Pastor Loran preached today April 6, 2025
Talking about the school of faith and the school of anti-faith…
“What do you want the Lord to say?” Song came to mind
“What do you want the Devil to say?” “Ha,ha, I made her quit?”
The sacrifice of praise is Praise Halleluia! Anyhow!
Above the fray.
In spite of praise
Glory to God in the highest, when you are lowest
Make the devil mad, praise
No matter when and how many times it happens, Satan doesn’t quit his attacks. His goal—- to make you quit. Did God hold you up in the last traunch of attacks? He has an allotment of attacks for each season. Is that surprising? He has them scheduled and set, for the dispatch at just the right or wrong time in your life.
What do you want the Lord to say? That is the song. The answer is "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter in the joy of the Lord"
Diddys like that remind us of a strategic concept in a repetitive way that helps us remember that we are in a fight. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, was the song of Mohammed Ali. It kept him floating and stinging, when the discouragement kicked in. Nice strategy.
Often we lose sight of our part in the spiritual battle of the church, giving God praise when there are seasons of struggle. Lifting Jesus up and seeing HIM draw men to himself is a concept swiftly forgotten. The “talkatives” have convinced us that it is us who draw people to Jesus.
Praise is a team
Prayer intercession
Soul winning
Praising and worship in unified manner is part of the hedge of protection that guides and guards us from the strength of the onslaught that comes against us in the battle of living for Jesus.
Some of the victory is given to us individually, as part of the corporate relationship of our individual church and part of the corporate interchurch battle as we intermingle with the church Triumphant and the “church militant”. The vision of the church militant’s labor of fighting against the onslaughts of the enemy. “Confessing our faults one to another”, Not holding long term grudges, bearing one another’s burdens, giving to the needy, holding one another accountable are the areas where we are Lifting Jesus up that HE may “draw all men”. Hedges of protection that God sets up for His people are not words only they are laid out in scripture for us to earn them and grow them sowing the seeds that God has placed in our hands through his word.
Give Grace that we may see your servants protected and guarded by your hedges of protection and that we may live on earth as a visual expression of Your letter of intention of what life on earth should and can be. We love you Lord and we would exalt your word as you do above, even all your name. Help us not make the Devil rejoice.
In Jesus name Amen.
