"Praising God no matter how bad things might feel, or seem to be, is what is known as a 'sacrifice' of PRAISE." --Keith, Brenda, and the TTM Team
Why is a sacrifice of praise so pleasing to God?
For the person who feels no desire to be praising God, a sacrifice of praise is just what it sounds like. The person chooses to offer up thanksgiving to God, even while going through something unpleasant, some refining pain, and/or the fire of a trial in their life. No matter how much of a struggle and resistance the person is facing, they surrender it to God by giving Him thanks anyway.
Psalm 107:22, "And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing."
So what is the best thing to do to make sure my praise is able to make God happy? We have to do it God's way! The answers, to how He makes the way, can only be obtained from The Person of The Holy Spirit; Ask Him to explain God's Word to you and watch what happens!
Hebrews 13:15, "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name."
If you have not invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, right there where you are, pray this in communication with God, "Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as those that I am not even aware of. I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, I pray, Amen." And AMEN!!!
WELCOME HOME!
If you have just prayed this prayer, we want to congratulate you for making the greatest decision that you'll ever make! By accepting Jesus Christ, or rededicating your life to Him, as your personal Lord and Savior, you have begun the wonder-full process of being grafted into the family of God, and we welcome you "Home" to God's Family. We would also like to invite you to contact us so that we can send you information that will help you begin growing in your relationship and daily walk with God. We would encourage you to begin attending a Holy-Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.
We advise you to begin reading The Holy Bible daily, whether you understand it or not. Always remember, God's written Word in The Holy Bible is like no other book that has ever been written! When we rendezvous with The Person of The Holy Spirit as we read what God has written there, it becomes stored in our heart for The Holy Spirit to access it to bring to our remembrance. You will find that the Scriptures will become applicable to whatever you are going through, at any given time!
There are wonderful Bible teachers on television and on the radio that can, especially early in your walk with God, help you to begin receiving good teaching, and encouragement, right away. Although very informative, these programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. At times, the transformation process that you have now begun will be difficult, and you will be tempted to go back to your old ways of living your old life. It will be during times like these that hanging out with strong Christian friends and mentors will be crucially important. There really IS strength in numbers!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to be among the first to welcome you into the Family of God... right where you "belong", now and always! (Selah)
And, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN... learnin', and growin' w-i-t-h our Lord and Savior. You might consider using Keith and Brenda Shealy's book XII SMOOTH STONES, the special collection of 12 life-changing teaching titles:
No Matter What!
|
The Magnetic Mantle or Why Cats... Have Kitties;
|
Fire, Pressure, and Them Slithery... Snakes
|
The Ultimate Home Gym
|
Vampires In The Church
|
STOP...
|
The Great Deception
|
The Invisible Man
|
God Is So Much Bigger Than You Think!
|
Die Empty!
|
Building Godly Friendships
|
The Secret To A Happy Life
|
This collection of twelve teachings,when taken to heart,
will help you emerge triumphant over seemingly impossible situations...
"XII Smooth Stones"
available at
TowardTheMark online.
We pray God uses this message, and all of our resources, to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full Ways, and His Plan and Purpose for you in this life. If you have any questions about our work, or if you would like to make a special tax-deductible donation, place a special order for any of our books, magazines, or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please e-mail us. Also feel free to write a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
May God bless you greatly as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by their faithful prayer and monthly financial support!
Your friends and servants in Christ,
To Show GOD BIG in
a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.
We couldn't do
this without the help of our friends!
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are also available, for
helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
~ "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
(Podcast) Now Playing: PRESSIN' In... Secrets for Finding Your Purpose!
~ "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
(Podcast) Now Playing: PRESSIN' In... Secrets for Finding Your Purpose!
Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
"See flipcard titles"
