Monday, 5 September 2016
Encouragement For Today: Defensive Praise by TD Jakes
When you first read about the woman who was healed of the eighteen year long infirmity, you might have thought that her greatest deliverance was her physical healing. The Bible says that when the Lord laid His hands on her, she was made straight. Now that's physical deliverance.
But I want to point out an even greater deliverance: Her attitude changed. She entered into praise and thanksgiving and began to worship the Lord. This woman started leaping and magnifying God and shouting victory like anyone delivered from an old infirmity should. While she was glorifying God over here the enemy was string up strife over there. She just kept on glorifying God. She didn't stop praising God to answer the accusers.
My sister, the Lord is your defense. You do not have to defend yourself. When God has delivered you, do not stop what you are doing to answer your accusers. Continue to bless His name because because you do not want your attitude to become defensive. When you have been through difficult times, you cannot afford to play around with moods and attitudes. Depression and defensiveness may make you vulnerable to the devil.
The woman had to protect herself by entering into defensive praise. This was not just praise or thanksgiving, but a strategy and a posture of spiritual warfare that says, I will not allow my attitude to crumble and fall.
When you get to the point that you quit defending yourself or attacking others, you open a door for the Lord to fight for you. When Paul and Silas began to praise the Lord, the prison doors were opened. When this woman began to bless God, she built walls around her own deliverance. She decided to keep the attitude that would enable the deliverance of God to be maintained in her life.
Can you imagine what would have happened if she stopped glorifying God and started arguing? If an argument had gotten through her doors, this whole scene would have ended in a fight. But she was thankful and determined to express her gratitude.
When you're in trouble, God will reach into the mess and pull you out. then you must be strong enough not to let yourself be dragged back into it. Once God unleashes you, don't let anyone trap you into some religious squabble. Keep praising Him.
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