Time with Jesus - Sunday, 29
January 2012
Hi all,
Today’s
Scriptures are all about praising God.
Over
forty years ago something took place in Christianity. There was what I suppose
we could call a “Praise Movement”. I’m not sure you’ll find it defined
anywhere. But it happened. One of the leading proponents of this was a
gentleman by the name of Merlin Carothers. He wrote a number of books. Prison
to Praise, Power in Praise, From Fear to Faith, You can be Happy Now, and
Secret Sins to mention only a few. His teaching had a profound effect on
Christians all over the world. Sadly, this “movement” seems to have all but
vanished. You can log-on to the website www.foundationofpraise.org
and see a video by Merlin.
Back
in 1981, when I made a new commitment to Jesus Christ, I was deeply impressed
with what he told us. His message came fractionally before the Faith Movement.
If they had coincided, more Christians would have been liberated.
Like
many other movements the Praise movement became infiltrated with error in much
the same way as the Faith Movement did. It’s a typical tactic of Satan. If he
cannot stop it, he will twist it to the point where it is no longer a pure
message from God.
The
effect of the Praise movement on me was profound. I began to praise the Lord in
every circumstance. Not because of the circumstance but because of the circumstance.
You don’t praise God for a terminal disease. You praise Him in spite of it. So
I began to praise the Lord as continuously as possible. It’s hard to praise
while you are asleep. Similarly, it’s difficult to praise while writing an
examination. Also, because we are mortal, there are times when we forget to
praise Him. You may not have this problem. For me it was very real.
Praising
God unlocked the door for many of us to receive direct answers to prayer. The
danger now, as it was then, people started to look to the praise rather than
the One to Whom the Praise belongs. As a result, the movement began to “wind
down”.
There
is still “Dynamite in Praise”. Remember that praising God releases joy within
us. Since the joy of the Lord is our strength, we really should spend more time
in Praise for Him who created us.
Today’s
meditation seeks to “copy” Psalm 150. In the meditation, almost every line
includes the word “praise”. It’s our prayer that you will release the power of
praise in your life by praising Him willingly and joyfully.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland.
Praise Him
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Praise in the morning and
praise Him at night.
Praise with the left hand and
then with the right.
Praise when you’re happy and
praise when you’re sad.
Praise when you’re weeping and
praise when you’re glad.
Praise with the trumpet, the
harp and the lute.
Praise with the fiddle, piano
and flute.
Praise when you’re happy and praise
when you’re not.
Praise when you’re freezing and
praise when you’re hot.
Praise with your body, your
mind and your soul.
Praise when you know you are
reaching your goal.
Praise with the cymbals and
with the bassoon.
Praise when you know you’re not
singing in tune.
Praise while you’re dressing or
praise in the nude.
Praise when you’re hungry and
looking for food.
Praise in the building; praise
in the street.
Praise while you’re waiting for
someone to meet.
Praise while you’re cooking
your everyday meal.
Praise Him regardless of how
you may feel.
Praise while you’re driving or
stuck in a jam.
Praise Him because He has told
us “I AM!”
Praise while you’re working and
while you’re at play.
Praise Him each instant of
every day.
Praise while you’re studying
for the big test.
Praise from the North, the
South and the West!
Praise while you’re travelling
out to the East.
Praise for the living, before
they’re deceased.
Praise for your cat and your
dog and your bird.
Praise for the animals isn’t
absurd.
Praise for computers and for
the cell-phone.
Praise because He’ll never
leave you alone.
Praise for your husband or
praise for your wife.
Praise for He gave you the
great gift of life.
Praise for relations and also
your friends.
Praise for He’s given you life
without end.
Praise for the garden and
praise for the trees.
Praise while you’re standing,
or down on your knees.
Let everything breathing, sing
out the praise,
For all we’ve received from the
Ancient of Days.
Jim Strickland – Written Sunday 29th January 2012.
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