The Lord says,
"Many of My people have forgotten to PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE seven times! PRAISE at all times! PRAISE even when you see no reason to PRAISE in the natural realm! For I am strengthening My people through their PRAISES! I will be enthroned in the PRAISES of My people! I am releasing a fresh anointing to My people through your PRAISES! And I am releasing a new sound against the enemy through your PRAISES!"As you walk into this time and season to 'arise and shine' (Isaiah 60:1-5), and prepare yourself for the greater glory of the Lord in your life, one important key never to be missed out is PRAISE! Yes, PRAISE THE LORD! Don't forget to PRAISE!
In Isaiah 60:1-5, the Lord says, "Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you... Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you."
The word 'light' here is 'owr' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'brightness (in every sense), clear, happiness'; whereas the word 'darkness' here is 'khoshek' in Hebrew, meaning 'gloom, misery, destruction, sorrow, wickedness, trouble'. We can't deny that the world is getting 'darker' and 'darker', i.e. 'khoshek', because the Scripture says so. BUT for you and I, i.e. the people of God, our 'light' is also shining 'brighter' and 'brighter'!
So, PRAISE THE LORD! No, not praising the Lord for the 'darkness' (i.e. gloom, misery, destruction, sorrow, wickedness, trouble) in this world, but praising the Lord in spite of all these 'khoshek'! You may be living in an unprecedented world events, but the good news is you are also living in an unprecedented glory of the Lord being seen upon you! Hallelujah!
Here are the five keys on how to shine in a time of trouble:
1. PRAISE! (Psalm 119:164, Psalm 22:3-4, Psalm 150:6, Isaiah 60:18)
If you have been praising the Lord, keep on praising! You are on the right track! But if you have not been praising, start praising the Lord now! 'Praise' is like the 'switch'. Now, how do you switch on the light when you enter a dark room? You press the switch! In the spiritual realm, this 'switch' is PRAISE! Psalm 119:164 says, 'Seven times a day I praise You'. Number 'seven' here in Hebrew speaks of 'perfection', and therefore it means 'praise the Lord perfectly, i.e. unceasingly, at all times, no matter what!' Isaiah 60:18 says, 'Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise'. See here? You shall call your gates Praise! Why gates? Gates open and close! Gates are where people enter and exit their houses! So, what is your 'gate'? Your mouth! You use your mouth to PRAISE! PRAISE opens the way for breakthrough! PRAISE goes forth first, and everything else (good things) will follow suit!
2. BLOOD OF JESUS! (Exodus 12:5-7, Exodus 12:12-13)
As the Lord prepared His people to be delivered from Pharaoh those days, they were told to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and on the lintel of their houses, so that when He strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt and execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, 'He will pass over them (His people), and the plague shall not destroy them (His people).' This 'blood of the lamb' here is a 'picture' of 'the blood of Jesus shed for you on the cross'. As you 'arise and shine', fear not, because the blood of Jesus has got you covered!
3. ANOINTING OIL! (Psalm 104:15, Psalm 92:10, Isaiah 10:27)
Every yoke and burden that the enemy tries to put against you will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. That's what Isaiah 10:27 says! Not only that, your strength will be exalted like a wild ox when you are being anointed with fresh oil, i.e. the anointing of the Holy Spirit! That's what Psalm 92:10 says! When you are 'in the oil', you will shine brighter! Don't believe? Pour some olive oil on the palm of your hand, and compare now between the part with oil and the part without oil. Which part is shinier? The part with oil, of course! People of God, you are 'in the oil'!
4. THE WORD OF GOD! (Hebrews 4:12, Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 6:17, Revelation 12:11)
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17 says so! When you have this 'sword', you can slay the 'giants', whatever these are in the world! No 'darkness' ('khoshek') can defeat you when you stand on the Word and take Him at His Word! Therefore, it is so important to be rooted and built up in the Word! Not just that, abounding in the Word too! Jesus is the Word! (John 1:1-5)
5. SEEK THE LORD! (Psalm 34:10, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7, Isaiah 55:6)
Psalm 34:10 says, 'The young lions may lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing'! In other words, in a time of widespread lack, recession, unemployment, or loss of income, those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing! The Lord will know how to show you a way where there seems to be no way. The Lord will know how to release His wisdom to you on what to do and how to go about, even in such 'khoshek' times; and the world will see it and know that His light has come upon your life. Amen!
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