1 00:00:00,170 --> 00:00:02,849 Speaker 1: Do you ever wonder how you can elevate your relationship 2 00:00:02,890 --> 00:00:07,990 Speaker 1: with Jesus? Well, if so, hang on, because that's where 3 00:00:08,030 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: we're going on today's episode. Life Audio This is Donna Jones, 4 00:00:22,980 --> 00:00:26,990 Speaker 1: and you are listening to That's Just What I Needed. Hey, friend, 5 00:00:27,050 --> 00:00:28,910 Speaker 1: if you've ever been in a conversation where you've walked 6 00:00:28,930 --> 00:00:32,190 Speaker 1: away thinking, Wow, that was just what I needed. You 7 00:00:32,229 --> 00:00:34,629 Speaker 1: know how life-giving that can be. Well, that's what this 8 00:00:34,690 --> 00:00:38,020 Speaker 1: podcast is all about. We're women who want to know, love, 9 00:00:38,170 --> 00:00:41,260 Speaker 1: and follow God in our real lives, but sometimes wonder 10 00:00:41,300 --> 00:00:43,779 Speaker 1: just how to do it. So each week, we'll talk 11 00:00:43,820 --> 00:00:46,019 Speaker 1: about what following God looks like in the midst of 12 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:50,770 Speaker 1: daily demands and crazy cultural chaos. Because this isn't just 13 00:00:50,810 --> 00:00:56,050 Speaker 1: what we need. It's actually exactly what we need. Well, hey, hey, 14 00:00:56,090 --> 00:01:00,370 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast, my friend. This podcast is 15 00:01:00,530 --> 00:01:04,970 Speaker 1: a personal one because recently I have been studying and 16 00:01:05,150 --> 00:01:10,790 Speaker 1: practicing in my own life something that has absolutely transformed 17 00:01:10,810 --> 00:01:14,729 Speaker 1: my relationship with Jesus. And it's been so meaningful to 18 00:01:14,780 --> 00:01:19,199 Speaker 1: me that I just could not not share it with you, 19 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: my listening friends. So lean in because this one is 20 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: a personal one from me to you. So let me 21 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,410 Speaker 1: give you the backstory. Several months ago, I started studying 22 00:01:31,420 --> 00:01:34,790 Speaker 1: the Psalms with the women at my church. And of course, 23 00:01:35,110 --> 00:01:39,090 Speaker 1: praise has come up several times, which caused me to 24 00:01:39,150 --> 00:01:45,450 Speaker 1: really think about what exactly is praise? Now, think about 25 00:01:45,490 --> 00:01:48,490 Speaker 1: it for a minute. If you had to define praise, 26 00:01:48,510 --> 00:01:52,180 Speaker 1: if you had to describe praise to a six-year-old, what 27 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: would you say exactly? Now, for most of us, when 28 00:01:56,260 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: we really think about We might think about, well, it's 29 00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: worshiping the Lord, and that's part of it, but there's 30 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:06,950 Speaker 1: more to it than that. Or we might think of 31 00:02:07,350 --> 00:02:10,130 Speaker 1: the person that we hear say, praise the Lord, when 32 00:02:10,750 --> 00:02:13,730 Speaker 1: something good happens to them. They get the job or 33 00:02:13,770 --> 00:02:18,530 Speaker 1: the diagnosis comes back and everything is clear, and that's great. 34 00:02:18,590 --> 00:02:21,329 Speaker 1: We should praise the Lord then. Or maybe you've heard 35 00:02:21,389 --> 00:02:26,310 Speaker 1: someone say, praise the Lord, when Something really hard has happened, 36 00:02:26,330 --> 00:02:29,270 Speaker 1: but they praise the Lord anyway. But is praise more 37 00:02:29,310 --> 00:02:31,070 Speaker 1: than that? It is. And that's what we're going to 38 00:02:31,090 --> 00:02:32,649 Speaker 1: be talking about today. And we're going to be talking 39 00:02:32,690 --> 00:02:37,250 Speaker 1: about how to really integrate this into our real lives, 40 00:02:37,850 --> 00:02:41,030 Speaker 1: the lives that are busy and that are filled with 41 00:02:41,090 --> 00:02:45,220 Speaker 1: to-dos and that are distracted and that are just normal. 42 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,220 Speaker 1: How does a normal gal really praise the Lord on 43 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: her Monday through Saturday? Number one, praise is different from thanksgiving. Now, 44 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: the Bible tells us that we are to give thanks 45 00:02:55,860 --> 00:02:58,690 Speaker 1: to the Lord, but it also says that we are 46 00:02:58,710 --> 00:03:01,570 Speaker 1: to praise the Lord. And often we conflate those two things. 47 00:03:01,610 --> 00:03:03,910 Speaker 1: We think that they're the same thing, but actually they're not. 48 00:03:04,510 --> 00:03:08,830 Speaker 1: So how are they different? Well, thanks is expressing gratitude 49 00:03:08,870 --> 00:03:13,380 Speaker 1: to the Lord for something that he does, whereas praise 50 00:03:13,510 --> 00:03:17,180 Speaker 1: is expressing gratitude to the Lord for who he is. 51 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:24,030 Speaker 1: So thanks is focuses on God's actions, but praise focuses 52 00:03:24,090 --> 00:03:27,410 Speaker 1: on God's attributes. So when I was in college, I 53 00:03:27,430 --> 00:03:29,850 Speaker 1: started really growing in my relationship with Jesus, and I 54 00:03:29,930 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: had a gal who discipled me, and she said, okay, Donna, 55 00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:34,500 Speaker 1: this is what I want you to do. Every day 56 00:03:34,540 --> 00:03:37,740 Speaker 1: when you open your Bible, before you start reading, I 57 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:43,740 Speaker 1: want you to use ACTS, A-C-T-S, as this acronym to 58 00:03:43,820 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: help you kind of pray before you start reading your Bible. 59 00:03:48,150 --> 00:03:49,990 Speaker 1: And so I said, okay, well, what does that stand for? 60 00:03:50,090 --> 00:03:53,310 Speaker 1: And she said, A is for adoration, which is the 61 00:03:53,330 --> 00:03:57,490 Speaker 1: same thing as praise. C is for confession. T is 62 00:03:57,530 --> 00:04:01,370 Speaker 1: for thanksgiving. And S is for supplication, which is a 63 00:04:01,390 --> 00:04:06,390 Speaker 1: fancy word for asking God your prayer requests. So A-C-T-S. 64 00:04:06,910 --> 00:04:09,340 Speaker 1: Because I wanted to grow in my relationship with the Lord, 65 00:04:09,350 --> 00:04:12,180 Speaker 1: I got my little Bible and I got my journal 66 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: and I sat down and I thought, okay, I'm going 67 00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:17,620 Speaker 1: to start with adoration. Okay, well, How do I do it? 68 00:04:17,810 --> 00:04:20,530 Speaker 1: What do I say? 69 00:04:20,570 --> 00:04:24,710 Speaker 1: 70 00:04:24,870 --> 00:04:28,870 Speaker 1: 71 00:04:28,890 --> 00:04:32,730 Speaker 1: 72 00:04:32,790 --> 00:04:35,950 Speaker 1: I just started thanking God, 73 00:04:36,029 --> 00:04:41,410 Speaker 1: expressing gratitude for his attributes, for who he is. Now, 74 00:04:41,450 --> 00:04:45,330 Speaker 1: let me tell you what happened as I started expressing that. 75 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:51,060 Speaker 1: I became aware of the greatness of God, the bigness 76 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:56,419 Speaker 1: of God. So it naturally made me aware of the 77 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: smallness of myself, which then led me right into confession. 78 00:05:01,140 --> 00:05:04,180 Speaker 1: Because when I really focused on the holiness of God, 79 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,869 Speaker 1: I was like, well, I'm not great. I'm not always loving. 80 00:05:08,110 --> 00:05:12,370 Speaker 1: I'm not always kind. And so naturally, confession was what 81 00:05:12,410 --> 00:05:16,669 Speaker 1: came next. And so I would confess my sins to God. 82 00:05:16,950 --> 00:05:20,810 Speaker 1: And here's what happened when I confessed. I felt so free. 83 00:05:21,010 --> 00:05:25,270 Speaker 1: I felt completely clean. And so because I felt clean 84 00:05:25,310 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: and free before the Lord, my heart was filled with thanksgiving. 85 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: So the next thing was the tea. I just was like, gosh, 86 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: thank you, Lord, for this, that, and the other thing. 87 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,370 Speaker 1: And then I realized that my heart was in such 88 00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:43,500 Speaker 1: a right place, a right posture to to then bring 89 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,390 Speaker 1: my supplications, my prayer requests to the Lord. So for 90 00:05:47,430 --> 00:05:50,790 Speaker 1: years and years, I used this ACTS acronym in my 91 00:05:50,830 --> 00:05:53,930 Speaker 1: relationship with the Lord. I have to tell you though, 92 00:05:53,990 --> 00:05:58,830 Speaker 1: somewhere along the way, I stopped doing that. But recently, 93 00:05:58,970 --> 00:06:04,570 Speaker 1: as I've been studying praise, I have begun integrating praise 94 00:06:05,130 --> 00:06:11,359 Speaker 1: more intentionally into my relationship with Jesus and my friend. 95 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 1: It has elevated my intimacy with the Lord in a 96 00:06:16,060 --> 00:06:18,940 Speaker 1: whole new way. And I want you to experience this too. 97 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: Let me just give you some things that I've learned. 98 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,580 Speaker 1: So again, prayer is reflecting back to God who He is. 99 00:06:26,290 --> 00:06:30,290 Speaker 1: And it's simply just remembering and saying it out loud. 100 00:06:30,370 --> 00:06:33,650 Speaker 1: Because here's the thing about praise. So just imagine with 101 00:06:33,730 --> 00:06:37,300 Speaker 1: me the people in your life that you love. Maybe 102 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: it's your husband or it's your children or it's your 103 00:06:39,820 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: sister or your dear friend. And you can think all 104 00:06:44,300 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: of these positive thoughts about that person. But unless you 105 00:06:48,940 --> 00:06:53,350 Speaker 1: express those things verbally, it does not bless them. And 106 00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:58,169 Speaker 1: it really doesn't do that much for you. But when 107 00:06:58,210 --> 00:07:03,870 Speaker 1: you express to them your gratitude for the things that 108 00:07:03,910 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: they are, like, you know, you say to your friend, 109 00:07:07,210 --> 00:07:09,150 Speaker 1: You are so loyal. Do you know how much that 110 00:07:09,190 --> 00:07:12,750 Speaker 1: means to me that you are loyal? You are so kind. 111 00:07:13,070 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: You are so loving. You're so generous. I mean, when 112 00:07:16,380 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: you start expressing those things, it elevates your relationship and 113 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: it blesses the person and it blesses you. It's the 114 00:07:25,260 --> 00:07:29,500 Speaker 1: same thing in our relationship with God. Praise isn't praise 115 00:07:30,180 --> 00:07:33,710 Speaker 1: unless it is verbally expressed or it is written down. 116 00:07:34,350 --> 00:07:36,750 Speaker 1: It's not praise if it just stays in our head. 117 00:07:37,510 --> 00:07:39,710 Speaker 1: So this is what I want you to do. I 118 00:07:39,790 --> 00:07:42,370 Speaker 1: want you to start praising God out loud. And even 119 00:07:42,410 --> 00:07:46,820 Speaker 1: if that's driving in your car, just literally take 15 120 00:07:46,820 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: seconds and just tell God what you are so grateful 121 00:07:52,420 --> 00:07:57,810 Speaker 1: for about his character and his attributes. Praise is something 122 00:07:57,850 --> 00:08:03,050 Speaker 1: that we verbally express, but in the Psalms, we find 123 00:08:03,250 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 1: at least two types of praise. There is willful praise 124 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: and there is the sacrifice of praise. So in Psalm 145, 125 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,170 Speaker 1: David says these words, I will exalt you, my God 126 00:08:16,210 --> 00:08:19,750 Speaker 1: and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I 127 00:08:19,930 --> 00:08:24,230 Speaker 1: will praise you every day. Yes, I'll praise you forever. 128 00:08:24,830 --> 00:08:27,580 Speaker 1: Great is the Lord. He is most worthy of praise. 129 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: No one can measure his greatness. Now, did you catch 130 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:36,790 Speaker 1: how many times David said, I will? I will. I will. 131 00:08:37,570 --> 00:08:41,250 Speaker 1: This is the choice to praise. So praise is a choice. 132 00:08:42,010 --> 00:08:45,740 Speaker 1: It's just saying, I'm going to do this. And why? Well, 133 00:08:46,220 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: David said, because great is the Lord. He is most 134 00:08:49,420 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 1: worthy of praise. He is the most worthy of praise. 135 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 1: So I want you to think about how much you 136 00:08:54,340 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: praise your kids or how much you praise somebody that 137 00:08:58,420 --> 00:09:02,059 Speaker 1: you love. You probably praise your kids a pretty fair amount, 138 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:07,530 Speaker 1: but God is most worthy of praise. So it's an 139 00:09:07,590 --> 00:09:12,929 Speaker 1: intentional choice. I will praise God because He's worthy. But 140 00:09:12,970 --> 00:09:18,340 Speaker 1: praise is also sacrificial. In Hebrews 13.15, we read these words, 141 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: Through Him, that's Jesus, let us continually offer up a 142 00:09:23,900 --> 00:09:27,339 Speaker 1: sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of 143 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: lips acknowledging His name. Sometimes when I go to church 144 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:36,610 Speaker 1: and we begin praising the Lord through song. And by 145 00:09:36,620 --> 00:09:38,309 Speaker 1: the way, that is one of the ways that we 146 00:09:38,390 --> 00:09:40,950 Speaker 1: praise the Lord. Find that over and over again in 147 00:09:40,990 --> 00:09:45,390 Speaker 1: the Psalms. But sometimes the praise will just come naturally 148 00:09:45,450 --> 00:09:48,449 Speaker 1: to me. I'm filled with, you know, just wanting to 149 00:09:48,470 --> 00:09:51,810 Speaker 1: praise the Lord. But there are some times where it really, frankly, 150 00:09:51,850 --> 00:09:56,990 Speaker 1: doesn't come naturally. For whatever reason, I'm distracted or sometimes 151 00:09:57,110 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: I'm angry or sometimes I'm disappointed by God or sometimes 152 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,180 Speaker 1: I feel like God's hurt my feelings or hasn't answered 153 00:10:05,230 --> 00:10:08,870 Speaker 1: my prayer. And honestly, in those moments, praise does not 154 00:10:08,929 --> 00:10:12,470 Speaker 1: come naturally. Now, here's what I've struggled with over the 155 00:10:12,490 --> 00:10:15,170 Speaker 1: years and see if you can relate to this. That 156 00:10:15,330 --> 00:10:18,209 Speaker 1: as I'm standing in church and everybody's praising the Lord 157 00:10:18,250 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: and I'm singing right along with them, part of me 158 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: feels a little hypocritical. Because I'm thinking, here I am 159 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: mouthing these words, singing these songs, saying these things, and 160 00:10:29,740 --> 00:10:36,180 Speaker 1: yet my heart isn't there experientially. Is that hypocrisy? Maybe, 161 00:10:37,150 --> 00:10:42,650 Speaker 1: but maybe not. Because a sacrifice is something that costs 162 00:10:42,730 --> 00:10:47,260 Speaker 1: us something. So in other words, when I choose to 163 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: praise the Lord, even though emotionally I may not feel 164 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:58,219 Speaker 1: like it, I am sacrificing my emotions. I am sacrificing 165 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,780 Speaker 1: what I just want to do in that moment for 166 00:11:01,820 --> 00:11:05,540 Speaker 1: something bigger, and that is the Lord, my relationship with 167 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:08,060 Speaker 1: the Lord, my love for the Lord, my commitment to 168 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: the Lord. So praise is a sacrifice. We do it 169 00:11:11,970 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: whether we feel like it or not, because God's worthy. Now, 170 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: here's what happens oftentimes. When we praise the Lord anyway, 171 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:27,410 Speaker 1: our heart and our mind become realigned. And those hard 172 00:11:27,510 --> 00:11:30,410 Speaker 1: places in our hearts and our minds and our souls, 173 00:11:30,929 --> 00:11:34,429 Speaker 1: they become pliable and they become soft and they become 174 00:11:34,530 --> 00:11:38,670 Speaker 1: moldable before the Lord. And we find that, in fact, 175 00:11:39,050 --> 00:11:42,380 Speaker 1: where we may have felt distant from the Lord, After 176 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,210 Speaker 1: praising the Lord, somehow we feel a measure of closeness 177 00:11:46,250 --> 00:11:50,730 Speaker 1: to the Lord. Praise is a choice and praise is 178 00:11:50,870 --> 00:11:55,690 Speaker 1: also a sacrifice. But both kinds of praise honor the 179 00:11:55,750 --> 00:11:59,130 Speaker 1: Lord and bless us. So here's what I want you 180 00:11:59,150 --> 00:12:02,610 Speaker 1: to do. Here's my challenge. For the next seven days, 181 00:12:03,570 --> 00:12:08,710 Speaker 1: I want you to out loud praise the Lord. Whether 182 00:12:08,750 --> 00:12:11,410 Speaker 1: you feel like it or not, if you feel like it, great. 183 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,340 Speaker 1: If you don't feel like it, make it a sacrifice 184 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:19,340 Speaker 1: of praise. But like David say, I will praise the Lord. Why? 185 00:12:20,140 --> 00:12:24,140 Speaker 1: Because the Lord is most worthy of praise. And just 186 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:27,540 Speaker 1: watch what happens. I'm going to make a prediction that 187 00:12:27,620 --> 00:12:30,550 Speaker 1: as you begin praising the Lord, just as I have 188 00:12:30,610 --> 00:12:33,969 Speaker 1: been praising the Lord, that something will happen in your 189 00:12:34,010 --> 00:12:37,690 Speaker 1: relationship with Jesus. You will grow in your intimacy and 190 00:12:37,710 --> 00:12:41,260 Speaker 1: your love for Jesus. And you will grow in your 191 00:12:41,370 --> 00:12:45,569 Speaker 1: joy in your relationship with Jesus. So try it, would you? 192 00:12:46,170 --> 00:12:49,350 Speaker 1: And let me know how it goes. Well, I hope 193 00:12:49,370 --> 00:12:51,650 Speaker 1: you enjoyed today's episode. I hope it was just what 194 00:12:51,690 --> 00:12:55,030 Speaker 1: you needed. And let's connect on Instagram. You can DM 195 00:12:55,070 --> 00:12:58,050 Speaker 1: me and let me know how this little experience went. 196 00:12:58,350 --> 00:13:01,170 Speaker 1: You'll find me at Donna A. Jones. And on Facebook, 197 00:13:01,250 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: I'm at Donna Jones Speaker and Author. And I would 198 00:13:04,380 --> 00:13:06,579 Speaker 1: love for you to subscribe to this podcast, share it 199 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: with a friend, and subscribe to my free newsletter, which 200 00:13:09,660 --> 00:13:14,510 Speaker 1: you can find at DonnaJones.org. And as always, my friend, 201 00:13:14,530 --> 00:13:17,290 Speaker 1: I can't wait to see you next time for That's 202 00:13:17,490 --> 00:13:18,390 Speaker 1: Just What I Needed.