A Praise Perspective -

Hello people! Today I want to talk about getting into the presence of God and how to do just that! One thing I’ve learned is that my peace comes from being in His very presence. Starting my day with Jesus by thanking Him, walking with Him throughout the day by thanking Him, & ending each day with Him by thanking Him. Clinging to Jesus.

Psalm 63:8

My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

Let me tell you, I can see a HUGE difference in my attitude when it’s been a while since I’ve spent alone time with the Lord. It’s sorta like when I haven’t eaten in a while… I can get a little (sometimes a lot) cranky haha. Suddenly, I don’t feel or act like my best self anymore. I’m a much more pleasant person to be around when I have had a sufficient amount of food & Jesus lol. Both are vital resources I need in order for me to perform well throughout each day!

The way I I try to stay connected to my source of fuel, which is Jesus, is through praise. I can definitely notice when I’ve neglected my mindset of thankfulness, and in result, my praise dwindles. Slowly but surely, I can feel myself becoming bitter towards certain circumstances. For real though, praise is a way of life & thankfulness is a mindset. Praise has the ability to change your whole perspective on everything in life.

Let’s talk praise and how it gives us access into the presence of God, shall we??

Would you believe me if I said that praise and thanksgiving is literally all you need in order to get into His presence? No seriously, praising God is the “secret password” to get through the gates and enter into His presence.

Psalm 100:4

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

“So, how do I get into the habit of lifting up praise? How do I teach myself to give thanks? What if things have been hard and I just can’t seem to find the good in my life?”

An example:

Personally, I try to take time out of each night to pull out my phone and type bullet points. Every note starts with “Today I’m thankful for:” and I name every good thing I can think of that had happened from that morning to that night. If you search for the good, you’ll find it, trust me. I’m not even going to lie, sometimes I write down the menu of my meals that I ate that day because I’m just flipping blessed by food haha! It may sound silly but whatever it takes to create a conversation with Jesus that starts with praise, I’ll do it!

What I’m saying is, when I hold myself accountable by taking the time to type those thanks (even the less serious ones), before I know it, I can hear God speaking so clearly to me. I see it almost as if God answers my phone call and His ringtone is my praise, He always picks up to talk & listen haha!

But anyways, when I take the time to thank my Father for His goodness, It’s almost as if I can feel myself walking straight into His presence. I feel Him come close! Why? Because I reached out & invited Him in with praise. It’s a welcoming that God is worthy of, you know?

James 4:8

Come close to God and He will come close to you.

My advice is this:

Look for the details in your day and life where you simply felt blessed. Thank God for all of it, even the littlest things!! Why? Because He is the giver of all good things. Why else? Because you want in His presence, you NEED in His presence!

The way to come close to God is communicating with Him through more than just voicing your prayer request and needs. It all starts with praise for what He’s already given.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Many of us only come to God when we need something or want His help with something. Don’t get me wrong, you’re going to the correct source but He’s asking us to live a life where we come to Him with praise on our lips first! He’s been good to you before this problem ever came up. He loves you and pursues you daily, the question is, are you looking at what you’re lacking or what you’ve been given? Be thankful, give praise.

Moral of this blog:

I’m my best self and feel the most at peace when I’m living in God’s presence & praising Him above all else!
He will meet you at the gate, He wants to hear from you, He loves your company, and He actually loves to say yes to you! You just have to use praise as your doorbell to enter through the gates!

Hebrews 13:15

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.

What finally clicked in my mind is this:

All I have to do is praise. It’s just that simple. It’s the key to His presence, peace, strength, assurance, security. Everything I need really is right here.

Why is praise the key??

Sis (& bro), praising God is what we were ultimately created to do. Our purpose of living is to praise Him. There’s a good reason why you have more peace while in God’s presence. That’s because you are living out the very purpose of your life, by praising the one who created you. He works on your behalf because He loves you, will you give Him glory today?

Revelation 4:11

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

Psalm 63:3

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

#JJOTD (Jesus Jam Of The Day)

We Praise You – Bethel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVXeKCg9w4

Ever Be – Bethel