Does every computer problem—every unexpected glitch, no matter what it is—provoke the question, “Did you try turning it off and back on?” A call to Microsoft customer service certainly begins that way. Same with your printer, your cell phone, your smart TV, your iPad. Why? It works. There’s something about powering down and powering up—and the sequencing, the folders opening and closing, that resets the system.
What if you could do a spiritual reboot? If you were in a funk, or angry, or tempted, or just “in a bad place” and you could flip a switch and everything would reset? Sounds too simple, huh? Impossible? Too good to be true?
Well, it’s not. It is possible and it is simple (it’s not EASY, but it’s simple). But the problem with a simple solution is no one tries it. Look at the way people struggle to accept grace.
But there really is a RESET BUTTON. You really can do a SPIRITUAL REBOOT.
PRAISE is the button.
- Praise God—name His amazing qualities—in the middle of bad circumstances. That will reset your emotions completely and you will begin to have hope and faith and even joy in the hurt.
- Read the Psalms, especially Psalms 90-100. Those chapters emphasize praise. Read ALOUD. If you are depressed, praise will cure it. If you are tempted, praise will get your mind on something else. If you are prideful, praise will humble your perspective.
Before any appearance on stage, quoting a psalm cures me of pride. I pray it over and over for an instant spiritual reboot:
“Not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to Thy Name give glory, because of Thy lovingkindness and because of Thy truth” Psalm 115:1.
God, show us that PRAISE can cure our perspective and reboot our thoughts and emotions. Thank you for this amazing tool for giving us a reset and putting us on the path of wisdom and godliness! Teach us to PRAISE YOU every day.
ΑΩ