Tag Archives: Praise.

November 26, 2018

21 Day Experiment-Day 12

By marilynnchadwick

Who doesn’t like to be affirmed? I know I do. And I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t respond better to praise than criticism.  But the desire for praise can sometimes be a liability when it comes to our faith.

My commitment to follow Jesus sometimes brings me face-to-face with a choice.  Will I speak and act in ways that win praise from people or from God?  Sometimes, it’s impossible to have the respect and admiration of both.

Praise comes from the Greek word doxa, which means “honor, respect, prestige, fame, or approval.”

In John 12, we see that despite the controversy surrounding Jesus, many religious leaders had come to believe in Him.  But they wouldn’t openly acknowledge their faith to the religious “in-crowd,” for fear they would be put out of the synagogue (John 12:42).

The next verse challenges me to take a look at my motives. It’s my watchword today:

They loved human praise more than praise from God (John 12:43). The Message Bible puts it this way: When push came to shove they cared more for human approval than for God’s glory.  

Ouch! Any approval-addicts out there?  Do I say or do things that make me look good in the eyes of those around me or in the eyes of God?

Some time ago, I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to approach the topic of abortion with a good friend.  She’s intelligent and has strong opinions—but we have very different views on this volatile subject.

So I prayed and took the risk. I shared with her how my beliefs about the sanctity of life are grounded in the Bible. Jesus is called “the author of life” (Acts 3:15).  Since we didn’t create life, I explained, I don’t believe we have the right to take life…even in the womb.

She listened and paused to think about what I had shared.  Silently, I continued to pray. I sensed the Lord’s presence—the conversation did not turn hostile. What’s more, doors were quietly opened to further conversations with her about my faith. God is truly at work!

Prayer: I pray for those of you following along in the 21 Day Experiment. I sense the Lord is giving someone the courage to speak truth in love today. He is putting someone on your heart right at this very moment. I pray for open doors…and for just the right words. May the Holy Spirit be present in a powerful way! And may you hear the quiet whisper of His approval—the best kind of praise of all!

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November 5, 2015

My Drift to Snarky

By marilynnchadwick

A curious thing happened the day after I completed 30 Days of Thankful.  I exhaled, let down my guard, and forgot to be thankful. I had a couple of what I can only describe as colorless days. What’s worse, I found myself being a little snarky to those I love. (Check it out. Snarky has made its away into the Oxford Dictionary).

So yesterday morning, I “hitched up my britches,” as my grandma used to say, and stepped back into my thanksgiving mode. I aligned my head and heart, once again, with the mindfulness of my previous days of practicing thankfulness.  I was intentional throughout the day to thank God—for the good stuff and the not so good stuff in my life. Straight away I noticed a change. The morning , though grey and rainy, gradually became filled with color.

I headed back to the ICU where most days are spent with my sister who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury. After two weeks here, I’ve come to understand that families don’t just stroll into the trauma unit without a story.  But today was different—almost holy—as one person after another told me their stories, mostly in the elevator. A young woman’s husband had been brutally assaulted Saturday night as he walked home from work. His name is Doug. I promised her I’d pray for him as he fought for his life.

A large and loving family from a nearby small town had come to the trauma unit because their 19-year-old son had been hit by a drunk driver. I told his mom, grandmom, great uncle I would pray for the boy. And they agreed to pray for my sister…both still in a coma.

In a more lighthearted vein, I noticed some tiny answers to specific prayers. We’re heading out to our son’s college swim meet in another state.  It’s a big football weekend and I waited too late to make reservations.  So earlier this week, the rooms were all taken.  But just this afternoon, a hotel room became available. What’s more, the reservation clerk said, “M’am, I can’t figure out how, but you’ve been given an upgrade worth twice what we are charging you.”  I suddenly remembered I had thanked God for the hotel hassles this morning and put them into His hands. It was as if I could hear His voice: “Just look what happens when you are thankful and give control to Me.”

More things to be thankful for:  My compassionate husband.  A friend that brought over some wonderful soup. Another who left us an amazing chicken pie.  There has been a lifting of my mood. The appearance of fresh hope.  And so I stop. Savor. Give thanks. God has got this covered.

Bottom line: I now believe that thankful needs to become a permanent fixture in my mind. And I can tell you this. If I forget—which I’m prone to do—it’s a pretty sure bet that life will again become colorless. Or worse, I’ll return to snarky.  So I’ll remember to confess, repent, hitch up my britches, and start being thankful all over again.

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November 1, 2015

30 Days of Thankful: Day 30

By marilynnchadwick

I once saw an old Tarzan movie in which the famed ape man was peering at a droplet of water through a microscope. The instrument had been brought to Africa by Jane’s father, Professor Porter. Tarzan was quite shaken to see that the water he drank daily was teeming with all kinds of organisms, invisible to the naked eye.

Similarly, the Bible reveals that our spiritual atmosphere is filled with unseen enemies—the real source of our spiritual battles. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).

I wonder how we’d react if we could catch a glimpse into the invisible heavenly places. Like Tarzan, I imagine we’d be shocked by the creatures we saw. The Bible doesn’t spend a lot of time describing this spiritual realm. It does, however, give us instructions on how to do battle. We’re given a detailed list of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-20.  James 4:2 encourages us to “submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.”

But one of the most powerful weapons against the powers of darkness is the weapon of praise. Giving thanks helps us fight our spiritual foes—something worth emphasizing again as we bring our 30 Days of Thankful to a close.

The New Testament is filled with examples of the power of thanksgiving. We see Paul and Silas singing and praising God in a Philippian jail—their chains fell off, the jailer accepted Jesus, and his whole family became believers.

The Old Testament, too, tells stories of the power of praise:  “After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!’ At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).

Perhaps you’re facing a spiritual battle today. You’ve resisted, and prayed, and fought the good fight. But you’re weary. This may be your strategic moment to simply thank God and praise Him for His goodness. Let Him fight this battle for you. Rest in His power—even if you don’t fully understand how He works.  Just remember: the devil and his minions hate praise. So if you can stand firm and continue to thank God, I believe you will notice that the devil flees. After all, he is allergic to praise.

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October 31, 2015

30 Days of Thankful: Day 29

By marilynnchadwick

Thanksgiving. Its power to transform any situation is something of a mystery. When someone gives thanks in the Bible, you often find a miracle close by. Jesus gives thanks before He breaks the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand. He lifts his eyes to heaven before he calls the four-day-dead Lazarus to come forth from his tomb.

Yesterday, I found myself waking up, again wrestling for hope. It’s been a hard week since my younger sister’s illness and then serious head injury after a fall resulted in emergency surgery and an uncertain future. The day before, she had lost all movement, all cognition.

On the way to the hospital for another day of waiting, I didn’t feel like it, but I went back to prayer and thanksgiving 101: Philippians 4:6-7:

  • Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need,
  • and thank him for all he has done.
  • Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
  • His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I did what I know to be true—though I didn’t “feel” like it. As a former atheist, I seem to always be very pragmatic about taking God at His word.   And I know that giving thanks in all circumstances is His will. I also know He is not offended if I watch and wait to see how His word comes true.

And so I gave thanks for what He had done, and what He would do in this ongoing trial. And I watched and waited for tiny signs of hope. I truly believe that giving thanks is an act of faith. I told God I would be on the lookout for small “seeds” of His work, diligent to thank him for each ray of hope.

I pulled into the usually jam packed hospital lot and a space opened right next to the door. Walking in, the security guard at the door took special interest in greeting me unusually warmly. I walked into my sister’s room. The MRI had revealed no stroke as feared the night before.

A doctor came by and administered a new medicine. And for a few seconds, there were signs of life, and a brief recognition on my sister’s part. He said this was a good sign. A glimmer of hope.

I’m not sure why, but the day was altogether different. I sensed little blessings for which to be thankful. We’re not out of the woods yet, by any means. And we have a long road ahead.

Each day, I learn anew that it’s healing and strengthening to give thanks while I wait, and especially to praise God for the little seeds that are part of what I trust will be a larger harvest.

Giving thanks somehow fuels my faith, which then gives hope. I can’t explain why it gives peace. But God knows what He is doing, and His word tells me not to worry, to pray, and to give thanks. His peace that passes understanding does just that—it bypasses my intellect. I don’t know how airplanes fly but I continue to travel. I don’t know why giving thanks works, but I am so grateful for the peace that it gives my heart.

 

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Arm Yourself with Spiritual Strength, Praise and Thanksgiving, Pray with Authority, Wake Up and Pray! Be Alert

October 30, 2015

30 Days of Thankful: Day 28

By marilynnchadwick

Today’s guest post was written by my friend Ashley nearly three years ago.  I was impressed to post it again today as part of our 30 Days of Thankful.  First, because you will see Ashley’s beautiful and thankful heart.  And second, because looking back, we can now see that God was preparing Ashley for a special calling.  This calling included not only a fourth child (a biological child), but a missions assignment that took Ashley and Peter and their four children to Japan where they are sharing the love of Jesus with this largely unreached nation.  Ashley was open to what she thought was God’s call to adopt a child from Asia–instead, she is now loving many of God’s lost children in this part of the world.  In observing Ashley’s journey,  I’ve come to believe that a trusting and thankful heart is the open door through which God invites us to our destiny.   

GUEST POST:  Ashley McKenzie (February 13, 2013)

God is my Provider. He often reminds me that He can be trusted to meet my every need.  I am humbled that God speaks to me.  I am nothing special.  Many days I feel less than ordinary.  I have no credits to my name, no college degree, no extraordinary skills, no great power of speech or commanding leadership abilities.  All I have is the love of a beautiful Savior—a kind and gentle King who has captured my soul and filled it with life. 

A few months ago, right before Thanksgiving, I was packing up my car for a trip to my parent’s house.  With three children four years old and younger, this is no small feat.  Amazingly, all three kids were in the house napping so I was able to pack the car without distraction.  It was an ordinary day that turned holy in seconds.  I saw an eagle flying right above my head- so close that I could actually hear it soar.  Immediately, I felt The Lord asking me to sit and watch the bird.  My heart was beating out of my chest; I had no choice but to sit and watch this majestic creature.

I watched it for at least 15 minutes as it soared back and forth in front of me until it finally flew away.  Over the next two months, I had the oddest encounters with birds.  And every time God said, “Watch the birds, Ashley.  Watch the birds.”  I had vultures in the back of my yard, saw at least two more eagles, and every day had a whole flock of little black birds fly across the sky in front of me.  I have been asking God what is it with these birds.  And then he answers just as I need it.

 Blog photo-eagle

To back up a bit, God has asked some fairly big “faiths” of me for 2013.  Long ago he asked me to allow him to “grow” my family.  For whatever reason I feel a big growth this year. My heart aches more and more for orphans.  I yearn to adopt a child, and he has given me several verses and glimpses of hope and faith in this lifelong dream.  But with this dream comes a dependence on his provision, resting in the assurance that as we expand, he will meet every need as he always has.

And so, as I’ve prayed for faith in all these things, I continue to see birds.  God says quietly to my soul, “Watch the birds, watch the birds.” And I pray that he reveals what these crazy birds mean.  He gives me verses like Roman 12:12, asking me to be “joyful in my hope and faithful in my prayers,” and Isaiah 49:8, reminding me that he will “provide in His timing”.  He is my salvation and help in all things.

 And then in a moment of desperation, as worry and doubt set in over and over again, as I wonder if God will really provide and if I will ever be given this gift of an adopted child–is he really going to do what I feel in my heart he has said–during a sacred moment in his word, he whispers, “You are the bird.  I give you food.  I provide.  I watch over you.  you are mine.  That eagle?  He soars because of me.  I build his house.  I give him strength.  You are my bird and I will provide.  Trust in me.”

What do you say to this except thank you?  How do you respond to such kindness, such love except a complete surrender of worry and doubt?  Finally, I am drawn to John 15:16:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

I am chosen, and because I am chosen I have a responsibility to bear lasting fruit.  I don’t think that I can remain a worrier and doubter and believe in John 15:16.  I am a bird, and whatever The Lord asks of me, he will provide.

 

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