PRAISE BENEFITS

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

Psalm 100:4

No book epitomises the spirit of praise and thanksgiving like the book of Psalms. It has 150 Psalms recorded, more than any other in the bible. The oldest praise and thanksgiving to God is recorded in Exodus 15:1-15, by Moses. This was a song of triumph of God over Egypt.

No other man lived and displayed the importance of praise like David. He has 73 of the 150 psalms attributed to him.

In 1Thessalonians 5:18, we are encouraged to give praise and thanks to God, no matter what. Yes, it is a tall order, especially when one is in the middle of the fire, but this is how Christ wants us to live. 1Thessalonians 5:18 reads “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]” (AMP).

I have come to learn, know and appreciate the power of thanksgiving and praise. I like to think of it as thus:

Praise is medicine to the soul

Mends the broken spirit

Secures and makes it whole

You see, we fail to understand what is happening to us at times, and the truth is we may never understand it, however, through the good and bad times, God wants us to praise and thank our way through, showing our faith and trust in Him.

“But why do I have to praise?” I hear you ask. “Remi, it is difficult to praise when my whole world is falling or has fallen apart”, I hear you say.

I know, it is never easy, but praise is the clearest and most direct means by which we resolve to declare our absolute trust in God. Our praises and thanksgiving confess and confirm our allegiance to Jesus Christ.  The beauty of God’s love is that we also benefit when we praise and give thanks to Him.

Here are some specific benefits we obtain from praising God:

• Praise magnifies God: Praise shifts our focus from our problems or blessings, onto God. When we do so, the power of God’s presence gives the ability to transform our thinking. For example, it changes our thinking from being a victim to a victor of circumstances or blessings.

• Praise makes us humble: When we praise, we have a better understanding and a more righteous view of ourselves. Praise and thanksgiving directed to God will take away pride and self-worship.

• Praise declares our devotion to God: If we love God and understand the nature of His love for us, then regardless of the situation, we will continuously give glory to Him in praise and thanksgiving.

• Praise brings us joy: It is true that when we go through crises, joy is one of the first things to go; strife and stress try to take hold. However, the beauty and blessing of praise is that Joy is its constant companion. Whenever we feel depressed or discouraged, praising God with all that we are and with everything within us soon bring us joy.

• Praise establishes our faith: The greater, bigger and mightier we see God, the smaller we see whatever trials we might be going through. Praise re-affirms that God is bigger than anything and everything, including our problems.

When we praise God and give thanks to Him, we are confirming the fact that He is over and above everything in our lives, whether problems, or indeed blessings.  I say blessings because, when we eventually see the manifestation of the blessings that we seek from God, we should never forget that they are NOT to replace God for they are NOT bigger than God.

So I encourage you today that whatever trials you might be going through, praise and give thanks to God who is right there with you.  When you feel prone to give up and your mind is telling you “what is the point of it all?” I encourage you to continue to give praise and thanks to God.

Commit yourself to a life of praise and fellowship with Jesus Christ and experience the fullness of what God means by ‘JOY’ (which by the way is not dependant on your circumstances at any point in time).

Give thanks and praise to God who is forever with you, the one who is truly faithful; making Him famous along your way.



Much Love, Remi
***pictures by photobucket***

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