“Why me?” God need not ask permission. God asks, only to be trusted, relied on,confided with in your “storm.” It was in such a “storm” Peter writes and tells the people to “Bless”Him. When God “bless’s” He does good to us. When we “Bless” Him it means we “speak well of Him.We “praise” Him. In the storm, Peter turns their attention to the greatness of God, and the greatness of their salvation, and reasons to THINK Right about Him as “fuel” to feed their faith and praise. Consider reasons to THINK RIGHT about your GOD and “SPEAK WELL OF HIM”
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”-{1 PETER 1:3-9- NLT} …..
COUNT WHAT YOU are to “SPEAK WELL OF HIM FOR ” and for the GREAT SALVATION you have becuase of His GREAT MERCY , AND DELIBERATELY and PERSONALIZE AND “SPEAK WELL OF HIM”. For example …
PRACTICING PRAISE AND “SPEAKING WELL” OF GOD
“I Praise You God….
I Praise You that You are my Father and You have made me Your child
I Praise You for the LORD Jesus Christ
I Praise You for Your Great Mercy to me
I Praise You for causing me to be Born Again
I Praise You for the gift of a LIVING HOPE to me
I Praise You it is all possible through the Resurrection of the LORD Jesus..
I praise You for a Divine Inheritance, that is imperishable
I Praise You that my soul is kept, secure reserved in Heaven for me by Your Keeping Power…
I Praise You for reasons and the ability to chose to delight and praise You in trials, knowing my faith is being tested, not to devour or destroy me but to develop me and draw me close to You and to be conscious of You.
I praise You I am not ignorant in this “storm” for I know You and what You are doing and what You have given me!
I Praise You that these trials, storms, have a Divine purpose ultimately to the praise and glory of the Lord Jesus when He is revealed!!
I Praise You, that You are all knowing.. You know I love You. You Know I trust in You though I cannot see You. You Know!!
I Praise You, I know this trial is not forever but temporal and I know the ultimate end is Your rescuing, saving of my soul to be with You and I PRAISE YOU.
I CHOOSE TO “SPEAK WELL OF YOU” Because of who You are and what You have said and
I Praise You, for giving me the gift of Your Word, teaching me to read, giving me the ability to hear and to know this storm has a purpose, and You have given me Your Word to understand and to Know You better and to be REMINDED of truths concerning You, my storm, my blessings because of You and the ability to THINK RIGHT and to TRUST YOU for who You are and what YOU say and have given to me in this great salvation.
I choose to speak well of You to You and remind Others of You and what You ahve done, and given us.
THE REASONS BEHIND THE ABOVE THOUGHTS…
This morning, I awoke early, yesterday was such a difficult “storm” when I thought I would sink, and the hounds of “despair” would bring me low ,”BUT GOD…” who awakens me to His Love,this morning, has brought I Peter 1:3 to mind and as I looked I saw reasons in the “storm” to “Praise” ,”SPEAK WELL OF HIM”… and so out of the “storms” of others in a different generation God spoke to them to comfort and strengthen them and recorded His Word to be preserved and in mercy and in knowing the future and knowing one day He would bring me into existence and in a “storm” I would encounter, He who has pre-vision made provision for me and through His eternal unchanging, comforting, living Word has provided Hope and reasons to THINK RIGHT about Him and fuel for my faith, fuel for me to FOCUS upon Him, His character, His provisions for me, and you in our storms and reasons to “speak well of Him”- Bless Him, PRAISE Him.
Perhaps you can look at the reasons to praise Him above and personalize them and speak well of Him, TO Him, and To OTHERS of Him and for yourself as fuel for praise, your faith and to FOCUS RIGHT in your own “STORM.”
Perhaps you know someone in a “storm” and in kindness you can cut and paste the above and give to them as reasons of Hope and Praise for them…
My “storm’ is constant the only thing that changes is the intensity “BUT GOD…” has given Himself, His Word, His Spirit to help me to chose to focus ON HIM, His greatness and the greatness of His salvation provided to me and now… THE CHOICE… TO PRAISE, “SPEAK WELL OF HIM,” or NOT TO!… We have the capacity to… we have the power to CHOOSE…. What will you choose? Choose to speak well of Him.
As you read and meditate upon Him, look for reasons to PRAISE ,”SPEAK WELL ” OF HIM…