Living Out the Power of Praise

We all praise something.  We may give our attention to our spouse, to our job, to our social status.  Praising is something that comes naturally.  It’s how we are made. 

However, God calls us to praise Him above all things.

And yet, how many of us struggle with focusing our praise on God alone?

Praising God above all is an active process.  We must constantly remind ourselves where to put our praise.  It takes forming another natural response, kind of like forming a habit.

But when you put the time and energy into shifting your praise, it will shift other areas of your life in 3 powerful ways.

Shifts Your Focus

When you are constantly praising God, you focus shifts from your circumstances to God’s power and promises.

I find it hard to focus on God’s provision, when I am praising my job and my relationships.  It may work for a time, but as soon as things get tough, I begin to panic.  What will I do if I lose my job?  How will I be okay if I lose a friend, husband or family member’s love?

Focusing on God’s power and promises allows your heart to be in a state of peace and joy.  No matter what is going on around you, you can stand firm in the power of God’s love. 

Praising God allows you to rise above your circumstances and to stand firm in peace and joy.

[bctt tweet="Praising God allows you to rise above your circumstances and to stand firm in peace and joy." username="NicoleAKauffman"]

When your focus shifts away from your circumstances and to God’s love and promises, you find the power of grace and hope in your every day.  Living out this grace and hope will radically change your life.

Shifts Your Attitude

When my praise rests in my circumstances, my attitude is one of self-reliance.  I begin to feel that when I do well, my life goes well. 

But when life begins to shake, I become frustrated, hopeless and irritable.  If I have a fight with a family member, I beat myself up about everything I could have done differently.  I develop an attitude of anger towards myself and because of this, I drift from God’s love.

But instead, when I begin to praise God in all things, my attitude shifts.  I become reliant on God in every circumstance.  In that same fight with a family member, I rest in the grace of God, knowing that as long as I am repentant and seek forgiveness, God is ultimately in control of their hearts. 

I don’t need to be angry with myself or fearful of what is to come, because I can rest in knowing that God is in control and that His plan is good.

[bctt tweet="Praising God in all things allows your heart to rest in His unfailing grace and provision." username="NicoleAKauffman"]

Praising God in all things allows your heart to rest in His unfailing grace and provision.  And when this happens, we can live in an attitude of love and grace and reliance on our Savior.

This brings power into our lives through God’s saving grace and His overcoming love.  No matter my circumstances, I rest in the power of God and I begin to see Him working in my life for my good.

Shifts Your Hope

Where our hope lies, oftentimes acts as a guide for how we live our lives.  When I hope in my job, all my energy and focus rests in doing well at work and climbing the ladder.  When I hope in my marriage, all my energy and my worth rests in being a good wife and having a happy husband. 

These aren’t bad things, however, when that is where our greatest hope lies, then the power of our livelihood rests in those things alone.

Finding our ultimate hope in God alone allows us to remove the pressure of performing well in these areas of our lives.  We no longer have to live by the pressure of performance and constant striving to be good enough. 

When we praise God regularly, our hope shifts from the world around us to hoping in God.

And in this new hope, we can rest in God’s approval and His victory and we can live for Him in all areas of our life.  When we do this, our striving is no longer our worth.

[bctt tweet="When we praise God, our striving is no longer our worth." username="NicoleAKauffman"]

Our worth is in God alone and our hope is in His saving grace.  Because of this, we don’t need to be tossed by our circumstances.  We can rise above our circumstances and live for God in all things.

This hope brings the power of grace and peace into our lives.

Growing in Praise and Spiritual Discipline

Praising God regularly takes an active and disciplined effort. 

If you’d like to dive into a deeper spiritual discipline, I’ve created an e-book called 6 Days to a Deeper Spiritual Discipline (enter your email below to get this book!).  Each day takes about ten minutes and this book will help you organize your quiet time with God and stay motivated to connect with Him each day. 

All you need to do is subscribe below and you will get the password to my free resource library including this e-book and more!