One morning while on my way to work, I felt irritable. For a Black woman, that should be the norm, right? Well, not for me. You see though you could never tell from my facial expression or demeanor, I’m actually a very friendly, easy-to-get-along-with type of chick. But for some reason, this particular morning, I felt my attitude trying to ill out. So immediately, I started praying in the Spirit. Ordinarily, this takes whatever tension, pressure, stress, or opposition away, but for some reason, it wasn’t working. It was as if I was actually living out 1 Corinthians 13:1 which says, ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.’ Yes, I was being spiritual and praying, but there was nothing lovely about it. Therefore, it came out as ‘wah, wah, wah’ so I stopped. Once I did, almost immediately I went into thanksgiving mode. I thanked God for everything I could think of and as soon as I did, the irritability started to leave. I could sense that it was no longer pressing me and I just felt at ease.
Hebrews 13:15 says, ‘Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.’ I know that sounds real formal and all, but you have to remember what a sacrifice really is.
Ordinarily, when you think of sacrifice, you think of going without something or not getting to do what you so want to. In my case, I so wanted to complain. I so wanted to go off and start venting or pop off at anybody. But instead, I gave thanks and praised God which immediately stopped the oppression and stress I was feeling. But why? Because you have to remember what sacrifice really means – a biblical sacrifice anyway.
A biblical sacrifice is when something is put to death; be it an animal or a person. As such, when you sacrifice what you want to do (i.e., argue, cuss, complain, etc.) in lieu of praising God, you literally put to death any oppressive force or spirit that had set itself against you. That spirit is thrives, lives, and is dependent on you going off. Therefore, thanksgiving and praise causes death. Death of your attitude and death to whatever spirit that set itself against you. Because isn’t that what you really want to do anyway? Kill the person that’s stressing you. Well, here’s your chance (figuratively anyway). Only you don’t have to go to prison to do it and you get to please God in the process. If you’re irritable, agitated, frustrated or aggravated about something today, go into thanksgiving mode and put that irritability, problem, situation, spirit or force to death.
Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, I don’t really feel like praising You right now. In fact, I’m a little upset with You. I know that You are the last Person I should be mad at, but my flesh wants to blame somebody and so it chose You. Lord, please forgive me for thinking that You were my problem. Please forgive me for even wanting to be mad at You. I repent and ask You to forgive me. Lord, thank You that I get to praise You, that I get to serve a God that wants to help. Lord, thank You loving me through the good, the bad and the ugly. Thank You for Jesus, His precious blood, Your Holy Spirit and Lord thank You for You. In Jesus’ name.
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