Deliberate Praise
“By him, therefore, let us offer the to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips [confessing His name]” (Hebrews 3:15).
Living life to the fullest is greatly enabled by deliberate praise. Praise to the Heavenly Father is not a natural condition of the human heart. Our praise is more inclined to be toward ourselves, our families, or anything that is near and/or dear to us or even for the works of His hands than to our Father.
Our text instructed us very simply how to offer praise and what should be the content of our praise, “By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips [confessing His name]” (Hebrews 3:15).
Obviously God is not an ego-maniac requiring praise to satisfy an inward condition of insecurity or low self-esteem. However, as the architect, innovator, creator, and sustainer of the universe, He is infinitely worthy of all the praise we can muster. The difficulty we have is how to praise and what is to be the subject of praise.
Praise is the act of declaring to God what God is like. Praise should be focused on the Father – praising Him for being and for Who He is. Scripturally speaking, the greatest praise we can offer Him is to “confess His Name.” Praise, according to the Book of Hebrews, is to confess the names of God to God. The names of God reveal His character and personality. His names describe all that He is and what he does. There are literally hundreds of names used in the scripture to address and to describe Him. These names are significant to us because of the implications they have to and for us.
We will not be lifted out of the doldrums of any spiritual vacuum until we can enter into real praise. Real praise is the act of deliberately coming to the Father, confessing Who and What He is in the face of the discouragements and defeats of life that we may have. It causes us to stand against these and other negative features of life and, by choice, determine to exalt the Name that is above all Names.
I entitled this message Deliberate Praise simply because praise is a choice. The times we need most to praise are those times we feel the least like praising. Because we are so needs oriented, our tendency is to focus on ourselves. Praise must be greater and higher than that regardless how blessed we are with what God has done. Many people have spent a life time being secretly angry at, or disappointed with, God because of what they perceive as His failure to treat them as they feel that they should be treated. Praise is a deliberate choice against ourselves and is a determination to look away from ourselves and to look to Him.
When we praise God we have significant listeners, i.e., the devil as well as we ourselves, are listening. As we declare Who and What God is our attention is lifted from the things which are defeating and stressful and is placed on Him. This has the result of placing us on top of what has been on top of us. It causes the devil to flee and God to be firmly enthroned in our lives. The way to victory is to praise the Name that is above every name. He is infinitely worth it!
Begin today to spend quality time researching the names of God in the Bible. Let the meaning of each name saturate your inner being. Speak them, relish them, love them. Their impact will penetrate your inner being.
May God bless you as you praise Him this day.
Jeff
Jefferson H. and Norma R. Floyd, CO-directors, Jubilee International, P. O. Box 572, Noblesville, IN 46061, Copyright November 2007 by Jefferson H. Floyd. All rights reserved.
