Praise

day or night, You who call on the Lord give yourselves no rest".

When my father in law pastored in Nebraska. There was an old fellow -- who had been kicked in the head by a mule as a small boy. One day he recieved Christ.
His regular testimony was "we just can’t thank him enough" ...And he was right

also

b. Praise for What God is doing in your life should be shared in the home.

Mark 5:19 (demon possessed man) "go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has for you, and how he has had mercy on you.

--our faith and testemony needs to go beyond, sunday morning.

c. our testimony and Thanksgiving to God should be proclaimed in the assembly.

Ephesians 5:19 "Speak to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.

Thirdly praise is...

III a response of faith toward his precious promises.

I believe in positive confession.

• If his promise to heal you is true then you need to thank and praise him for it.

• If you believe his promise to deliver you is true then you need to thank and praise him for it.

• If you trust him to guide you then you need to thank and praise him for it.

• If you believe he can perform a miracle in your finances -then you need to thank and praise him for it.


Rather then praising God for the answer even before it comes What many Christians do when faced with one of God’s promises is

grow discouraged

start to doubt

they begin to disbelieve -- and miss the blessing

a poet wrote
we mutter and sputter
We fume and we spurt
We mumble and Grumble
Our feelings get hurt
We can’t understand things
our vision grows dim
when all that we need
is a moment with him

Hebrew 11 says: that with out faith it is impossible to please God and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him

praise is an expression of your faith

and without that in your life it is impossible to please God.

but when you praise him and trust him, and believe him he will reward you..

in order to begin experiencing the blessing God has for you in this discipline of Praise you have to climb the mountain

for we are in the position of travelers who after surveying a great mountain and AFTER TRAVELING around it and observing how it dominates the landscape, and observing its features and the landscape around it, now must approach it directly, for the intention of climbing it.

in other words

If we are ever going to fulfill the purpose for which we were created

Isaiah 43:21 "This people have I formed for myself; that they may proclaim my praise"

we just have to go for it.

Conclusion:

Rev. 3:15 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot, I would thou wert cold or hot".

this verse speaks of our life toward God

God desires that we would be on fire for him

and a people who are praising Jesus all the time.

not cold and dismal and lifeless,

but expressive and reverent toward Him.

for he is the focus of our praise

There was an elderly Christian whose advancing years had taken their toll on her memory. As her health faded the time came that she could recite but a single verse (2 timothy 1:12) "I know whom I have beieleved and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto HIM against that day".
Even these words slowly slipped away from her mEMORY UNTIL