Group 6 – Section 3

…Instead of having to rely on myself with praise, my declarations are turning I turn my heart to rejoice that I CAN boast in God. Heart, God says to me, “…I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2Cor 6:16); “…I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people” (Lev 26:11,12).

…Heart, rejoice in the truth that my glory is not to exalt myself by trying to make God submit to my demands. I repent of believing demonic lies about only being able to depend on myself! I turn my heart to love the Lordship of Christ and that the sovereignty of God is worth running toward rather than away from. Heart, “…Jesus is Lord…” (1 Cor. 12:3). I love and praise You, Lord.

…I turn away from self-directed praise and turn to make the nearness of God my boast so that motivation comes from knowing my praise honors God instead of motivation coming from praise toward me: “My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice” (Psa. 34:2).

…Heart, rejoice that my glory is not to boast in myself. Instead of me, I will boast in God.

I declare to my heart to turn away from demonic lies about depending on myself as the Messiah! I repent and turn away from agreeing with demonic demands that I be the Messiah that other people need! They need God; I should point them toward Him, not myself. Jesus I am turning my heart to love that “You are my King and my God…” (Psa. 44:4 NIV).

…Heart, God is my security and protection. I set my heart to “…worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). I don’t have to control everything to find safety and be the sovereign “I AM!” God is who I love and praise. Oh, how I love You, Lord. I turn my heart to trust; You have drawn near and are before me here.

…I love the holiness of God around me as a shield that burns demonic enemies who try to get close! Thank You, God, that “…the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion…by the spirit of judgement and the spirit of burning” (Isa. 4:4).

…I am turning to make it my boast is that I can “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God…” (Rom. 12:1). By salvation, I have the righteousness of God in me (2 Cor. 5:21). I can present my body acceptable to God by faith that He is before me here and is washing me clean” “…God is Light… if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5,7).

…Heart, rejoice in the truth that my glory is not to exalt myself by drinking from the twisted glory of rebellious sin. Heart, remember that trying to feed my neediness with sin or anything evil makes me miserable. Holiness and purity are what satisfy me. I will “…Praise God in His sanctuary…” (Psa. 150:1). God is my first love! (pause to be thankful and treasure these truths!)

…Heart, let yourself receive and playfully enjoy the presence of God and His kingdom around you as your boast!

…Heart, rejoice that my glory is not to find evidence that deserves boasting in my being the standard for others to achieve. I love and praise You, Lord. I submit to the truth that it is right for me to humble myself like a child and believe that I am in the throne room, taking refuge in the Lord, and that You, Lord, are walking with me here! “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psa 36:7-9).

… Thank You, God, that I can humble myself into the place of childlike faith and boastful praise while trusting I am before You here, like a kingdom priest: “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers…” (2 Chron. 29:11); Heart, God “…has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father…” (Rev. 1:6); “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth” (Rev. 5:10). (let yourself feel confident from the closeness of God’s power and glory!)

…Heart, rejoice that it is right to boast in the nearness of God: “Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.” (Psa. 20:7). So, I delight in grabbing my soul and turning it away from letting the boasting and praise come back toward me. The Lord is God, not me. I praise God for the glory and power of His attributes, not mine. I set my eyes on God and I boast in Him, whom I trust has drawn near and is before me here.

…Heart, the truth about God is that His greatness is far above all else! “…Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; / Bring an offering, and come before Him; / Worship the Lord in holy array” (1 Chron. 16:28-29). When I believe the greatness of God and that Heaven is coming to me with joy, it gets easier to stay determined to make sure I playfully treasure and boast in Him more than anything else.

Heart, “The eternal God is a dwelling place…” (Deut. 33:27) and God says, “he who takes refuge in Me…will possess My holy mountain” (Isa. 57:13). He also says, I dwell on a high and holy place, / And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit…” (Isa. 57:15). So I set my heart to be more childlike in receiving the kingdom of Heaven around me because “…whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all” (Mark 10:15).

…Heart, “…have confidence to enter the holy place….” (Heb. 10:19), with gratitude and by receiving Heaven here with the faith of a child; “…since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude…” (Heb. 12: 28); “…we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12). And, heart, I will not be alone because “…the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory.” (Jer. 4:2). But, to see that happen I must declare that “My soul will make its boast in the LORD…” because only then, “…The humble will hear it and rejoice” (Psa. 34:2).

…Heart, let yourself receive and playfully enjoy the presence of God and His kingdom around you as your boast!

…Heart, I can boast in the nearness of God and His kingdom around me here because it says, “How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength…For our shield belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel” (Ps. 89:15-18). I set my heart to love the nearness of God as my shield and to not rely on other things! (let yourself feel confidence from the closeness of God’s power and glory!)

…Heart, God has promised with an “…everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants…” (Gen. 17:7; see also Gal. 3:29); and, “…I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all the gods.” (Psa. 135:5). And, “You are my King and my God…” (Psa. 44:4 NIV). So, declare to my heart to turn joyfully to God and say, “You are my God…I exalt you.” (Psa. 118:28 NIV). (let yourself feel playfully childlike joy in applying these truths!)

…Heart, “…the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory…” (Psa. 84:11); “to the end that we…would be to the praise of His glory.” (Eph. 1:12). Related is that “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8); and “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet…” (Rom. 16:20). So, when I trust God is drawing near as a shield by giving me His grace and glory, I praise His nearness and the works of the devil are destroyed under my feet because the presence of God and His kingdom come and do the crushing! Thank You, God, that by becoming childlike in my faith enough to boldly trust I am receiving the kingdom of Heaven here, You do Your part to crush the demonic kingdom of evil as You come.

…“You know of Jesus…God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and…He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38); “The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed” (Psa 103:6). I love You, Lord! I set my heart to “Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.” (1 Chron. 16:11). Your nearness is what I praise and boast in!

…I repent and turn from directing internal praise toward me. The Lord is God, and “…God is Light…” (1 John 1:5). By faith in His brightness upon me, the Holy Spirit comes to me because Jesus said, “…come to Me and drink…But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39). So, I praise You who are close to me.

…I repent and turn from directing internal praise toward me. The Lord is God. So, Lord, I praise Your power, love, wisdom, goodness, glory, strength, and beauty. I boast in You. My eyes are on Your power and beauty close to me here, Lord. “The Lord is my strength…and I will praise Him…” (Exo. 15:2). (pause to apply it)

…I repent with delight that I don’t have to boast inside about being above other people…

…who don’t achieve or earn enough.

…who don’t measure up in some way.

…who don’t have a healthy body.

…who are not athletic enough.

…who are struggling with sin and fail.

…who are not friendly enough.

…who can’t recognize the truth.

…who don’t like to think deeply about things.

…who don’t know and believe the right things.

… who are not impressive.

…who don’t have friends.

…who don’t have the right things or nice clothes.

…who are not spiritual enough.

…who don’t have a nice car.

…Heart, let yourself receive and playfully enjoy the presence of God and His kingdom around you as your boast!

…Because “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:14); and, “…he who comes to God must believe…that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6). So joyful faith, I trust that my eyes are looking at the brightness of Heaven and God’s radiant presence shining onto and around me. Heart, the presence of God and His kingdom around me are what I praise.

…Heart, “…God is Light…if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5,7). Thank You, God, that as I trust I am walking in the Light of Your radiance upon me, You are washing my body and the atmosphere around me with Your holy and strong presence! (pause to apply these truths!)

…Heart, let yourself receive and playfully enjoy the presence of God and His kingdom around you as your boast!

…My glory is not to exalt myself by trying to make God submit to my demands. I repent and cut off letting myself feel like I am a messiah who is above God! Heart, “…let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God…” (Heb. 13:15); Heart, “He is your praise…” (Deut. 10:21), because “…I know that the Lord is great, / And that our Lord is above all the gods” (Ps. 135:5).

…I set my heart to delight in the Lord and not other things because “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You” (Psa. 89:14). And God says we should “…let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amo. 5:24). So I thank You, God, that I can open up to You and trust with joyful faith that You are coming to me here as You desire. (let yourself feel confident from the closeness of God’s power and glory!)

…I can keep redirecting the praise toward God, even when they like my jokes. I “…have made the Lord…the Most High, …[my] dwelling place” (Psa. 91:9). So, I set my eyes to keep looking at God because I will only find the emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits I need from God, not from others or myself.

…God has called me, “…out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). I turn my heart to trust by faith that Heaven has come and is around me here (Heb. 10:19-22; Heb. 12:22-24, 28; Mark 10:15). Because it says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.” (1 Chron. 16:11), I am directing my heart to trust by faith I trust I am looking at You before me here Jesus. I praise Your power, Your love, Your wisdom, Your goodness, Your glory, Your strength, and Your beauty close to me. I praise the healing power of God’s presence, which I am directing my heart to trust is upon and close to me here!

…Heart, God with me is my boast because Jesus earned the right for me to enter before Him by receiving Heaven here like a child. I “…have boldness and confident access through faith in [Jesus]” (Eph. 3:12).; “for through Him we…have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph. 2:18; see also Heb. 4).

…I am free to show appreciation when someone compliments me. But inside, I will keep the flow of praise going toward God. By declarations of repentance and faith I am directing my heart toward God By this I am determined that “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord…” (Psa. 34:2).

…Heart, I am turning my heart to make the nearness of God my boast because “…God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2Cor 6:16). “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.” (Psa. 28:7).; “…The Lord is my God.” (Zech.. 13:9). (let yourself feel confident because of the truth in these Scriptures!)