I Prayed have prayed
Father God, I choose to magnify and exalt You today. You are great, and You are worthy to be praised. Please help me to look at You bigger, instead of looking at my circumstances. In Jesus’ name.
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Precious intercessor, are you struggling with discouragement today? Have you been struggling to intercede and stand in the gap for America when it seems like we see bad news on every side?

If so, I challenge you today re-frame your attitude AND regain your fire by extolling the Lord.

To “extol” means to praise the Lord; to laud Him. Extolling the Lord means you start telling our Father everything that is great about Himself. When you “extol” the Lord, you take a good, hard look at Him and tell Him exactly what You see. (You don’t tell Him what you see when you look away from Him; you tell Him what you see when you look AT Him.)

The four living creatures in the midst of God’s throne and around His throne, as described in Revelation chapter 4, have been extolling the Lord since eternity past. “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” they cry. And although they have been staring at the Lord since time immemorial—surely aware of other aspects of His glorious nature as well—they have been so overcome by His holiness that they have never even been able to move on and extol His other virtues.

It’s hard to have a bad attitude when you look at God that closely, isn’t it?

Let’s face it: Discouragement happens when we take our eyes off God. Discouragement happens when we put our eyes, our words, and our faith on circumstances instead of on the Lord. Remember that God is God who:

  • Sits alone at the governmental center of the universe;
  • Sits and is enthroned on the financial center of the universe;
  • Is the source of all creativity and beauty;
  • Sits at the ecclesiastical center of the universe;
  • Is the Source of all holy innovation; and
  • Raises up kings and brings them down …

… And this God, our God sits on His throne and laughs at the unholy machinations and plots of men.

Have we forgotten that?

I’m challenging myself as well as you today. As intercessors and children of God, it is our job to keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Our eyes should be fixed on Him at all times. But have we forgotten this? Have we gotten discouraged, down in the dumps, and fallen into the doldrums because things do not seem to have gone the way we wanted lately?

If so, I challenge you today to extol the Lord. Specifically, I challenge you to write down 180 ways to extol Him: 180 phrases and praises you can use to look at the Lord bigger.

Your praise works like a magnifying glass. Every time you extol the Lord and expound on His virtues—whether in your prayers, in your song, or in your worship—it’s as if you zoom in a little closer to Him. And my friend, there’s no amount of “zooming in” that could ever be too much or too close. Your praise could never be too excessive. Your list of ways to extol the Lord could never be too long.

He is worthy.

If you aren’t sure how to get started extolling the Lord, here are some tips:

  • Get out your journal and a pen.
  • Write down who God is to you, using the phrase “You are …” and complete the sentence. Tell God who He is on paper!
  • Try to get at least 180—or more!

Here are a few examples that I wrote down in my personal list of ways to extol and praise the Lord:

  1. You are the great Multiplier.
  2. You are the Chief Master Gardener of the universe.
  3. You sit above the circle of the earth.
  4. You do all things well.
  5. Out of Your mouth proceeds the sharp, two-edged sword.
  6. Both riches and honor come from You, and in Your hand it is to make great over all the earth.
  7. You are both the Keeper and the Revealer of mysteries.
  8. You are He who alone answers prayer.
  9. You are God all by Yourself.
  10. You are God; my times are in Your hands.
  11. You alone dwell in unapproachable light.
  12. You are the Chief Musician.
  13. You are the Author and Source of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
  14. You sit above all the armies of the world and remove them with one finger.
  15. You are God who confronts kings and casts them down.
  16. You are He who alone gives wisdom.
  17. You are God who gives more grace.
  18. You are the Author and the Speaker of the Word of life.
  19. You are worthy to be praised.
  20. You are magnificent and holy; righteous and true.

Beloved, do you see how quickly you can “praise yourself happy?”

When you start praising the Lord, the cares of this life fall away. When you praise God and extol His wondrous virtues, you can’t help but become enamored and enthralled with who He is. And when you become enamored and enthralled with who He is, the circumstances and situations we pray for every day in our nation suddenly look much smaller.

The Bible teaches us to extol the Lord. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3).

How long has it been since you sat down and did nothing but look at the Lord as closely as possible? Since you simply extolled His name, His wonders, and His virtues?

If you can’t say “I did that today and I am doing it right now,” then sit down and make your list. Magnify the Lord and look at Him bigger. Extol His name, and you will find the fresh breath of God’s Holy Spirit filling your lungs again.

What is the first praise that comes to your mind today? Leave a comment below, and let us extol the Lord together!

Jamie Rohrbaugh equips people to walk in the manifest presence of God. She blogs for a global readership at FromHisPresence.com, where she writes about prayer, the prophetic word, living supernaturally, inner healing, and Kingdom wealth. She is a frequent contributor to Charisma Magazine, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. Her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, can be found on iTunes and Spotify. Photo from Pikist. Download her FREE ebook, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them In Prayer and Worship, here.

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Pauline
July 18, 2021

Father, You are the Great I AM! The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Maker of heaven and earth! Is there anything too hard for you? No! You are a merciful God, your mercies are new every morning, great is your faithfulness! You are our redeemer, our peace, our joy, our protector, our provider, our healer. Thank you for for sending YOUR SON to redeem us from death! You are all we need. Help us to see that, Lord. We could never praise You enough for who You are. How great is our God. Let everything that has breath, PRAISE THE LORD!

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Denise
July 17, 2021

Lord God, Almighty,

You are Creator, Sustainer, Provider and Redeemer! You are beautiful and perfect in every way. You are the Alpha and the Omega and in You, all is good! Righteousness and Truth reign in Your presence and You know all things! Nothing exists without Your good pleasure. You are Truth! Oh how magnificent are Your Works, too marvelous for us to comprehend. You are the longing of our hearts and the purpose of our praise! You direct our steps to reveal more of Your goodness as we learn to trust and obey You! Your love is beyond us, but we receive it with gladness and great joy! Every breath we take and every beat of our hearts are all by Your goodness and grace! We praise You for You alone are Worthy. You are our Refuge, our place of safety and our only peace. Thank You, Lord God for Who You are. Thank You for Jesus and His sacrificial life redeeming us from death. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that lovingly draws us deeper into a more meaningful relationship with You. Oh Lord, thank You for creating us, pursuing us and giving us free will to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Soon we will see You face to face and we will experience the intimacy (oneness) we so desperately long for. Awaiting with great anticipation, we pray in Jesus Name!

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Elaine Paseur Mayes
July 17, 2021

You are the Great Examiner. I praise and extol You for using your lenses of goodness, righteousness, beauty, & truth to bring justice and reward and transformation. Have Your way, O Lord, in us & in all the earth! Manifest Your attributes and glorify Yourself. Let us extol You as we, in turn, examine You and ourselves more clearly. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

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Darlene
July 17, 2021

Yes, yes. Yes. Praises and thanks unto OurLord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is Our Savior, our keeper, our provider, our healer. Our comforter, our peace, our joy. No greater love than His love that has been given unto us. His words of truth to trust in, lean on, rely on to help us as we live this life for you every day. There are not enough songs to sing, prayers of Thanksgiving. Praises to express how much we love, thank you for who you are . We worship , worship. Worship you in spirit and truth. We are blessed, blessed, blessed to know you and know your spirit lives in us.

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Maria Thomas
July 17, 2021

I praise God for His faithfulness to use all circumstances for my good and His glory if I invite Him to work! Rom 8:28

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Dawn Beth
July 17, 2021

You are God almighty, King of kings, You are Alpha and Omega, beginning and end of all things,You are the Word who became flesh and dwelt among men, the Author and Finisher of my faith. You are MY GOD, and there is none like You🙌🙌
You are my Healer and the lifter of my head. You are the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world so that I could become the righteousness of God in You. You are the breath in my lungs and the keeper of my soul. You were there when I was formed in my mother’s womb, You looked at my created substance and said “ It is good” .You are light and in You there is no darkness, You are good and Your ways are righteousness and peace. I worship You and bless Your holy name, my God and my King. I will put AL my hope and AL my trust in You , for You alone are worthy to be praised🙌🙌🙏🙏🙏

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Carol Bassett
July 17, 2021

As I was just beginning to awaken this morning, “out of the blue” I heard Darlene Zschech’s song In my spirit: “All Things Are Possible!” I don’t really listen to Hillsong worship so this was truly unusual. Before I read this IFA article, Holy Spirit was already leading me to extol Father God. Every line in this song is declaration of some of the awesome attributes of God!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EqYBXFYYsxc&list=RDEqYBXFYYsxc&start_radio=1

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Melanie Freeman
July 17, 2021

Like many today,I experience discouragement over the condition of our world. The Lord convicted me that I am believing the lie of the enemy. God is still at work. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. Num.23:19 “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind. Has He said and will He not do it? ” Jehovah Jirah has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He will never leave us nor forsake us. 2 Chron. 16:9 ” For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is COMPLETELY His.” Rise up children of the Living Lord. “Where does my help come from? (Psalm 121). My help comes from the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth”. Check out this song on YouTube by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The Lord inhabits the praise of His people.

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Judith
July 17, 2021

God pulled me out of the muck and mire and set my feet on the Rock and gave me a place to stand.
Hallelujah \o/

Beautiful practice you have shared with us! Thank you!

25
Mary D
July 17, 2021

Always Faithful
Always Merciful
Always a keeper of His Promises
Always powerful!
Always with us
Keeps my focus on Who He is. As He is the Answer.

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Laura K
July 17, 2021

You go before me

You keep me faithful

You are Awesome

You are beyond imagination

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Merle McDonald
July 17, 2021

He is ALWAYS with me.

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