praise

A Forgotten Weapon for Believers

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Person standing on mountain top with arms raised toward sunrise and text Praise to God is a weapon
Image generated via AI.

When you’re up against a struggle, that shatters all your dreams
And your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fear
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in seem to disappear

Praise the Lord, He will work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him

Now, Satan is a liar, and he wants to make us think
That we are paupers, when he knows himself, we’re children of the King
So lift up the mighty shield of faith, for the battle must be won
We know that Jesus Christ has risen, and the work’s already done

Praise the Lord, He will work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him

When you praise God, things begin to happen. Consider 2 Chronicles 20:22. In this passage, Jehoshaphat was facing a great army, and instead of leading his troops into battle, he appointed singers to go out ahead of the army, praising God. And yes, they won the battle.

When “life” happens, you might feel scared, worried, or fearful. Often, your first thought isn’t to praise God. You might eventually think to pray, after your emotions calm down, but to give God praise seems awkward, weird, or unnatural many times. Praise, if anything, affects your heart. It can calm you down and turn your attention to the One, perhaps the only one, who can actually change the circumstances. Praise is a powerful tool or weapon we who believe in God forget about, unfortunately. But now that you know, try it.

“Praise the Lord” song by Russ Taft

Copyright © 2026 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Sensing Jesus – Mouth

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Image by Giulia Marotta from Pixabay

“For as often as you eat this cup and drink this bread,” said the senior pastor as he was leading us in the monthly ritual of communion. I was 21, a youth pastor, standing on his left, and I had to stare at the floor to keep from laughing.

Jesus made reference that we should drink his blood that was poured out when He died on the cross. And partake of his body, which was broken for us. Now, He did not mean this literally, of course, but suggesting that we take him in and remember what He did on the cross that provided salvation for us and the forgiveness of sin.

The mouth is not only for taking communion, but it can serve as a means to share God’s love through verbal speech. It’s sad when it happens, but it can also tear someone down.

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Prov. 18:21 (MSG)

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Jam. 3:10 (NIV)

The mouth is an integral part of the body. With it, you can praise and worship God or read his word out loud to yourself or others. You can encourage someone with words spoken over them. Jesus used his mouth to speak of loving God first and then your neighbor. He used his mouth to invite people to accept him.

This Christmas season, sense Jesus. Get quiet somewhere and take him in. Speak the words He spoke. Invite others to accept Jesus. Encourage people with loving words. Use your mouth for good and not hurt or hate. Use it to give praise and worship to Father God. Thank him for his Son, for his blessings. Spread joy throughout this season of giving.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

The Greatest Lover

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1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever. Ps. 100 (MSG)

There is no freedom like knowing God and who you are in Him. God continues to show his faithfulness to April and I, his children. We have surrendered our entire lives unto him. We trust him. There truly is no other way to live life. He is our provider. Our healer. Our friend. Our guide through life and the greatest lover of all time. He protects us. He is gracious with gifts, earthly and spiritual.

He delights in partnering with us to do his will and his good pleasure. He surprises us all the time, and He is such a generous giver. He even gave his only son, Jesus, to die for us to forgive us of our sins. There is no greater love than that.

If you don’t know him, I must ask, “Why not?” Give up trying to live life your way. If you were honest with yourself, you would have to admit it isn’t working. Accept Jesus into your life now and begin today living life the way God intended it all along.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

The Power of Praise

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Okay.  I’m going to go all Steven Furtick on ya now:
You think you are all ALONE, but God is right there with you!
You believe the lie that your MARRIAGE is over, but God says, “Commit it to me!
”You think your JOB is going nowhere, but God wants to show you why you are there!
You were promised a PALACE, but you are in a PIT, God says, “Its part of the journey!”

Yes, LIVING is hard, but God is greater!
Yes HEAVEN seems so far away, but it is closer than you think!
One way to overcome life is through the power of praise.  It works.  It lifts your spirit, it strengthens your faith.  Whether you simply praise God with just words, or if you add music.

From the song, “Praise Him”
Let praise be a weapon that conquers all anxiety
We sing your name in the dark and it changes everything
Let it rise, let praise arise.
We’ll watch the giants fall

Fear cannot survive when we praise You
The God of breakthrough’s on our side
Forever lift Him high
With all creation cry,
God we praise You

Oh, we praise You, oh

Let faith be the song that overcomes the raging sea
Let faith be the song that calms the storm inside of me
Let it rise, let praise arise

This is what living looks like
This is what heaven sounds like
We praise You, we praise You

Try praising God despite what you see, or hear in the natural.  Then witness the power that comes with it, or through it, for yourself.  You will be glad you did.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Looking For Jesus (Part 5)

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The shepherds.  The evening started as normal as any other.  The shepherds had done their duty of setting their night watches over their sheep.  Then, out of nowhere, an angel stood among them, and said, “Don’t be afraid.  I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 (MSG)

Soon after, they no doubt, took a selfie of them with the angel to post on Biblebook, then decided to go over to Bethlehem as quick as they could to see for themselves what God had revealed to them.  Sure enough, seeing was believing, and they told everyone what the angel had said to them.

They left looking for Jesus.  Not believing, at first, what God had revealed to them, but after seeing Jesus they praised and worshipped him.

There are several truths here:

  1. God shows up with good news when least expected.  On the normal days.
  2. God can show up when you are going about your regular duties.
  3. There are times when his presence will catch you off guard.  When you are not looking for Him.
  4. God will use the least expected to do his work.
  5. Jesus’ birth was meant for everybody, worldwide.
  6. Some people have to see Jesus to believe, but it was still faith that got the shepherds to go to Bethlehem in the first place.

And the greatest truth in this post:

All, everyone, even you, will praise and worship Jesus when he is seen.  In that moment, everything you or they have heard, all their life, about God, and his son Jesus will be confirmed.

In everyday life, do what you need to do, but always be looking for Jesus to show up, to give you a message, forgiveness, an answer to prayer, or a gift.  And most important, be willing to share what Jesus gives you with others.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Because He Is

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Charlie 12God, I worship you, and praise your name, because you are:

Love

Patient

Kind

Merciful

Good

Long Suffering

Forgiving

Creative

You Want the Best for Me

You Endure

You Never Fail

Worthy

Deserving

God

Father God, it’s my privilege to know you, love you back, and worship your Holy name.  I can’t even begin to fathom where I would be in life without you, God.  Possibly, I would have everything the world says I should in order to claim a successful, rich, and happy life, but I know without you, I would be bankrupt!  I would have nothing.  Thank you, God, for everything that matters.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Life Changing Love

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Charlie 1.pngThere is this unbelievable feeling when you are in love with someone. You think about them all the time.  You can’t wait to see, talk, or be with them again.  There is nothing else that feels the same way.  This is how I feel about my wife.  Ok, I know some of you, who know us, will say, “Yeah, but you two have only been married 7 months!”  This may be true, but you see I have purposed in my heart to never fall “out” of love with her.  I have this desire to forever find another way, to make her feel loved.

Which is a nice segue into my second point.  A greater feeling than loving someone else is knowing that you are loved by them.  Again, I have to point to my wife.  She is so understanding, patient, and forgiving.  Knowing I am loved by her will cause me to smile for no particular reason.

But even greater than her love, is God’s love.  His love is perfect, and again I will smile when I sense his love come over me in waves.  Not because He just did something for me, but because I am his child.  God can’t help but love us because, after all, He is love. (1 John 4:8)

Ways to experience this kind of love:

  1. This kind of love is recognized when you spend time with God.
  2. This kind of love is known after spending time reading the Bible, and learning how He has loved others.
  3. This kind of love is solidified by loving God back. You do that by praising him, and worshipping him.  When you are confident, knowing how much God loves you, nothing that happens to you in life can threaten your relationship with God.

Be love to others:

In the current condition of our world, we, who know, have, and trust in God’s love need more now than ever to share that kind of love with others, who may be lost, confused, or scared.  God’s love through you, might just be the very thing that saves their life now and for eternity!

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Devoted to Devotions?

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Charlie 70How many times have you beat yourself up for not doing your devotions?  Me?  I used to constantly be black and blue!  I didn’t like it.  Am I not serious about serving God?  I used to ask myself.  I wanted to make God happy with me, so why did I constantly feel as though I was disappointing him?

It took a while, okay years, but one day I realized being devoted to devotions was not the same as being devoted to God.  I begin to walk in freedom, because now I was devoted to God, and I knew I could talk to him anytime I wanted to.  I could worship, read his word, and praise him throughout the entire day, and not just at a particular time of day.  There may be those that like having a set time each day, but that didn’t work for me.  Some people, I’m afraid, do their devotions, but then forget what they read or said to God as soon as they are done.  They experienced time gone by, but fail to experience God.

Just like I can’t make you mad, I can’t make God have an emotional response to me as well.  We choose our reactions to others and God chooses his reactions to us.  I’m sure it’s an easy choice for him though when we talk to him and are mindful of him all day long.  God, no doubt, wants to hang out with his children and listen to them, and have them listen to him.  God has a lot to say.

“Therefore, your hearts are to be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as [you are doing] today.”  (1 Kings 8:61 AMP)

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Satan Spray

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

satan sprayThe other day someone said something that irked me to no end!  Even several hours later I was still upset.  Then I realized, Satan was using what was said to hurt me.  I decided to get out my “Satan Spray”.  I started singing songs of praise and worship.  Next thing I knew, he was gone.  I guess he doesn’t like hearing songs that lift up the name of Jesus.  Either that, or he doesn’t know the words.

Jam 4:7   So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. (AMP)

Keep in mind Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.  YOU!  He will use anyone, at any time, to bring harm to you, God’s own creation.  The contents of your “Satan Spray” could include quoting scriptures, prayer, listening to a sermon, etc.  The key to “Satan Spray” is this:  Use often, and don’t use it sparingly, because Jesus purchased enough through His death and resurrection to last for eternity.

 Copyright © 2017 Mark Brady, All rights reserved

 

Love, Laughter, God, and 赞美上帝

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Over the last two years I have gotten to know several Chinese people.  One of these I had started dating.  Her English was not that good when we first started getting to know each other, and my Mandarin, well forget it.   We used our smart phones back then to translate a lot of our conversations, but three things didn’t need any translating.  Those three things were love, laughter and God.

Today I went to a Chinese church to support a friend who wants to find a church community to belong to.  I only understood four Chinese words spoken.  During the worship part of the service though I knew the songs because I recognized the music.  Then it hit me; when we the body of Christ get to heaven and we sing praise052012_47.6s to God every believer will sing in their native tongue, but collectively it will become a beautiful melody instead of being a chaotic mess.  So I would have to add one more to the list of things not requiring translating: praise to God.