THE MONTH OF PRAISE

12/01/2022

"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Psalm 34:1-3) The month of November has been thunderous with testimonies. One in particular got me crying, spinning and shouting hallelujah! This is the testimony:

Nine years ago, I lost my best friend; husband. I testified before of how angry I was at that moment. But what I didn't share, was that if had I seen a physician at that time, I would have been medically diagnosed as depressed. Some would say “ rightfully so”. Days and weeks after my husband’s passing I would often wait until my children go to school, then I would go upstairs and lay in bed all day. I would always make certain I was up right before they came home by opening the blinds and curtains. Everything had to seem normal. I certainly did not want to frighten them or have them worry. This I did daily for a few weeks. One particular day, my children went to school and I closed the blinds and curtains per usual and went upstairs to bed. This time I had no strength to get out of bed. I remember my son coming home and calling me. He then came to my room. I could tell he had a challenging day at school. He laid his head on my abdomen. At that moment the devil began to flood my mind with thoughts. I heard him say: “You can’t even help your son with his pain. What is the point? No one cares. If you were to die no one would care. The only way anyone would know would be because of the stench of rotten bodies from your condo. And I replied and said I couldn’t do that to my children. Then he replied by saying, "...then take them with you.” The danger of being angry with God and being spiritually separated from your brothers and sisters in Christ is that it robs you of healing, it robs you of being restored and made whole. Now understand that you can physically be around your brothers and sisters in Christ and still not be connected, either because of hurt, pain or personal challenges you are facing. In the book of Genesis chapter 28:16 “ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “ Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” That’s the danger of being asleep, spiritually asleep. That’s the danger of holding on to pain and hurt, and being distant, whether physically, mentally or spiritually from the household of faith; your brothers and your sisters in Christ will only hurt YOU. Now understand that I was still attending church during this time. But I was so consumed with pain, it seemed as if the Word of God had no effect. I would sit in the sanctuary while praises were going on and I could hear myself screaming “ just get me out of here” I am a medical professional, and I know that I would have been admitted to the hospital that day for suicidal ideation. I didn’t just have the thought. I had a plan. Only one person was missing. My daughter was still in school and I was not leaving her. Oh the love of God!!! How He is able to reach us like no other!!! Whatever it takes, our God never leaves, He does not forsake His children. My son was still in the room and he turned toward me and said:” we’re gonna be ok mom”. And just like that, I came to myself. It literally was like a jolt of energy within me. With everything I know about God I allowed the enemy to take control of my mind. So that’s my testimony! God restores. He mends broken hearts. There is never a good enough reason to part from the household of faith. We draw strength from one another whether we realize it or not because It is not in the feeling; it is in the knowing! So if you have strayed, come back. If you are hurt or have been hurt, come back. Isolation is the first step. The devil’s plan has not changed. He still seeks to steal, kill and destroy. But God’s plan has not changed too! He still gives life; abundant life.

As I read this testimony, God brought to mind a song we sang in church while growing up. It goes like this: "Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings and see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." I don’t know who you are personally, but I see you in the spirit. You are upset and frustrated, wondering why your life has become a lie. You feel you are left with no option but to end it altogether. Hear me child of God, your life is neither over or a lie. The enemy wants you to believe that you have come to the end of your life. But I see God lifting you and turning everything for your good. I see God visiting you this month. So get up and throw away that blanket of death and shout “GOD GOT ME. MY LIFE IS NOT OVER. I AM NOT GIVING UP IN JESUS NAME” Now get a notepad and count (write down) the blessings and faithfulness of God in your life and begin to shout Hallelujah!

Concerning this month of December, the Lord is saying "Do not ask Me for anything; instead, praise Me for everything. Call to remembrance the victories and wonders of Yahweh in your life. Celebrate, magnify, praise, and worship the Lord all day long. And as you rejoice with thanksgiving and songs of praise, the heaven over and in your will burst forth the rain of unspeakable dimensions of my glory in your life” Somebody shout hallelujah! David said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." And that is what we are going to do this month. We are not going to treat anything as trivial or inconsequential. We are going to approach every situation with laughter, praise and thanksgiving. We will laugh and sing all day long because the Lord has filled our mouth with laughter and our tongue with singing.

With that, I welcome you to a nonstop praise party. Faith-Filled Confession: It's my season of thunderous celebrations and thanksgiving. Therefore, I declare that Favor is mine. Increase is mine. Joy is mine. Peace is mine. I am on the course for unending thunderous testimonies and celebrations. In the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Ezekiel 36-37; 1 Peter 3