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
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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