May 10, 2025

Praise Him

August 16, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live will I praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

When his breath leaves him, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts, plans, and purposes perish.

Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is he who has the God of  Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners,

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the [uncompromisingly] righteous.

The Lord protects and preserves the strangers and temporary residents, He upholds the fatherless and the widow and sets them upright, but the way of the wicked He makes crooked.

 The Lord shall reign forever, even Your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Praise the Lord!  Hallelujah!

Psalm 146

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As Long As I Live

August 15, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Praise the Lord, O my soul!
While I live will I praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have any being.
Psalm 146:1 and 2

Haven’t we each uttered words similar to these!  I know for myself that there are times when my heart is just so full of praise and I profess that I will always be found praising Him…my whole life-long!  And, by God’s grace, we each will continue to praise our God for as long as we are alive!   ‘Cause, truly, is there anything better?

Throughout the psalms, we read of David’s (and the other psalmists’) dedication and commitment to praise the Most High God.  Verse after verse, chapter after chapter, contain beautiful words of praise and worship!  And it is such a joyful thing to do when days are easy, and trials are few, and our minds and hearts are not stressed and overwhelmed.

But we each know that, at times, days like those are a distant memory…. We each have experienced seasons of our lives where the pressures and stresses are so burdensome. And our relationships with friends and loved ones seem filled with contention. Times when the cares of this world—finances, and health issues, and rumors of wars, and threaten to overshadow the praises we have committed to bring to our God.

These are the very times…the situations and circumstances…when our praises should be more constant.  It takes a concerted effort and a willful choice sometimes to sing out our HalleluJAHs! And yet we must! We are not yet in the grave. Our lives are not over. We do still have voices and strength to lift our hands in praise to the One Who deserves every praise!

Here are a few expressions of one who is praising God ‘as long as I live!’ Perhaps you might write them down…and tuck them away for encouragement when the times come that the praises of your own heart are not spilling over. Our God does not change. He is faithful. He always brings to pass what He has promised to do. So let’s purpose to do as we so want to do—praise Him as long as we live!

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalms 63:3 and 4

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I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalms 116:1-2

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Let my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your word!
My lips shall pour forth praise [with thanksgiving and renewed trust] when You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue shall sing [praise for the fulfillment] of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.
Let Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.
I have longed for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise You, and let Your decrees help me.
Psalms 119:170-175

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I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. *
May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will rejoice in the Lord.
Psalms104:33 and 34

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(* some other versions translate this phrase: while I have my being, to my last breath, while I exist)

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Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Psalm 150:6

My prayer today is that we will praise God—from morning when we get up ‘til night when we lay our heads down—we will sing our praises to the One Who deserves all the praise and glory!  May we recognize the privilege of praising our great God!  As long as we have breath, may our lives and hearts and everything within us PRAISE THE LORD!

 

So, check right now…are you breathing?  Is blood flowing through your veins?  Is your heart pumping?  Can you wiggle your toes?  Well, GOOD!  Now get busy praising Him!

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Who Do We Put Our Trust In?

August 14, 2014 by

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Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their Helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
The LORD protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but He frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146

I can say that I don’t recall reading these words before but, as I read them I thought to myself, who do you put your trust in? So many times our society places individuals on pedestals (I do it myself). These individuals can include celebrities, politicians, preachers and pastors, our significant others, family members, friends, anyone. We raise them up and then raise our expectations of them. We ask things of them that they cannot deliver. We think they can do no wrong and, when they do so, we find ourselves hurt. Why do I do this? Why do we do this? I’m honestly not sure, but we are reminded of something…

Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.
Verses 3 and 4

They breathe a last breath…they are only human. I learned that thinking like this does a few things—it places unnecessary (and often unwanted) pressure on the person, and it takes away God’s glory. We place others in His position. This Scripture reminded me that we need to only place our confidence, our hearts, and our lives in One.  God.  He is our Helper, He is our hope, He is our peace, and He is the only One Who will never fail us.  As this scripture says

He keeps every promise forever.
Verse 6

This isn’t said to ruin relationships or break trusting connections; it is said to remind us that those around us are as human as we are, and when they will fail…they deserve grace and mercy. There is One who will never fail us, and that is our Heavenly Father.

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Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, so often we take our eyes off of You and place others higher than we should.  Remind us and guide us to remember that out of everyone, You will never fail us, and You will never break the promises You’ve made.  Thank You for those who You have placed in our lives as role models, but it is You, Lord, who we need to put our trust in.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.

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Not In Men

August 13, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
He remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 146

God desires for us to seek Him first for wisdom. We need to check His word for answers. We are not to trust in man only for answers for life’s problems. If we do seek human response, we should only seek those who pursue God even more than we do.

Paul was a great example of someone who did not rely on men. God had given him a mission to carry out and Paul knew what was required of him. When plans changed he sent encouragement to those who would need it. 

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies
that we have conducted ourselves in the world,
and especially in our relations with you,
with integrity and godly sincerity.
We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom
but on God’s grace.
2 Corinthians 1:12

Even when Jesus was facing His last days on earth and knew His cruel fate, Peter could not stop Jesus from following what God required.

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!
You are a stumbling block to Me;
you do not have in mind the concerns of God,
but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:23

Peter reacted as we would have. We would not have wanted our best friend to be taken away from us either. Jesus knew He needed to follow God’s plan and show us how to love unconditionally. Who else would suffered the beating, the embarrassment, and humiliation He suffered at the hands of men? Praise the Lord for His continued love. Even now!

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Father, we praise You! We praise Your unfailingly love, even when we have proved to be unlovable. Please forgive us for when we have doubted You and not sought You first. Help us develop our trust  in You so that we can take it to a new level of commitment. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Freedom

August 12, 2014 by

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The Lord frees prisoners.
Psalm 146:7b HCSB

Called to Be Free was the title of the sermon at church on Sunday, so this verse jumped out at me as I was reading through Psalm 146. One point the pastor made stuck with me: “You cannot lose your salvation. You CAN give up your freedom.”

John 10:28-30 (HSCB) assures us our salvation is secure:

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever!
No one will snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.
No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) confirms we bear His mark:

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Now take a look at the following excerpts:
– “captives will be released and prisoners will be freed”  Isaiah 61:1NLT
– “For He has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron apart” Psalm 107:16
– “freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” Luke 4:18NIV

See the theme running through these verses? Freedom, specifically our freedom.

So, since we have been set free, why would we give up that freedom? (Think of the Israelites, set free from Pharaoh, yet clamoring to go back!) When things get hard, we sometimes want to return to “the way it was.” Or maybe it is fear of the unknown. Often we chain ourselves (and others) to rules and standards we have no hope of achieving on our own. We will never live up to God’s standards on our own.

Other times pride and ego stand in the way of our freedom. Or our desires. Or material things. Perhaps we have become complacent and allow the enemy to subtly trip us up. Too many times we blame our “sinful nature.” Yet our sinful nature no longer has any power except what we give it. Before long we are bound up in chains of our own making. When we realize we are once again chained to this world, we try to free ourselves but to no avail.

All our efforts will never be enough to set us free. However, Zechariah 9:12 holds the key:

“Return to the stronghold [place of safety, your fortress] all you prisoners of hope” (a paraphrase)

We need to return to our place of safety (our stronghold, our fortress) when we find ourselves bound by chains—Jesus. Only He can set us free. As John 8:36 (AMP) says:

So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men],
then you are really and unquestionably free.

When Jesus sets us free, we are free indeed. There is no one else who has that power. He is the only place we can find our freedom. The Spirit that marks us as His will always lead us back to the foot of the Cross.

When we truly understand who we are in Christ and what He has done for us, then we realize what we do NOT have to do.

  • We do not have to pretend to be something we aren’t
  • We do not have to live up to impossible standards
  • We do not have to fix ourselves (or anyone else)
  • We do not have to be bound in chains

All we must do is accept His grace

Our freedom isn’t because of anything we have or have not done. Our freedom is solely because of all Christ has done. The pastor summed it up like this:

Jesus + anything = nothing
Jesus + nothing = EVERYTHING
The choice is ours.

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Lord, thank You so much for everything You have done for us and given to us. Let us be aware of anything we chose that might take away our freedom that came at such a great cost. Your Son did not die so we could continue to bind ourselves in worldly chains. He rose that we might have everlasting freedom. You are so good to us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen – so be it!

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A Friendly Reminder About Guidance

August 11, 2014 by

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The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
Psalm 146:8

Life can be burdensome.  As I step forth into this new season of my life, I find myself making the classic mistake of not taking everything to God.  I find myself trying to decide what I should do or what I shouldn’t do.  Making life choices can be difficult when done alone.  My pastor has said that when you say ‘yes’ to something, you are saying ‘no’ to something, as well.  Right now my major concerns in life are career choices.  Do I want to go back to school, or do I want to get a second job…again.  Do I want to do both?  Can I do both?  Do I want to go back to being so exhausted and never having time to do anything but work and work.

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
Proverbs 29:18

Getting advice from parents, friends, mentors, or an advisor is a smart choice; but ultimately their advice is just that—advice.  The true Decider and Decision maker is the Lord Almighty.  He has a plan.  He has a purpose for you.  He knows where you would fit best.  Yes, He places people around us to help guide us, but we need to do so prayerfully.  You don’t exactly want to take financial advice from someone who is not a good steward of their own money, for example.

When we spend daily time with God we can bring Him the concerns of our hearts and the decisions we have to make. God knows. He knows what we are supposed to do and He promises in Psalm 32:8,

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

No matter what you are facing today—how big or small, how easy or hard—remember that you have a God who wants to help and lead you down the correct path.

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Lord, thank You for Your ever ready and never-ending guidance through life.  We have a tendency to make our lives harder than they need to be.  Help me to constantly pause and remember that I serve a God who loves me dearly and knows every step I need to take to fulfill the purpose set before me.  Help me to lean on You instead of myself, and to never stop trusting in Your awesome plans for me.  Amen.

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God, Parents, and Children

August 10, 2014 by

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He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
He remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Psalms 146:6-9

For those who have children, you can probably relate to the verses above if you think about it.  We help to create, or make, our children in the way we hope that God has in mind.  We uphold them and make them feel better when they are bullied or treated unfairly.  We watch over them to keep them safe and healthy.

My daughter and I bought a mother/daughter combo necklace that we found on sale after Mother’s Day.  I wear the ‘mother’ heart, and she wears the ‘daughter’ heart.  She wore her necklace to daycare the other day.  Because one child at daycare is not allowed to wear necklaces because she turns it into a toy, her mother threw a fit when she saw my daughter wearing her heart necklace.  To keep things fair, the teacher took my daughter’s necklace up.  (I got the necklace back later on.)  My daughter didn’t fuss, but I am pretty sure she did not understand what was going on.  I felt for her, and I felt bad because I was not there to watch over her during the injustice.  But, I am proud that she didn’t fuss when her teacher took the necklace.  Most three-year olds would throw a fit.

Just as we help to create, or make, the person our child becomes so does God. God created the earth and everything in it. He created each one of us as a unique individual. He watches over each one of us, and He guides just like parents guide their children. We lift them up when they are down and we lift them up when they have success.  God does the same for us.  Just as we are faithful to our families, God is faithful to us.

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Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for Your wonderful creation.  Thank You for freeing us and helping us guide our own children and families as You guide us. You sustain us, and You lift us up when we most need it.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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His Faithfulness Continues….

August 8, 2014 by

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Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the LORD is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and His faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100

I’ve heard this passage my entire life…in church, in songs, through preaching, and in regular conversation.  A wonderful thing about God’s Word is that with each reading, a passage can reveal something new.  It may seem as if you’re reading the words for the very first time—when in fact it may be the hundredth time.

This passage did the same for me this time.  As I read the words, the last line stood out.  I know that God’s Word speaks to you in your seasons; and in this season of being a mother I need as much guidance from God as I can get.  For those of us who are sending our children back to school, or off to work, or out in the world—whatever stage of life our children may be walking into—there can be a good deal of worry associated with the actions of our kids.  “…And His faithfulness continues to each generation” (verse 5).

This line alone makes me want to shout thanks to the Lord!  It reminds me that He will be equally as faithful to my children as He has been to me.  Sometimes when I’m reminded of His promises such as this one, all I can say is “God is good! The Lord is good!”  Simple words that say so much. His promise to myself and to my children is reason enough to live this passage on a daily basis…but He has done so much more than that.  He has done more than I could ever imagine.  I want to live these verses not because of what He has done in my life, but for who He is to the world.  He is faithful, He is loving, and for this I thank Him.

Let’s Pray: Lord, Your words bring peace…they bring joy…they bring security. Words could never truly honor You as You deserve; but, Lord, we promise to make the best effort we possibly can.  I pray these words are written on the hearts of all the women reading this, and that we live these words in good times and in bad.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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Celebration

August 7, 2014 by

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Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His— His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Psalms 100:1-5 HCSB

How wonderful and glorious is the Lord our God!  Each morning is a new day, a new opportunity to praise His name and to celebrate His Creation.  How many times have we strayed and He has welcomed us back with open, loving arms?  Just like the prodigal son, God loves us so very much! Please enjoy this song!

I Will Enter His Gates

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord had made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad
He has made me glad
He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad
He has made me glad
He has made me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad

–  Leona Von Brethorst, 1976 Maranatha Music  –

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A Call To Praise

August 6, 2014 by

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Psalm 100 AMP
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!
Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God!
It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]!
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering
and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him,
bless and affectionately praise His name!
For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting,
His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of praise.  It calls us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord.”  We are to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving” in our hearts and enter into “His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His name.”  We can praise God anytime, anywhere, publicly or privately, silently or aloud.  Praise is to be offered with gladness, willingly and not grudgingly.  We are to offer it because we want to, and because He is God our Creator and the Lord of All.

You may be thinking “Well that’s all well and good…but you don’t know my story, my circumstances, my life right now.  There isn’t much to be thankful for!”  True, I don’t.  We all have issues.  But, if you are reading this right now, you are still breathing, right?  God holds our breath in His hands.  As Acts 17:25b (AMP) states: “…it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all.”  Praise Him for that.  Since you are reading this, you can still see, right?  Praise Him for that.  And if you are still reading this, your brain stills work, right?  Praise Him for that.

Okay, you get my point.  At this point I am preaching to myself as much as anyone.  So let’s stop focusing on what is wrong and what we DON’T have and, instead, offer up praise to God for what is right and all we DO have.

It may be a challenge for you to praise Him right now.  At times it has been for me.  Think of it as a sacrifice, an offering.  We are no longer required to offer sacrifices to God since Christ became our ultimate Sacrifice.  Hebrews 13:15 (HCSB) puts it like this: “Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.”  Praise reminds us we owe God everything.  If we chose to willingly offer Him praise, even in the most difficult of times, think of how much it pleases God.  And, best of all, it reminds us of the life to come.  As Isaiah 35:10 (HCSB) puts it:

…and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.

And, oh! what a day that will be!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for everything.  All we are, all we have, all the blessings You have bestowed upon us.  Let us never take them for granted.  May we always praise Your Holy name with gladness and joy in our hearts—no matter the circumstances. Thank You for all that has been, will be, and is to come.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen – so be it!

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