"You're making this into a bigger deal than it needs to be." How many times have I either been on the giving OR receiving end of this statement? That's what it means to magnify a situation. We make something appear larger than it is. The thing is, we will NEVER be able to "over-magnify" God. There is never a time where we will fully understand how "large" He is. The power comes in when we magnify God over our situation. This is what the song, "Magnify" by We Are Messengers calls us to do. Let's head over to Psalm 34 and magnify the Lord together. I want to realign where my hope is set until He's all that's left. On this episode I discuss: How the word "magnify" in our song led me to Psalm 34:3 The theme of the episode is to magnify God, focusing in on Him alone NOT our troubles When we magnify God we increase the importance or effect of Him in our lives When John the Baptist talks about decreasing so Christ could increase - John 3:30 Setting aside our "What's In It For Me" nature and replacing it with Soli Deo Gloria -- Glory to God Alone Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - our Bible Interaction Tool Exercises this week are: Read in context Make a list Follow the cross reference Complete a word study Focusing on making a list of all of the characteristics and ways of God found in Psalm 34...leaving out all other details A great prophecy tucked into this Psalm that was fulfilled in the death of Jesus, and its significance Magnifying God so that we can no longer see our afflictions Replacing lies with God's true character Additional Resources Lyrics This Week's Challenge Read Psalm 34 all the way through at least once. Then go back through the entire Psalm and take the extra step to write out the descriptions of God that you see. If you're really bold, mark in your Bible! Underline or circle the descriptions of God. If one of the characteristics you are magnifying pricks your spirit and uncovers a lie, write that verse out on a sticky note and replace the lie with the truth daily. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.