Psalm 69:30-31
‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

DAILY READING – 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13; Isaiah 17-19; Psalm 114

In 1969, a ruthless young man was appointed as the leader of the Soviet Union Communist Youth League. His name was Sergei Nikolayevich Kourdakov. His main assignment was to break up underground Christian meetings. Sergie eventually succeeded in breaking up over 150 secret meetings of Christians. During these attacks, Christian leaders were killed or arrested and Church members were beaten and terrorized.

However, as time went on, Sergie noticed that his Christian-busting raids weren’t having the desired effect. The Christians remained persistent and rather, their Church attendance continued to surge. Sergie noticed a particularly beautiful Christian girl named Natasha Zhdanova. Though he beat her severally to intimidate and discourage her, she only persisted in attending more Church meetings. At this point, Sergie became curious about what made the Christians so persistent despite all his attacks on them. 

One day, when asked by his superiors to burn some Christian texts, out of curiosity, he hid a hand-written copy of the Gospel of Luke, which he later read in secret. The words of Jesus he read gripped him and gradually began to transform him. With time, he became disillusioned with communism. In January of 1971, while in a ship that came into Canadian waters, Sergie seized the opportunity to defect by plunging into the waters and swimming until he arrived the shores of Canada.

When the Soviet Union government told Canada to deport him, Sergie prayed to God to intervene, promising to serve Him. God did intervene and the Canadian government granted him asylum. In keeping with his promise to serve God, Sergie converted to Christianity and became an evangelist who began exposing the evils of communism. He told his story in his autobiography, “The Persecutor” with subtitle of “Forgive Me, Natasha.”

The apostle, Paul refers to his first encounter with Jesus as an arrest. While he was persecuting the Church, he was “apprehended” by Jesus. [Philippians 3:12]. Before his conversion, Saul was a terror to the Christians, locking up men and women for their faith. As believers continued to cry out to God, the most unexpected happened. Saul was arrested by Jesus on his way to Damascus. Overnight, Saul the chief persecutor was turned around to become the chief promoter of the Church.

Truly, God knows how to arrest the people and situations that try to harass His people. He is the God who can arrest the arresters.

In 1 Samuel 19:20-24, King Saul was persecuting David. When he sent soldiers to arrest David, God arrested the soldiers and they began to prophesy. When Saul himself went, he too was arrested by the power of God and began to prophesy.

Indeed, God knows how to turn around those that be against you, to be for you. He can turn your mockers into your workers. God can convert your oppressors to become your up-lifters. The same lips, the same tongues that cursed you will be turned around to bless you. Those who opposed you will begin to applaud you, and those who berated you will celebrate you.

Truly, the heart of every man is in the hand of the Lord and He turns it whichever way He will. Though people may fight you and resist you, God can work on their hearts and they will begin to favor you. Certainly, when a man’s ways please the Lord, God will cause even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Therefore, in this season, let your focus be on pleasing God. And one of the ways we please the Lord is through offering Him worthy praise. 

Psalm 69:30-31 says, ‘I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.’

Indeed, praise pleases God and when He is pleased, He will turn around situations in our favor. This is why you must remain joyful in the face of any persecution. As we focus on praising God despite adverse situations, He will certainly arrest everyone and everything trying to harass us. He will turn our mourning into dancing and give us beauty in the place of ashes.

PRAYER
Lord, please help me to bless You at all times, so that by Your power I can overcome the oppositions against me. I thank You Lord because even right now, I know You are doing for me exceedingly abundantly above all I could ever ask, think or imagine in Jesus’ Name.

QUOTE: When you apply the Word of God it will work for you anywhere and anytime. WORDBITE 222.