that you need to take your mind off negative circumstances and look to Jesus who is the Word, before faith will come. Praising God through gratitude for the good He has already done and will do again will build the faith necessary to see the fulfillment of a need come to pass. 

Psalm 34:1 reads, "I will bless the Lord at all times, and His praise will continually be in my mouth."

Make praise a habit. Praising God in every circumstance will take your attention off the fear, depression, sickness or lack and place it on the solution which is the presence of God. Jesus said that in this world we will have problems but He has overcome the world. That means that He has already overcome the problem. Start praising Him beforehand that He has already taken care of every situation!  Pray saying, "Thank you Father that in this world I will have problems, but You have overcome every one of them!" 

John 16:33 Amplified Bible. “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”

Constant praise of God expecting Him to act mightily on your behalf will see your deliverance every time. He has delivered millions who have been in a worse situation than you are in and can certainly deal with your problem. When you do that, your faith will work. If you dwell on the problem, your unbelief will work and the problems of the world will overcome you.

Doubt and unbelief come by considering things other than the Word of God and His promises. Keeping the promises in mind and staying in constant praise for their fulfillment will see them come to pass. Keeping your mind stayed on Jesus will keep you in perfect peace. Keeping your mind on the problem will cause the problem to keep dominating you.

"Thank you Lord that You have met my health or financial or whatever need and that it is coming to pass now." And then start praising God for answered prayer before you see the result!

It is hard when bills are piling up or when pain is racking your body to say that you refuse to think on the problem. Praise is one of the most important things you can do to take your mind off the problem and shift it to the answer. Learn to control your mind as it wanders back to the issue by refocusing on praising God. It takes exercise and discipline. Peace is not a product of circumstances but rather on what is occupying your mind in the midst of problems. 
With the promises of God in mind you can decide that no matter what the devil throws at you, you are going to prosper in the midst of it. Or, you are going to be healed in the midst of the physical attach on you. 
Nehemiah 8:10
“And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.”
There always a lot of positives in your situation if you would just look for the rather than focusing on the issue attack on you. Praise God for His great works. Strength is a weapon used against the devil. It makes Satan flee from you faster than anything else you can do. Satan loses his power when Gods people begin to praise!

7. Fear Not!

We all need the reassurance that God is with us and that we do not have to succumb to fear in any situation. When fear strikes, only the Holy Spirit speaking those words directly into our hearts or by studying and meditating on the relevant scriptures will push back that most awful of feelings and the devil which is the source of it. Countless times God tells us in the Bible tells us to, “Fear not!” How great it is to repeat those words over again in the midst of the storms of life knowing they come from the God, the all powerful One and to sense the anguish and torment retreating. God has dealt with all kinds of fears in your life, fear of man, fear of lack of provision, fear of enemies, fear of sickness and death, etc. Throughout Scripture God’s timely reminder to His children echoes again and again, “Fear not, for I am with you!”

Genesis 15:1
“The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.”

The blessings and promises that were spoken to Abraham also apply to us, and so we may make these words from the Lord as our own.

Genesis 26:24
“The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will favor you with blessings and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

Like an Israelite of old, we can take to heart these words of God through Moses that the source of our fears could be banished from our lives forever. Meditating on God’s promises will do it!

Exodus 14:13
“Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.”

As believers, there truly is no person, situation or condition that we have to fear because God is with us. He promises to subdue your enemies on your behalf and will deliver them into your hands!

Joshua 10:8
“And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.”

From that wonderful story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 we learn the great lesson that we do not have to fight any battle other than the one to believe God, and to let a spirit of praise arise in us!

2 Chronicles 20:17
“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

Yes, God will come to our rescue with a vengeance! That means that if you trust in Him, He will always beat back your enemies with the passion and anger like a mother hen because He has claimed you as His own!

Isaiah 35:4
“Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”

Isaiah 43:1
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.”

Many times, God commanded His children through the mouth of Isaiah not to fear. Allowing fear to enter your heart is nothing else but a lack of trust in God. Here He reminds us that there is no one else like Him.

Isaiah 44:8
“Do not fear, nor be afraid; is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know.”

The fear of being put to shame because of their temporary circumstances afflicts many a believer. Here is a great promise from the words of the prophet.

Isaiah 54:4
“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.”

Remember that if you continue in sin and fail to avail yourself of God’s protection, your actions God cannot shield you from fear!

Isaiah 66:4  “So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.”  

Jesus continues to tell us today and every day not to fear, to trust in Him because He loves you and that you are valuable and precious to Him! He knows all about your situation.

Matthew 10:28-31
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

God's love dispels fear!

Deep meditation on the scriptures about God's love for you will drive out fear from your heart!

1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Godly fear is the only fear allowed.

Hebrews 11:7
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Even in these last days when terrible things will happen, God's command stands!

Revelation 2:10
“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

6. How to Activate Your Blessings!

The Blessings of God as promised to all believers all over the Scriptures do not materialize automatically. We need to follow these steps to see them materialize.The conditions are few and simple and yet so few of us actually do them! Three scriptures show us the way.

Step 1. 

Listen and do what God tells us in the scriptures. Make sure it is based on the New Testament of love and grace and not the Old one of law and legalism.

“ If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2

Step 2. 

Reword the promises in scripture as confessions and speak them out aloud as relating to you. Many verses tell us that we need to speak them out with our mouth.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it.” Proverbs 18:21

I love this phrase by Andrew Wommack, “The promises of God are voice activated.”  In other words, in addition to listen, to follow and do what the God tells us in the Bible, we need to speak the blessings and promises out aloud over ourselves and our household. Indulge in it!

Step 3. 

Mix your words with faith, i.e. believe that what you are saying is true in the spirit realm and becoming true as your life experience.
“For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).” Hebrews 4:1-3 

As an example of how to turn the promises or into statements that will activate them when you speak them out, here is a list that is based on the blessings mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:1-15. Cattle and livestock were the "assets" of that day and so I have not used those words because they probably don't apply to you. For storehouses I have used what is used today, a "bank accounts."

Print them out and spend the time memorizing them and they will always be right at hand. 

Yes, take the trouble and memorize them, follow the simple steps as often as possible and it could well be the turningpoint to a life that you so desire!

Deuteronomy 28 - Confessions 
1 Because I listen to the voice of the Lord and keep His commandments, He has set me on high, above all the nations of the earth.

2 All these blessings have come and overtaken me.
3 I am blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 Blessed are my children, my work and my assets.

5 Blessed are my kitchen and my provisions.
6 Blessed am I when I come in and blessed when I go out.
7 The Lord causes my enemies to be defeated before me. They come against me one way and flee before me seven ways.
8 The Lord has commanded a blessing on all my work and bank accounts in the land He has given me. 
9 The Lord has established me as holy to Himself, because I keep His commandments and walk in His ways.
10 Everyone sees that I am called by the name of the Lord and they are afraid of me.
11 The Lord has given me a surplus of prosperity through my children, my work and my assets. (Property, finances and goods) 
12 The Lord has opened His treasury to me and given me an increase in provision. He has blessed all the work of my hands. I lend to many, but shall not borrow.
13 The Lord has made me the head, and not the tail. I am above only, not beneath because I keep His commandments.
14 I do not turn aside from the words of God to go after other gods to serve them.
15. But if I miss obeying the voice of the Lord, no curse shall come upon or overtake me because Jesus became a curse for me. (Gal.3:13)

* The last item on the list demonstrates the difference between the Old and the New Covenant or Testament. In the Old, the Israelites suffered under a curse if they missed obeying God's commandments. In the New, Jesus paid the penalty for all our past and future sins!

5. Manifesting Miracles!

Galatians 5:25
If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

To the degree that we can grasp this revelation from scripture and actually walk, speak and act in line with these principles will we see the blessing and miraculous manifest in our lives and of others we may minister to. In these perilous times we all need to increasingly walk this way by taking every thought captive. Our habit of carnal thinking should be rapidly drawing to a close and Scriptures demand a changed mind.

Ephesians 2:1-2

And you [He made alive] when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins
in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].

The key to the miraculous power of God is a change of mind and a determination to think, speak and act on the promises of God and a refusal to be limited by meditating on the increasingly troublesome natural circumstances that are coming to the world. We now earnestly need to take every thought that is contrary to a promise of God captive and replace it with meditating on that promise.

2 Corinthians 10:5
[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Which way will you steer your mind?

Mature Christians know these things but knowing and not doing will not help us to succeed in living a more abundant life. In a previous blog posting the I explained the activity of our soul with the following diagram:

The activities of the soul

Thoughts lead to feelings and feelings lead to decisions and actions. Interrupt the cycle of natural thoughts by inserting the promises of God. A great way to start is to buy a small and inexpensive book of God's promises and start memorizing the Bible scriptures that relate to your needs. 


The following two diagrams contrast the conditions of a natural man or carnal Christian with a Spirit controlled man.Where do you fit in?

The carnal person dominated by everyday worldly thoughts

The child of God dominated by the promises of God

Smith Wigglesworth who is widely known for his miraculous healing ministry, read the Bible to the exclusion of everything else, not even permitting a newspaper into his house. He kept his thoughts on the scriptures and promises, acting on them in total disregard of natural appearances. If you want to walk in this kind of anointing then he is an great example of what is possible. The Lord would  have us all walk in that kind of power as He is no respecter of men.

The truly victorious Christian is not seeking victory but enforcing the victory already purchased for him by Christ. We are not trying to win a battle but should celebrate that a battle has already been won for us. 
Our job is to get rid of contrary thoughts, and the idea that we have to beg God to do something for us, causing us to sit around hoping He will give us a healing, some money or whatever we need or want.

False religious beliefs are what makes us work for what is already ours.We need to start believing that we are already blessed, acting like we are blessed and confessing that we are blessed. Deuteronomy 28 clearly tells us that we are. As we do, we are appropriating what God has already provided for us. If we realize that God has already done it for us then it removes a great burden of performance from us that it is up to the strength of our faith to see things manifest. It is so much easier to believe to receive something that has already been given and is in transit to you than to wonder if God will consider us good enough or loves us enough to give us anything at all. 

Faith is not believing that God can or will do something but that He has done something and that you have it already. Salvation only came to you when you received His payment for your sins on the cross two thousand years ago. That too was the moment that He freely gave mankind all things pertaining to life and godliness. Now can be the moment that you realize that deliverance, healing and prosperity are already yours and that they are flowing to you continually just as eternal life is! The power of such a revelation can be the end of struggle and the key to manifesting the blessing and the miraclulous in your life!

4. It's a Done Deal!

In ignorance, people beg God for something that they need or want and generally believe that He then evaluates if they are good enough to receive it or not. The fact is that everything from salvation to deliverance. healing protection and prosperity has already been provided and available to every person on the planet by the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross at Calvary.

“He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

God has already done His bit to provide everything for you!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 

2 Peter 1:3

Your actions will not move God to act on your behalf. Your faith pleases God but does not cause Him to do anything or move on your behalf. Again, He has already provided all there is to provide. Your faith simply receives what God has already done by grace.

People pray and wait for a sign that God has approved their request and when there is no response they come up with theories of why God does not want them to have it. The fact is that God has already done His part and provided everything that you need and want. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

His provision is available to all men by grace. All you have to do is by faith to reach over and take it. That's the way you got forgiveness for your sins and got saved. That is the way the sick can get their healing. That is the way singles can get married and the barren can have children. That too is the way that anyone can receive a new house, a car, a vacation, an Ipad or anything else they may need or want!

Salvation is not dependent on how worthy, good or deserving you are and neither is healing or any other free gift from God. You don't have to wander if God will do it for you, He has already done it. If you can get the attitude, then it will work.

As long as you believe it's on it's way it's coming, but as soon as you waiver in unbelief the delivery or manifestation process is impeded.  

You can command what God has already done to come into physical manifestation. Be a commander rather than a beggar. You are commanding that what God has already provided in your spiritual life to manifest in your physical life.

Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." Isaiah 45:11

Faith is a bridge that allows what God has already provided to cross

Faith is not a struggle, it does not force God to act. It simply appropriates what God has already provided in the spiritual realm and causes it to manifest in the physical world.

Since God owns everything and made everything, He is free to give them. As an heir to all He has, all you need to do is ask, believe you receive it and you shall have it. God has already provided everything for you. Just order what you want and by believing that it is yours as a free gift from God, it is on it's way to you much as you order a book from Amazon.com!

Faith draws into being what is already a reality in the spiritual realm. your faith is a bridge that allows what God has provided in the spirit to cross over into reality.

The process of having your needs and wants met is similar to electricity that has been cabled to your house. It's at your command. All you need to do is to flip the switch. You have to do it, the electricity department is not going to come out and flip it for you. God is your power source. He has already provided all things that you need for life and all you need to do is to flip the switch by believing it to start receiving it.

3. Spirit, Soul and Body

There is more to life than what we can see, hear, taste and feel. Two worlds exist, a physical and a spiritual world. We are born into the physical world where we perceive and assess everything according to our senses and mental logic. In John 3:3-6 Jesus explains to Nicodemus that in order to enter God's kingdom which exists in the spiritual world that one needed to be born again by receiving a brand new spirit.

John 3:3-6 (Amplified Bible)

"Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born? Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. 

What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Jesus makes the distinction between your spirit and your flesh. Another scripture further distinguishes between three entities.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
“and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”

As a believer, your spirit is born of the Holy Spirit. As such it is perfect! You have been born again of incorruptible seed, the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:23
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Actions prompted by your born again spirit are pure and without sin! You are perfect in spirit.

This is who you really are, you are perfect!

1 John 3:9
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

Be inspired!

Your spirit feeds on inspiration, i.e. information that comes from God and not from your logical mind!

The Bible is written to your spirit man and feeds you with spiritual thoughts. 

2 Timothy 3:16 (Amplified Bible)

“Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action)”

This happens by revelation to your spirit directly from the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 30:21

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Think of the word, “inspiration.” It means something that comes into your spirit. Perhaps it is wisdom from God as to how to deal with a certain situation. Perhaps it is a poem, a beautiful melody or a thought that could transform the lives of millions. Listen out for the inspirations in your life. They may be coming from God. Act on them. I believe it is your duty to do so. It could be God leading you out of a cursed situation into blessing! I love the saying, “Yesterdays blessing could be tomorrow’s curse.”

Perhaps it is your time to move on to a brand new life by inspiration!

What is God saying to you?

Obviously God will not lead you into doing something immoral or sinful.

Romans 8:6
“Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].”

The Bible sees your mind as part of your flesh. That is why I spoke of Mind-Body disorders in a previous blog. The mind really has its own organ, and that is called the brain. It’s thought normally come from the environment, based on information received through the five senses. That is why ugly words said to you or bad actions done to you can have such a devastating and long term effect.

God thoughts are not logical like those of your fleshly mind. Your mind may tell you are a nobody, but God is telling you that you have been crowned with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5) The negative message was birthed through words and experiences through the five senses from the natural world. The positive message came by revelation through the word of God.

As a Christian, you should never make important decisions based solely on logical deduction. You must wait on God and for His peace and joy to settle in your heart regarding what you should do.

The scripture says that actions based on the thoughts of the natural mind alone lead to death! 

Believing negative thoughts eventually become core beliefs that settle in your unconscious. As we have seen that in that way they can destroy your hopes and dreams.

Malachi 2:16
“Therefore, keep a watch upon your spirit [that it may be controlled by My Spirit],”

The thoughts of God are good thoughts. They may not seem right to your mind of flesh but they lead to life.

A home for your thoughts

Your soul is made up of your thoughts, feelings and will power. God created a special place for your thoughts there. He also tells you what to think.

Philippians 4:8 

 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

God knows that good thoughts lead to good feelings and good feelings to good decisions and good decisions lead to good actions and more good thoughts.

Thoughts inspired by God are good but thoughts based on information from the five senses can be totally misleading if they conflict with spiritual truth!

Either you are sick according to your symptoms or you have been healed according to the Word. Either you are poor according to your pocket book or you are rich according to 2 Cor. 8:9.

Your spiritual reality may greatly differ from your physical reality. You may be suffering lack in life and yet God has blessed you, healed you and prospered you in the spirit world. Faith is a bridge that transfers a spiritual into a physical reality 

Think what you will to think. Think that you are sick and poor according to what you see, hear, touch and feel, or that you are healthy and wealthy according to Divine revelation. 

I believe the latter. The choice is yours!