JOY ( A GREAT VIRTUE PART 2)

-

WHAT JOY?There is a difference between the ordinary joy people experience and the joy that the Bible talks about.Worldly joy comes as a result of temporary circumstances, like promotion at work, new job, increase salary, the birth of a baby etc. This is the joy that comes as a result of outward circumstances, this type of joy is short lived and temporal because they are controlled or determined by the circumstances of life. But the joy the scriptures talks about is called the joy of the Lord, it is the joy that comes from your inner being as a result of your relationship with the Lord. It has nothing to do with your outer circumstances. It is a joy that is deeply rooted in your heart through the promises of God and the person of the Holy Ghost.WHAT IS THIS JOY?1.     It is the fruit of the recreated human spirit. Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy…” Joy as one of the fruit of the spirit is birthed in your heart the very moment you receive Jesus as Lord and savior. It becomes part of your nature as a believer. 
2.     It is growable: Though joy is part of the fruit of the recreated human spirit, it is our responsibility as believers to grow it. The more we grow it, the less troubled and worried we become. 
3.     We grow it by exercising it: We grow and develop this joy by refusing to worry and be anxious in tribulation. We train ourselves to always be joyful in every circumstance we find ourselves. When we do this, this joy dominates us and miracles become a permanent part of our lives.
WHY IS JOY IMPORTANT?
1.     Nehemiah 8:10, “…neither be ye sorry (sorrowful); for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Without the joy of the Lord, we have no strength or ability in Christ to give birth to our desire.
2.     Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Salvation has benefits but without joy we cannot tap into those benefits.
3.     Deuteronomy 28:47, “Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.” When you serve God with joy, He multiplies you in blessings and increases you abundantly with all good things.
4.     Deuteronomy 28:47, 48, anyone that refuses to serve God with joy will serve the devil in sorrow, lack and want of all things. May that not be your portion in Jesus name.
5.     Joel 1:12, when joy withers or seizes in a man’s life every good thing also seize.
LET NOT CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE YOUR JOY   
Jesus said in John 16:22 to let no man take your joy. How does the devil use men to steal our joy? Through evil report and circumstances – Habakkuk 3:17.
Paul said thus, “Rejoice evermore.” – 1st Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice."Romans 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” I want you to realise that the Apostle wrote these while he was in prison. He never looked at his situation but on Jesus and His promises. Peter also slept while according to Acts 12:5-6, he was supposed to be executed the next morning. It takes faith and joy to sleep when the next day is the day of your execution. These men saw Christ and not their situation. They never worried nor were anxious but believing and always full of joy.
God bless you. See you next month.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'TS NOT WORTH IT : STOP RESISTING GOD IN YOUR LIFE

-
Image
Dearly beloved, I welcome you all to this awesome month of June. May all that the Lord has for you this month be made manifest in your life in Jesus name, Amen. This month, I will be admonishing you on what I titled, ‘Stop resisting God in your life.’ The Bible says in the book of Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” The New International Version of the same book of Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is important to note by this scripture that God has great things in store for you, not just for your present but also for your future. What a wonderful Father. You facing difficult situations today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue you from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a
Read more

FOOD FOR TEENS :THE INTENTIONALITY OF GOD

-
Image
What God has in store for us far exceeds what we can achieve on our own, it goes beyond our wildest imagination, those desires in us to achieve great things are product of the great things God has placed inside us but because we have not sort Him, we try to achieve these things based on what we see in the natural. We try to make sense of those things our spirit yearns for, we try to give them expression but we fail to go to Him that has put these things within us. You see people trying to achieve success in their careers, homes, businesses, academics, etc. thinking they will find true fulfillment. They dream of owning big companies, hoping to find fulfillment because they think that is the best way to get true fulfillment but every time a target is met a new one is created, yet the fulfillment they seek seems to elude them. All of creation seeks this fulfillment the creator has created and placed within them. Romans 8:19 says, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for t
Read more

IT'S NOT WORTH IT: STOP LOOKING BACK

-
Image
Hello my beloved saints, I welcome you to the month of December in the name of Jesus. May the Lord who has brought you this far take you farther and cause you to see and experience His glory in this new month in Jesus name. I will be sharing with you on what I titled “Stop Looking Back.” The Bible made us to understand that as Christians we are in a race, 1st Corinthians 9:24, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" . We are in a race and we must end up well, one thing we must do and consistently do is to stop looking back at our past, at our old lifestyle. No Christian can ever come to his or her place of victory in the Kingdom who consistently stays in his or her past. His or her past pleasures, failures, defeat, pain, lust, unforgiveness etc. It is one trap of Satan to keep a believer from making tangible progress. There is a profound statement made by our Lord Jesus which we must take to heart because
Read more