Sunday Sermon Summary: "Praise Looks Better On You!"
Praise Tabernacle International, Plantation, FL
Pastor D.H.Dawkins, Sr.
The key verse was from Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV):
"1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
The focus being placed on verse three.
GOD gives special attention.
GOD’s people who are in mourning, calamities, storms, and so forth are given special attention.
Prayer is the ear to GOD, and ear to the mouth of GOD. Live in the secret place.
There is an uneven exchange happening. As expressed in the above text, GOD said He will take you out of the ashes, and place you into beauty.
(FYI: As the Bible describes, when people were mourning, they would wear sackcloth, and place ashes on their heads.)
The Hebrew word for:
Ashes- is Epher
Beauty- is Pheer
All you have to do to is move the E to create a new word! All you have to do is shift focus from one area to another to change the whole perception, meaning, and scope! Change sorrow for joy!
The [ugly] experience incubates the beauty. Sometimes the things that look ugly needs the right climate to grow. There needs to be a shift in your environment. This can be the people around you.
If it hurt you, it did not harm you, and therefore could not hinder you.
LIVE AFTER THE HURT!
The abandonment/misunderstanding incubates the beauty under construction. Not everyone is needed to hear your blueprint of your life. All because they have a voice, does not mean they have volume.
The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. Hidden in ugly packages, GOD is going to give you beauty for the ashes. All you need is a touch! The hand of GOD will make everything beautiful in its’ time!
Some of the inconveniences can be used as a platform for GOD to perform. Some are walking in their own depression. What you speak will be! Job had expressed “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25, KJV).
People during the Bible days, used oil to make their faces shine. When mourning came, no oil was placed on their faces. This was a clear indicator to others that they were in mourning.
The oil of joy is the Holy Spirit. Joy will be given in your hard times. The joy of Thee Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Verse Three: Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness.
Heaviness can be defined as inner hurts that not have found a healthy exhaust—pressure cooker. Internally pressed down, boiling together, and going no where— a stew of bitterness. Self depression can live insatiably in a chronic dissatisfaction. This leaves room for bitterness, allowing heaviness to settle in. The spirit of heaviness ATTEMPTS to steal [your joy]. It cannot steal it without you properly guarding it!
Psalm 64:20 (KJV):
"Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none."
The devil wants you to feel sorry for yourself.
But remeber:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, KJV).
Isaiah 43:1 (KJV):
“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."
First time He called your name, He created you.
The second time He called your name, He consecrated you!.
“Abraham! Abraham! Simon! Simon! Mary! Mary!”
Every time He calls your name twice, He is consecrating you.
Let their be points of revelation in your life. You belong to Jesus!
It is said that that 1 in 3 people have depression—born with depression.
This affects the Children of GOD. The weight of ministry becomes a burden. The joy [for Thee Kingdom] is gone. You lost your joy in trouble, with walking with Thee King. "Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." (Romans 6:16, NLT)—whomever you yield yourself to, you obey.
Use The Word of GOD as a sword!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV).
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, KJV).
Sometimes the DNA of the defeat can lead back to you. It was your fault, what you entertained. We are sometimes our worse enemies.
We are more than conquers!
Matthew 8:18 (KJV):
"Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
James 4:7 (KJV):
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
SHUT THE DOOR DOWN WITH A PRAISE!!!
Psalm 8:1-2 (KJV):
“1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."
Still-Silence-Your praise silences the devil!
Praise is the garment of the spirit.
Cloth yourself in praise!
Jonah 2:9-10 (KJV):
“9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
Because of Jonah’s praise, he GOD saw him through!
Praise prepares us for our next miracle!
Isaiah 60:18 (NLT):
“Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end.Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there."
There is protocol to see the Pope;
There is protocol to see the President;
There is protocol to see the Queen;
AND there is protocol to see the King of kings!
WEAR YOUR GARMENT OF PRAISE!!!
Life Application
Praise will get you through! It will confuse the work of the enemy! Praise will take your mind off the nuisances, the things you cannot control, and make you more grateful of what you have! Praise is how you get through the gate, to GOD (Isaiah 60:18)! Praise GOD in ALL that you do, and go through! “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15, KJV). He WILL see you through!
Selah!!!!
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(Picture courtsey of http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Klj1WkPgyOU/SDRwhdkaXBI/AAAAAAAAAM8/MK5DwDLx5VU/s320/garment+of+praise.jpg)
