The Time to Wake Up is Now
Psalms 118
Blessings and greetings in the name of our Holy God. How wonderful it is to know who God is, and in those moments of despair receive a reminder of how great and wonderful He is.
The Holy Spirit instructed me to share this scripture today. May it blessed you this day.
Psalms 118 (NKJV)
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the Lord in distress;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord;
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Blessed is our God. His mercy endures throughout all generations. Rest in the knowledge that our God is good, and He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Sing a New Song of Praise
For the past several mornings, lyrics from a praise song have been stuck in my mind. “God is great and worthy to be praised.” I can’t seem to get away from the word “praise.” I am still praising God for our recent trip to Uganda, and for the many blessings we received. I know I am praising him for the blessings of family, friends, home, and the fellowship with the saints of God. It is important to praise God from “whom all blessings flow.” Praise is such a powerful thing. It lifts you up out of earth realm into a connection with the divine. It also prepares you for the new. Like the scripture says, “you can’t put new wine into old wineskin. The new will burst open the old leaving the new wasted and exposed. Praise removes debris in the soil, and prepares it to receive the new wine – the seed – the word. Praise bring deliverance and restoration.
The Lord is asking “What is your first song of deliverance?” “What is your song of praise?” As the Israelites sang a song of praise after being delivered at the Red Sea, so now we should be singing songs of praise, salvation and deliverance. Songs that tell the everyone about salvation, joy, healing, and about our Holy God. Praise songs help us to seek forgiveness for our sins and brings restoration with God. They also deliver us from our enemies, and establish our rightful inheritance in the promised land. Praise brings us closer to our Lord and Savior. Praise prepares us for the new thing.
God is transforming our lives, and restoring us to our rightful positions as sons and daughters of the most High God. As joint-heirs with Christ, we are entitled to receive all the “best” and all Christ has for us. Glory and honor, dominion and power are ours. This means we can possess the land, our communities. Everything the enemy stole from us can be restored as God has appointed. We can be reclaimed as God’s precious child. When the praises go up, the blessings come down. More praise will release more power, more wisdom, more love. We become more like Christ when we praise. What are you praising God for? What is or was your first song of praise?
Sing a new song of praise. Sing songs of His matchless power, and love. Sing songs of beauty, and hope, and ones of His blessed salvation. Jesus, our Lord and Savior is our strong tower, a mighty fortress is our God. Focus on praising Him. The enemy wants to come in, stop your praise, and take away “the seed” that was planted. But praise and worship defeats all the plans of the enemy. The joy of the Lord is your strength. So sing unto the Lord a new song of praise.
Morning Meditation-Flourishing
Sometimes the word of God hit me like a ton of bricks. The words leap off the page into my spirit with awe, power and gratitude. This morning I read Psalm 92, and the passages beginning with verses 10 hit me with such force that I had to share them.
Hear the word of the Lord,… v10 ” But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. v11 My eyes also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me. v12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. v 13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of the our God. v 14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, v 15 to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. “(NKJV)
You may be wondering why such impact? Well, I recalled a dear friend’s recent trial and how God delivered her that she is flourishing and praising Him. I recalled our trip to Uganda, and how forces attempted to prevent our going. But God delivered us, and we flourished under His righteousness hand. I recalled, this morning that even at this time in my life, I have been afforded the opportunity to “still bear fruit” and flourish as was the case in Uganda. 
I recalled our first grandson’s graduation last week, and how God allowed me the opportunity to witness and experience this milestone, and the evolution of our “family.” A branch of our family tree flourishing.
I recalled I have been anointed with “fresh oil” to proclaim the righteousness of God as a minister. I recalled that “it is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to His mighty name.” As I praised him in song, in dance, in my personal devotion and study this morning, I recalled God’s faithfulness and loving kindness toward me. Verse 13 states, “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our Lord.” Not may flourish, but shall flourish in His courts.
Yes, dear saints and friends, His words hit me. Today, it was a hit, tomorrow it may be a gentle, comforting reminder. Whether it is a hit, or a gentle breeze, the Word of the Lord planted in your good soil shall flourish.
Greatly to be Praised
I just returned from a mission trip to Uganda with my husband and pastor. Since coming home, my spirit has lingered in the state of praise in gratitude for the divine grace and mercy that was evident throughout the entire trip. And yet saying “Amen, Hallelujah, Praise You, Thank You, Wow, Awesome” seems inadequate for what we were privileged to experience. God’s grace allowed us this priceless opportunity and we felt His mighty hand. We witnessed it when confronted with forces set on delaying, and destroying the work.
Our hearts sang songs of joy when the blessings and gifts of love came upon not only us, but also those we came to serve. These experiences gave us time to see the Lord in expanded ways. When the presence of God overshadows the mundane, the trivial, the commonplace you want to praise Him, and then have others share the experience.
You want others to see the joy, the light, the love, the goodness, and feel His presence; The heavenly Father, the Messiah who is our everything. You want the saints of God to cherish those sweet moments when beyond the veil you behold His glory. In these moments all life is transformed. Your eyes are opened to what is possible, truly possible when we praise and worship Him. The matchless Lord transfigures you, and sends your spirit soaring to new heights of love, and power. He is greatly to be praised.
As we visited Kampala, and the small village of Iganga, and felt God’s power and presence our lives were in awe of God’s grace. He is greatly to be praised. He is greatly to be praised for our salvation. He is greatly to be praised for leaving His arms open to receive us despite our sins. He is greatly to be praised for each breath; for each open and closed door; for everything good and perfect gift. He is greatly to be praised for the joy unspeakable, and showing us how to live the abundant life.
I praised Him for allowing us the honor to serve him both here and aboard. For the opportunity to minister, teach, and mentor church leaders while leading a crusade in Uganda. I praised him for the healing, deliverance, the blessings He showered upon the pastors and congregation in Kampala and Iganga. I praised him for everything.
As I praise Him for our experience in Uganda, I am also praising Him for His priceless gifts here at home as well. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to see our first grandson graduate today, for the birth of our niece last night, for the honor and privilege of being a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, daughter, friend and more importantly for being His child. He is greatly to be praised. Thank you my Lord for being my all in all.
Today, praise the Lord for He is worthy to be praised.
Loving God with Excellence 
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