Friday, June 24, 2011

Psalm for the season (4)

I recently listened to a message by Bishop David Oyedepo.* He had a lot to say about Ps. 92.
Here are some of the lessons he shared (some are verbatim). He said that Thanksgiving...
  1. ...grants us access to God's presence...and His presence makes all the difference. Ps 100:4 says: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!" (Amplified). God's presence is the only cure for all pressures; Ps 16:11 - "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (NKJV)
  2. ...grants us access to supernatural strength. You cannot be grateful without being joyful - the grateful will be joyful. Neh 8:10b says: "The joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." (Amplified) Joy is a booster of strength. Access to God's presence moves us from strength to strength. According to Ps 84:7: 7 says - "They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion." (Amplified)
  3. ...makes us fresh - we shall be anointed with fresh oil. God is always looking for thanksgivers so He can anoint them with fresh oil. In Ps 89: 20 God says: "I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him," (NKJV)
  4. ...leads to flourishing - Ps 92:12: "The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]." (Amplified) Did you know the palm tree is one tree that every part of it is useful?
  5. ...leads to fearful blessings. Ps 67: 5-8: "Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." (NKJV)
The bottom line is "You are deprived of God's presence and strength, and all they bring to us, without the attitude of gratitude." Live the Psalm 92 life...it is good to praise the Lord!

Source: 
*Day 1 of the 30 Anniversary Service - http://www.davidoyedepoministries.org/worship#

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