Put Your Praise On

Church this morning was absolutely fabulous. Pastor talked about the lives we have lived, our pasts, and how we allow our past to affect our futures. He told how often times we had thought that we had overcome but in reality all that tumbles from our mouths is what has happened to us or what we'd done. He taught us that we need to speak praises to our King in the midst of battles and once the battle was over to continue to praise our Father. Praise cuts off ties to our pasts that try to snare us again into bondage.

Pastor spoke about Jesus dying on the cross and how satan thought he had victory. If satan had known that he was sealing his own fate by crucifying our precious Savior he would have fought to have kept Him alive. The one thing that Pastor said that struck me the deepest was this, "Satan did not take the life of our Savior Jesus Christ, our precious Savior chose to lay down His life for us."

Yes, I knew this, but hearing it so plainly this morning it hit home hard. A true realization. My Savior gave His life for me, it wasn't taken. And I in turn wish to lay down my own life for Him. My life isn't taken from me, I give it. 

I'm so thankful to serve such a loving, merciful and forgiving God. A God that gives us a new start, throwing all of our ugly sin away, never to be remembered again upon our repentance. Our scripture this morning was Psalm 57 and our song was one of my all time favorites, How can I Keep From Singing by Chris Tomlin. I hope it blesses you as it blessed and strengthened me. How I long for the day that I will sing with the angels and the saints around the throne! 

Psalms 57

¹ Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
         For my soul trusts in You;
         And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
         Until these calamities have passed by.
        
 ² I will cry out to God Most High,
         To God who performs all things for me.
 ³ He shall send from heaven and save me;
         He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.  Selah 
         God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
        
 ⁴ My soul is among lions;
         I lie among the sons of men
         Who are set on fire,
         Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
         And their tongue a sharp sword.
 ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
         Let Your glory be above all the earth.
        
 ⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps;
         My soul is bowed down;
         They have dug a pit before me;
         Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen.  Selah 
        
 ⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
         I will sing and give praise.
 ⁸ Awake, my glory!
         Awake, lute and harp!
         I will awaken the dawn.
        
 ⁹ I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
         I will sing to You among the nations.
 ¹⁰ For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
         And Your truth unto the clouds.
        
 ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
         Let Your glory be above all the earth.