The Fruit of Our Lips

Monday's Devotion (1-9-06)

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15 (KJV)

The sacrifice of praise reaps many rewards for us. Praising God can lift our spirits, and it can bring us many blessings. If you praise God through hard times, then your blessings will come sooner. If you have cancer, and you decide to praise God starting today for your healing (Before you're healed,) then your chances of actually being healed greatly increase... Because you're showing trust in God. Some people don't believe in praising God in the hard times, only when things are good. This is why things are rarely good for these people. There is always a reason to praise God, it is your job to find that reason. The main reason for praising God is simply because HE IS GOD.

The fruit of our lips is giving thanks to His name. Well, that fruit better be growing out of your heart. You better not just be giving the Lord lip service with an unrighteous heart. God looks on our hearts. If we praise God with our lips and not with our hearts, He knows! You can't lie to the Lord, you can't cover up in front of the Lord! Remember Adam and Eve tried to hide their naked bodies from the Lord after they had sinned, that didn't work. In the New Testament, husband and wife tried to lie to the Holy Ghost; They were struck dead. I'm not saying you're going to be struck dead, but I'm saying that the Lord knows what is inside of you. What is inside of you is what matters to Him. You can praise Him all day with your lips, but if it doesn't come from the heart it means nothing! You're not fooling anyone if your heart isn't in it. I have been around people who give only lip service, and it must be the Holy Ghost, because I can read right through them. I know in my heart that something isn't right, and that they aren't as righteous as they put off. I'm not saying that I am, but I'm saying that if we're faking it, I don't believe that anyone who walks with the Lord is buying into the lies. I believe that God's children know who their real brothers/sisters in the Lord are.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message, and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins, and we forgive all those who've wronged us. Please help us to follow you, to obey your every word, and to praise you with all of our heart. In Jesus name. A-men!

Note: Well, I think it's the perfect time to mention it. If you haven't already, please check out the "Praise Page." It has my songs that I've written on it. I'm hoping to add another song soon. They're only demos though, we're still looking for people who are interested in performing them. If you perform them, you can send me a copy and we'll get your version up on the website!

God bless!

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