Benefits of Praising God with Every Breath
The benefits of praising God are many. But sometimes do you feel so low that you don’t have an unction of praise left? God reminded me that I used to run to my computer to check website stats. Then I’d venture onto social media accounts for kudos.
My motives were askew. So, I stepped away from the numbers trance and wrote, “3 Reasons Social Media Stats Can’t Be Trusted.“
I saw a deeper problem not just in me, but others. God said, “Run to Him.” I knew people navigated life’s corners via emojis and thumbs-up icons. As noted in the above article, “I didn’t want social media stats to become a spiritual pacifier in place of Jesus and The Word of God.” Rather than clicks, hurrahs, and accolades offered in a virtual world, I wanted to go deeper with God. I began to think of reasons for praising God and came up with 5 benefits of praising God.
Benefits of Praising God: Because He’s God
Most mornings before ever thinking about God, I wipe away eye goop, stretch my muscles, or shove a protein bar in my mouth. When I wake up, God doesn’t feel like my exceeding joy, even though He is. Then, the reality of WHO HE IS overtakes my spirit and I praise Him. He’s near to me and wants me to listen for Him to speak. He helps and provides. He’s compassionate, loyal, trustworthy, slow to anger (thank you!), and gracious. He’s a personal God.
I NEVER want to become or remain a person described in Mathew 15:8-9.
These people say they honor me, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is worthless, for they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God.
If my heart isn’t involved in praise, then I’m not praising Him. I don’t want to praise Him outwardly and have it mean nothing inside. Even so, God understands when you’re empty and there’s nothing inside to give. That’s when He fills you up with more of Him. He also knows when your heart is far away from Him.
When you feel your praise isn’t genuine, identify the treasure that occupies your heart instead of God. You won’t be satisfied until that “thing” takes a back seat to God. It’s taken me decades to realize that God satisfies as nothing else can. The more you delight in God, it’s easier to praise Him. Then you can let your joy be full.
Reasons for Praising God
People have hopeless looks on their faces. Call me old school, but they clutch cell phones as though they’re life preservers. Instead of hope etched on their faces, they look worn and downhearted. I don’t know how others see me but one thing’s for sure, I place my hope in God. I may weep through pain but He’s my steadfast friend and anchor. He never changes.
I like what the psalmist in Psalm 42:5 states.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him,my Savior and my God.
Each of us can preach that message to ourselves. Every day Christians struggle to exchange good for evil, love for hate, and truth for lies. With what’s happening in the world, it’s easy to lose hope. BUT THEN GOD. As we keep our spiritual reservoirs full by praising Him, we combat feelings of hopelessness. True hope is more than believing for something good to happen. The God kind of hope confidently believes when there’s no evidence.
You don’t gain hope by trusting people and things. In a week’s time, people went from praising Jesus with words and waving palm branches to chanting, “Crucify Him.” Humans haven’t changed one iota. One day people like you on social media platforms and the next day they call you brain-washed, a Bible thumper, a fundie, and words I can’t repeat.
Nope. My hope is securely placed in God and Him alone.
Benefits of Praising God: To Change Your Focus
You and I make pitiful gods. We aren’t made to run the world. When Christians live apart from God, they hit bottom. When they realize their error, they crawl back to Him. The reference to crawling isn’t an exaggeration. When you’re down, you aren’t standing—mentally, physically, or spiritually.
In order to praise God fully, you must renew your mind to match His will for you. Put the Holy Spirit in charge of renewal and you’ll have a different mindset. Have you ever noticed that your mind is first in line to discredit God? Our minds see ourselves as worthy of praise instead of God. It takes tremendous effort to convince yourself that you need to praise God, regularly.
Paul states in Romans 12:2 “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” He knew from experience that our human natures constantly battle our spirits. To become a living sacrifice and change your focus, the place to start is to honor God with your body. You’ll learn to use common sense, listen to God, and not sin. When you do, praising God comes naturally.
More Benefits of Praising God
Spending time with God, putting hope in Him, and changing your focus helps you distinguish His voice. Did you know the perfect counselor lives inside you when Jesus is your Lord and Savior? Scripture indicates that the counsel of God guides (Psalm 73:24), instructs (Psalm 16:7), teaches (Psalm 32:8), stands forever (Psalm 33:11), and gives wisdom (Proverbs 8:14).
Who would reject God’s counsel and ignore what He has to say? I understand why we might. From day one, we’re taught to trust in ourselves because we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Christians who are good listeners have an active relationship with God. Love is why they listen because they take on the mindset of Christ. They know it’s better to draw from deep waters than a shallow stream.
When God speaks, He wants you to use what He says to minister to others. There may be a day when someone needs to hear words of encouragement—words of counsel spoken directly from God to your heart and spirit. Proverbs 18:13 indicates we’re mere fools when we don’t listen. “What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!“
Benefits of Praising God: Because Jesus Is Coming Back
An eternal reward awaits Christians. Maybe you don’t talk about it much but Jesus is about to appear on the horizon.
Matthew 24:30-31 – And then at last the signal of my coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
If you don’t see a reason to praise God, adopt that scripture as your own. You might ask, “Well, where is He?” That day won’t be too soon, or too late. In the meantime, before He comes, people have a chance to choose heaven instead of hell. Most people aren’t consciously thinking that the choice is that simple, but it is. The Bible details that certain conditions must be met first. When they are, His return will catch everyone off-guard.
Lastly . . .
Obviously, there are thousands of benefits of praising God, not just five. After you finish your morning and evening routines, come up with your own reasons to praise God. Make praise a habit. Put praise on the same mental list as checking emails or reviewing Fitbit data.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!