PSALM 34:1-4 – “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!  I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

THEME OF THE DAY: THE WEAPON OF PRAISE.   Do we see praise as a weapon in the spiritual warfare God calls us to fight each day on the path to heaven?  Probably not, which means we have a shortsighted view of praise.  More than likely, we immediately think of the spiritual armor as outlined by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians . . .

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Yes, the Ephesian passage is vital and should be memorized, meditated upon, and applied in the Christian life daily. However, praise is also a weapon, and it is primarily a weapon to defeat our greatest foe – the person we greet in the morning in the mirror.   And that person in the mirror?  He or she wants all of life to revolve around self.  Even as Christians, our daily battle is to live as the Apostle Paul did.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The primary way to defeat the foe of self is to get our minds and hearts off of self and fix them consistently upon the Lord Jesus.  Here is where praise comes into the picture.  In today’s scripture, pay attention to two things the Psalmist does.

First, he commits to blessing the Lord “at all times”.  To bless the Lord is an element of praise.  It is an exercise of the heart seeking to bring pleasure to Him.  Imagine that. We can bless the Lord, but it requires getting the person in the mirror out of the way.  The Psalmist begins with a focus on blessing the Lord and that regardless of his circumstances.  Remember we live for the Lord’s good pleasure and that includes blessing Him.

The other thing the Psalmist does is praise the Lord. Again, draw your attention to when.  It isn’t on a Sunday morning.  He proclaims, “his praise shall be continually in my mouth”.  The important application of this is not difficult to state. Granted difficult to live but not understand. If we are consumed with Christ, then we cannot be consumed with self.  When Christ begins to take center stage in our lives, the natural response is praise continually. How can it not be?  We see His beauty. We taste of His goodness.  We marvel over His grace. We are in awe of His love.  There is so much of Christ the Christ-centered person discovers that not only thrills the heart but dethrones self in the heart, and praise flows for such a Lord.

So, praise is a powerful weapon.  Let’s use it daily and do so we will as we draw near to Christ.

PRAYER: Father, may my life be one of constant praise and get myself out of the way as life is intended to be.

REFLECTION: Praise is not only our duty and privilege but a powerful force against the sin of selfishness.