Until Your Breakthrough Comes (By Crush, By Design II)

FYI: I don't normally take requests for content for my blog, precisely because it is my blog. However, Sunday I decided to make an exception to that rule because of the nature of a suggestion made by a friend of mine.

Peter, thank you, my good buddy! ;-) - TLP

Hello everyone!

To get this out of the way right off the bat, I'm fully aware that I've tackled the idea that praise begets breakthrough in my "Where Praise Is..." series (ED - which can be found here, here and here FYI), some time ago, which I've just discovered was actually a couple of years ago now, wow!

In it, I was looking at what happens when you set your praise up in the right places versus the wrong ones. This time, however, I want to look at what to do when you don't want to get your praise on...

Do You Want It Enough?

The distinct difference between actually wanting to praise and not can often be put down to one's mindset when in the midst of a trial.

First up, let's do like I usually do and take a look at the definition of praise taken from Merriam-Webster: -

• To say or write good things about (someone or something);
• To express approval of (someone or something); or
• To express thanks to or love and respect for (God)

I like the last one in particular because it could not get more accurate in my mind.

I know, I know, it can often be easier said than done when it comes to lifting up your praise, but there is one thing that you've, critically, got to get your head around; it is actually in the act of lifting up your praise that His comforting rain comes down:-

You see?

"Our praise goes up, Your rain comes down"!

So, with that being said, I think it important to grasp something here; it is in the transaction of offering up your praise that the key will often land either in the form of a changed mindset/perspective/outlook on a situation that you've been struggling with, or a literal change around of what you're facing.

Forget Not The Benefits of God

I know you are probably sat there thinking that I don't know what you're going through so this cannot possibly be relevant for you and you are right; I don't know what you're going through.

But what if I were to say that it is because the moment that you dare to offer up your praise, your eyes are drifting, at least temporarily from your problem or situation?

And in that lies the key!

#BOOM

If you need encouragement, then let me link this message from Elevation Church's own Ps. Steven Furtick that I watched earlier tonight: -

Ps. Steven in his message said that the snake only turned back to a staff "the moment that Moses reached for it".

#ORALE

Let me let you in on a little secret of the revelation that went through my mind as I saw this message: -

As much as I've been afraid of talking to (ED - come on, TLP! You're getting a little too close to revealing her name now!)... um... this person, it all boils down to what I'm really afraid of; telling her I like her "a whole heckuva heap", to quote myself, way too soon!

I realised that the only way I was going to get a hold of this is to actually "get a handle on it", exactly as Steven said, in order to see change happen.

In order to do that, I'll have to actually go over to her and speak to her tomorrow! :-(

Let me try a little "Duck/Goose" experiment then involving me, a biro and those two words... and if all goes successful, I'll tell you more about my methods later on in the week!

So if it is not obvious yet, it's purely a choice thing where you can decide to sing a song, write a poem or simply read your Bible... or you could not!

Just make the choice and know that your breakthrough will likely be faster in arriving the moment you actually start to praise God & not your circumstances.

Final Thought

What I've done is made sure that I'm getting in God's Word regularly and made sure that my praise music is nearly always being played from my phone. All that I'm trying to get across to you is that the moment your focus shifts off your problem is when the solution starts changing the atmosphere as God begins to go to work on your behalf.

I admitted time and again just how silly I feel because I go to absolute jell-o whenever I see her (ED - I'm going to grass him up here and say he also finds her that cute it immobilises him too!) and find words impossible to come by, "almost as if I'm under a gagging order" to quote my very own words at weekend.

BUT THAT'S NONSENSE!!!

I just want to get to know her better, that's all! ;-)

My focus, as I told you last weekend, has now shifted in such a way that I'm aware of my feelings for her, but they are not the reason I get up in a morning; that comes down to seeing God advance His kingdom in my life.

Watch the skies!