The Breath Of Love

LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE HIM IN THE SANCTUARY AND THE HEAVENS, FOR HIS EXCELLENT GREATNESS!

PRAISE HIM WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, WITH SHOUTS OF JOY AND DANCING. LET EVERYTHING THAT LIVES AND HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD. WHAT A HONOR IT IS TO DO THIS EVERY DAY!

WORSHIPPING GOD WITH OUR PRAISE! PRAISE IS TO BE OFFERED IN RECOGNITION OF GOD’S INHERENT POWER AND FOR HIS ABSOLUTE AND UNQUESTIONABLE ALMIGHTINESS.

WE PRAISE HIM BECAUSE WE KNOW FOR SURE THAT OUR GOD IS MIGHTIER THAN THE MIGHTIEST. OURS IS THE VERY GOD AGAINST WHICH THE GATES OF HELL CANNOT PREVAIL.

HE IS TO BE PRAISED THROUGH EVERY ASPECT OF OUR BEING. THIS IS WHY WE CALL OUT, “LET EVERYTHING THAT LIVES AND HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!”

PRAISE IS DERIVED FROM THE LATIN WORD THAT MEANS "TO PRIZE." THIS MEANS THAT OUR PRAISE IS TO BE AN EXPRESSION OF OUR APPROVAL AND AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S WORTH TO US.

TO PRAISE IS TO PRIZE AND TO GLORIFY ALMIGHTY GOD OUR FATHER WHO IS THE ONLY ONE WORTHY OF THAT KIND OF GLORY AND HONOR. OUR GOD WHO IS OF INFINITE VALUE AND GLORY IS THE ONLY ONE DUE OUR INFINITE HONOR AND OUR INFINITE PRAISE.

PRAISE IS THE LOGICAL EXPRESSION OF BOTH HEAD AND HEART AS THEY MERGE IN WORSHIP. WE ARE TO GLORIFY GOD IN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS, AND NOT WITH JUST OUR MERE PRESENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, JUST COMING TO CHURCH ISN’T ENOUGH.

WORSHIPPING WITH ALL OUR HEARTS AND MINDS IS THE LOGIC OF PRAISE AND THE EXPECTATION OF OUR EVERY DAY LIVES. LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS LIFE AND BREATH PRAISE THE LORD.

THAT WHICH HAS LIFE, HAS BREATH. SO WITH THAT LIFE COMES THE BREATH WHICH PRAISES THE LORD AND WORSHIPS ALMIGHTY GOD. WORSHIPPING GOD WITH OUR VERY BREATH!

THINK ABOUT WHAT BREATH REALLY IS! GENESIS 2:7, “THE LORD GOD FORMED THE MAN FROM THE DUST OF THE GROUND AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE, AND THE MAN BECAME A LIVING BEING.” BREATH IS LIFE!

GOD GIVES US LIFE AND HE GIVES IT TO US ABUNDANTLYL. HE PERSONALLY BREATHED IT INTO US. THIS MEANS THAT IT SHOULD BE FLOWING OUT OF OUR LUNGS, OUT OF OUR NOSTRILS AND “UPWARDS” BACK TOWARDS GOD.

“HOW” WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD IS THAT “BREATH” WE BREATHE TOWARDS GOD TO SHOW HIM HOW DEEP OUR LOVE IS FOR ALL HE HAS DONE TO PROVE HIS LOVE AND OFFER US REDEMPTION.

THE VERY BREATH IN YOUR LUNGS WAS PUT THERE ON PURPOSE BY GOD IN ORDER TO LOVE, WORSHIP AND PRAISE HIM WITH YOUR LIFE.

HE FASHIONED YOU WITH THE ABILITY TO FOCUS YOUR SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL ENERGIES INTO A DEVOTION TO GOD. YOU HAVE BEEN DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY BY GOD TO WORSHIP HIM.

ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES WE HAVE TO MODEL IS KING DAVID. DAVID WAS KNOWN FOR HIS DEVOTION TO GOD THROUGH THE WAY HE WORSHIPPED GOD WITH ALL HIS BEING.

NO MATTER WHAT FORM OF WORSHIP HE CHOSE WHETHER IT WAS IN THE FORM OF SONG, DANCE OR PRAYER, OR EVEN A COMBINATION OF ALL, THE BASIC COMPONENT TO HIS WORSHIP WAS PRAISE! PRAISING GOD WITH EVERY ASPECT OF HIS BEING!

SO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT “PRAISE” WE MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET IT CONFUSED WITH THE WORD “THANKSGIVING.” PRAISE IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THAT!

“THANKSGIVING” IS THE ACT OF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU! PRAISE IS GLORIFYING GOD FOR HIS CHARACTER, HIS BEING, HIS ATTRIBUTES AND FOR JUST WHO HE IS: GOD! GOD WANTS BOTH PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING AND HE WANTS IT WITH ALL THE SINCERITY OF YOUR HEART!

SO, WHETHER IT IS PRAISING, GIVING THANKS, SINGING, PRAYING, OR GIVING FINANCIALLY, THE ISSUE IS ONE OF MOTIVATION AND SINCERITY OF HEART. LET EVERYTHING THAT LIVES AND HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!

IF YOU WILL SIMPLY PREPARE YOURSELF TO WORSHIP GOD AND APPROACH HIM IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, YOU WILL BEGIN TO FEEL AN EXCITEMENT. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WILL DEEPEN AND YOUR SENSE OF SELF-WORTH WILL INCREASE.

BRINGING GLORY TO GOD IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES OF REFRESHMENT OF YOUR OWN SPIRIT…THAT’S THE WAY GOD DESIGNED IT TO BE AND IT IS THE WAY IT WILL BE FOR ALL ETERNITY IN HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM!

IF YOU WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY OPEN YOUR HEART TO THIS PRACTICE OF PRAISE AND START ALLOWING THE BREATH FROM YOUR LUNGS TO SING PRAISES TO GOD, I’M SURE YOU WILL EXPERIENCE A SATISFACTION WITHIN YOUR SOUL THAT YOU’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.

YOU’LL SENSE THE DEEPEST INTIMACY WITH YOUR SAVIOR THAT WILL IGNITE YOUR HEART WITH THE WARMTH OF LOVE UNLIKE EVER BEFORE.

THE BREATH YOU BREATHE WILL BE THE SWEETEST SMELLING SAVOR IN THE NOSTRILS OF ALMIGHTY GOD. LET WORSHIP AND PRAISE BURN WITH SINCERITY FROM THE ALTAR OF YOUR SOUL.