With Every Breath

Duane Vander Klok

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 NKJV

You were created to praise God and when you do, it recalibrates your heart and turns you back in the right direction. God has always met your needs and provided for you, but too often we can forget to thank Him and give Him glory. He gives you the power, the connections, the ability, and the favor to succeed and live for His Kingdom. And when we praise Him, we invite Him further and further into our lives.

There will always be battles in your life. When the Israelites were getting ready to fight for the Promised Land, God told Joshua to be strong and have courage because there was uncertainty before him. The Promised Land represents a victorious Christian life, and like the Isrealites, you will have to fight for it with weapons of praise and faith. You can limit God by not having faith; the things that you believe and think about will define your expectations. If you know the character and promises of God, you will be able to stand in faith. If you do not know Him, your low expectations and small faith will limit what He can do in your life.

When the Israelites reached the Promised Land, they were faced with a battle to take possession of the land. Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to gather information about the Promised Land, but only two came back believing that they could have the victory. Ten of those spies went into the land and only saw defeat in their hearts. But the two spies, Joshua and Caleb, saw what God was going to do. They didn’t tremble because of the mountain in front of them, they got excited to see how God was going to fight for them.

When you are facing battles, remember the character of God and what He has already done. Invite Him into the battle with praise!