Page 14 - praiseandthanks

God is sovereign and could certainly cut across our thought

patterns and attitudes and work quick miracles, as Carruthers
puts it, but His perfect plan is to bring each of us into a deep

communion with Him, which means allowing circumstances,

incidents that will bring our wrong attitudes to our attention.
This last sentence is supremely important.

Praise is therefore an act of obedience to the call of the

situation. Maybe because of our attitudes which can hinder the

resolution of a problem we are to endure the consequences, as
for example, the effects of our self righteousness, our telling

God what is best, our blind pride, criticism of others – especially
of doctors and other such advisors. We may even be full of

hatred and unforgiveness, all of which lead nowhere but slow

down the healing or the resolution of the problem. So, what
about a shady past? Some really bad things that we have

done? God is able to use our past sins, foolish mistakes and

failures when we release them to Him in praise and thanks.
Nothing, I repeat, nothing, need stand in the way of praise.

Praise turns everything to our advantage.

Coming back now to those grave health problems and such
like.

Praising God for these things can bring the devil’s attacks. The

situation is becoming worse. Our health is deteriorating, we are

just so thin, doctors are gloomy. People are becoming cross
with us over praise. They are discouraged that God is involved

at all, much less ultimately in charge. Others refuse to praise

God for such things at all saying it’s absurd. For example , the
many things in our world today that show the fingerprints of the

evil one, so many things against nature itself. We are not to be

broken by them but as I keep saying we must look past them to
the God of True Compassion and Healing. We are to spend our

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