]Praise in the problem

Part of the problem of dealing with the past and the pain of it is that you know you can never go back and do it over. You are stuck with the events of yesterday. Everyone is! Sometimes you feel that life is unfair . . . usually when we feel this way it is because we have used the wrong measuring stick. I’m pretty sure that you are more blessed than others. Don’t complain about life, be thankful for it. Don’t dwell on past failures or bruises that others caused. Trust it to Him and go on. He will vindicate for wrong doing. It’s not your job, it’s His.

If you feel you can never be satisfied until the person who wronged you is punished then you have a bigger problem. Why do you want someone else to hurt when you know how painful it is? You call it justice? Do you really want justice?

I heard of a man who was married to a very wealthy woman. They argued some but he was usually very quiet and agreeable. One night he was sitting in his favorite chair watching a Texas Ranger baseball game on TV. She came in the room with a look of disgust and said, “That chair you are sitting in wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my money.”

He just rolled his eyes and kept watching the game. Then she snapped, “That big screen TV you’re watching wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my money.” Again, he didn’t say anything, but sighed.

She raised her voice this time and said, ”The house were living in wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my money!” Finally he spoke, “Yeah, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your money.” Probably resulted in a painful memory.

Have you ever wronged anyone? Justice is not what I think we cry for when we are hurt, we just want the pain of the past to go away. Somehow we feel that if the perpetrator is punished we will feel better. 

That’s not the way it works. However, if that feeling dwells in you, you must remember, vengeance belongs to God. Revenge is not our friend! It is, instead, a great enemy and tool for Satan to use for further destruction. Trust God to vindicate you. See Him involved in all of your circumstances, past, present and future!  Psalms 67:5,6 

For the stronghold of the past, the grip of a grudge, the anvil of anger, it requires prayer and praise! Praise is a statement to God and Satan. After you pray, while you pray,  praise God with thanksgiving.  Psalms 107:22

Praise when the heart is bleeding and torn? Praise when the pressure is so great? Praise when walking through the valley of the shadow of death? Should I not weep instead? There is no shame in weeping . . . don’t weep too long. Replace them with praise. The sacrifice of thanksgiving  Give Him the sacrifice of praise. You will soon see that when you are mindful of your blessings and thank Him, the Peace of God will manifest in your soul.

You can praise your way out of anything! Even the pain of the past. While you may grow weary of hearing this, perhaps in much hearing it will sink home. It is a choice you must make, no one can do it for you. You must decide if you want to be free from the past, if you want healing there are some things that your must do. Forgiveness and praise are not options, they are absolutes!

Praise has wonderful lifting power. 1 Samuels records a time when King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit. When David played on his harp the evil spirit left Saul and he was well. What a wonderful way to get rid of the enemy when he attacks with mental torment. Praise. 

Praise God, praise the people you love When you condemn or criticize, they are like spiritual boomerangs.  Martin Luther said, «When I cannot pray, I always sing!»

What you focus upon will ultimately consume you. Focus on God. Try the Glance and Gaze principle . . . just glance at the problem. . . gaze upon Jesus! Remember, if you choose to deal with your pain and your past God’s way . . . The Battle is the Lord’s and you can know both victory and reward by praising Him. Psalms 40:2

Sal 40,3 [NIV: 2] He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

The past is a pit . . . and a horrible pit! The following verse says,  “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his  trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalms 40-2-5

David certainly knew calamity. He knew a painful past. Saul did not treat him very well! When someone hates you enough to try to kill you, I’d say that qualifies as a painful memory. When you are reminded by God’s prophet that you have committed adultery and murder and your sin is open before all of heaven, that qualifies  as mental torment. When your children refuse to serve the Lord and seek all that God has given you, that must qualify as troubling thoughts.

There was a time when David was «greatly distressed» in his early life. He led his men in battle and returned to find himself in the midst of «calamity». The people spoke of stoning him. They wept till they had no power to weep. Their wives, their children, and their belongings had been taken captive. But, David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. The simple answer to his simple prayer ”Shall I  pursue?”  (1 Samuel 30).Pursue and recover all. He did! Some of the most challenging words in all of scripture are found in this situation.

Encourage yourself in the Lord. Don’t wait for others, it may never come, they have problems of their own. Likely, if you wait, others won’t encourage you anyway, they may criticize and condemn you. Encourage yourself in the Lord. The responsibility for recovery and healing lies in your hands. In calamity-encourage yourself in the Lord-pursue! You take charge of your life or someone else will. You make the choice to be healed. The pain of the past is only pain because you allow it to be. Tomorrow, pursue! Today, press on! Yesterday, put out of your mind. It’s gone. Make sure your praise is not empty, poor me praise.

Praise is not always singing a song, though it may be part of it. I believe it is a constant awareness of God’s Presence and His promises. It is abiding in Him and His truth. It is a conscious choice. It is turning loose…and it is grabbing hold.

I first heard this from a chaplain at a women’s prison in Georgia, “You can praise your way out of anything!”

I just returned from meetings in Denver Colorado, Bill Morgan accompanied me to meet with several individuals for deliverance and planning  a public meeting there.

All for Jesus

Don