The Precious Power of Praise

Taken from:

 http://www.savedhealed.com/praise.htm

 The new man created in Christ is God's masterpiece, His poem (Ephesians 2:10) set to music - a song. Singing and making melody in your heart unto the Lord. Praise is God's sunlight in the heart. It destroys sin germs. It ripens the fruits of the Spirit. It is the oil of gladness that lubricates life's activities. There can be no holy life without it. It keeps the heart pure and the eye clear. Praise is essential to the knowledge of God and His will. The strength of a life is the strength of its song. When the pressure is heavy that is the time to sing. Pressure is permitted to strengthen the attitude and spirit of praise. It takes a man to sing in the dark when the storm and battle are raging, and it is such singing that makes the man! - Smith Wigglesworth

Praise - Honors God!

Praise - Undergirds faith!

Praise - Brings deliverance!

Praise - Is the voice of faith!

Praise - Is the language of heaven!

Praise - Sets the stage for God to move!

Praise - Releases the angels to minister!

Praise - Fuels joy, which is your strength!

Praise - Knocks down walls of resistance!

Praise - Stills the enemy and the avenger!

Praise - Dispels darkness and depression!

Praise - Must precede, not follow blessings!

Praise - Gives God the legal right to help you!

Praise - Brings the presence of God onto the scene!

Praise - Is a sure sign of acceptance of the Word of God!

Praise - Is the highway that faith moves its blessings down!

Praise - Is calling those things that be not as though they were!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
In everything give thanks;
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5:16-18 NKJV

In the above verse, take note that it says "in" everything give thanks - it did not say "for" everything give thanks. In the midst of the trial, in the midst of the attack, when you feel as if the enemy is in your face with all of hell itself, right there, at that moment do not give in to the pressure of the devil, instead turn the tables on him and put the pressure back on the devil where it belongs and lift your hands to the Lord and begin to just love on God and praise and worship Him. (It'll just give the devil fits!)

Hebrews 13:15-16 tells us: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." When is it a sacrifice to praise the Lord? When you don't feel like it - when the pressures on and heat is turned up real high!

So sing to Him, praise Him, love on Him for your salvation and for the Holy Spirit He has sent to live within you, who is your comforter and your teacher, the one who is right there with you now. Praise Him for the precious promises in His Word that He has given to you that will never fail. Praise Him for the ongoing refining work that He is constantly bringing about within you. Praise Him because He is the author and the finisher of your faith. Praise Him - you are The King's Kid, you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Praise Him because He has risen you up and seated you with Jesus in the Heavenly realms. Praise Him now that He has made you More Than A Conqueror in Christ Jesus. Praise Him, for His banner over us is love and love never fails.

Praise Him - He is your healer, your sanctifier, your peace, your provider, your Shepherd. Read through Psalm 23 and 91 and get happy at what your God has promised and is going to do for you. Allow the joy of the Lord to well up on the inside of you, because after all, the Joy of the Lord IS your strength ! ! !

As you do this, you will sense the very atmosphere around you begin to change. Why? Because you have made a choice to put the focus of your attention on to the Lord instead of rehearsing your problem over and over in your mind, fueled by the enemy and his despair. You have made a decision to exalt the Lord and His ways through praise, by faith, no matter what you see and feel. Make praise a part of your daily life and you will never be the same - ever!!!

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
A holy nation, His own special people,
That you may proclaim the praises of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel (His people, that's us!)
Psalm 22:3 NKJV

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV

 

What does the Bible say about suicide?

Are you feeling that life isn't worth living anymore? Do your problems seem too big to handle? Does it seem that no one cares? Sometimes these feelings of despair or apathy cause people to think about suicide. What does the Bible say?

Suicide is not a new idea. The Bible records seven suicides.

Abimelech Judges 9:52-54	Abimelech lacked personal identity.
Samson Judges 16:25-30	Samson died for a cause he believed in and for revenge.
Saul 1 Samuel 31:4	Saul was stressed out, unable to live up to certain expectations; felt rejected and a failure
Saul's armor-bearer 1 Samuel 31:5	Impulse, he wanted to die with his boss. 40% of teenage suicide is impulse.
Ahithophel 2 Samuel 17:23	Ahithophel was bitter because his advice was not followed.
Zimri 1 Kings 16:15-20	Rebellion; Zimri had a problem with authority.
Judas Matthew 27:3-5	Depressed, Judas felt trapped by materialism and guilt.

But what does the Bible say about taking your own life?

Jesus taught that death and destruction are the work of “the thief” (Satan). He said,

The thief comes only to steal and destroy (John 10:10).

John 8:44 says that Satan is a “murderer” and the “father of lies.” The feelings of despair that lead to suicide are caused by some of his lies.  

1. God has a great plan for your life. God has created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He created us for a purpose. God has a specific plan in mind for everyone.
   

   For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

2. God's plan is for life, not death. The Bible teaches that both physical and spiritual death are the result of our sin and disobedience to God, but eternal life is a gift to those who receive it.
   

   For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

3.  Jesus wants us to have life. He said:
   

   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

4. Life belongs to God. It is never our place to take our own life or someone else's life.
   

   Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

   IF SUICIDE ISN'T THE ANSWER, WHAT IS?

   1. The solution to despair and hopelessness is not suicide, but faith in God.
      

      We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you (Psalms 33:20-22).

   2. Christ promises that He will give us rest from our problems.
      

      Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

   3. Tell someone. Tell your parents, your brother or sister, your teacher or school counselor, your pastor or youth minister that you are thinking about suicide. If a friend tells you that he or she is serious about suicide, then you need to tell someone who is responsible and can help.
      
   4. Accept Christ's free gift of eternal life and salvation, if you haven't already. Romans 10:13 says:
      

      For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

      John 1:12 says:
      

      Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

   5. When we accept Christ, God gives us a brand-new life and sees us as completely holy and righteous.
      

      Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
      God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

   6. Because of God's salvation through the death of Jesus on the cross, we can have assurance of eternal life with God.
      

      I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)

       Taken from:
      ChristianAnswers.net at:
       http://www.christiananswers.net/q-dml/dml-y038.html