Psalm 111:1 I will praise the Lord with my whole heart.
To praise God is not just the utterance of words, or a song that we sing.
No, to praise Him with my whole heart – means my whole life. It means bringing Him honor and praise in everything I do.
Scripture says that praising Him involves my whole body.
Psalm 63:4 I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Is there anyone who does not praise the Lord? Yes,
Psalm 115:17 The dead does not praise the Lord.
This is the only group of people that is unable to praise the Lord. Are you one of them? Do you struggle to praise God and to connect with Him? If this is you, then your spirit has a very thick and hard wall around it and you are busy dying on the inside. This is why you try to worship God out of your soul (mind) and not your spirit.
Our Abba Father knows everything about us. You can tell Him anything, even that you struggle to connect with Him or to praise Him.
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
This Psalm reveals that it is through His Holy Spirit that God makes Himself present everywhere at the same time. God hears your cry for help, even if you think He does not. He is close to you, close to the brokenhearted and to those with a closed heart. No matter where we may go, God is there in the Spirit – inescapable.
For the unbeliever this may be a terrifying thought, but for the believer it is so comforting and an assurance in difficult times. Even in dark times – Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me (Ps 139).
In Hebrews 13:5 He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
These scriptures have carried me through many difficult days. Just praising God for who He is. Anchoring myself in Him alone. I kept on reminding myself that He is with us and that He is at work in my life, even though some days it looks or feels like nothing is moving. But no matter what it looks like, the truth remains – HE IS A FAITHFUL FATHER!
And the more I learned to focus on Him alone and not on my situation, the more revelation He gave me, guiding my steps until we tasted breakthrough. This is the moment when the sun starts shining through the dark cloud surrounding you.
As we worship Him, turning our eyes and thoughts from our own circumstances to Him, the thick walls of our hearts start breaking. Worshipping Him gives us courage and helps us not to rebel against our walk of faith.
Every day we experience more and more breakthrough, as more and more of ourselves die. So, for me, breakthrough is when we become one – I in Him, and Him in me. It is where nothing separates me from His love. It is when I become aware of Him in the midst of what I am facing.
Romans 8:35 Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
Breakthrough is the breaking down of my hardened heart. It is when the wall around my heart starts crumbling and the light of His love and truth enters into that dark lonely place. It is when His light changes my mourning into dancing, my ashes into beauty and where He gives me the oil of gladness.
The breaking of the wall around our hearts is a continuous process until Jesus comes to fetch us.
Thank you for everyone that are so good to us. Many people just poured out their love and support on us during the Covid lockdown.
We are just so, so thankful to you all.
I did not know how we would make it without me having speaking engagements, but God knew!
And once again I can give Him all the glory, because He is a faithful God.
Thank you for your love in our lives.
I bless you and pray for you all.
Retah and family