Monday, June 4, 2012

Preparing your praise report...

I was lying in bed last night thinking of all sorts of crazy things. The biggest roadblock to many nights of great sleep is my ever wandering mind. It's so hard to just get it to stop.
However, last night all my thoughts were filled with good stuff. Things I was thankful for, people I admired, wishes for my girls' futures, what I hope my spirit shows others in my daily walk and other things. I thought about how blessed I am and how God will bless us in our futures.
We had a guest speaker at church last night who's message is certainly what spurred this thought process. He spoke about claiming healing and blessings in our lives and thanking and praising now for what's to come. It brought me back to an experience I had with God and I'd love to share it with you.
About 6 years ago, my mom, after her own mom experienced breast cancer, found lumps in her breast and was going to be having a procedure to remove them and check for cancer. I was terrified. My grandmother had a double mastectomy, lost all her hair and the thought of my mom going through the same thing was scary. I can't even imagine how she felt.
The night before her procedure, I couldn't sleep. Again, I was eyes wide open because my mind was going a million miles a minute. What happens if it is cancer? What if she has to have chemo? How will my brother and sister feel? How will she feel? What will I be able to do to help? Question after question after question. I sat there crying from fear. Then, I started to pray.
It was then that I experienced what I think was my first real hearing of God's voice. It was clear as day. It was sweet, calming, full of peace. At first, it was for me to just be silent. So I did. I sat and waited. Then, in that same sweet clear voice He said, 'Prepare your praise report!'
Prepare your praise report. Yep. That's what He said and in that moment, I understood exactly what He meant. It was written on my heart and has been ever since. Instead of sitting there worrying in fear about 'what ifs', He simply wanted me to to prepare the praise report that I would be sharing with everyone I knew when everything turned out okay. And that's exactly what I did. I prepared my praise report.
A few days later, the test results were in and the masses were benign and you'd better believe that the next Sunday I popped myself right up and delivered the already prepared report of praise! God was good, is good and my mom would be alright.
Since that time, I've shared this with others who are going through a struggle or are waiting for their blessing to come. We already have victory people! It's already been paid for, it is already ours. We just have to claim it, believe it and prepare that praise report for WHEN it comes, not IF it comes. That is the truest definition of faith in God's will for you.
So, as I laid in bed going through all those thoughts last night, I made a list of 'praise report preparations' that I will thank God for each and every night and then again after the come to fruition. Some are short term desires and some are long term (like my children's own desire to love and follow God and them finding spouses who love Him as they do).
I want to encourage you to do the same. Thank God now and prepare praise for what you don't see. Thank God now and prepare praise for the desires of your heart and their own coming to life. Thank God now for His abounding love and desire to bless YOU!

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