Escape into praise and God

God has given us an escape, a "place" where we can be protected.  It's praising God.  As the enemy works to overtake us with fear, despair, doubt, and thought hooks to drag us into danger and sin, praising God is part of the way out of danger.

The Bible shows us the importance of praise for withstanding the enemy and receiving from God.  Judah (the son f Jacob) means PRAISE.  Of all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Judah remained in the Promised Land longest and was principal in its restoration.  Jesus was a descendant of Judah and is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah; that is, the Lion (King and Lord) of the tribe of Praise.  In fact, it may be said that Jesus is the leader of Praise.  He continually leads us in praising God the Father is we're able to hear Him.  The last Psalms (144-150) are all songs of praise to God.

I have lived the importance of Praise.  Praise in my life allows me to refocus on God.  Praise overcomes the worries and fears and cuts off the enemy.  When I praise God, I see things differently:  My perception of "reality" changes and I can see things as they are for me in God.

This is best illustrated by one of the few night vision dreams I've received from God.  In the dream, I was walking along a road with high walls on both sides.  As I approached an intersection I looked to the left and right.  In both directions the road was the same: paved, clean and with a high wall on each side.  I had little choice;  no matter where I walked, I was walled inside a sterile landscape.  IN my dream, as soon as I began to praise God, suddenly the walls disappeared and I found myself in a green, grassy field with pleasant vegetation and a 360 degree view.  All possibilities existed;  every direction was open to me.  Through praise, I escaped limited possibilities and walked easily into a verdant land and endless horizons.

Praising God is an important tool in your bag of spiritual weapons.  It will help you combat despair, help expand your vision, and carry you into God's presence.

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom (rule, way and system) of God is based upon love and forgiveness.  It is comprised of love, compassion, forgiveness, blessing, and provision.  Through and in His government, He gives us authority an victory over the fallen world, fallen creation, and the devil.  God's kingdom is a government of wellness.

We receive the full benefits of the Kingdom of God through the cross of Jesus Christ.  There is no other way to reach and know God and receive all of His blessings (physical and spiritual benefits).  Because of sin the human race died.  All are dead, i.e. separated from God.  Christ died saddled with out sins, illnesses and pains to remove death and its effects;  He also paid the complete penalty for not obeying the law.  The kingdom of God is for all who have surrendered themselves to God by entering though the door (Jesus) that He opened.

Christ died to destroy death.  He resurrected to give us life.  Death to death, life to Life.  (2 Cor. 2:16).  God's kingdom is life, good things (spiritual and physical), provision and victory.

Christ is the only door through which we have victory over this worlds systems and Satan's way of doing things.  Because of the cross, we can leap from death to life.  We enter as sinners and condemned (separated from God); we come out forgiven and free.  We enter and emerge with the power and authority to be healthy and whole.  We enter filled with sin and come out clean and being filled with God.  We enter under the devil's authority and come out a conqueror over the devil, his ways of doing things, and the garbage that he has put in our lives.

The cross is the point of forgiveness, removal of sin and the stain of sin, and of power.  It is where we get united with God, and thorough Christ's death on it have access to the blessings, answers and the help that all human beings desire.  If we follow Christ in and with faith, we have access to all the blessings of His kingdom.

The heart.

Your heart is the core of your being  It is part soul, part spirit and intimately connected to your body -  in some ways it defines your essence.  It needs love and, if there is a love deficit, craves it.  The heart is that part of you that motivates you (along with body and soul).  It is where your deepest self resides and, incidentally, it is where God resides in you.  Your own heart can be your ally or your enemy,

The Bible says, "Keep your heart with all diligence;  for out of it spring the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23).  Your heart can drive you to extreme actions (good and bad) and into sin.  Your heart is key because if motivates you in the deepest ways.  A heart for the lost can drive a person to preach, a heart for the hurting, to minister healing.  A heart in need of love can drive you to seek love in God and/or in other and to activities (helpful or unhelpful, divine or depraved) to help fill the void in any way it can.

Do the very best you can to keep you heart safe.  Fill it with the right things.  Cravings for love can lead to relationships and sexual immorality or activities/addictions that feel good, that bring you moments of peace and momentary happiness, but which actually "war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11).  Instead of healing, you'll be compelled to endure more heartbreak and yearning and distance from God.  That is Satan's plan.  He wants your soul.  He works endlessly to damage you more every day.

Another issue with the human heart is that your mouth speaks what's inside your heart (Matthew 12:13).  What comes from your mouth mixed with faith becomes reality.  That's good news and bad news (if your faith in God is not robust).  Because of this, it is vital to maintain your heart in right condition so you don't end up snared by your own words.

What lies within your heart has other effects.  The negative things in your heart and their resulting actions will limit you from receiving freedom, gifts and blessings that God has for you and will also keep you from transferring them to others.

Anything that is beneficial and anything that is evil that exists in your life will (to one degree of another) manifest in results - logical results based on spiritual laws and the principals in operation within the spirit world.  Your heart is an integral part of what is in your life.  Your thoughts, beliefs and actions serve to open and/or close spiritual doors and windows, for good or evil in your life, in the lives of others, and to those under you authority.  The results are often difficult to predict.

Always do the best you can.  Spend time diligently filling your heart with the Word of God and the teachings based on it; don't let them depart from your eyes or heart (Proverbs 4:20-22).  Spend time in the morning reading the Bible and praying, then listen to Christian music to resist evil and realize that you do not have to do the ungodly things that flash through your mind like litter in a hurricane.  If you think you HAVE to do something ungodly, your heart is beguiled by Satan.  In some ways, the beginning of deliverance is realizing that you don't HAVE to do the tawdry things your heart craves.  Even if you're addicted to something or someone, you do not have to indulge; but you do have to be treated for your addiction to see this truth and regain the power and authority to abandon the practice.

So, beware of what is in your heart.  The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:3 that there is madness in it.  Ask God to help you with it, to fill it with Himself and to heal it.