As we began to cover in the last WFTW, three basic characteristics of a mature Christian is love, joy, and peace. These are “divinely powerful weapons.” This week we will cover the weapon of Joy.
In Nehemiah 8:10 we are told, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of The Lord is your strength.” To win any battle we must be stronger than our adversary. This statement that “the joy of The Lord is our strength” begins with “Do not be grieved” because grief is to focus on our problems, or our losses, instead of The Lord. Grief is the opposite of joy, and therefore a primary destroyer of our strength.
When we lose a loved one, property, or resources we have worked hard for, grief is natural. But we are not called to live in the natural, but by The Spirit. We may think this is asking too much, and it is for the immature in The Lord. However, the more we grow up into Him the easier this becomes. Instead of embracing grief at losses or trials, we obey The Scriptures that say:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
“knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
“And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
“so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6-7).
A mark of Christian maturity is being able to endure hardships and loss with joy. If we truly believe that all things work together for our good as we’re told in Romans 8:28, how can we not count hardships as a privilege God has given to us for our good? If we are mature enough to comprehend the eternal glory that these trials prepare us to receive, how can we not be joyful about them?
It’s understandable that we may not feel joy at first, but that is why James wrote “count it all joy.” This is a mindset where we resolve to trust God more than our feelings, or anything else in the created world. We will have this mindset if we obey I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” As we are told in Psalm 100, we enter The Lord’s gates, or presence, with thanksgiving. Psalm16:11 states, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” The key to abiding in the presence of The Lord is to give thanks in everything.
When I got Covid-19 I resolved to be thankful for the trial. The worse I felt, the more I thanked Him. I did go through three days when I felt worse than I ever had from any flu or sickness, but at the same time those were days filled with such joy because of the presence of The Lord I felt. I truly thought the whole experience was worth it many times over.
In my BC (before Christ) days, I tried many things to get high. I can assure you there is no high or feeling of any kind like the “fullness of joy” that comes from the presence of The Lord. This is what we were made for, and anything else is just a cheap, shallow substitute.
I am not advocating trying to get Covid or to bring any kind of trial upon ourselves. I don’t think we have the wisdom to do this, but those that The Lord allows we must embrace and be thankful for. As “the joy of The Lord is your strength” (see Nehemiah 8:10), the joy of His presence can give us the strength we need to be victorious in any trial. However, we do not need trials to walk in His joy. We should walk in it in all things, and we will if we are thankful people.
© 2021 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.
