Praise Warfare

  Having severely neglected updating my site there have been many things that the LORD has opened my eyes too that I would love to share here.  As I think on them I realize that there is a common thread.  To begin with, last week I was thinking about three individual situations that are all very different from each other but equally impossible.  With these thoughts in mind, I encountered these words in The Valley of Vision  "Nothing exceeds Your power, nothing is too great for You to do."  Minutes later I read from Psalm 77:13, 14 "Your ways, O God, are holy.  What god is so great as our God?  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."  What a promise!  We have a miracle working GOD!  Then on Friday, Pastor Tony spoke at GIFT.  One of the statements he made was this, "Don’t worry; worship.  Don’t panic; pray and praise."  (I will give an update on GIFT later)  Saturday morning found me in a worrying state.  I struggled to worship rather than worry.  The LORD led me to Isaiah 55, which is filled with gems and promises.  "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat!"  GOD gave me the grace to rest and trust and put Chris Tomlin’s song "How Great is Our God" into my heart.  Did that mean an end to worry?  LOL!  Some things we know in our heads but are so hard to apply personally.  It’s not always easy to trust GOD.  This last week has been really hard for me.  Praise the LORD that He is patient because this morning He had two more treasures for me to unwrap.  The first was from 2 Chronicles 20:1-26.  I had entirely forgotten about this story, although I think it should be on my list of favourites, if not "Top 10".  Here a king is faced by an INTENSE army.  The NIV says that Jehoshaphat (the king) was alarmed.  No kidding.  He knew he was beat.  Rather than trying to face the enemy in his own strength he calls his entire nation together, men, women and children, and seeks the LORD.  The first thing he does is declare who GOD is.  He recognizes that GOD is in control.  He ends his prayer saying "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."  The LORD answers, says they won’t have to fight the battle, so the king woships, gathers his army, puts men in charge to sing and praise GOD LEADING the army.  So, picture this, HUGE army and this puny army approaching them singing "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."  (Would they be called praise warriors?)  And you know what happened?  The enemy soldiers killed each other so that by the time the men of Judah reached the place where they could see the enemy, there was not one man left alive and none had escaped.  It took them three days to gather all the plunder.  Wow.  The second treasure was reading Charles H. Spurgeon’s sermon "Jesus Knew What He Would Do" from the text John 6:6.  This is taken from the story of the feeding of the 5000.  Jesus knew what He was going to do.  He knew how He was going to perform that miracle and He knows how He will perform the next miracle in my life.  It’s not easy to trust, as I said, but what hinders me from doing so?  Is it not unbelief?  My GOD has always proved faithful, what right have I to doubt?  Even Allister Bagg this morning shared that we have no right to worry.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  (Philippians 4:6)  What a command!  He is the miracle worker.  He already knows what He will do.  He will be faithful.  "Don’t worry; WORSHIP."