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PROGRAM D-7582
Why should we praise God? Why does God want us to praise him? Does he need our praise to make him feel good? No, God wants us to praise him for our benefit, for what it will do for us.
Praising God is a powerful weapon against our enemy Satan. Here’s another way that praise empowers us:
Praise destroys fear. True praise and fear cannot co-exist. So, praise has the power to destroy fear.
Psalm 56:3-4: When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
No doubt fear is one of our most common struggles. I urge you to start paying attention to the times that fear moves into your mind and heart. Fear of the future, fear of people, fear of failure—whatever fear it is. As soon as you recognize fear, make yourself start praising God. Quote these verses from Psalm 56. Refuse to let fear destroy you, or even take a little corner of your mind. Fight fear with praise. I promise you, it will work.
Your challenge—and mine—is to pray that God will remind us to be aware when fear starts to seep into our thinking, and then to immediately use the power of praise to get rid of it. Once fear gets a little corner of your mind, it grows like a weed, and the longer you entertain it, the stronger it becomes. So, you have to move fast against fear.
I find that fear can often attack me in the nighttime. I wake up in the middle of the night, and the enemy often tries to get my thoughts headed in a fearful direction. But don’t let darkness or fatigue cause you to fear; just start praising God and the fear will subside.
Here’s a great verse to drive away fear:
Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.