106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. Yesterday I talked about practicing faith right in the middle of the fire. Right in the middle of difficulties. We need to practice living for God no matter what we face. It's acutally these fires of difficulties that reveal faith in God or faith in stuff. FAITH HAS A VOICE
Someone said, faith is a fact and faith is an act. In the book of James it says, faith without works is dead [James 2:17] ... in another words faith has corresponding actions that prove we really believe God's promises. If there's no belieivng actions it's dead faith or what I would call no faith at all. If we are not doers of the Word [God's Promises] we are not walking in faith. Faith speaks up, faith has actions, faith praises God in the middle of a prison cell, faith must move out and do something or it's not faith.
Paul and Silas had faith, they demonstrated their faith by first praying, they bowed their heart, they asked God for help and finally they began to sing praises right in the middle of death row. When you and I really believe we will move out into a realm where God is trusted and glorified. When we really believe God is put in His rightful place as Savior and Lord.
God did so many great miracles throughout the history of the nation of Israel yet they backed off from God. They started looking at what they didn't have and their lusts consumed them. They even despised God's provision. We have to learn from them. There hearts were materialsitic and self seeking just like America today and the sin of Mammon [materialism].
106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 106:13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. and then again in ...
106:24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: 106:25 But murmured in their tents, [and] hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD. If it could happen to them it can happen to you and me ... we must practice the doing of the Word so we become doers of the Word. Praising God in the middle of difficulty is simply against our natural makeup. But we are not just natural creatures. We are first and foremost spiritual creatures. We are born again, born of the Spirit, born from above. We must practice spiritual living. So the prime action of faith is that of speaking and praising God. We look to God first, in fact when you understand the power of the sacrifice of praise you will want to do it all the time. Praise is a sacrifice many times because it does not cater to the pull of the flesh [you know, Mr. EMO]. The power of the sacrifice of praise is that when we do it we are taking authority over the flesh and operate in an awesome trust in Almighty God.
The voice of faith says, Father, you are my Father and I believe you over what's hppening all around me. You are my good Father that takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants and that would be me. We take our harps back off the willow tree and begin to sing the songs of Zion even though we are in a strange and uncomfortable land.
137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 137:2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 137:3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth, [saying], Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion. 137:4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? 137:5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her cunning]. 137:6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. The Lord is our chief joy, the Lord is our song, the Lord is our Savior no matter if everything is uncomfortable and strange. It's time to stop being comfort seekers and start taking our harps back and sing the songs of praise right in the faces of our captors. Faith has a voice and it praises God right in the middle of tough times. |
Follow this blog
