Praise is a Choice – Day 34

Truth:

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 (NIV)

Thought:

When we face discouragement, many times the discouragement comes in the form of worry.  So here are some quick steps to help you worry less and strengthen yourself in the Lord:

1.  Isolate the worries that are on your mind the most. These are often the worries that we think about as we are falling asleep or as we wake in the morning.

2.  Ask yourself specifically what you are afraid of. This will be the lie you are choosing to believe.

3.  Ask yourself what the outcome would be of this specific fear coming true.

4.  Ask God to show you the truth about the situation.

5.  Ask God what He would have you do.

6.  Expect God to answer you.

7.  Replace the lie with the truth God revealed.

8.  Obey what God tells you to do.

These eight-steps fit well with 2 Chronicles 20. Judah was facing three armies coming against them.

1.  It was easy for them to isolate the worries. (v.2-4)

2.  Jehoshaphat called out to God on behalf of the people and specifically voiced what they were concerned about. (v.10)

3.  He looked at the outcome of the specific fear coming true (v.11).

4.  He reminded everyone about the truth of God (v.6)

5.  He ended his prayer with a cry we can all use: “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (v.12).

6. A prophetic word came out as God’s answer to the impending doom (v.15-17). This answer is also often ours – “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you.” (v.17).

7.  They worshipped God in response to His revelation, and then Jehoshaphat replaced the lies of the enemy with the truth of God by declaring, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” (v.20)

8.  Then they sent singers ahead of the army to praise God for who He is as they went out to obey what He told them to do (v.21).

The result for Judah was that there was no need to worry. God was in control. He set ambushes for the enemy and they destroyed themselves.

When we can get to the place of praising God for who He is before the things we worry about come to reality, they won’t materialize.

Now I can hear the skeptic smirk, “most things people worry about never come about.” True. So stop worrying completely by praising God continually. That’s the 1-step program I intended to tell you about until God led me to 2 Chronicles 20.

Praise is our natural response to the goodness of God. When we see God as good, how can we worry about anything bad?

We can’t. Strengthen yourself in the Lord by choosing praise.

Prayer:

Lord, I praise You now, even though I may not feel like it. Telling You the truth about Yourself reminds me how truly good You are. As I focus more on Your goodness my praise becomes more natural. You are good and Your love endures forever. You are good and Your mercies are renewed every morning. You are good and altogether trustworthy. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. You are good. Thanks for being so good.

Challenge:

Read 2 Chronicles 20 and look for more of the treasures in this passage. Pray Psalm 86 and take extra time to praise God for who He is.

Declaration:

I choose not to be discouraged. I choose to look to God instead of my circumstance. I choose to strengthen myself in the Lord.

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Thanks for helping others live life above the negativity!