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00:03God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you. And I know God has great
00:10things in store. If you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our
00:14services. These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewood.
00:19So come be a part, but thanks for tuning in today. And thank you again for coming out.
00:24And I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this minister. He'd been
00:28out bear hunting all day long and searched and searched through the woods with no sign
00:33of a bear. And finally, in frustration, he threw his gun down and he went to the stream to cool
00:38off. About that time, he sees this huge grizzly bear running toward him full speed, about 200
00:45yards away. And he falls on his knees and says, God, I need protection. Please convert this
00:51bear into a Christian. Miraculously, the bear froze in his tracks, put up both paws toward
00:58the heavens and said, thank you, Lord, for this food I'm about to eat.
01:03All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it
01:08says
01:08I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I
01:13will be taught
01:14the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be
01:21the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about praising your way
01:28to victory. We all face challenges and obstacles, dreams that look like they're not going to come
01:34to pass. We can either get negative and discouraged and talk about what's not going to work out
01:41or we can switch over into praise and thank God that he's still on the throne and thank God that
01:47he's fighting our battles and thank him that he always causes us to triumph. But a lot of times
01:53we think I'll have a good attitude as soon as business picks up. I'll cheer up as soon as I
02:00get
02:00over this health issue. Joel, I'll give God praise when I get through these tough times. But that's not
02:07how faith works. You've got to give God praise and then the breakthrough will come. You've got to
02:14cheer up first, then things will change in your favor. Praise always precedes the victory. But as
02:21long as we're negative, discouraged, focused on our problems, that will limit what God can do.
02:27Think about Jonah. He was in the belly of a whale in the midst of all these problems, seaweed around
02:35him, smell bad, dark, uncomfortable, didn't see a way out. He began to pray. For the first eight
02:43verses, all he talked about was how bad life was, how he was in the depths of despair, how he
02:50was
02:50surrounded by so much turmoil, on and on. Negative, defeated. Sometimes what we call prayer is really
02:58just a complaining session. We're just telling God everything that's wrong, like God doesn't already
03:03know. God, my business is down. God, this boss is getting on my nerves. God, I can't take these
03:10children. God, I got to lose 20 pounds. God, my blood pressure is too high. That's not really prayer.
03:15That's just telling God your problems. And although God is concerned about what we're going through,
03:22God is not moved by our problems. He's moved by our faith and praise is faith at work. The scripture
03:31says, the spirit of faith is in our words. My question today is what's coming out of your mouth?
03:38Are you talking about how big your problems are? Or are you talking about how big your God is?
03:44Switch over into praise. Father, business is slow, but I want to thank you that you're supplying all of
03:51my needs. I know you're Jehovah Jireh, the Lord, my provider. You said I would lend and not borrow.
03:57So I want to thank you that everything I touch will prosper and succeed. You talk like that and
04:03Almighty God will show up. This is what Jonah did. After complaining for eight verses, in verse nine,
04:10he had a change of heart. He said, God, in spite of my difficulties, I'm going to offer unto you
04:17the sacrifice of praise with the voice of thanksgiving. Sitting in the belly of the well,
04:25instead of complaining, he began to say, Father, I thank you that you're bigger than this difficulty.
04:31I know you're still on the throne. You can still get me to where you want me to be.
04:36I'm not going to magnify my problem. I'm going to magnify my God. The next verse says that the
04:42well spit him out onto dry ground and he went on to fulfill his destiny. You too may feel like
04:50you're
04:50in the belly of a well. You could easily complain, talk about your problems, how bad the medical
04:56report is, what somebody did to you. No, zip up the negative, defeated words and switch over into
05:03praise. Thank God that he's fighting your battles. Thank him that he's bigger than your problems.
05:09Thank him that no weapon formed against you will prosper. You can praise your way to victory.
05:14When you praise, the creator of the universe can cause that fish that swallowed you, so to speak,
05:22to not only spit you out, but to spit you out on dry ground. Think about it. If Jonah,
05:28that well would have spit him out into the ocean, he could have drowned. But when you praise,
05:34God will take what was meant for your harm and he'll use it to advance you. Instead of being a
05:40setback,
05:41it'll be a setup for God to promote you. Jonah said, I'm going to offer up the sacrifice of praise.
05:48That word sacrifice means I don't feel like doing it. I don't see any sign of this situation improving.
05:56Everything in me says I should be depressed, discouraged, complaining, but I know a secret.
06:02Praise is my faith at work. I know when I praise, it activates God's power. I may not feel like
06:10it.
06:10It may not look good, but like Jonah, I'm going to dig my heels in and offer up that sacrifice
06:16of
06:16praise. Sacrifice means that it costs you something. God, I'm hurting, but I give you praise. God,
06:24I'm lonely, but I give you praise. God, it wasn't fair. They did me wrong, but I give you praise.
06:32Nothing gets God's attention anymore than when you should be discouraged. In the natural,
06:38you should be complaining. The medical report wasn't good. A friend betrayed you. A coworker
06:45cheated you out of a promotion. Most people would be negative and bitter, but instead you have a song
06:51of praise. You're thanking God for what's right, not focused on what's wrong. You're not talking about
06:57how big your problems are. You're talking about how big your God is. When you can offer this sacrifice
07:03of praise, you can be assured almighty God is working in your life. You may not see anything
07:11happening, but behind the scenes, God's getting it all lined up. And at the appointed time, things will
07:18change in your favor. This is what Paul and Silas did. They were put in jail for spreading good news.
07:25It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. They were beaten with rods without a trial. It was unjust. As they sat
07:32in the prison, bloodied, bruised, uncomfortable, they began to sing praises to God. If you're going
07:41to live in victory, you have to know how to praise in pain. Praise when you're disappointed. Praise when
07:48you're lonely. Praise when you went through a loss. After all, we can all give God praise. We're on the
07:55mountaintop. That's easy. But our attitude should be, I'm going to give him praise even if I'm in a
08:01valley. I'm going to praise him when my business is up, and I'm going to praise him when it's not
08:06so up.
08:07I'm going to praise him when I feel like it, and I'm going to praise him even if I don't
08:11feel like it.
08:12That's the sacrifice of praise. As they were sitting in the prison at midnight, singing praises
08:19to God, all of a sudden, there was a great earthquake. The prison doors flung open, the chains
08:25fell off, and they walked out as free men. What happened? They praised their way to victory.
08:31One of our faithful members is a gentleman named Freddie Lamb. Freddie always has a smile. He's full of
08:38faith, full of joy. I see him here all the time. Back in the 1990s, Freddie was on the freeway,
08:45and he
08:45had a flat tire. He pulled off to the shoulder to change it, and while he was standing at the
08:50trunk
08:50about to get the spare tire out, a drunk driver swerved onto the shoulder and ran right into him,
08:58crushed both of his legs. They had to be amputated right above the knees. My parents went to see him
09:04in
09:04the hospital. They didn't really know what to expect. Most people would be very discouraged,
09:10maybe even a little depressed, but not Freddie. He knows how to offer up that sacrifice of praise.
09:17When my parents walked into the room, Freddie still had a smile on his face. He wasn't bitter,
09:23complaining. He was still full of joy. His legs were all bandaged there where they'd been amputated,
09:29lying on that bed. He lifted them up toward the heavens, just stubs now, and he said to my parents,
09:36look pastors, I can still give God praise. Today, today Freddie not only walks, but Freddie can run
09:45with his new legs. That setback didn't stop him. He still goes all over telling people his story.
09:52Freddie's with us down front, a mighty man of faith and courage. Freddie, we love you today.
09:57Okay. Here's what I've learned. You can't keep a praiser down. You may have some setbacks. You may
10:07hit some tough times, but like Freddie, if you can just dig your heels in and offer up that sacrifice
10:13of praise, then what was meant to be a stumbling block, God will turn into a stepping stone. Instead
10:19of taking you down, God will cause it to take you up higher. You may be up against some big
10:26obstacles.
10:26You may have some big challenges coming your way, but now is not the time to get discouraged. Now is
10:33not the time to start complaining. No, in the tough times, more than ever, you need to turn up your
10:38praise. Start thanking God in a greater way for his goodness. Yes, Freddie lost his legs, but he was
10:45thanking God that he didn't lose his life. You may have lost a battle, but you can thank God that
10:51you
10:51didn't lose the war. You may be down, but you can thank God that you're coming back up. Your plans
10:57may not have worked out, but you can thank God he has something better in store. Dig your heels in
11:02and
11:02turn up the praise. When you praise chains are broken. When you praise new doors will open. When you praise
11:11the angels go to work. When you praise victory is coming your way. I read where back in the 1800s,
11:20these explorers were going across a huge desert. It was even bigger than they expected. They
11:27miscalculated and didn't bring enough water. They started digging at different spots underneath the
11:32surface down a foot or two, trying to find water. They tried and tried with no success. They ended up
11:39losing their life because of a lack of water. Many years later, it was discovered. There was water
11:46right there where they had lost their lives. The only problem is it was three feet underground and they
11:52only dug down two feet. If they had just dug down a little bit further, they would have found the
11:59water
11:59that would have saved their life. The same principle is true. When you're in a dry season, you're not
12:06getting any good breaks. Business is slow. You're struggling in a relationship. It's easy to think
12:12this is never going to change. Never going to see my dreams come to pass. Never going to get out
12:18of
12:18this problem. No, just like those early explorers, water is there. Provision is there. You just have to
12:25dig down a little bit deeper. If you will shake off the self-pity, shake off what didn't work out,
12:32shake off the complacency, and turn up your praise, you'll discover you can praise your way to victory.
12:39Psalm 149 talks about how when we have the high praises of God coming out of our mouth,
12:46then God will go to war against our enemies. The high praises means you thank God with enthusiasm.
12:54You're excited about what God has done. It's not secondary, oh, if I have time. No, you're always
13:01talking about God's goodness. You're constantly telling your friends how God has blessed you.
13:06In your car, you're singing songs of praise. At the office, under your breath, you're thanking God
13:13for his favor. In the grocery store, you're humming the tune to, I am a friend of God. You're so
13:19full of
13:20praise, even if you stubbed your toe, instead of complaining, you'd say, thank you, Jesus.
13:25You get up in the morning and say, God, I love you today. I praise you today. Thank you for
13:30another
13:30beautiful day. When you have these high praises coming out of your mouth, the scripture says,
13:37Almighty God will go to war against your enemies. This is what happened with Joshua. He and the people
13:44of Israel were headed toward the promised land, but right in the middle of their path was a huge
13:50obstacle, the city of Jericho. It stood between them and their destiny. They couldn't go around it.
13:57They had to go through it. Jericho was a large fortified city, had these huge walls all the way
14:05around it. Between you and your destiny, there will always be a Jericho, something that you cannot go
14:12around. You either have to defeat it or it's going to defeat you. God told Joshua to tell the people
14:19to march around the city walls for six days, one time a day. And on the seventh day, they were
14:25to march
14:26around seven times. They were instructed not to say a word, no talking, no whispering, no complaining.
14:33They had to march perfectly quiet. On the seventh day, on the seventh time around, God said, this time,
14:40I want you to do something different. As you march, I want you to let out a shout of praise.
14:47I can imagine on that seventh day, there was so much excitement. They went around once, twice,
14:53three times with great anticipation. They knew something big was about to happen. On that seventh
15:01time around, after the priest blew the trumpets, they let out the high praises of God. They begin
15:08to shout and cheer and sing Hosanna in the highest. To God be all the glory. So loud, no doubt,
15:15it sounded
15:16like a jet airplane passing by. People could hear it for miles and miles. And all of a sudden,
15:22the impossible began to happen. Those thick fortified walls begin to shake and rattle. And
15:30before long, they were rolling. They came tumbling down. The people were able to go in, take the city
15:35and eventually make it into the promised land. A lot of times we think I'll shout after the walls come
15:42down. I'll shout after my victory, after the promotion, after the breakthrough. No, that's
15:47backwards. The shout is what activates God's power. And I realize God hears us even when we whisper,
15:55but I believe there are some walls that will not come down without the high praises of God coming out
16:02of your mouth. You've got to turn up the praise. You've got to thank God in a greater way. You've
16:06got
16:06to declare his goodness over your life. Some of you have been around that city once, twice,
16:12three times. God is saying, you're coming into your seventh day. You're about to enter into your
16:18victory lap. Now here's the question. What's coming out of your mouth? Oh, Joel, these walls are so big,
16:25man. I've had this problem so long. These obstacles are so high. No zip that up and let out some
16:31high
16:31praises. God, I want to thank you. You're bigger than this problem, greater than this sickness, more
16:37powerful than this addiction. Father, I think that you are fighting my battles for me. If you keep the
16:43high praises coming out of your mouth, then like Joshua, you need to get ready. Walls are going to
16:48come down. Barriers are going to be broken. New doors are going to open. Chains of addictions will
16:54be loose. Dreams will come to pass. Isaiah 54 says, sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child,
17:03break forth into song and shout for joy. This is saying, if your dreams have not yet come to pass,
17:12if you have unborn promises, if you feel barren, don't sit around in defeat. Don't say too bad. It's
17:21never going to happen. No, God is saying, if you feel barren more than ever, you need to turn up
17:27the
17:27praise. Here's why. Praise is the birth position. When you're thankful, when you have a song in your
17:35heart, when you go around talking about God's goodness, you are putting yourself in position
17:40to give birth to that promise. For instance, maybe you're single and you're hoping to meet the right
17:47person. Well, don't want to sit back and think, poor old me, it's never going to happen. No, have a
17:51song
17:52of praise. Lord, I want to thank you that you're directing my steps, causing me to be at the right
17:57place at the right time. And father, I thank you for bringing somebody perfect into my life.
18:03Every time you give God praise, you're putting yourself in position to give birth. You are one
18:09step closer to seeing the promise come to pass. In your health, you may have struggled with the
18:15sickness a long time. It'd be easy to settle there and think, I'm always going to be barren. I'm never
18:22going to be free from this pain. No, switch over into praise. Lord, I want to thank you that you're
18:27restoring health back into me. Lord, thank you that you said you would satisfy me with a long life. And
18:33I believe even now, health, healing, wholeness, victory is flowing into me. The reason many people
18:39have promises that die stillborn is because they get negative. They start complaining.
18:46You will not give birth without a spirit of thanksgiving. And that promise that you're standing
18:53on, that dream you're believing for, it's ready, it's developed, it's grown. Now, if you just turn
19:00up the praise, you would see it come to pass. You would give birth to that promise. Second Kings chapter
19:06three, the people were in a serious drought. Hadn't rained in a long time, not a cloud in the sky.
19:12On top of that, they were in this valley that never got any rain. The prophet Elijah instructed them
19:20to do something that seemed very odd. He told them to dig ditches in the valley in preparation to catch
19:29the water from the rain that was coming. Most of us would have said, now, Elijah, we are in a
19:35valley that never gets any rain. Plus we're in the middle of a drought. If we see some dark clouds,
19:42if we see some kind of rain, then maybe we'll dig some ditches, but not now. Elijah said, no,
19:48that's not how it works. If you want to see rain, you have to dig the ditches first. They dug
19:54the
19:54ditches and the next day they were filled to overflowing. The drought had ended. Rain in the
20:01scripture represents blessing, favor, increase. This same principle is true. The way we dig ditches,
20:10so to speak, to make preparations for God's goodness is by giving God praise. Every time you
20:17say, Father, thank you that I'm blessed. You are digging a ditch. You're making preparation for the
20:23blessings that will follow. When you say, Lord, thank you that I'm strong and healthy. You're digging
20:29another ditch. You're preparing for God to fill you with health, strength, vitality. When you say,
20:35Father, thank you that my children make good decisions, that they will fulfill their destiny.
20:41There may not be any sign of it right now. In fact, if somebody overheard you, they'd say,
20:47what are you talking about? Your children aren't making good decisions. They're far off course.
20:52You're not blessed. You're not healthy. That's what happened back in those days. People said,
20:57why are you digging a ditch in the valley? Don't you know it never rains here? Don't you know we're
21:03in the middle of a drought? You are wasting your time. No, don't be moved by what you see or
21:09by what
21:09you hear. Be moved by what you know. My child may be off course, but I know because I'm a
21:16praiser,
21:17rain is coming. Those thoughts may tell you it's never going to work out. You've had this addiction
21:22since you were in high school. You're always going to be in a drought. No, shake that off and just
21:27keep
21:28digging the ditch. Keep thanking God that you're free. Thanking God for his goodness. Thanking God for
21:33his favor. If you'll do your part and dig the ditches, God is saying, I'll do my part and bring
21:41the rain. I'll help you break addictions. I'll open up new doors. I'll show you favor. I'll heal your
21:48body. I'll restore your marriage. When I look out through my eyes of faith, you know what I see?
21:54I see dark clouds forming. I see the skies turning overcast. You may be in a drought, but just keep
22:01giving God praise. The good news is rain is coming your way. Downpours of favor, downpours of blessings,
22:09and abundance of God's goodness. Some of you today need to dig some new ditches. You haven't seen
22:16anything happen good in a long time. You've lost your fire, your vision, your enthusiasm.
22:21Turn up the praise. Make preparation for the new thing God wants to do. Get up every morning and
22:29thank God that he's bringing your dreams to pass. Thank him that he's connecting you to the right
22:34people. Thank him that you're talented, creative, disciplined, focused, strong, secure. If you'll dig
22:42the ditches, God will bring the rain. See, praise is more than just singing a song. It's more than just
22:48something we do on Sundays. Praise is an attitude. All through the day, you're grateful. Under your
22:56breath, you're constantly whispering, Lord, I love you. Thank you for this day. Thank you for my family.
23:02Thank you that I'm healthy. When you have this continual attitude of praise, it's like you're always
23:08digging ditches. That's what allows God to do amazing things. In the scripture, there's a man by
23:14the name of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good man. He loved and honored God. He stood for righteousness.
23:22He led the people with integrity. Everything was going great. He was in the prime of his career
23:28when all of a sudden he got very sick. Hezekiah's mentor was the prophet Isaiah. He came to the palace
23:36and said, Hezekiah, I have a word from the Lord for you. God says, set your house in order
23:43for you shall surely die. He pronounced a death sentence over Hezekiah. Up to that point, all of
23:51Isaiah's prophecies had come true. He had a proven track record. Isaiah turned around and began to walk
23:57out of the palace. Hezekiah began to pray. He asked God to give him more years. He reminded God of
24:04all the
24:05good things he had done and how he'd gotten rid of the idols and how he'd encouraged the people to
24:10worship on and on. He was pleading his case, but Isaiah just kept on walking out. Nothing had changed.
24:17Hezekiah said, God, I deserve more years. I've done my best. I've lived with integrity, but Isaiah just
24:24kept on walking. Finally, Hezekiah decided to try a different approach. Instead of telling God how good
24:31he was, enlisting all of his accomplishments, he began to give God praise. He began to thank God for
24:38who he was and thank God for what he had done. Hezekiah made the statement, God, the grave cannot
24:44give you praise. At that very moment, Isaiah stopped in his tracks. He turned back around. God said, Isaiah,
24:52I want you to go back and tell King Hezekiah, if he's going to praise me, I'll give him 15
24:58more years.
24:59If he's going to praise me, it's a different story I'll add to his life.
25:04What am I saying? Your praise can even change God's mind. You don't have to tell God how good you
25:11are
25:11and how much you deserve it. Just praise him for who he is, for what he's done. Praise him for
25:18his
25:18greatness. Your praise can cause God to come back and say, it wasn't going to work out, but because you
25:26stepped up the praise, I'm going to make it work out. Your time like Hezekiah was over, but because
25:32of your praise, I'm going to add more years. That obstacle should have stopped you, but because you
25:38just kept giving me praise, I'm going to move it out of the way. I'm asking us today to turn
25:45up the
25:45praise. God said, if you don't praise me, the rocks will cry out, but I will get my praise.
25:53Our attitude should be, no rocks are going to have to cry out for me. I'm going to sing for
25:57joy. I'm
25:58going to shout into God. I'm going to have the high praises coming out of my mouth.
26:03Get up every morning and start the day off with praise. Lord, thank you for another sunrise.
26:10Lord, thank you for the birds that I hear singing. Lord, thank you for the gift of today.
26:15Remember, praise is the birth position. When you praise, dreams come to pass. When you praise,
26:22supernatural doors open. When you praise, chains are broken. Some of you are in tough times, but
26:28you've got to dig your heels in like Freddie and learn to offer up that sacrifice of praise. You can
26:33praise your way to victory. Listen, if you'll turn up the praise like Hezekiah, you're going to see
26:39increase. Like Jonah, you're going to see breakthroughs. Like Joshua, walls are going to come
26:45down. I believe and declare you're going to enter into your promised land and become everything God's
26:51created you to be. Amen. Do you receive it today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving
26:59you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus,
27:06I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. Friends, if you prayed
27:15that
27:15simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.
27:21He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed of.
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