PSALM 34:1-2 4/13/2021*

 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord…”
 
What if we did that?...
 
What if we were continually praising God?... Instead of self-centeredness, or pride, or disrespect toward others…what if our mouths (and our keyboards) only praised God and lifted up His creation?
 
Think about that for a moment. What would your day look like if you spent it intentionally worshiping God?...
 
You can do that…it is your decision. But this is not a self-help verse about positive thinking - it is a statement about a changed world view that recognizes that God is in complete control.
 
The second point rings just as true – What if I only boasted about God?  What if my confidence and anxiety levels were not based on my circumstances - but on God’s power? How would my attitude change if I trusted all things to God’s control and depended on His authority?
 
I challenge you to see how long you can go today fixated on God’s blessings.  See how deep into the day you can get without a word of negativity.  Attempt to live an entire day without saying something derogatory about someone else and see what happens….
 
We all live in the same world - but your perception of it is based on the emissions of your heart.  Your experience is impacted by the attitude you carry around with you.
 
David, in this psalm, does not leave that to chance.
 
He doesn’t wait to see how he is treated at work today - or whether or not someone cuts him off on the freeway. He simply decides to contemplate the many blessings God has given him and intentionally live in a state of praise. Concentrating on God’s omnipotence instead of his own circumstances is what defines his experience.
 
Have you considered the power you wield with just your own thoughts? …Have you contemplated the effectiveness of your praises, or the destructiveness of your criticisms?
 
Your choices will determine how today goes…The psalmist says “I will bless the Lord” …what do you say?
 
“You can't blame things for being dark if the light bulbs aren't working… we're complaining about the darkness when the bulbs aren't working, and the Bible says that we are the light of the world.”
- Tony Evans