Loyalty and Praise!

It the sports world there is a term called "the fair weather fan" and it simply means that you are a fan of the team when the team is doing well. But during hard times that fan will jump on the bandwagon of other winning teams. The is also another term called "a loyal fan", and this would be a person who will stick by their team when they are having a good season or a bad one. They will proudly display their support for that team even when they are doing their worst. Why would they do that? Because they believe in them and they stick by them. They know that it isn't about one game or even one season, a true fan has a love for their team and they will cheer for them even when things don't look good.
As a Christian our lives can reflect this same loyalty or lack of loyalty. I'm not saying when things get rough we walk away from Jesus, but I am asking does your "cheer" quiet down? Are you a person who is praising God in the good times, but tend to get quiet when the enemy kicks your feet out from under you. Can you get honest enough with yourself today to say yeah I do kind of do that? Or maybe you can say that used to be me, but no more! Two years ago I made a promise to God that I will praise Him in the good times and I will praise Him even louder in the storm. Why would I make a promise like that? Because I know the enemy hears the promises I make to God too. And I want satan to know that if you come after me, and I know you will, then be prepared to hear me praise God's name even more. Be prepared for me to tell others how God has carried me through and be prepared for me to look for the good in every situation and testify about it. I want Him to know that I DO believe that God will make good of any bad situation, so as soon as a situation starts to look bad I start to look for the good. And yes, this is a choice and sometimes not and easy one., but I made a promise to God and I plan to stick by that promise.
The enemy learns about us as life goes by. He learns how to push our buttons and he learns what kind of "fan" we are to God. And where he finds weakness he will prey on it in your life. If he knows that he can crush your spirit he will try with everything he has. If he knows you are the kind of person that will focus on the bad and talk to everyone around you about all the bad in your life, then he will keep throwing bad at you. The fact is, your going to be a voice for him or a voice for God. And if you start to speak out about all the bad things that go on around you, you are not praising God, then who do you think is getting the glory? I am not saying you ignore situations, but I am saying that you don't lose sight of God in those situations. You praise Him and thank Him in the midst of the storm and you refuse to focus on the things that you know the enemy wants you to.
I believe if there is one strong theme throughout the new testament it is that we are supposed to be as much like Jesus as we can. And when I look at how Jesus handled every "bad" situation around Him, I see that they did not shake Him, they did not rock His foundation and they did not affect His focus on God or His purpose. And I am very thankful for that! The enemy tried to tempt Jesus, then enemy tried to get people to doubt Jesus, the enemy caused people to turn on Him and the enemy caused Him pain. And Jesus praised God through it all. And He let others see that praise! And even in the end, when the enemy thought he won through death, Jesus defeated Him and gave all honor to God.
So today I ask that you look at how you handle things that get thrown at you. In those situations are you more of a fair weather fan to God, or are you truly loyal to Him? Like I have stated before, light always drives out darkness and your praise is light. And when others see your praise at a time when it would make more since to be frustrated or mad, then not only are you being Christlike, but you are pointing others to Him!
God, thank You that You are faithful and trustworthy. Please help us not lose sight of that when the enemy hits us with something bad. Help us keep our focus and our trust on You and see this as an opportunity to let You do something big in our lives that others will see. Give us the strength and wisdom to see the enemy's plan and praise and trust You through it ALL. In Jesus name, Amen