A Thankful Heart is an Assured Heart
When I called thankfulness a great protector, I was not kidding. Yet, it goes beyond simply shielding us. There is another direct ministry of the Holy Spirit that we experience when we are devoted to praise – assurance. A diligent effort to focus on the incomparable riches of Christ swings the door wide open for the Holy Spirit to show us even more! And when we are instructed of Him, by Him, we grow more and more confident that we are in Him. This Spirit-given confidence then propels us to speak of Him to others.
“Doubt is like a fence that keeps you right where the enemy wants you and away from the what the Lord has for you to do.”
If Satan causes you to doubt, he closes your mouth and shackles your feet. You will not speak of Christ, even to other believers. You will not go to the lost around and seek to win them with the Gospel. Doubt is like a fence that keeps you right where the enemy wants you and away from the what the Lord has for you to do. Don’t be caught in that trap. Start rehearsing the facts. Then, turn that rehearsal into thanksgiving for the truth that lies in the facts. The praise service in your prayer closet will always shew the Devil away. Don’t you remember that old hymn, Onward Christian Soliders? “Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise! Brothers, lift your voice, loud your anthems raise!” It’s true! I’ve experienced it first hand when wrestling with doubt and have heard many testify of the same.
Once the doubt flees (that’s the protection), then comes the strengthening in the form of confident assurance, if thanksgiving continues. And there’s the rub. SO many times Christians stop the discipline of being a blessing hunter when the doubt flees. How tragic! They have missed the best part, the true reward of all that time spent. This is a bad example, I’m sure, but it’s almost like the star player leading his team through a nail-biter playoff run and deciding to retire before the championship game. Watching his retirement speech, we’d all be screaming at the TV, “WHY!? This is what you worked for – this game! Who would ever quit now!?” I know, the illustration falls apart on many levels, but I really couldn’t come up with something to compare to quitting on praise. I get so frustrated with myself because I’m still growing and learning and have caught myself still doing this even after all the Lord has convinced me to be true.
