And I’ll praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That You are who You are
No matter where I am …
— Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns (GREAT video!)
If you have been reading this blog over the years, then you already know how seriously I take Psalm 34:11 —
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Because frankly, anybody can praise God when things are going good, but it is people of faith and obedience who praise Him in the midst of the storms raging in their lives.
I had just such an opportunity this week when both my daughter and I praised God in the midst of a truly heart-wrenching situation. One that threatened to steal my peace, my joy, and my sleep, as well as my daughter’s. But we did what we always do —
we praised and thanked God in the face of our heartbreak and asked Him to make good from it like He promises in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
And you know what? Suddenly the weight lifted off of our shoulders onto His, proving His Word true once again.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
–Philippians 4:7
So this situation yesterday was a good reminder for me — and I hope for you too — that there is peace and power in praising God no matter what storm you are facing in your life. It’s one of the ways God’s given us to defeat our spiritual enemies — be they depression, fear, despair, whatever! By praising and thanking Him in the face of these trials, we can most effectively stomp on the devil’s head, channeling all our hurt and frustration into crushing that snake’s influence in our lives like God promised we would do in Genesis 3:15:
“He (man) will crush your head, and you (satan) will strike his heel.”
Yes, the devil strikes our heels over and over in this life, but WE have the victory in Christ AND the joyous opportunity to grind that slimeball’s head into the ground by praising God in the midst of awful situations. Painful situations inflicted by satan himself, not only to “kill, steal, and destroy, but to tempt us to turn on God like Adam and Eve did in the Garden. That jerk hopes our trials will cause us to curse God instead of him, but we have the last laugh by praising God instead — unleashing the Almighty’s peace and power to handle anything that nips at our heels.
Many of you will remember several situations in prior Journal Jots blogs when I did just that and came out the joyous victor, whether it was the day I was laid off from my job as a single woman with no other means of support or something as simple as praising God when I stubbed my toe and wanted to scream curse words instead. I crushed the devil’s head in both situations, and trust me — it’s a rush of peace and joy unlike any other!
Try it. You’ll like it, I promise! 😉
Hugs and Happy Stomping!
Julie
Check Out My Facebook Live w/Laura Frantz!
WE DID IT! Laura and I did FB Live together as a test, so check out the video below, then be sure to mark your calendar for my next Facebook Live on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 —
Q&A with Laura Frantz. There will be a double giveaway — one of my books and one of Laura’s, so do come by, okay?
Blog Giveaway!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 – THURSDAY, 9/28/17: Want another chance to win any TWO of my indie e-books INCLUDING my (shhh … it’s a secret, but I’ll be doing a cover reveal in my next JJ!) brand-new novella, For Love of Liberty that will be releasing December 1st!!
Well, you got it — just leave a comment on the SUITE T Blog of Southern Writer’s Magazine on September 25 -28, and you’re in the draw! Your odds are always good because comments are generally low, so give it a shot.
I will say, however, that I’m actually a little embarrassed, though, because somehow I inadvertently submitted the same blog to two different magazines, albeit months and months apart. So if you entered my Splickety Magazine blog contest a few months ago, this is the same blog subject. BUT … ALL THAT MEANS FOR YOU IS ONE MORE CHANCE TO WIN, right? Although I do encourage you to consider subscribing to Suite T blog because it’s a fabulous resource for writers. Here’s the link:
SUITE T BLOG (NOTE: My blog will not appear until Monday, September 25th!)
Quick Contest (Ends Sunday night)!
HELP! I need a favor. My cover for Love Everlasting is currently in the InD’Tales Magazine Creme de la Cover Contest, and I am in dire need of votes, so if you have time (and you like the cover!), can you hop on over to InD’Tale’s contest page and cast a vote for Love Everlasting? You have to subscribe to vote, but it’s a really easy process and most importantly, it’s FREE for a great magazine that will pop up in your email once a month.
And if you do, let me know, and I will enter you in a quick contest to have a character named after you in my upcoming novella, For Love of Liberty, a signed e-copy, and another e-copy of any of my indie books. Here’s the link and THANK YOU!!
VOTE FOR JULIE’S COVER IN IND’TALE’S CONTEST!
Fun Video Interview Next Tuesday!
Tuesday, September 26, I am being interviewed on live video (gosh, I’m becoming a video freak, aren’t I???) next Tuesday on Cara Grandle’s Periscope show. I won’t have the link till Tuesday morning, so just check back here for the link if you’d like to see it. Hope to see you there!
LINK TO COME!
Get in the Mood for Christmas …
… with my Christmas re-releases that are only 99 cents, so if you haven’t read them yet — why not?
It can’t be the price at only 99 cents each, so I hope you’ll check them out. ESPECIALLY the incredible reviews, for which I am INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL to those of you who posted one.
EMOTIONAL GUARANTEE!! I promise you that these are some of the most emotional novellas you will ever read, guaranteed to make you both laugh and cry. So where else can you get such an emotional ride (with a great spiritual message) for only 99 cents??? Here are the links and THANK YOU!!
The Gift of Grace Grace Like Rain A Whisper of Hope The Best Gift of All
