Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all that is within me, praise his holy name.
Psalm 103:1 (emphasis added)

According to braininjurycanada.ca, when your brain or body gets partially deprived of oxygen it can lead to permanent damage and is called hypoxia. When you’re completely deprived it’s called anoxia and can result in severe and permanent damage. Both of them affect all major organs of the body. Whether the blood is unable to carry the needed oxygen to the body, the blood flow itself is restricted, or the body’s tissues aren’t properly using what oxygen the blood is delivering; it all spells bad news for the body. Without oxygen, our bodies don’t function the way they were designed to. Without oxygen, our quality of life is in jeopardy. Without oxygen, our very lives are in danger. For the believer, we need to make sure that we understand this because the oxygen of the Kingdom of Elohim is PRAISE.

Praise is one of the most important things we can participate in. It is the oxygen in the air of the Kingdom. It helps to reset our attitudes and aligns us to the Will of the Father. Praise is mentioned, recommended, and demonstrated from Genesis through Revelation. Other than prayer, it is one of the only things that is done by people throughout all of the recorded history of the Bible. The closer the relationship of the human with Elohim, the more you see praise, and the more heartfelt the praise is. Make a joyful noise (Psalm 100) shows we don’t need to be talented, only honest. Praise because of His Mercy toward us (1 Peter 1:3). We praise because of the things He has done (Isaiah 25:1). We praise because we’re cheerful (James 5:13). We praise because He has and holds ALL authority (Jude 1:25). We praise because of the Word and all it enables us to do (Colossians 3:16). We praise because of Jesus’ victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). We praise to acknowledge the glory that is His (Philippians 4:20). We praise Him because He made us a Kingdom (Revelation 1:6). We praise when we DON’T feel it and AREN’T cheerful (Acts 16:25). More than all of that, Adonai Elohim IS our praise (Deuteronomy 10:21). “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:36). You’d think from all of that, praise would be second nature to us. But it isn’t.

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name” (Hebrews 13:15). A sacrifice of praise. According to Strong’s, the word sacrifice ‘encompasses both literal sacrifices, such as those made in the temple, and metaphorical sacrifices, such as acts of worship, praise, and service to God. The term underscores the concept of giving something valuable to honor and worship God’. Sacrifice also means surrendering something. We’re not that good as a species at surrendering things. We’re good at finding and acquiring, but not at giving things up. It’s that selfish echo left by our sinful nature. Those annoying habits of MINE, MINE, MINE rattling around in our synapses. David knew it. David experienced it. Which is why David wrote Psalm 103 (today’s verse). To remind his body and soul to do what his spirit wanted to: praise Adonai! We have an advantage David didn’t have. Our spirits are perfected, completely righteous, and sealed by Ruach HaKodesh (Ephesians 1:13-14) as He indwells us. Instead of having to deal with a sinful nature, we only need to take what is in our righteous nature (spirit) and apply it to our soul and body through what Jesus did for us. For us it is much more than a sacrifice to align our thoughts with Adonai. For the New Covenant believer, it is aligning what is happening in our hearts and minds with what is happening on the Throne of Heaven through our spirit. It is one of the miracles of the new life we have in Messiah Jesus. For us, praise is what opens our hearts to the reality shining through us from Heaven. It’s like opening a window to let a breeze in, or curtains to let in the light. It is our active action to receive what has already been sent our way by Grace in Mercy by Adonai Elohim Almighty.

We do everything the Word says, we declare, we put our Trust in the Word, we believe, and we stand (James 4:7). But how do we HOLD? Praise. We hold all that with praise. Praise acknowledges our place, Adonai’s place, and our reliance on Him. That’s why it is instrumental in our breakthroughs. It reinforces the connection we have through Jesus. It helps us accomplish the command we have to keep Adonai front and centre. Since so MANY praise songs are scriptures set to music, they also help us accomplish the command to keep the Word before our eyes. A cursory read-through of Psalms shows us over a hundred different ways to praise Adonai as well as the words to do it with. Praise should be at the forefront of our spiritual lives. It needs to be more than a few choruses on Sunday mornings. It needs to be a daily thing throughout our day. We can sing to ourselves easily enough. We do it already with those songs that stick in our minds. Why not add praise to the repertoire? Even more, why not mean it? Why not sing that ditty with honest heartfelt intent? Sure, you may not be able to close your eyes and raise your hands, but you can close your ME FIRST and raise your heart in loving submission to Adonai. It doesn’t need to be fancy. You don’t even need to know all the words. What you DO need to know is what you think about Jesus. What you choose to emote about Adonai. You need to know if you love Him. You need to know if He’s your Source. And you need to acknowledge those things.

Tell you whole self: Self! We NEED to praise Adonai. Get up and get to it! Praise Him every day. Praise Him for what He’s done. Praise Him for His mercies and Grace. Praise Him for who He is. Thank Him for what He has done for you and in you and for what He is GOING to do for you. This is honeymoon stuff here! We’re newlyweds! Let’s act like it and love Him today with songs and words of praise.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Zechariah 12:10

“I will pour out on the kingship of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn.” Messiah’s body would be pierced. The suffering servant would suffer physical torture. Breaking the body and releasing His blood. “Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have” (Luke 24:39). “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out immediately” (John 19:34). “They put a purple cloak on him and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on him” (Mark 15:17). Jesus’ head was pierced by thorns. His hands and feet were pierced by nails. His side was pierced by a spear. Jesus was PIERCED. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b