This is the Truth Network. Encouraging Prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. As our topic is really so vital to our faith, but if the truth be told, and I'm speaking personally on this, it seems like it's something we have to learn over and over again. And James, before we went on the air, you told me that's why you wanted to do this topic, because really it's a work in progress for you too. Oh yeah, it is, Ravi.
I mean, more than I'd like to admit. And of course, what we're talking about is the need to praise God. And this morning we're going to talk about why we need to do it, and how we can do it as well, and how to make it a little easier to get started and keep going. And like you also said before we went on the air, you know, you mentioned today's our daily bread that says God loves it when we call home.
And that's what this is about. Oh yeah, and I can certainly use that, but man, it feels funny to say it sometimes, doesn't it? I mean, we take the thought that we need to praise God as a given. And you know, it's something that Christians say all the time, but if there's one thing it seems the devil would keep us from, it's learning to love God more in an active way, really by praising Him.
Yeah, yeah, you're so right. And I think that's a great way to put it, loving God in an active way, because praising Him isn't just about what we say, you know, it's an attitude of the heart that then flows into what we do. And the thing we don't want to miss is that once we make the initial effort, and it is an effort because the devil will push back, but eventually the more we praise God, the more we feel like doing it.
But, you know, I say it's an attitude of the heart, but it really starts with work, and we don't tend to think of it that way. You know, the attitude of our minds has to be, I will do this, I need to do this, because God really deserves it, and I will also be happier if I do. So I think we have to start there, because our natural tendency, speaking for myself, is to be so self-focused, you know, there's so much going on in our lives, so much we have to do. And what we really need to do is turn ourselves inside out, so to speak, you know, just give everything to God, ourselves included. And praising God helps us, you know, it helps us have more faith and more peace and presence of mind as we go through life, and just a better awareness that God is with us. You know, there's so much that this does for us. That's so true, but like you're saying, because we're turned inward so often, it's a bit of a lift just to get started, so we really have to make the conscious decision to do it first, don't we? Yeah, we do. And it may sound funny, but I find it helps to put reminders on my daily calendar, and even to use, you know, post-it notes placed here and there around the house, in the car, wherever, because what we're trying to do is start a new habit. And of course, it's not that it's all up to us, God will help us with this, we just ask him, but we do need to resolve to do it.
And some say it takes, you know, at least 10 days to start a new habit, so we have to keep going with this, and as we do, there are a few things we can try to make it easier. And again, we want to, I mean, God doesn't want Christians to be these cranky, uptight people who look like they're baptized in lemon juice, you know? But isn't that our reputation? Isn't that the way the world often sees us? Not that they'll ever give us a fair shake, but you know, if we have Jesus, we're meant to have joy, even on difficult days, and hope.
Yeah, that's exactly it. I mean, that's the work his love is doing in us. So, what are those things that make praise a little easier?
All right, well, okay, we're gonna have fun with this. You can call them the three P's of praise, and that's pretty easy to remember. So, do you remember Armory McChain's advice to turn the Scriptures into prayer?
Yes. Okay, well, we start by turning God's promises into praise, and what that really means is turning his word into praise. So, look at the Psalms and see how David does it, you know? Read them aloud, write a phrase down that you can keep before you.
Again, as you go through the day, maybe even memorize, just pick one. The Psalms are full of them. Like, look at the first three verses of Psalm 145. I will exalt you, my God the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, most worthy of his praises.
Great is no one can fathom. I almost hear the psalmist talking himself into that. I will do it.
I will. Or how about Psalm 147.1? This is from the New American Standard Bible. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant and praise is beautiful. I like that. Oh, I do, too.
I like it. And there's so much more we can do with God's words. Descriptions of God, like Psalm 103 10, he does not treat us as our sins deserve. We can certainly turn that into praise. Yeah, we can. And I think a great practice when you read God's word each day is to take one phrase or verse and, you know, underline it, turn it into praise, ask for God's help with it.
Yeah, so what's the second P? Well, this one is so easy we can all do it, and we often do it naturally. Turn your pleasure into praise.
Oh, absolutely. We can do that with anything, any flavor, the color of the leaves in the fall, the sun shining on wet grass. You could go through your whole day like that, and once we get in the habit, it becomes easier, and it does happen naturally.
Like you were saying, it's a matter of turning our hearts, and God will help us with that. So what's the third P? Okay, okay. Well, this one's the challenge.
It's a little like the video game where you go through all the levels, and then there's the big boss at the end that you have to get past in order to win. Here it is. Turn your pain or your problems into praise. Ouch. I see what you mean. I mean, that does not come naturally. No, it doesn't.
It doesn't. And it requires faith, sometimes a lot of it. And I don't want to speak too quickly here, because I hope no one misinterprets this. It's not to make light of anyone's pain. Just say, oh, just praise the Lord. The goal is to think about Jesus, and no one suffered like he did.
Think of the number of people who sought him out in their pain. That's really what we're doing here. It's like, Lord, I don't like this, but I know you're good, I know you understand, and even though I don't know how, I know you're going to bring good from it. So what you're doing isn't praising God that something bad happened. You're praising him for him, that he's good no matter what, that he's there, that he loves you, that he understands. As we wrap up, could we pray and ask God to help us just do this?
Yeah, let's go for it. Lord, you are worthy of praise. You are always worthy of praise. And we want to do this because we love you. And we thank you.
You loved us first. So this is all about love. Lord, keep us in your love. Keep us, help us to just live more and more in this place of praise and to love you actively in it. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.
