“I will praise You, O LORD” (Psalms 9:1)

This devotion reveals the secret of victorious Christians. Constantly praising and thanking God is the best way to maintain a sense of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit helps saints thank and praise God in everything: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19).

The indwelling Holy Spirit quickens the saint to thank God for all things, even while bad things are happening ... this is the secret of those who walk close to God at all times. “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God” (Ephesians 5:18-20).

Praising and thanking God in and for all things cuts the cord that binds the saint to this world of woe. It’s a conscious, voluntary act of moment-by-moment, overcoming faith that enables saints to see clearly what to do in desperate times, and in normal times, it’s a wonderful, healing exercise which connects saints to their eternal state of worshipping God.

But how can I thank God in and for all things, you ask? Everything that happens to the saint is either caused or allowed by God for His purpose. The foundational confidence of salvation is “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). If you believe this with saving faith, and are willing to submit to Christ unconditionally, you can stop being a victim, and begin to LIVE an overcoming life.

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