December 2
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalms 103:1-5 (KJV)
My soul shall magnified the Lord and my Spirit shall rejoice in the Lord my Savior. It is a new month brethren, let us praise the Name of Lord, Who spared our lives from January up until December. Father, we are grateful for all You have done for us; they gathered not unto God Almighty therefore they scattered, for the battle is not of mine but His. Glory be to God.
By the grace of God, we are at the last month of the year 2013, by Divine agenda, we are glad to welcome you to your month of “THANKSGIVING”. As an individual and as ministry we have a lot to appreciate God, what about you?
A thankful life is a fruitful life. The Lord guided you all through January to December, there must be something in your life to thank Him. Beloved, let us learn from our Master Jesus Who gave thanks in all occasions and have result. Whatever you are believing God for in the remaining days of this year, come before him with praises and thanksgiving and you will receive in Jesus Name. Amen! Click here for more message.
“O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:8
If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies—common as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless, that when deprived of them we are ready to perish. Let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun, for the health and strength to walk abroad, for the bread we eat, for the raiment we wear.
Let us praise Him that we are not cast out among the hopeless, or confined amongst the guilty; let us thank Him for liberty, for friends, for family associations and comforts; let us praise Him, in fact, for everything which we receive from His bounteous hand, for we deserve little, and yet are most plenteously endowed. But, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love.
God’s redeeming acts towards His chosen are for ever the favourite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ—our shackles of guilt have been broken off; we are no longer slaves, but children of the living God, and can antedate the period when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Even now by faith we wave the palm-branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen which is to be our everlasting array, and shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord our Redeemer? Child of God, canst thou be silent? Awake, awake, ye heritors of glory, and lead your captivity captive, as ye cry with David, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Let the new month begin with new songs.
Beloved, probably you are not happy with happenings around you? You need a change, events are overwhelming and got you depressed. Let us begin this month with praises in our lips, believe me the impossible will begin to be possible before you. Do you know that a thankful heart can never be depressed? Someone is not convinced of what am saying, come with me to see the power of praise over depression. It will flee from you and every member of your household in Jesus Name. Amen!
Winning Over Depression
“Fog creeps in like little cat feet.”
So does depression. Oftentimes inexplicably, without reason or rationale. It gets under your skin. Settles down into your gut.
The Psalmist asks, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?“ (Psalm 42:5a) Apparently, he was not sure either as to its cause. In fact, he seemed to be a bit bewildered, perhaps asking; “Why me?“ “Why now?”
“Downcast” here literally means, sink, depress, bow down, collapse, despair. “Disturbed” conveys the idea of tumult, rage, moaning, clamor, troubled.
In his battle to win over depression, the Psalmist focused on five areas:
1. Hunger — “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for God, for the living God… “ (Psalm 42:1, 2a) Because nothing quells our appetite for Him more than harboring iniquity, we may want to ask ourselves the question, “Is there any sin in my life with which I need to deal?“ (Hebrews 3:13; Psalm 66:18; 139:23, 24)
2. Communicate — “These things I remember as I pour out my soul… I say to God my Rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?‘” (Psalm 42:4a, 9) We may need to get on our face before God (literally) and have a real heart-to-heart talk over the issues that are troubling us at the core.
3. Refocus — “Put your hope in God… “ (Psalm 42:5b, 11b) That is, we may need to redirect our expectancy to Him, rather than wallow in worry, circumstances, fear, or anger.
4. Praise — “I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.“ (Psalm 42:5b, 11b) We choose to adulate Him as an alternative to grousing or self-pity. (1 Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 2:14, 15)
5. Remember — “My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.“ (Psalm 42:6) It may be time once again, to recall (and appreciate) God’s past leading and blessings. Nothing displeases God, or quenches our spirit more than a thankless heart. (See Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 63:6; 77:11; 106:7; Isaiah 46:9)
CONCLUSION: Depression is one of the Enemy’s major weapons in knocking us out of the race. So let’s resolve to win over depression by doing battle with Satan along Scripturally prescribed lines, as illustrated in Psalm 42. Have you found anything else that works? I haven’t!
So as we go through the month make sure that you engage in at least an “HOUR” praise unto The Lord, don’t ask for anything just appreciate Him for whom He is and you will see wonders happening in your life, I can testify to that and you shall also.
Finally, beloved welcome to your month of “THANKSGIVING”. Praise the name of the Lord, Alleluia!!!!!!!!!!!
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
