"Perpetual Praise"

""I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalms 34:1) What a wonderful way to start out any morning, or any journey that one might endeavor to begin; don't you think? I don't know about you, but any time I prepare a message, or begin something like a retreat or a conference, I always try and prepare my heart for what God is going to show me; making the journey that is before me, not about learning something new, but about God doing something new in my life. "Change my heart, Oh God; make it ever new. Change my heart, Oh God; may I be like You." That is what I pray! Now if you think that praising the Lord continually is something of a stretch, you are not far off; however, when it comes to preparing your heart for something big that God is going to do in you, you had better be prepared to give Him praise, especially when things start to get uncomfortable. Typically, when most men start getting that feeling of being uncomfortable with a message, they cross their arms, as if to guard their heart; mostly, they really may not realize what they are doing, but it's a natural reaction to feeling that they are being led where they really do not want to go. Women on the other hand, when they cross their arms, it's more like, "Get out of my kitchen", kind of a thing; but when they feel threatened by a message, they just turn it off, as in, will not listen, usually by replacing the words with some 50's song in their head. Actually, I really don't know what they do; but when it comes to preparing our hearts before the Lord, we must prepare to put down our defenses and let God work upon our hearts. Whatever it is that is your defense against having God change your heart, you must prepare yourself to turn it off; and one sure way to get your self prepared for that, is to make this verse your prayer and your mission. The word "bless" has a very submissive meaning, as in, I will prepare myself to kneel down before my God; especially when I may not feel like kneeling! It's the "at all times" part that we usually have a problem with, because we never intentionally set out to not kneel down, but let there be something usual in an unusual moment, and see if our intentions remain. As for our hearts, they must remain as this: "You are the Potter; I am the clay. Make me, and mold me; this is what I pray"... "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:8-11)