Oftentimes, heaviness starts out as a little care or concern. What begins as a small burden grows and grows. We start to take on responsibilities that aren’t ours. We start thinking we have to keep everyone around us happy. We start worrying about things in the future. All of this piled on becomes very heavy on our hearts and minds.

Did you know that heaviness is actually a spirit? The goal of heaviness is to distract you and get you off track. Heaviness tries to keep your head down so that you can’t even look up to the heavens—the place where your help comes from. Heaviness tries to wear you out and take the place of God’s spirit, but do you know what chases that spirit off? Praise and thanksgiving. See, God inhabits the praises of His people. He literally comes into our praise and works! When you start praising, God shows up in your midst and every foul spirit has to flee!

If you have heaviness upon you today, if you feel trapped, overwhelmed, discouraged, frustrated or anxious, there is only one thing you need to do, and that is to praise Almighty God! Even if it’s difficult, even if you don’t feel like it, just open your mouth and begin to declare His goodness. Sometimes, we have to stir ourselves up in the things of God. Sometimes, we have to get our flesh to obey the Word of God so we can see the breakthrough in the supernatural realm. We have to choose to praise Him in faith knowing that praise unlocks the heavens. Scripture says that we are to enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and enter His courts with praise and bless His holy Name! We should never come empty-handed to God, but we should always give Him praise because He is worthy!

Today put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). Set your heart and mind on the Father! Just like Joel says, instead of focusing on your problems, focus on your God. Worry will get you stuck, but praise will get you through! Enter His gates with thanksgiving, shake off heaviness, and embrace the peace, joy and victory God has prepared for you!