HEBREWS 13:15

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that proclaiming the glory of his name.” Today is one of the Sundays in the month we have labeled as our PRAISE SUNDAY. I have therefore decided to enumerate some of the benefits of praising God. If you understand these benefits and appropriate them, you shall be enriched and empowered by the Holy Spirit to experience higher levels of Christ-like transformation, fruitfulness and blessings. Beloved children of God, praising God gives us greater confidence in God’s ability to be greater than any problem. Praise helps us be reminded of the unlimited resources we have in Christ that represent a vast reservoir of heavenly provisions. When we praise God we are less insistent on our right to know why certain things happen to us. We are less apt to react with anger, bitterness or worry when we turn all our problems over to the Lord. Let us praise God that He has the capacity to work all things together for good for those of us who love Him and are fitting into His plan. (Rom. 8:28) When we praise God, we experience less of a need to rely on ourselves, our resources and our friends and relatives because we know the promise is true, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) When we are not feeling confident or self-assured we can praise God that He gives us the wherewithal to accomplish everything He asks us to do with the help of Christ who supplies our mental, emotional, financial and spiritual needs. We shall never lack anything if we praise God for His enabling ability to take us through every trial and make us better for it. Praising God during times of distress, disappointment or difficulty, we are able to completely give all the weight of adverse circumstances to the Lord’s care. Human pride often stands in the way of surrendering our rights of control to the Lord. Praise helps us realize that He is able to take us through any dark valley and bring us through successfully according to His will. When we praise God for who He is and what He has done, we reduce the tendency to murmur and complain about our hurt feelings. Brothers and sisters in Christ, praising God will make us more submissive, content and yield to His will. When we are suffering from pain we will find that praise alleviates our tendency to give in to feelings of fear, anger and bitterness.. By praising God for His sovereignty we are saying, “Lord, I know you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:1,2. Praise alleviate our anxiety as we allow our hearts and minds to remain in Christ Jesus. We should continue to praise God for His truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, loveliness, excellence, and praise-worthy splendor. Praising God recognizes that He is sovereign, loving and perfectly in control of all our circumstances. We should offer the sacrifice of praise to God by giving attention to Him, singing to Him, speaking to Him and by humbling ourselves before Him. Anytime that we Christians feel distant from God, restore the sense of His presence by offering Him the sacrifice of our praise. Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, let us follow the admonition of David who wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth” (Psa. 34:1) . PRAISE THE LORD.