Why Praise God

Why is praising God important… the reasons are countless.

First, God deserves to be praised and He is worthy to receive our praise:

• "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods" (Psalm 96:4).
• "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom" (Psalm 145:3).
• "I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies" (2 Samuel 22:4).
• "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).

Second, praising God is useful and favorable for us. By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! His power and presence in our lives is reinforced in our understanding. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3).

Third, praise discharges strength in faith, which causes God to move on our behalf. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2). Praising God also transforms the spiritual environment that we have. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 clearly illustrates the alteration that happened when the Levites gave praise and thanks to the Lord and the temple was filled with a cloud signifying the glory of God. "The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: 'He is good; his love endures forever.' Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God."

Fourth, God inhabits the atmosphere of praise. Psalm 22:3 says,“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” If we want to see a clear manifestation of God's blessings and grace, all we need to do is to praise Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and our body—our whole created being!

Walking In A Worthy Manner

"So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects"

Colossians 1:10

The Greek word translated "walk" means "to order one's behavior." It's a common New Testament metaphor for one's lifestyle. Paul made a similar plea to the Thessalonians: "Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12).

The thought of being worthy of the Lord might raise some eyebrows because we usually relate worthiness to merit or something deserved. But that isn't Paul's point at all. The Greek word translated "worthy" in Colossians 1:10 speaks of something that weighs as much or carries the same value as something else.

As a word of encouragement, a worthy walk is not a walk of sinless perfection. That won't happen until we are fully glorified. But each day we are growing in godliness as a result of the Spirit's transforming work in us (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). Be faithful to that process. Let's set our affections on Christ, look to His Word, and rejoice in the privilege of becoming more like Him today.

Nutrition In The Garden

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:8-22

When we consider what a diet is and all the craziness out there about this diet and that diet, we cannot help but wonder how Adam and Eve ate. Let’s think about it, there was no paparazzi to capture them eating at the "Garden of Eden Café" nor were there tabloids exploiting Eve's hot body and her latest "In the Garden Workout". Diet and exercise as we know it didn't even exist.

Deep fryers weren't even invented and the closest thing to fast food was picking piece of fruit off a tree. High calorie foods simply were not heard of and exercise was a just way of life. No one had to tell Adam and Eve to workout, they got plenty of exercise with their standard daily duties in the garden. With that in mind, do you really think that obesity was much of an issue? Eve couldn't have just gone to Publix to pick up a few groceries. Collecting food took time and energy. Since there was no refrigeration, it was essential the food was fresh for each and every meal.

God created the garden with all of the best of the best to nourish the body and keep it health in order to commune with Him. God has created a lifestyle complete with everything we need to eat and live healthy, but we turned eating into entertainment and we have become greedy and impatient in regards to our food choices. We want to get the most amount of food for our money and there better not be a long wait. If that was not bad enough, we've created a ton of shortcuts in life to actually avoid moving our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies (See psalm 139:14a). We circle parking lots to avoid extended walks and wouldn't dare get up from the couch to change the channel.

If we were back in the garden, we would eat more fresh whole foods, take fewer shortcuts and increase our activity by enjoying God’s great vastness in all His creation.

So, ask yourself, what is keeping you from enjoying this great abundance in the area of health and nutrition NOW?

Special Callings

But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk.

1 Corinthians 7:17a

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

We each are called to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are called by Him, to Him, and for Him. Once we enter that relationship with Christ, we are called into the physical expression of that relationship. This is where our vocations are manifested as a result, not as an end in themselves. Additionally, there are examples of special callings in the Bible in which individuals have a direct communication from God to do a specific task for Him. Moses, Paul, Peter, and many others had direct communication about what God was calling them to do.

Not everyone receives this "special" calling. This is not to say God is not personal with each of us. Some have had extraordinary supernatural encounters with God that led to their calling being specific to a task ordered by God. All of us have been called to follow Christ and live our lives in obedience to Him. Many of us have a sense to go in one direction or another based on our life experiences and giftedness. This, too, is God's calling.

Calling goes beyond our work and includes our relationships to others as well: our families, our friends, our neighbors, and those we come in contact with continually. We must remember this in order that our "work calling" does not become elevated at the expense of the other important aspects of our lives. This is the holistic approach to the gospel in which God made all of life equally important.

Thus, the next time someone says, "I was called into the ministry" or "I am in full-time Christian work," stop him or her and tell him or her we are all in full-time Christian work. There is no secular and religious in the economy of God. We are first and foremost, servants of the living God; expressions of Him through our vocations, gifts, and talents which He has blessed us with to communicate His love and grace.

Living A Presence-Based Life

Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory"

Exodus 33:12-18

Being Called Into God's Presence

Moses was called by God to be a deliverer. He was prepared for this assignment by being raised as one of Pharaoh's sons, only to discover his mistaken identity later as an adult. He realized he was a Hebrew like many of the oppressed people he was ruling over in Egypt. This confrontation with reality led to an understanding about his purpose and destiny in life. However, he did not have the full picture. He realized he was called to be a deliverer for a people that was enslaved. However, he tried to be a deliverer through his own means that resulted in murder and banishment to another country. It is a picture of trying to accomplish God’s will in the carnal flesh.

He spent forty years in the desert as a lowly shepherd when God came to him and gave him his assignment. Moses began to walk with God and began to lead a people. He quickly learned the people he was leading was a “stiff-necked” people. Imagine, leading hundreds of thousands of people through the desert who constantly complained and questioned your leadership. Like many of us there was a crucial point in his journey that he had to stop and evaluate where he was and what would be required for him to be successful. He was at the end of his rope because the people he was leading had fallen into sin by worshipping a golden calf… this crucial point for Moses (See Exodus 33).

Unless we have the presence of God in all of our activities, we are doomed for failure. However, many people don’t really understand what it means to be in God’s presence or know how to attract His presence. There are certain character qualities that attract the presence of God in our lives. First, the Bible says that Moses was the most humble man on earth. If you want to attract God’s presence humility must be a central quality in your life. You must be willing to seek God with your whole heart and be available to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your life.

Being in God’s presence does not mean we have to be in a trance-like state in our lives. Brother Lawrence, a monk that lived in the 1600s worked everyday as a dishwasher and made a profound discovery: “For me the time of activity does not differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are calling together for as many different things, I possess God in as great a tranquility as when upon my knees at the blessed Sacrament. He found no urgency or retreats, because in the common task he met the same God to love and worship as he did in the stillness of the desert.” [1] We can be in God’s presence 24/7.

Evidences of God’s Presence

What are the evidences of a person who is experiencing God’s presence? Here is a quick list of things we should be experiencing that insures we are living in His presence.

Your life is being led by the Holy Spirit – Romans 8:14
You experience peace in your life –Philippians 4:7
You will live a life of humility – Psalm 25:9
You live a life of trust versus sweat and toil – Psalm 127:1,2
You live a life of power – 1 Corinthians 2:4,5
You live a life of integrity – Psalm 51: 6, 10,11; Psalm 15
You can hear and discern God’s voice – John 10:27
You live an obedience-based life instead of an outcome-based life – Psalm 111:10

The Lord desires that we experience his presences 24/7 throughout our day. Ps 89:15 says “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.” God has created you to live in His presence. He longs to know you personally.

In Jeremiah 9:23 we find God’s desire for us: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

The Bible also tells us that there is literally no place we can go where God’s presence does not reside: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”(Psalm 139:7-10).

Can a Business Attract God’s Presence?

In the book, The 9 to 5 Window, there is a story about a company that decided God wanted them to be in His presence at a greater level. If we are going to have the reality of intimacy with God, we must do it in our daily work lives as well. Look at how God led one company to develop intimacy within the context of a working environment.

“Julian Watts and Warren Sinclair, who operate an international company called Markets Unlocked in Guildford, England, have learned how important intimacy and the presence of God is to fulfilling His purposes for their business. Even the existence of their company is a testimony of the Lord’s loving pursuit, faithful guidance, grace-filled preparations and His plans, which surpass anything Julian and Warren could have thought or imagined.

Julian used to be a partner in the strategy consultancy practice of a global consultancy firm that worked with chief executives of multinational corporations. He gave money to his local church and managed a quiet time with the Lord every couple of weeks when he could fit it into his schedule. In contrast to the high-profile nature of his job, he always kept a low profile on Sundays, usually sitting at the back of the church.

In 1999, the Lord asked Julian if he would be willing to resign his partnership, leave the company and walk out into the unknown. Having spent 15 years single-mindedly achieving his goal to become a strategy consulting partner, Julian was now hearing the Lord’s voice saying, “What is more important to you—your career or Me?” He discussed this with his wife, and her brief response was simply, “We’ve just got to follow the Lord.” Julian resigned.

He was now without a job, and he had no idea what to do next. He spent the next few months attempting to discover what the Lord wanted him to do. Eventually, he founded an internet company that specialized in connecting businesses that wanted to buy and sell to each other. He set about building the new company, focusing on all the commercial fundamentals and occasionally praying for God’s help to get the task done.

Julian also established a charitable trust in which 10 percent of the company’s revenue would be deposited for distribution to Kingdom projects. He felt that God wanted him to pay salaries to other people in the company, but that he and his wife should not draw a salary until the company had started making contributions to the charitable trust. God was calling them to live by faith and to depend totally on Him, an experience that would profoundly change their Christian experience and relationship with the Lord.

The business grew very quickly, riding on the crest of the Internet wave. But the dotcom crash that swiftly followed in the year 2000 was brutal, and the company was all but wiped out. As things were getting worse, the non-Christians in the company left, and the remaining Christian directors started praying together—monthly at first, then, as things continued to worsen, weekly, and finally, as desperation set in, daily!

In the beginning, the directors’ prayers just had one focus—the list of things required to save the business. However, the more time they spent with the Lord, the more things began to change. Gradually, the list of urgent prayer requests gave way to simply worshiping God—seeking His face rather than His hand of provision. Now that they had a considerably smaller staff, they set aside a room in their office space for company prayer. Since their corporate communications director, Liz Jones, no longer had much to communicate about, she started spending more and more of her time in the prayer room, worshiping the Lord and praying for the company. The more the directors simply worshiped the Lord, the more they saw Him intervene. Throughout the rest of 2000 and into 2001, time after time, the Lord would provide just what was needed at the eleventh hour.

The directors’ daily routines soon began to change. At first, Julian started having his own personal time with the Lord from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. each day. Then, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., all the company directors would meet to worship and pray. From 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every weekday, Liz would worship and intercede for the company; and every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., everyone in the company would meet, along with local pastors and intercessors, to worship and intercede.

Liz was now the trailblazer for the rest of the company. During the hours she spent in the Lord’s presence, God started speaking to her about her personal identity as part of the Bride of Christ. The Lord then began to increasingly speak this message of intimacy with Him to other people in the company. They began to dare to believe that He viewed them as part of His beloved Bride, that He was passionately in love with them as believers, and that He had died so that they could commune with Him.

By late 2001, the company had passed through the wilderness of the dotcom crash. In the process, all the commercial aspects of the company had been completely transformed—including its business strategy, organization structure, people, operational processes, location and everything else. Being in God’s presence is now the heart and driving force of the company. Each workday, the directors’ personal and corporate prayer times are characterized by simply worshiping the Lord. After worshiping, the directors ask if anyone is hearing from the Lord. Based on that feedback, they intercede for whatever God has indicated.

Today, the directors see that the Lord is increasingly establishing their company’s corporate identity and defining characteristic as their corporate intimacy with Him. Markets Unlocked is now expanding rapidly around the world, with customers in over 80 countries.” [1] If you would like to learn more about Markets Unlocked. http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/pages.asp?pageid=27751

Do we long to have God’s presence in our daily life, 24/7? We need to ask God to reveal Himself to us, and know that He desires this more than we desire it. Then, like Moses, we will be successful in the purpose for which God made us.


1 Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God
2 Os Hillman, The 9 to 5 Window, Regal Books, p. 97 Ventura, CA 2005

Left To Ourselves

Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant
and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9

At some point in our lives we will be left to ourselves... it is a part of living here on the earth with our mortal bodies and possessing selfish hearts. Some will leave us—whether through a deliberate act of walking out the door or through the passage of death—it happens. We were all built for relationship—first and foremost with our Creator God, who in turn has blessed us with the desire for relationship. There is a yearning in all to love and be loved... there is a longing to know and be known. If we should be so blessed as to find a special relationship in this life, we certainly do not want to lose it or take it for granted. As some of us tend to cling too tightly, and again some of us take it for granted. But the truth be told, none of us wants this relationship to change or ever stop. Not one of us wants to lose or let go of someone we love; when we truly look inside and see the love we have for them in our heart. This relationship is comfortable, it brings stability and a sense of well-being. We just know that we belong and feel as though nothing could ever separate us. Though we may feel as though we are left to ourselves at some point in our lives, we have the assurance that God will be faithful to us and always be with us for thousand of generations as we continue to love and keep His commandments.

Abandoned But Not Forgotten

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5b-6

Many of us have experienced abandonment along life’s road, and whether it was forced upon us or we willfully chose this plot it does not matter. We may look back on these times in our life and wish to God that they had not taken place and question why He was not there to care for us when no one else would. We may continue to question God today and even wonder if he really is a God of love and mercy. We may even doubt that His Words penned in Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” are true when in the midst of our abandonment, as we feel so forsaken.

The reality is that while we may feel like God has abandoned us—which is not the case—we may face times where we are pressed, tormented, troubled, persecuted, mistreated or abused but we are not destroyed. We need to recognize that there are times when we feel like we are standing on the brink of oblivion but we are not forgotten—God knows and God cares. We may be abandoned by those here on earth that we love or think should love and care for us, but God is still there to love and care for us. We do not live for ourselves; rather, we now live for God. We live according to His purpose and sometimes that is a purpose that is not clear to us and is hard to discern.

Even if our time of abandonment has past and we have come to terms with difficult times we faced, we at times can experience flash backs and memories that are still with us and cause us to again question God. Had God turned His back on me? Why was I forsaken, deserted, abandoned? Or, had I done something to deserve this? Why would God let these things happen to me? Had I not lived a pleasing life unto Him? After all, I was just a young child and so innocent and naive. There are sure a lot of “I’s” in there, aren’t there? On the other hand, is our spiritual life so precious to God that He was willing to let us endure these hardships for a greater purpose? If we are His children, then didn’t it hurt Him to see us go through these things? Then, why would He let us?

Forsaken… never! Loved… absolutely! He loves us so much that just like Paul, His grace is sufficient for us. When we had no one else, He was there. When everyone thought we would die, He sustained us. When we faltered, He encouraged. When we lost hope, He rescued us. When we were weak, He lent us His strength. God did all of this and still continues to do so each and every day that we are alive! We know that God is much more concerned about our spiritual wellbeing and He will allow life’s circumstances to drive us to where we must be—on our knees at the foot of the cross—if that is what it takes to conform us to His image. What we endure in this life is not important; how we respond to life’s trials is because it reveals our character.

As we come to this understanding in our lives, we need to yearn for God. As though we are a foreigner far from home and like the prodigal son, we only want to see our Father’s face. Our live’s are His; we have given them to Him and will not ask for them back. Pray that He use our lives to His glory, His honor, His purpose and that it be lives lived as a daily sacrifice for Him. If we can just do that, then perhaps one day I will stand before my Savior to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Then it will all be worthwhile. Until that time, no matter what life may throw at us, know that I we are not forsaken; instead, He loves us enough to refine us as through fire. And we also know that when He molds us and makes us, He must hold us, never letting us go. How do we know? Because God is our Father and we are His children. And, He isn’t about to let us go, no matter how those here on earth have treated or mistreated us—abandoned by those we love, but never forgotten by God!

Bountifully Sown

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:

“ He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Joy of Affection

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Philippians 4:1

We all have people who occupy a special place in your heart. Perhaps we seldom see them or talk to them, but they are on our mind and in our prayers often. That's how Paul regarded the Philippian believers, and it was right for him to do so because they were such an integral part of his life and ministry. They stood by him in every situation-even during his judicial proceedings and imprisonment in Rome.

The gratitude and joy Paul felt was more than an emotion. It was a moral obligation to praise God for what He had accomplished through them. Take a look at the following passage "It is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:7- 8).That is the meaning of the Greek word translated "right" in Philippians 1:7. "Heart" refers to the center of one's thoughts and feelings (See Proverbs 4:23).

Paul thought of the Philippians often and eagerly yearned for them with the affection of Christ Himself. As we see In Philippians 4:1 he calls them, "My beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown." The mutual affection between Paul and the Philippians illustrates that often the strongest and deepest relationships are developed among Christian's in ministry. There is a special camaraderie among people who work toward life's most noble goals and see God achieve eternal results through their efforts. Guard those relationships carefully and cultivate as God leads.