Sunday, July 3, 2011

7 KEYS TO JOY IN THE JOURNEY OF LIFE

Psalm 34:1-8
 1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
         The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
         And let us exalt His name together.
        
 4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.
 5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
         And their faces were not ashamed.
 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
         And saved him out of all his troubles.
 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
         And delivers them.
        
 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
         Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!


Happiness is dependent on circumstances.  Joy comes from trusting in Jesus despite your circumstances. 
Joy is a choice. 
      Joy is a result of dependence. 
                Joy is the afterglow true praise.

In Psalm 34, God gives an unusual but highly effective prescription for how we should respond to the problems that we face in life.  The result of taking this prescription is different than the pharmaceutical prescriptions you will receive at your doctor’s office.  The result is spiritual health resulting in unspeakable joy.

After God delivered him, David basically said there are 7 things you should do as you journey through the trials of this life:

1. PRAISE the LORD……..…because He is Worthy! vs.1
David made the decision, that despite what I may be going through, by an act of my will, I will praise the Lord at all times…
Not only sometime
not only in the good time,
not only in the painless times…but all time.

Why should we choose to praise God when trials come our way?

There is no one more powerful!
There is no one more holy!
There is no one who can comfort you!
There is no one who is able to deliver!
There is no one more worthy of our praise than God!

The sad thing is this, If you don’t like praising God now, you are going to hate heaven, In the beauty and glory of our heavenly home, we will praise Him all day long. Rev 4&5

If you can’t think of your own personal and unique reasons to praise God, let me give you three reasons that are sure invoke a spirit of praise to rise off from your heart and expressed on your lips.
Because of Calvary…you are saved
Because of the Holy Spirit…you are sealed
Because of the resurrection…you are set for heaven
Let’s give Him the Praise He is due!

WE WILL SHARE THE OTHER 6 IN OUR UPCOMING POSTS! 

Youth for Christ - I Give You Praise

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