Fight To Praise

Encouraging prayer, God offers open imitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks authored the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to love and now James understand you have some frightened words for us to valuable put them up okay will go there I would start with the question if you were to rate the frequency with which you praise God. The scale of 1 to 10 where would you come out to be a six or maybe two or maybe a one and this is more than just a my cup of life is half empty or half full kind of thing I bring it up because our our lives either have a pattern of praise or they don't. It matters matter so much. It really does but it's not always easy for us to praise God is know it is and that's why I want to talk about it today because it goes against the grain of our old sin nature man.

I know this from personal experience that you know sometimes we just have to fight to praise. I was wondering where them fighting words would come in I will listen to what Peter writes in first Peter 29 euros but you are a chosen people out of a royal priesthood holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. In other words, God is done all these wonderful things for us so that we will praise him yeah I noticed that he starts by saying how special we are to God and then he basically says so that we may praise him for it right right but the truth is that we often have a problem with that, you know, we lose focus.

We can we lower our vision lifeways on us and honestly sometimes own physical and psychological makeup and trip us up yet. Yet, that doesn't exempt us from discovering the spring of praise. It's really our very purpose. Did you notice the way this verse starts with the word but because we we need to remind herself, but I'm going to praise God I'm going to thank him because he deserves it, and I'll be happier if I do so that's where we fight to praise something every day.

We need to hold onto our Savior and encourage each other with what he's done for us absolutely and enters a strategic reason for this. This is one of our best defenses against our adversary the devil makes me think of Psalm eight of the praise through the praise of children and infants you've established a stronghold against your enemies to silence the foe venture.

Yeah, that's right. And that was a song that was quoted by Jesus as well.

The course.

The Old Testament also tells us about this. Sometimes the armies of Israel would would put those praising God out in front like before Jericho fell or when Jehoshaphat led God's people against what Scripture called.

I think it puts chronicles of vast so there is a strategic pattern in all of this that we cannot miss me think about that you're standing out in front of an army and instead of thinking about the arrows that are to be coming at your you just praising God. Now there's a fight we either fight the battle of life in our own strength or through God and in God's strength comes our our faith is built up as we lift our eyes above our circumstances and begin to praise him that nothing can separate us from his love.

That's so true. But we need to be honest about the difficulty of praising God. I mean, especially if you're not used to doing. Yeah, you're right. Let's be honest, sometimes we just don't feel like doing so it helps to remember that God builds our faith. The more we do it after all. Satan can defeat us in in in this area in this area of praise and he can go after us and every other area of life you maybe say you be miserable.

Your faith will be limited. Your spiritual growth will be stunted and you bear no fruit wine for the simple reason that when we fail to praise God our hearts and our minds are filled with ourselves in and weighed down by the things of this world, instead of being filled with so you could say that we need to praise God for the joy of the more you fight to praise and the more your joy will increase and were not talking about something you work yourself up into this. This is very different.

There is a piece there is a genuine gladness and comfort and a sense of his presence you think about what Jesus said I'm the good Shepherd. I know my sheep my sheep know me praising him helps you know that he's there you not think of a time in my life when actually a family member attempted suicide, and it was still is my normal practice to get up and thank God for so many things of the previous day that particular morning I can remember I was so upset and so angry I just was like okay got him take the gloves off, you know that the fight words that you were talking about how I was like I'm not good. I think it I'm not happy about what happened here in and you know I I'm trying to figure out where I can be thankful as I was sitting there in in the midst of all that all the sudden, these thoughts started to occur to me of the different mercies that it happened during the incident and the wonderful doctors and nurses and whatever that saved this family members life and then I went and oh by the way they lived. Never forget all God forgive me for all I have so much to be thankful for that.

So much to praise you for yet. You know my attitude was in the ditch.

It's it's it's a battle I so appreciate that Robert because you know we can find ourselves down and we don't even know why we need to remind ourselves of other Psalms that do that now. I will praise you while you downcast my soul and I'm I'm one of those people who serotonin challenge and, in other words, depression runs in my family and I found that all learning to focus on Jesus and arresting him and and remind myself of things to praise them for all. It makes such an amazing difference. She gives us joy that comes from outside of us. I mean it's like a gift to us exactly God exudes joy and it flows from him and think about what Scripture said about Jesus in Hebrews 12 to that for the joy set before him.

He endured the cross, know joy is right in front of them, where God is. So when we decide to praise and it's really a fight for joint right right. It's also fight we can win with his help, so let's wrap up by asking for spray father, thank you, thank you.

You are our July resource joy is from you, Lord, help us to appreciate the fight to praise you because you deserve it and you bless us with Jesus. Amen. Hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray