THINK" SERIES: PART 13 - "WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE"

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". (Philippians 4:8)

For something to be considered  “praiseworthy”, it follows logic that the object of praise, approval, giving value to, or even some sort of adulation or adoration – must be “worthy of all praise”.

The only Being in this world, where this can possibly fit, is Almighty God, the King of Heaven and Earth. Seeing that the word “praiseworthy” is actually a combination of words used by Paul here, in Philippians 4:8,  that is – “praise” with the preposition “towards or upon”, it only follows that all our praise; all our gratitude; all our worship; all our thoughts need to be directed in this vertical relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name. 

Praise-worthiness explicitly implies a high view of God. It is said by many that what we think about God, at the highest level possible, determines our conduct, attitude, and respect or reverence for and to Him.  If we have a high view of God, the humbler and more surrendered to His Sovereign Will we are.  Conversely, a low view shows the carnal nature of mankind, where God is just an afterthought, even to so-called self-professed Christians. One of the best examples in life and in Scripture can be found in Isaiah Chapter 6. Read this amazing passage of the greatest of all Old Testament prophets – Isaiah, as he is allowed into the very Presence of the Holiest Being in the World – God the Father.  

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 6:1-5)

 This incredible passage reveals the indescribable scene in Heaven when Isaiah realizes where he is. In verse 5, the prophet said “Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amidst a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts”.

The vast majority of us will not have a similar experience on this side of Heaven. However we have the Holy Spirit, if we are born again, Who testifies to the same. But what Isaiah did can be best described as a realization of his own spiritual and moral poverty, and then the Highest View of God possible! 

It is an amazing passage to read, be fired up about, and then praise God that:

1. He draws us into His Presence when He saves us
2. He lets us into the Kingdom – past, present, and eternity. This means that we are now joint heirs with Christ from Eternity Past to Eternity Future
3. We will be tainted by this world, just like Isaiah in verse 5, while we are still in these corrupt times. We are saints who sometimes sin, but the Lord has cleansed us with the righteous fire from the altar of Heaven.
4. The end of verse 5 shows the awesome reverence, adoration, worship...and more that Isaiah had for the good Lord. He acknowledged Who he had just seen.

Acknowledging and being in complete AWE of The Lord of Host, the King of the Universe, led Isaiah to volunteer to serve the Lord of his own free will! All God had to say was, “Whom shall We send”? Our Father is so gracious that even in this generous state, which no living human eyes could ever see, He left it up to the mere mortal Isaiah to willingly serve.

While the greatest worship towards God are things we know about- prayer, praise, reverence, abiding in His Word – a willing heart like Isaiah’s to serve, rounds that up very nicely. 

There are 305 references to the word “praise” in the most literal of Bible translations. The Bible tells us the Lord INHABITS the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). The meaning of this phrase exhibits the living embodiment of “Praise-worthy”.

That is, because of our high view of God Who knows each and every heart, when we praise, adore and worship Him with our lives -whether it is on Sunday mornings, Sunday or Wednesday in a corporate setting or 24/7/365 in our own daily lives, we have created a pure atmosphere where He can be present and active. 

This is, verifiably, a most significant habit to develop, as an attribute of our Faith. When we have a discipline of awareness of "Praise-worthiness," it can have a tremendous impact on the spiritual and emotional aspect of our lives. Removing the focus from what may, or may not be the deficits in our lives and looking up to the One Who deserves all praise, honor and glory will:

-  Remove self-pity from our thinking.

-  Remove any discontent we have with our current situation and replace it with an attitude of gratitude.

-  Rejoice in what is of prime importance. Our Lord, Savior and Creator is to Whom all praise belongs, so let us then, readjust our entire mindset towards this goalpost, because it is here, to which all praise belongs.

Father, in Jesus' Strong Name, thank You for giving us this direction in Your Holy Word that we may realize what is truly important and that is - keeping our eyes on You, our mind stayed on You and our worship as a lifestyle that will remain free from the stain of the world, the more we focus on Your Goodness, Glory and Power. Thank You for changing us, transforming us, and rescuing us, by the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings, in His Name we pray, amen.

COMMANDER OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES - KING JESUS!

TEXT:  JOSHUA 5: 13-15

TO JESUS, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE UNIVERSE

Oh Lord of Heaven’s Armies, Who fights for us. 

Who prays for us constantly before the Throne. 

Who lived and taught us HOW to live. 

Who gave all and died for us that we may be free from sin. 

Who rose on that great glorious Resurrection morning to be our Living Hope for all eternal

It is You, oh Commander in Chief of the Universe,  of  Whom Jeremiah 20:11 and 12 tell us, are with us like a Mighty Warrior whereby the persecutors of Your people will stumble and not prevail. Lord Sabaoth is Your Name, Lord of Hosts, “Who trieth the righteous and seest the reins and the heart”.

Thank You as all Your Elect looketh for that magnificent day when the Eastern sky cuts open and the White Horse booms out of heaven with the armies of Yahweh, to make things right, once and for all.

Over history, while we have had warriors from Abraham to Joshua to Gideon and even those who did not know You, like Cyrus or the great Nebuchadnezzar who defied his tribe and ultimately surrendered his life to You, You have always been for  the Ultimate Warrior in Your people. When You saved us by Your grace, You called us to battle and give us our self-defense weapons in Ephesians 6 – both defensive and offensive (the Sword of Truth – the Bible). 

Helps us and our brethren in far away persecuted lands to persevere until the End. 

Help us, dear  merciful, compassionate God, to have that fire, passion and burning desire to live Truth, defend Truth and proclaim Truth all the days of our short lives. 

Strengthen us dear Lord, in these critical times, that we may live courageously, day by day, knowing that You, the Lord our God, is with us, will never forsake us and will never abandon us. You are for us, until the End of the Age. We take courage and vow to persevere, as You can commissioned us, as officers in the Eternal Army of Faithful Disciples.  Thank You, King Jesus! Thank You.

Also, this week, we pray for Veterans of the United States Armed Forces, as we remember and celebrate them on Veterans Day. From the great men of George Washington’s Continental Army through many wars, to the young men and women who sacrificed under difficult circumstances. We pray for them and their families, dear Jesus. 

We pray for the marriages in our military, where 75% end in divorce due to long deployments. 

We pray for the mental health of our warriors, where two suicides a day are attempted. Father, we pray for healing of the body, mind and souls of these young people whose soul care have been neglected by the military industrial complex and those who only see them as fighting machines. 

We pray for their salvation. We pray for their spiritual growth, for those who become saved. We pray for their children who sometimes get lost in the shuffle and for their Chaplains, who have to operate under some very ungodly restrictions sometimes.  

We pray for MORE Godly chaplains and biblical counselors who can start turning this Titanic of desperation and despair around, in our fighting force. Lord, help our veterans in this, their hour of need.

Lord of Hosts, we praise You, thank You, glorify You, are amazed by You, long for the day to see You and worship You in spirit and truth. Until that great and glorious day, when we see You Face to face, we come to You in bended knee, bowing our hearts before You, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, amen and amen.

PRAYER FOR A NEW DAY AND WEEK

Heavenly Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, great is Your Name and greatly to be praised. You are worthy of all praise, all glory and all honor, this day, this week and this moment – now and always – as we live with breath borrowed with an expiration date from Your Kingdom Throne.

 

We thank You at the start of a new week, as one day comes to an end and the cycle continues through this current Age, that You have given us so much more than we have asked for, Oh Lord. In Your Grace, in Your Mercy, in Your Shalom – the peace that passes ALL understanding, You have given us the ability to be more than our feeble minds can even comprehend.

Father we can be like the giant oak, planted by the running waters of life, or we can be like the fig tree, which the Lord Jesus cursed because it bore no fruit.  Therefore, give us the boldness and courage in our weakness to use the power you filled us with, when You sent Your Holy Spirit to indwell us, so:

That we may bear fruit in and out of season

That we may take the long view as You do, and see the end from the beginning as much as we can

That we may not shake and cower at the first sign of opposition to our calling, because You did not give us a spirit of Fear, but the same Spirit Who raised Christ from the dead

That we may place our own selfish needs on the shelf and fish for great catch so that the King may be glorified – King Jesus.

 

Lord we know that when we quit navel-gazing and feeling sorry for ourselves, You open up the windows of Heaven and pour Your goodness on down in over-abundant measure. Hallelujah.

We know that when we water our hearts, mind and soul with the fresh and living Water of the Holy Spirit and Your Word, our leaf will not wither and whatsoever we do shall prosper.

We know that even though we wonder how long shall the wicked reign, we instinctively know in our spiritual hearts that You watch over the righteous…and that not one hair on our heads will be harmed by the evil one and his minions.

We know all these things because all Your promises are Yes and Amen! Hallelujah.

So thank You on Lord, on each passing day, that You put new joy in our hearts.

Thank You for the new wine which overflows our wineskins

Thank You for the grain of Your abundant provisions

Thank You for the sweet peace and rest You have blessed us with each day and night

Thank You for the families and spouses and children and grandchildren and more You have blessed Your faithful ones with.

Most of all, dear Lord, thank You for the Lord Jesus, our soon coming King, Who sits upon the Throne and as each day passes,  He sees the Day when He will mount the White Horse to bring Judgement and the Kingdom Reign upon the earth.

At the end of a new day, and at the start of a new week, we live for that Great and Glorious Day, when the King shall rise and lead the Armies of Heaven through the Eastern Sky. We honor, proclaim and bless His Mighty and Holy Name  - the Name above all other Names, the Name of Jesus, amen and amen.

 

A VERSE AND A THOUGHT: PSALM 24:3 - "GOING 'UP...THEN WHAT?"

“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His Holy Place? (Psalm 24:3)

THOUGHT:

It could not be clearer. When we talk about approaching God – there is the image and reality of going UP. It is not only this verse but what is coming in the future, during the 1000 Year Reign of Jesus Christ. The King of Kings will be sitting on the Throne in a brand new Temple in Jerusalem after the Tribulation and all enemies of Christ are removed and sent down to Hades. During those 1000 years, we know from Zechariah 14:16 that EVERYONE is supposed to go up to Jerusalem annually, for the Feast of the Tabernacles. This is in early Fall when legend has it that Jesus was actually born in the stable in Bethlehem. Jerusalem and the Lord’s Temple are on a Hill. We travel up to it.

Only the Saved, the Redeemed – Christians, and Jews who were saved during the Tribulation will be going up to visit the King annually. At this time (and this is confirmed in the very next verse) only followers and disciples are allowed to go UP to His Throne. Zechariah 14:21 says there will no longer be a Canaanite in that day, meaning this - no one who does not believe in Yahweh will be around alive on the earth. 

Secondly, when a person gets up to the Holy Hill or Mountain of the Lord, what would then occur? Let the Bible be our guide. Isaiah was pulled up into the very Throne Room of God in Heaven, in Isaiah Chapter 6:1-7. Let us read what happens when the old prophet realized where he was. We read in Isaiah 6:5 “then I said: '“Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Who can stand in front of the Holiest of Holies – the very Throne of God? NOBODY! History tells us Isaiah fell down all messed up. Revelation 4:10-11 tells us that the 24 Elders threw their Crowns at the Feet of the Lord and “the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created."

You know we constantly hear people who have no idea about the nature and attributes of God say “when we get to heaven we are going to ask God ‘this or that’”. Friends, we are not doing any such thing. Study the Scriptures and you will discover we will react just like Isaiah did in chapter 6!

ACTION POINT:

The Bible talks about going UP to where the Lord lives and the opposite – those who reject the Lord, they go DOWN to the pit. From our viewpoint now, knowing the High and Lofty position of the Abode of the Almighty, do you think we are worthy at all to be allowed into such a place? Why are we even allowed to approach the Throne of God and how can show respect and reverence, even now? How do we maintain this incredible relationship?

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BLESSED ASSURANCE (Psalm 20:1-3)

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

3 May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah (Psalm 20:1-3)

There are so many people looking for hope, a way out, an answer or a straw to grab on, in these last days. In fact, most people do not even know we are living in the last days (but that for another day). The hopelessness, aimlessness and general frustration with the fast-moving uncertainty of modern life rise above the peace, joy and understanding of what it really takes to cope with daily living.

Whether most, who live, breath and immerse themselves fully into the systems of man recognize it or not, there is a way to begin seeing daylight at the end of the proverbial tunnel - which is NOT the headlights of the freight train of despair driving desperately towards you. We, who are called by the Name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies (or the LORD OF HOSTS) know this way. While we may be called childish, simpletons and worse for believing it, the Spirit of God Who lives in all true believers testifies more than once per day to the validity, authenticity and accuracy of the Sufficiency of Scripture to address EVERYTHING THAT AILS MAN!

The Book of Psalms is the acknowledged Prayer Book of the Bible, to those who know how to find comfort, hope, wisdom and healing there. Psalm 20 is one of those which just stands out like a lighthouse calling and warning and signalling the fact of our blessed hope and assurance in the Lord! So today, is the first of a multi-part look at this wonderful divinely-inspired Scripture!

The first three verses of Psalm 20 (seen above) is a blessing for the one who doubts, is in pain and needs the Hand of the Lord. God is eternal and so is His Word. What He spake not so long ago (in the last 4000 years) to the human authors of Scripture stands to this day. So knowing the firm foundation of His Word, we stand on these words of every page of every section of every Bible ever produced. 

Pray each of these verses for the following:

Verse 1: That the Lord will hear your prayer, cries and petitions in that He will turn His Ears to thee. The Lord does not hear the prayer of an unrighteous or unsaved person, unless that person is crying out to Him for salvation and forgiveness. So examine yourself first, to see if ye be in the Faith, then repent of all thy sins, that He may listen, hear from Heaven and heal thy land and thine true estate (state of being). After He hears you, pray that He defends you by sending His Holy Angels to watch over you and protect you from the evil one and those on this earth sent to cause you harm trouble and long-suffering.

Verse 2: Pray that all kinds of help will be sent from Heaven in whichever form God deems fit. He knows your situation and what you need to be defended from. He knows if you need relief from debt, financial ruin, physical or emotional harm or other dangers. Trust in the Lord your God and lean not on your own understanding and He, HE will defend your path and life,

Verse 3: While we don't do sacrifices like those in the old testament and while God does not need our puny money or things, He does need our obedience. King David writes for the Lord in Psalm 51 that the LORD "does not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:16-17). So first remember that you and I do nothing which the Lord wants. What He desires is our brokenness before Him. He acknowledges our obedience, our submission and our surrender to His will. This implies us sacrificing our own fleshly and sinful desires and breaking away from it, so we can be acceptable unto God, through Jesus Christ, amen.

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD BONUS - DAY 31

JEHOVAH-SABAOTH - THE LORD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES!
The great hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God" has a verse that goes like this:
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
This was written over 500 years ago by the great Reformer Martin Luther and is still sung in churches worldwide! It stands as the battle cry of the Christian who recognizes the God of the universe as the One Who will fight for us...and not just FIGHT, but WIN! Lord or Jehovah-Sabaoth means "The Lord of Hosts". Hosts is a military term which is found 240 times in the Bible! Some bible translations like the New Living, translates the phrase "Lord of Hosts as the Lord of Heaven's Armies!

Then we have the Christmas Carol - "Hark the Herald Angels"....with the line that says "with angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem"! Same thing - hosts means a multitude or organized group of heavenly beings, under the command of the Lord Jesus or...Jehovah Sabaoth!

The Name itself exudes the Fragrance of Dynamic Eternal Power, which cannot be trifled or messed with! The World will see this fearsome sight one day soon, and it will NOT be pretty! At the final return of Christ, to reclaim His Creation and sit on His Throne in Jerusalem for 1000 years, the full force of these hosts - Heaven's armies will descend on planet earth, with a vengeance!

At this point, the Wrath of God will be revealed, as predicted in the book of Revelation. The Lord of Heaven's Armies, which will have warriors like King David in it, will descend from Heaven to fight against the kings and rulers of this world. He will completely destroy them. The church and all believers will have been raptured or taken out, by then.

Before we get to that point though, we as believers should realize that He is fighting for us as well....and it's happening right now! We should realize that no matter what the Trial, Tribulation or family or personal crisis we are experiencing, He has defeated it already! All we have to do is go to Him, pray, ask and receive!

So, Father, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You, oh Mighty God, my Fortress and my Deliverer, that You, oh God are the Commander in Chief of the Universe. God, there is none like You in Power, Strength and I am in complete and total awe of You! 


You fought the battles of Moses in the desert against Amalekites and Sihon and Og the King of Bashan. You led Joshua into Canaan and with Caleb, Your amazing warrior, you gave them the Promised Land. With three hundred men You gave Gideon the victory. You gave David the victory. You gave Hezekiah the victory. You gave the Maccabees the victory when the Lamp burned with oil for 8 days, giving us Hanukkah.


Lord, all of these in the Old covenant had one thing in common – they believed You completely..as they should! Dear Lord, in these days, before the Final Battle when Jesus returns to fight the forces of evil and world leaders, presidents and dictators, You still fight for those who believe in You! 


I know it personally, dear heavenly, how much You have fought for me. I know how much You have done for me. I know how much You will still fight for me in days to come. And Lord, not just for me personally, but thank You for fighting for my entire family who live under the Leadership of Christ in our home. Lord You bring aid and assistance to Your children who are suffering under oppression of persecution around the world. 


Lord You fight for and free those who are in the prison of sin, self, sex and stress here in the United States, Canada and here in the western world! I thank You for that as well, dear Heavenly Father! 


Oh Lord, I also thank you for Your executing judgment against me when I sin, which You do, so that I may live a life worthy of being in Your presence….and that I may live a life worthy of living under the permanent and eternal guidance and protection of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the Lord Jesus, Sabaoth is His Name and it is in His Name I pray, right now, for all the saints who love His Appearing, in Jesus’ Name, amen and amen!

(image by google images)