Sitting
in a worship service, Alice was feeling very thankful and blessed as
she entered into the spirit of worship. She was singing and praising
the Lord with her voice and soon she felt like raising a hand in
praise to God for all He has done for her.
But
then she heard a voice telling her that people would think she was
prideful to raise her hand. You see, Alice had recently had a
manicure and her nails looked beautiful. So this voice told her
that people would say, “Oh, she just wants to show off her nails.”
Sorry
to say, this voice made her refrain at this moment from praising the
Lord with a raised hand. Then Alice got to thinking, “What if I
didn't have a fresh manicure and my nails/hands were scruffy?”
Then this voice would say, “Oh, you don't want to lift those ugly
hands up to praise the Lord!”
Here we have the enemy of our souls, the devil, the evil one, Satan,
the Prince and Power of the air, telling Alice that no matter what
her hands look like, “don't lift them up in praise.” In other
words, he put Alice into bondage, or tried to! But it didn't work
because the irony of hearing both messages revealed the trickery of
the messenger and allowed Alice to break through and praise God
anyway!
I
John 4:1-5 tells us to “test the spirits to see whether they are
from God . . .”
In
I Samuel 16:7 we read, “For the Lord sees not as man sees; man
looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
As
I write, I want to be more vulnerable. As I praise the Lord, I want
to be more free. I heard someone on the radio recently talk about
“dancing with joy in praise” and I immediately had a little talk
with Jesus, asking Him to help me do that and to teach me how to
worship Him more freely. I also found this quote: “You fill us
with joy in Your Presence because you want the laughter and the
reverence.” Have you ever laughed in your fellowship with Jesus?
Psalm
16:11 says, “You have made known to me the path of life; in your
presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures
forevermore.”
Alice
had to get to the point of obedience and not be concerned with what
others may think. Perhaps by now you have discerned that Alice is
really me, Anita! I hope that this story will be helpful when you
hear voices that are not of the Lord. Purpose in your heart to try
the spirits, and then obey the Lord's voice as you discard the
thoughts of what others may think of you.
I
was given good council that I need to more often practice praising the Lord in
private. I have previously written about praying out loud. (Praising God Out Loud With Words) Sometimes our own voice sounds so loud! Get
used to hearing your voice. Then give outward expression to your
praise. I often pray short “outbursts” of praise. And sometimes
my prayers are short petitions whenever I think of a need. But there
are also sweet quiet times of sitting in His presence. I am still a
seeker. A child of God, learning His ways. And He wants me to raise
my hands in praise no matter what my hands look like!
I
Chronicles 28:9, “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of
your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for
the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every plan and thought.
If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but
if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
