A Pitier or A Praiser: Which One Are You?

Have you ever been around someone who is always the victim? Someone whom the world is against and has been betrayed by everyone. Does that sound familiar? Honestly, there have even been seasons of my life in which I felt victimized. Yes, I felt sorry for myself momentarily. Eventually, I had to get it together. The fighter in me wouldn’t let me stay in self-pity. I began to recall the promises of God that have been spoken over my life. Although those promises were far from my reality, I had to draw hope and strength from them. You see I recognized that there is no strength at all in pity. I had to put on a garment of praise. I had to set my mind on the future and not what was behind or surrounding me at the moment.

I often think about Paul. He had been persecuted and imprisoned. He was sitting in a prison cell but his mind was fixed on God. I’m sure he may have been concerned yet he decided to praise the Lord. His praise was so powerful that his situation had to release him. Those chains broke and he was set free. We possess the same power as believers. When we activate our faith, our emotions, our sickness, our pain, and anything else we face have to RELEASE us. I’ve seen the Lord work and bring me out of impossible situations. I’ve seen how quickly praise can turn things around. Our impossible becomes His-possible when we chose to operate from a position of praise and not pity. I am crazy enough to believe that our praise not only has the power to change our lives but also affects those around us. As a result of Paul’s praise, the prison guard came to know His God.

Currently, someone very dear to me is battling cancer. In spite of her diagnosis, she has decided to have a spirit of praise and not pity. Although she has every reason to, she has resolved to believe that the Lord is healing her and her spirit has been an encouragement to others. Her heart is set on giving God the praise for every day. She is very intentional about fixing her eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of her faith. I believe that has been her greatest source of strength and hope.

Everything we experience is much bigger than us. People are looking to see how we respond to the adversity in our lives. So many people need hope and when we decide to walk in victory, we become that hope.

What will you do when it gets tough my friend? Will you retreat and wallow in self-pity? Or will you choose to praise our God for His faithfulness and trust Him?

A Pitier or A Praiser…Which one are you?

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