On High - A Devotion

Psalm 34:1-3 (NLT)
I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

I have decided that I do not want to be a famous Christian. I do not want people to boast about my faith in God. I think to be an intentional believer who truly understands the enormity of our salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ is to humble ourselves to the tremendous greatness of His Name. It is my undeserved privilege given by the Lord to boast about Him and make His Name great. I must live in exaltation of His Name. Exaltation is a powerful term ignored by the church today. We barely whisper the Name of our Redeemer as punctuation at the end of our prayer. We cry out in only in the most desperate of circumstances not to cause a big fuss or draw attention to a faith that is weak and belief that is powerless. If you feel helpless today, bound by your circumstances with the last bit of hope circling the drain, maybe it is time to stop pulling yourself up by the bootstraps which is the world’s way. Those boots were made for walking alright but not in the direction you are going. You were created to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ confidently proclaiming His Great Name on the Highway to Holiness. Your claim to fame is nothing more than that of a prisoner who has been set free. Everything good in your life is a gift from above now is the time to give credit where credit is due. Can you say with me that “I will praise the Lord at ALL times?”

Yes, I said, “ALL times” which includes when you wake up late, have nothing to wear, burn breakfast, get a late start, are cut off in traffic, get stuck behind a Sunday driver on Monday, pick the longest line at Wal-Mart, forget that your kid’s Science Fair project is due tomorrow, get an unexpected bill with an overdrawn account, not to mention when your heart is broken and your joy is stolen - can you still include these times in all times and exalt the Name of the Lord? Those who can lift up the Name of Jesus Christ above all circumstances, situations, disappointments, failures and problems will be successful in all aspects of life. His Greatness exceeds the Heavens and permeates this earth. His Power is available to all who can humble themselves to make God’s Name Famous on the earth. It’s time to go to a new level and move higher!

Psalm 148:13-14 (NLT)
Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones—the people of Israel who are close to him.

How do you properly represent a God whose Power and Presence exceeds human reasoning and logic? His Name is great all by itself but mankind has chosen to ignore the One who rules and reigns in a vain attempt to take control of a life spiraling toward destruction in the name of self-control. If I have the acceptance, approval and affirmation of humanity and become famous for one reason or another with great influence, I still will never compare to even the darkest corner of His Glory or Greatness. People somehow have forgotten just how huge and expansive the Lord is so it is the responsibility and profound privilege of true believers to share the Good News with the world. Rahab was a prostitute clearly outside the Law of God yet when she encountered the spies sent to the Promise Land. Despite her circumstances, she knew the Name of God and His Power by the testimony of all that He had done for His People. She knew “the Lord is supreme God of Heavens above and the earth below.” (Joshua 2:8-14) Rahab was just looking to tap into His Power but like many nonbelievers had no idea how to do it. The praise of God’s People had made His Name great in the land. His Strength, Power, Love and Faithfulness were expanded on the earth by the testimony of others. This leaves the question, “Does my praise point to a God of such massive proportion? What have I done to make the Name of the Lord famous on the earth?

Exaltation is power-packed that moves us closer to God by faith that is evident in confident hope. Such a distinction has the power to elevate. It will raise rank, honor, power, character or quality of the one who is speaking, living and believing in the Majesty and Glory of God. Exaltation stimulates interest in the One who is lifted up and will draw others who are searching to the solution of every problem they will ever have. Curiosity is stirred by mere conversation of the possibility of miracles and potential for such things to occur. Those who desire to boast in the Lord can intensify His Influence on the earth simply by choosing to live in constant praise and good report by faith in the Name of Jesus. Are you that person?

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (NLT)
Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I say! Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD; how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

Our perception of God influences our ability to praise the Lord. Without faith, there is no hope. Without hope, there is only despair. We know that we walk by faith not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.(Romans 10:17) Until we decide to know the God of the Universe up close and personally through salvation under the instruction of His Word and guidance by His Spirit that allows faith to be harvested in our heart and mind, no one will ever be able to fully exalt the Lord’s Name or proclaim its greatness because we do not believe. If I try a product and it works, I tell everyone. If I find a great coupon, I share it. But say I have a poor experience in a restaurant maybe the food is bad as well as the service, I am not going to recommend it to anyone. In fact, I may even discourage others to go by my testimony. What you believe about God to be true greatly impacts your ability to properly praise Him! It is important to know all the attributes of the One you serve and relay His Greatness to others. If you cannot share His Goodness, Grace and Mercy with others, than it is a strong possibility that you do not believe in these things yourself. God is a Great God. He is Big! He is Powerful! He is Everywhere All the Time. He is Glorious and worthy of ALL praise.

EVERYTHING HE DOES IS JUST AND FAIR. This is a huge stumbling block for believers who go through trials. In the midst of the fire of refinement, it is a hard time to believe that God is working out every detail to perfection so they abandon the process. Worse than that grumbling and complaining kill every seed of faith with doubt and fear until there is no harvest left. God is just and upright! Thanks to Jesus Christ these qualities have been extended to all humanity! Will you accept this challenge to live on high? Will you decide to make His Name Famous in your life?

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NLT)
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.”

If the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, then it is His Anointing and I am empowered to bring good news to the poor, comfort the brokenhearted, set captives and prisoners free. I can tell those who are mourning the time of His Favor has come with great confidence. He is angry with the enemy for the way you have been treated. He has a crown of beauty for ashes, joyous blessing for your mourning, and festive praise in exchange for your despair. It is released by your praise and exaltation laced with confident hope. Such worship elevates us to where God is into a place of receivership by faith. Without hope born of faith, Jesus has nothing to offer you. Who would extend hands never to be filled? Who would risk emotion on one who does not love? Who would risk rejection in the Presence of such Love? I need these things from the Lord today. I have nothing to lose. Do you? What is so great in your life that it is more powerful, influential and beneficial than God’s Favor? There is nothing greater than God and no name with more power than the Name of Jesus Christ. It has the power to exchange any earthly condition for eternal hope when we put our faith in God completely and exalt His Name above EVERYTHING else.

Isaiah 40:26-31 (NLT)
Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

How BIG is your God? To only see the Lord as God of Heaven with no power on the earth is to limit one’s access to the Kingdom of God and all that it offers those who believe. By faith, we expand our life to accept all of God rather than limiting Him to the parameters of our life. When asked by the Lord, “who do you say that I am?” Peter knew the answer not because of his witness on earth but the Identification of God’s Spirit that Jesus was “the Christ, Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16-19) So Jesus told Peter, he would be the “rock” on which the church was built and he would receive the “keys to the kingdom”. Now nothing would be impossible because Peter believed. Peter was not perfect in this revelation. But Peter became properly positioned. What good are keys if you do not plan to open something with them? From time to time, I must go through my key ring and remove old useless keys maybe to a former residence or those I have for unknown reasons because they are of no use any longer. We must evaluate our life and stop trying every other key on the ring and go for the Keys to His Kingdom! If I don’t believe God is big enough to protect me, or smart enough to solve my problems, then it would be a waste of time. But if I do not believe in the Power of God and develop confident hope in His Potential, Power and Love, I will trust Him! With this new knowledge comes Strength and Power from God, then I will soar high on wings like eagles far above the temporary trials of this life. I will run and not grow weary. I will walk and not be faint. But not if I cannot get past my doubt to His Glory! God’s Power is great and His Strength incomparable. To know God requires understanding and knowledge of who He is and what He is capable of. To believe it enough to live in it is wisdom. To share it is confidence that leads to every promise that He has made! It is a high like no other!

Exodus 15:1-3 (NLT)
Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD,
for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—
my father’s God, and I will exalt him! The LORD is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!

What is your song today? Does it sound the same as yesterday? Is it a happy song? What you say has the power to change your position in life. There is life and death in the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) Words can lift you up or drag you down. It is totally up to you. Words that hold no truth have no future. Only the Word was here from the beginning and remains to the end. Without an attachment to His Word by faith, your words will never lift you up. Optimism without faith is futile. Say this with me, “This is my God and I will praise Him! My Father is God and I will exalt Him!” You have just made a powerful statement that can change your position in life if you are willing to build upon such faith and go higher!

2 Samuel 22:46-50 (NLT)
The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!

Lift up the Name of Jesus today high above every circumstance, situation and problem you are facing. Let the Light of His Amazing Love permeate the crevices of fear and doubt. Silence the voice of betrayal that is grumbling and complaining replace it with words of affirmation and acceptance born of faith, hope and love for the Father. Confidence comes only in faith and hope is the harvest of praise in the midst of problems which is called perseverance. You have the keys to His Kingdom. Nothing can hold you back unless you allow it. Make the conscious decision that this IS the Day of the Lord’s Design – you will find Him in it and praise Him! It is on this high that you will find His Salvation and Success. Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord making His Name Great and boasting only of His Power and Love. The Lord God shines in the midst of exaltation and His Favor falls on those who choose to lift Him up above selfish pride, personal goals and agendas. Even when your praise is sacrificial, as you feel the pressure of each trials, it is with His Joy that He will sustain you and fill by falling into His Presence with an offering of thanksgiving and resounding elevation of the One who loved you first, loves you most and gave His Life so you could love Him rightly, too!

Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT)
The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The greatest form of praise begins in the place where we say, “Less of me and more of you God!” (John 3:30) The story of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18 describes the scenario the best. Salvation does not make you greater. It makes you weaker by accepting His Power to save over our inability to save ourselves. There is no place to go from here but up! God will move you higher than you can ever take yourself in the humility of praise, adoration and worship not with words but your whole life! It is my personal goal to make the Name of Jesus known. I will boast in His Word, His Way and His Will. I will accept nothing less than that which is found in His Kingdom and will use my keys to access it! I will praise the Lord! I will boast only in His Name! I will tell of His Greatness! I will live on high!

Psalm 57:5 (NLT)
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.