THE POWER OF "THANKS-LIVING"

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15


The verse above offers a powerful "doubt-buster" that, if practiced, will give lift to your faith, enabling you to "bust" through the clouds of doubt into the rarified air of God's wonderful presence.

Thanksgiving and praise do for your praying what an airplane can do for you on an overcast and gloomy day. Once airborne, the plane can break through the cloud bank into warmly sunlit, blue skies. From that vantage point you have a new perspective on everything. The clouds are below you; the sun is shining. You have visibility.

Many times when I have felt downcast -- "under the weather" spiritually -- intentional praise and thanksgiving have produced a spiritual breakthrough involving the warmth of God's presence, a new perspective on everything in my life, and vision -- spiritual vision -- to see the way ahead.

This verse from Hebrews 13:15 is packed with keys to help us apply the principle. Let's look at a few of them:

"By Him" -- Fundamental to our relationship with God (and therefore, our prayer life) is the understanding that we approach God -- not on our own merits -- but on the merits of Another. We come through Jesus, the altogether lovely, sinless Son of God.

"Continually" - Praise & thanksgiving are not occasional activities prompted by special blessings. They are a way of life -- a consistent part of our daily prayers. Discover the power of "thanks-living."

"Sacrifice of Praise" -- No sacrifice is involved when you feel like praising the Lord. When you don't feel like it and do it anyway, it is a sacrifice with which God is well-pleased.

"Fruit of our lips" -- Not just the thoughts of our hearts, but the fruit of our lips. Verbalize your praise and thanksgiving. The devil doesn't know what you're thinking -- unless you say it out loud. Besides, you need to hear yourself giving praise to God. It is therapy to your soul!

"Giving thanks to His name" -- In the original Greek that phrase reads, "confessing His name." Study the compound names of God in the Old Testament, names like Jehovah-Jireh (see Genesis 22:14). God's name is His nature, His character. When we confess WHO HE IS we remind ourselves that HE IS ALL-SUFICIENT for our every need. Again, that is powerful therapy for our souls. It also disturbs the devil and sends him packing.

Let me encourage you, as we are about to go into a new year, to re-commit to daily prayer. Begin your prayer with a time of thanksgiving and praise. Let it become part of your life. You will discover the power of "thanks-living."