“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:1-3).

Why is it that we wait for a specific time of the year to say thanks for your service, when we should be grateful every day for the ones who put their lives on the line for us? They may not even know us, yet we matter enough to them that they would be willing to make sometimes the ultimate sacrifice. Then, I think about how Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us at Calvary. He could have called ten thousand angels (as the old hymnal goes) to come to his rescue, but he spoke not one word. The Lord mastered the art of silence. There is power in the tongue, and what we speak can come into existence when we speak it in the name of Jesus. Sometimes we use our tongue to speak doubt and hurt into another person, and even to ourselves. I admit, I have had many conversations with myself at the mirror, that did nothing more than criticize the one who was staring back.

I know that God is able to meet every need in my life. I trust him to do as he said he would do. Unfortunately, my own commitment may be lacking at times, and my desire to serve the Lord is great, but in reality, the cares of this life can block us from moving forward in victory if we do not learn to submit ourselves to his will. It’s God’s business, his finances, his provision, all his, and he generously allows us to have 90 percent, while only requiring 10%. So why can’t we trust him?

What will it take for us to put our faith and trust in a God who loves us unconditionally? I know that we have a limited view of his greatness, as we are in a fleshly body, but really, is there anything too hard for the Lord to do? It is I who puts limitations on God, but when I learn to trust him, and to not lean to my own understanding, my life takes on a whole new dimension. It is one of praise and worship. I can find peace and rest in his presence.

I know that my redeemer liveth, because I feel his presence in my very soul. Nothing can take away the love that he has for us, and if we lose our joy, it is because we have allowed it to leave us. The bible says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10: 23). If you want to keep your victory you must take a stand, and never let it go. The Israelites were to go and possess the land that was promised to them. Sometimes the Lord desires to know just how committed we are to treasure the gifts that he has given to us.

Are we haphazardly stumbling through our lives on the off chance that maybe just maybe the Lord will have mercy on us and give us a trickle of his blessings? He desires to pour his righteousness on us, but why are we so faithless as to settle for less than all that he has for us? I am his daughter, and it’s time that I remember that he loved me enough to go to Calvary willingly for me.

I am humbled that he loves us so much, that even when we didn’t deserve such love, that he would be willing to die, so that we could live with him forever. Today, I will allow my thankfulness, to overshadow my fear. Perfect love casteth out fear, even the fear of the unknown. When we go through situations that we have no control over, we can still speak his word:

“By his stripes we are healed, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:4)

Let’s not forget that we are a chosen people, and in this week’s Lattereign, I write that If no one else will, I will praise him.