Can’t Steal My Praise

Can’t Steal My Praise

God has been faithful even in the midst of all the clutter and racket to share His love and grace. I am so blessed and thankful to be a follower of Christ.

His mercy, love, and grace has kept me through all the seasons of life. In just a few weeks Betty and I will celebrate 17 awesome years together. God has been so good to us. This church, you faithful warriors have brought us great joy and happiness. We have also felt the sorrow of loss, and yet we stand strong in His presence. We exist to give God glory. He is our strong foundation, and our constant help. Always there when we need Him.

The last part of Hebrews 13:5 AMP says this, ““I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!

I want to lay my foundation today with this very familiar passage.

Job 1:20-22

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

With all the loss and sorrow Job experienced, Satan couldn’t rob him of His praise.

You have to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 43. It is awesome, and I will share just a small part of it.

Isaiah 43:16-21

16 Thus says the Lord, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

17 Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):
18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
20 “The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people.
21 “The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.

Verse 21 Message, “the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.”

I could not resist one more time of God reminding us how much He has done, and how far it reaches into our lives. Our enemy will do everything possible to cause us fear and doubt. “Can’t Steal My Praise”

The Sons of Korah shared this word.

Psalms 42:9-11 NASB

9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

What an awesome declaration. Overwhelmingly oppressed by the enemy. “The enemy couldn’t steal their praise.”

David shared this.

Psalms 63:1-4 Message

1 God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.

3 In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains.

4 I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

Even in the dry spots where God seems so far away. “The devil can’t steal your praise.”

Acts 16:25-26 NASB

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

Praise will break the chains that bind. Chains of fear, doubt, anger, unforgiveness. Chains of discouragement, and rejection.

The enemy will throw everything at us over the course of our Christian life. His purpose and goal is to create a divide in our relationship with the Father. “Don’t let the enemy steal your praise.”