Part 6 (2/2)
<btt:accented>Chapter 8 Second Characteristic of Those With a Fresh Anointing
Let's look at a second characteristic of one who is constantly being filled with the Spirit.
Giving Thanks
EPHESIANS 5:20.
20 GIVING THANKS always for all things unto G.o.d and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Does the Bible admonish us to give thanks for a few things? To give thanks if it suits us? No, we are told to give thanks for all things!
This doesn't mean that we are to thank G.o.d for what the devil is doing. But in the midst of every circ.u.mstance, no matter what it is, we can thank G.o.d for His goodness. We can thank G.o.d that we have another opportunity to believe Him and trust Him. We can thank G.o.d that we have another opportunity to exercise our faith and to see His faithfulness and righteousness performed on our behalf.
Those Christians who are full of the Spirit are also full of thanksgiving and praise. They are full of song; they sing and make melody in their hearts to the Lord, and they are full of thanksgiving and praise to G.o.d.
Nowhere in the Bible do I find that G.o.d tells Christians to grumble, gripe, complain, and fuss. No! He tells them to give thanks.
”Yes, but no one ever recognizes me in the church! No 71 one thinks I'm important.” Thank G.o.d for it! ”Yes, but no one ever asks me to sing a special song.” Thank G.o.d for it! ”No one ever asks me to serve as an usher.” Thank G.o.d for it! Give thanks to G.o.d for all things! That means in every circ.u.mstance maintain a heart that is full of thanksgiving and praise to G.o.d.
Too many times folks want to be seen and heard by others. That's their motive for wanting to do things in the church - they want to be noticed. They want to sing, so folks will notice them. Maybe they can't even sing! You ought to thank G.o.d no one asked you! If you're not qualified to sing, you're liable to get embarra.s.sed and embarra.s.s everyone else too.
No one ever asks me to sing either. Of course, if anyone ever heard me sing, you'd understand why! I don't sing unless everyone else is singing and then I just do what the Bible says, I make a joyful noise! I even took voice lessons at one time, but the voice teacher said to me, ”I've been teaching voice for 39 years. I never told this to anyone else, but if I were you, I believe I'd quit trying to learn to sing.” That's about the only thing you'll ever hear me say I can't do. I just can't sing, but I can have a song in my heart and make melody unto the Lord.
”No one ever asks me to do anything!” Thank G.o.d for it! No matter what happens, maintain a thankful att.i.tude. I'm going to praise G.o.d regardless of circ.u.mstances.
I've said for a good many years that if someone told a he about me, I wouldn't even take time to deny it. I'd just say, ”Praise the Lord!” and go on down the road praising and wors.h.i.+pping G.o.d. I'm not going to let anyone or anything steal my joy. I just refuse to do it!
And I'm going to praise G.o.d whether I feel like it or not. The Bible talks about offering up the sacrifice of praise - that's part of the function of a priest and as we saw, we're all called to be priests unto our G.o.d. One thing about it, if you stay filled with the Holy Ghost, it's the easiest thing in the world to offer up a sacrifice of praise to G.o.d. Praising G.o.d becomes just automatic; it becomes a lifestyle.
If you're full of praise and thanksgiving, you're full just like a sponge when it's full of water. You press that sponge anywhere, and water comes out. It's full! Just squeeze it the least bit and water comes out. If you're full of thanksgiving, no matter what happens, thanksgiving comes out. I don't care how much pressure the devil puts on you to try to squeeze you, thanksgiving comes out. That comes with maintaining a fresh anointing in your life - be being filled with the Spirit.
Praising G.o.d Puts the Devil To Flight!
When you are born again and baptized with the Holy Spirit and you're continually praising G.o.d, that brings the anointing and puts the devil on the run! Satan won't hang around where people are praising G.o.d. The devil can't stand that!
I remember a church we pastored during World War II. There was a young man in the congregation who recounted the following story: This young man was going to Bible college to prepare for the ministry. In the summertime he would go out and preach so he would have enough money to pay his tuition in the fall. Then in the fall he would return to Bible school. One fall he was traveling back to the Bible college by bus.
The bus was crowded - it was so full of people that there was only standing room.
The bus was running late, and this young man had to make a connection and transfer to another bus. If he missed that connection, there wouldn't be another bus he could take for quite some time.
As the crowded bus he was on was approaching the bus terminal, this young man thought to himself, Oh, dear Lord, this bus is going to pull in and the other bus is going to pull out before I have time to get off and transfer. He was sitting toward the back of the bus where it was crowded and many of the people were swearing and telling vulgar jokes. Also, many people were standing up blocking the aisles, making a quick exit almost impossible.
About that time the young man saw the other bus pull into the bus station. He was the only one who had to get off at that particular stop, and he had to make a quick exit, but too many people were blocking his exit. Although he didn't mean to do it, amidst all this swearing and vulgar talk, without thinking he said out loud, ”Praise the Lord! Thank G.o.d I'm saved!” He thought to himself, Dear Lord, Did I say that out loud?
Immediately, everyone stopped talking and looked at him. Then very quickly everyone backed out of his way! That whole crowd just parted and stood back and let him get off the bus! He marched down the aisle and as he began to get off the bus, he thought to himself, Well, I've already done it anyway! I might just as well do it up right! So as he was stepping off the bus, he said loudly, ”Hallelujah, glory to G.o.d! I'm glad I'm saved!” and went out the door unhindered and transferred to the other bus before it pulled away!
That crowd reacted just like the devil does when we praise G.o.d! Once you begin praising G.o.d, the devil will shut up, step back, and get out of your way! When this young man praised G.o.d, those people on that bus didn't have anything else to say! The devil won't either because he doesn't like to hear Christians praising G.o.d!
I sometimes tell the story about an incident that happened to Rev. John Osteen and me. I was preaching in Houston, Texas, and Brother Osteen came to my meetings. After one of the meetings, Brother Osteen asked me to go to lunch with him and to stop by one of the local auto dealers.h.i.+ps so he could finalize a deal on a car.
We went into this dealers.h.i.+p and there was one automobile in particular that Brother Osteen was interested in buying. As we walked up to look at it, the manager approached us and asked us if he could help us. Brother Osteen said, ”Yes, I want to buy this car,” and he handed the manager a business card with the name of a salesman on it who had quoted him a price on that particular car.
The manager looked at that figure and started swearing. He said, ”We can't sell you this car at this price!” Brother Osteen told him that was the price he had been quoted by the salesman, and he'd come to buy that car!
The manager let out another long string of curses. This manager was a tall man, but Brother Osteen who's not so tall, got right up in his face and began saying, ”Glory! Hallelujah! Praise G.o.d! Glory to G.o.d! Praise the Lord!”
As soon as Brother Osteen did that the manager immediately stopped swearing. Brother Osteen said, ”I demand equal time! If you're going to curse Him, I'm going to praise Him!” That manager instantly changed the way he was talking and acting! After that, you'd have thought he was the most religious person in town. (Incidentally, Brother Osteen bought that car for the price that was originally quoted him!) The devil can't stand it when we praise G.o.d either! Every one of us is anointed to pray and to praise G.o.d. If you don't feel anointed when you start praying, stay in the Presence of G.o.d long enough and wait for the anointing to come. If you will offer the sacrifice of praise, that is, if you will praise G.o.d even when you don't feel like it, the anointing will come.
A Lifestyle of Praise
P.C. ”Dad” Nelson made a great impression on my life. One reason he did was because of his Baptist background. I was born and raised Baptist. Dad Nelson had been in the ministry for 32 years as a Baptist and had 12 years of higher education. At that time, he was one of the most educated men in the world. I personally heard him say that he could read and write 32 different languages. Linguistics, or languages was his major in college.
I heard Dad Nelson give this testimony. He said one of his college seminary roommates was a pastor of a First Baptist church, and he invited Dad Nelson to come and preach for him. He got there just in time for the morning service. Dad Nelson said, ”Sitting there on the platform, I said without thinking, 'Praise G.o.d!' ” He had just recently been baptized with the Holy Spirit. He had been born of the Spirit before, but he'd just recently been baptized with the Holy Spirit. When Dad Nelson said, ”Praise G.o.d!” his former roommate jumped and looked at him, because they didn't do that in the First Baptist Church.
I could relate to that because for the first 17 years of my life, I went to a First Baptist church, and I never heard anyone say ”Praise the Lord!” or ”Glory to G.o.d!” in a service. There was a time or two that some of the older men sitting over in the corner sounded like they grunted. Momma said one of them said, ”Amen” one time.
Anyway, Dad Nelson said, ”I thought nothing about it. Several different times I praised G.o.d out loud.” Then he was introduced and came to the podium and preached his sermon. After the service, he and his seminary friend went out to eat. As they were sitting there waiting for their order to come, every so often without thinking, Dad Nelson said, ”Praise the Lord!” or ”Glory to G.o.d!” or ”Hallelujah!”
Finally, his friend spoke up and said, ”I believe that's just a habit with you.” Dad Nelson said, ”What do you mean?” He didn't even know what the fellow was talking about. He wasn't conscious of the fact that he'd said anything. You see, when you get full of the Holy Spirit, giving thanks is such a way of life to you, that you are unconscious of the fact that you are doing it. It's so much a part of you, that praise and thanksgiving just come out as a natural expression to G.o.d.
Dad Nelson asked his seminary friend, ”What's just a habit with me?” ”Well, praising G.o.d all the time like you do. I believe that's just a habit with you.” ”Well,” Dad Nelson answered, ”it's a habit I never used to have before I got filled with the Holy Spirit!”
Dad Nelson not only got filled with the Holy Spirit, he maintained a constant experience of staying filled with the Holy Spirit! That's why the praises of G.o.d were continually flowing out of his mouth!
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