Oftentimes, we take God for granted because we are doing well. Some of us don’t pray as much as we prayed before God changed our situation. Some of us have stopped studying His Word because our situation has changed from dark to light. Some of us are consumed by temporary things like money, cars, clothes, women, men, and fame.
Have you ever considered God saying “No?”
Why would He say “NO?” The answer is simply the most important thing we forget: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (King James Version, KJV), “Pray without ceasing.” In other words, whatever we do, we are to continue in prayer.
What If God says, “NO” because of the following:
- We do not keep Him first in our lives? What If He was consumed, that is, busy helping everyone else and forgot about you?
- What If God did not provide for you?
- What If He said, “that’s enough, I’m not doing anything else for you because you are not grateful and have forgotten by commandments as well as you don’t praise me like you used to?
If God said “NO” because we stopped telling Him of how great He is and how worthy He is of our praise, even our sacrificial praise, and we stopped communicating with Him through prayer. No matter if everything is going well or ‘all Hell is breaking loose,” we are supposed to give him praise and worship His name.”
We are to praise and worship Him because He is worthy of the praise, glory, and honor for being God – who is all-knowing “omniscient”, and is forever present “omnipresent,” and all-powerful “omnipotent.”
Moreover, we are to praise God (1) for being God (worship – worship can be because of His holiness, because He is The Supreme, Sovereign God) and (2) for what He has done (praise), and (3) for what He will do (waiting in expectation, exercising faith).
David makes sense when he writes in Psalm 103:1-6, 10, 17, which says the following: (KJV) –
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
Practical Application: Making it Make Sense
Natural Sense: When one exercises, because they need to lose weight, they do it not just for that day, but they do it as often as 3 to 5 days per week. They don’t stop exercising because it gets hard and they become tired and sore. They condition exercising and are disciplined enough to make it a priority, all because they want to lose weight.
Spiritual Sense: We exercise faith through praise and worship. We do this continually because we condition ourselves to follow God’s requirements (obedience). We don’t stop our praise and worship, because we are expecting God to move because we know He is omnipotent. We exercise our faith through continuous prayer to God. We exercise it no matter the time of day and no matter the problems that rise. We do it when everything is quiet and things are well. We do this because God fights for us.
Therefore, we increase our faith as we exercise, continually, just as people lose weight because they exercise, continually.
Walking Towards Christ 