Joy

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)

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The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)

Joy. It's not a warm, happy feeling you're supposed to have now and then when things are going well. It's much more than that. Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.

Look again at Nehemiah 8:10 and I'll show you why. If you were to diagram that scripture and remove the phrase, "of the Lord," you would find what it's truly saying is this: Joy is strength. The two are interchangeable.

That's what makes joy so crucial. You can't live a life of faith without being strong in the Lord—and when God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!

Joy is not just a state of mind. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy is a very real force, and the devil doesn't have anything that can stand up against it. Just as fear has to yield to faith, discouragement has to yield to joy.

Since joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, you already have it residing within you. But you must develop it, confess it and live by it if you want to enjoy its power.

Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You can be strong in the Lord. You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit within you and come out on top.

Rejoice!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 18:28-50

Finding True Joy

Most people want to experience joy and happiness, and some spend their entire lives searching for it. Joy can be defined as an emotional state or a feeling of elation, but many people miss the mark when they search for it exclusively.

The world's definitions of joy are incomplete and biased, because those definitions can change at any time. To learn the truth about how to find it, we must look to the Bible.

The world says that we can find happiness by buying a new car, shopping at a particular department store, earning a certain salary, or hanging out with the right people. The problem with this way of thinking is that what the world says is important becomes insignificant and temporary when compared to the Scriptures, which are unchanging truths. When we study the Bible, we learn that God's plan includes perfect happiness in Him. “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24) Jesus spoke these words to His disciples to teach them that true and lasting joy comes only from God.

When we refocus our mindset from seeking happiness through worldly things to realizing that it is actually a blessing from heaven, our entire perspective begins to change. The world tells us that we must work hard to find some degree of happiness or peace, however fleeting. Jesus reveals that we cannot find joy through our own efforts, but only through Him. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Jesus Christ.” " (Phil. 4:4, 6, 7)

His blessings are found in peaceful children, happy marriages, stable finances, and success and prosperity in everything we do. Accepting God's Word as truth and believing it enough to apply it to our lives allows Him to pour out these blessings on us. We are suddenly taken by surprise when we realize that the deep sense of peace and joy that flows through us comes from His thoughts toward us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11)

God's joy is deeper than just a feeling of happiness or excitement. When we believe His promises, even in situations where we don't feel happy at the moment, we always have a supernatural sense of joyful peace. It is higher, deeper, and wider than any ocean, and we simply know that it comes from His presence. “Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16, 18) God wants us to know that the kind of happiness greater than we could ever imagine is found only through Him.

The theme of thanksgiving is mentioned repeatedly in Scripture, because when we encounter His love, we cannot help but give thanks for the joy we discover. It comes from Him, not from the world. “Why is everyone hungry for more? More, more, they say. Again, again. I have more than enough of God, more joy in an ordinary day than they have in all their shopping sprees. At the end of the day, I am ready to sleep soundly, because it is You, God, who has put my life in order.” (Psalm 4:6-8) He restores us! God's joy always makes us happy! God is so good to us! Glory to God!

Always Be Full of Joy

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!. - Philippians 4:4

Years ago, I decided I was going to walk by the Word of God. I told God that, as far as I was concerned, His Word was final and I’d confess it the rest of my life no matter what. That was the most important decision I’ve ever made.

Not too long after that, I decided that no matter what happened, whether I felt like it or not, I’d walk in love. Because the Bible clearly says “faith worketh by love.” It won’t work any other way.

Those two decisions—to operate by faith in the Word of God and to walk in love—are the two most important decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

Recently, though, God pointed out to me that there was something I’d been leaving out. The force of joy. He told me I have no right to walk by faith and love and just leave joy dormant in my spirit. It’s too important. As He taught me about it, I soon came to realize that joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, I might have an occasional triumph now and then, but I wouldn’t be able to sustain them. They’d quickly slip away.

You see, joy is what gives you the strength (Nehemiah 8:10) to hold steady when the circumstances get rough. Joy gives you the ability to laugh in the devil’s face when he starts trying to knock you off your faith. It gives you a kind of staying power that will make you a winner again and again.

So make a commitment to God that you’re going to walk, not only in faith and in love but in joy as well. Make it a point to rejoice in the Lord always...and there won’t be anything the devil can do or say to steal your victory from you!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 84:1-7

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