Jesus Over Everything: Notes For The Next Generation Of PlanetshakersSample

PRAISE OVER PROBLEMS - PRAISE

PRAISE is something we are super passionate about in Planetshakers because we know it’s not just what God deserves, but it’s also powerful to change us! The Bible uses heaps of different words in reference to praise, like: Glorify (Psalm 147:12), Sing (Psalm 30:12), Speak (Psalm 34:1), Shout (Psalm 47:1), Clap your hands (Psalm 47:1), Dance (Psalm 150:4), Play music (Psalm 150), Boast about (Psalm 34:2), Give thanks (Psalm 107:1), Declare (Philippians 2:11), Have joy (Psalm 98:4), and many more. As you can see from those words, praise isn’t just something we think about - it’s something we need to put into action and do! Praise is all about focussing on Him and celebrating who He is. It’s what we were made for and what we will spend eternity doing!

Humans have always been pretty good at praising God when things are going well, then complaining when things go bad. But praise is not a response to what is happening in my life - it’s the response to who God is in my life. Because God is good and He doesn’t change, then neither should my praise. It’s the right response in my life no matter what I’m going through. 

So many of us are telling God about our problems and that is a good thing to do - it’s part of prayer. But we also need to learn to praise and tell our problems about God! We need to shift our focus onto who He is by bragging about Him and praising Him. When I am going through stuff, I may not ‘feel’ like praising and rejoicing, but that’s when I need to speak to myself and say, “Come on, we WILL praise God.” I don’t praise because of how I feel, I praise because of Who I believe, but when I praise over my problems like this, it almost always changes the way that I feel and it also has the power to change my circumstances as well! Praise is a major key in the journey of putting Jesus over everything!