Hi friends. Hope you are all doing well and stepping confidently into 2022.
Who knows though, we cannot do it in our own strength? In my last blog I spoke about running on steam or running on fire. It is God’s fire that will keep us thriving in life no matter what is happening around us. In the natural when someone tells us to; ‘Just have faith,’ or, ‘Start praising God and everything will be ok,’ we know it is not something we can do it in our own strength. It doesn’t come from our natural ability. How can it? Think about our own personal human strength and emotions. They can fail us so often when we need them most. Christ, however, living within us changes the narrative.
If we have accepted Jesus into our lives, He dwells within us. He is already there, abiding in us. Our role is to not only remind ourselves of this, but know that the Spirit of God is eager and ready for us to take that first step of igniting the flame by simply choosing to praise, choosing to have faith. Our choice to rise up in faith, rise up in praise with our little mustard seed of faith or praise, ignites the almighty power of the Holy Spirit to lift us to heights we could never attain in our own strength. His anointing is the fuel that carry us through. Don’t just believe what I say though, let the Word of God confirm it.
So the angel explained that it was the following message of the Lord to Zerubbabel: I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 (CEV)
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)
There are many scriptures that remind us of the fact that we need the Spirit of God working in and through us daily. Our role is to make way for Him to rise up within us.
I remember when my daughter was small and she had infantile eczema. It was all over her body. She would drag her body across the floor to try and scratch as much of her body as possible to relieve the itch. Her skin was terrible. We had exhausted every medication and cream. Nothing was working. I would feel hopeless and the last thing I wanted to do was praise God. I would complain and cry out to God and every time I did, God would tell me to sing to her by praising Him. One day I decided to do what He was telling me to do. Good idea ay! I did not do it with a heart of joy but out of a choice to obey. I began to sing that old song ‘ Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.’ I sang it with ‘attitude’ as I held my girl, but I sang. Within a few minutes, I sensed the Holy Spirit rising within me, taking over and a new song was beginning to birth within me as I sang by the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. I had ignited the flame with in me. As I looked down at my daughter, I found she was beginning to relax, she was scratching less and eventually not scratching at all. Each time she would begin to scratch her whole body, I would sing with her. Each time the choice to sing was a process, but each time that flame was ignited. It began the healing process of her affliction. God began to speak to me and others about solutions for our daughter’s chronic eczema which saw the beginning of her healing.
If you need a song to begin igniting your own flame. The song below from Bethel is a great one to start with. You can find the song on YouTube called ‘We Praise You.
Have a great week, trust God in your journey, and let Him fan the flame that is in you.
Verse 1 – Let praise be a weapon that silences the enemy. Let praise be a weapon that conquers all anxiety. Let is rise, let praise arise.
Verse 2 – We sing your name in the dark and it changes everything. We sing with all we are and we claim your victory. Let is rise, let praise arise.
Chorus – We’ll see You break down every wall. We’ll watch the giants fall. Fear cannot survive when we praise You. The God of breakthrough’s on our side. Forever lift Him high. With all creation cry, God we praise You.
Interlude -Oh, we praise You, oh, we praise You.
Verse 3 – Let faith be the song that overcomes the raging sea. Let faith be the song that calms the storm inside of me. Let it rise, let praise arise.
Bridge – This is what living looks like. This is what freedom feels like. This is what heaven sounds like. We praise You, we praise You.
© 2019 Bethel Music Publishing
DESTINED FOR PURPOSE 