I visited with my sister this week and it was so nice to have fun and enjoy time together! It’s so important to make time for our relationships and enjoy life. The key to enjoying life, however, is knowing the TRUE joy that comes from a relationship with God. Because the enemy knows the powerful force joy is in our lives, he continually targets it. Have you ever met someone that seemed like they had everything going for them, yet they were always unhappy? Or maybe you’ve felt at times like joy was being squeezed out of you by the trials of life, or even that joy was out of reach for you? These feelings are more common than you may think,
Understanding joy is so important. When we base our joy on external things it’s a trap that will steal from us every time. The world tells us that in order to be “happy,” we must either attain certain things in our lives first, or everything needs to be perfect. With this mindset, the enemy will always dangle that “proverbial carrot” before us, to keep us searching for happiness. The truth is, we were never meant to search for happiness. We were created to experience JOY! What’s the difference?? Well, happiness is a “feeling” based on our circumstances and when those circumstances change or aren’t exactly as we expect them to be, we become unhappy. Joy on the other hand is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. True joy comes from the Lord and is not based on the external, but rather flows internally from our spirit. The Bible tells us, we can have joy at all times – even when going through trials! In fact, it’s the joy of the Lord that gives us the strength to get through those trials (James 1:2-3, Nehemiah 8:10b). You may feel like this is an impossibility, I sure did at one time, but God’s Word is true!
In Psalm 51:12, David prayed and asked the Lord to “restore the joy of his salvation.” He had gotten off track and sometimes we can too. Salvation is more than going to Heaven; it’s a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). We find joy in our relationship with God because that’s the very thing we were created for. This is why the enemy tries to get our focus onto so many other things in life and to neglect our relationship with God. If we neglect our relationship with God long enough, we become unhappy, dissatisfied, discouraged, and an open target for the enemy to lead us down a path we don’t want to go. No matter where we’re at in our walk with God, it’s important to guard our hearts and keep our relationship with God a priority.
If you find yourself struggling to find joy, as we all have at times, I want to encourage you to reflect on what you may be looking to other than the Lord for joy. It can be things, it can be relationships, it can be status….anything really. What’s that “proverbial carrot” that the enemy is dangling before you? What are the “If only’s” that play in your mind… “If only I was married, then I’d be happy. If only I had more money then I’d have happy… If only I could get that promotion, then I’d be happy. If only, If only, If only…..” I love the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She tried everything in her own strength to meet the need in her life. Finally she said, “If only I touch the hem of His garment, then I will be healed (Mark 9:21)” She knew that everything she needed would be remedied by just one touch from Jesus! And it was! Jesus didn’t just heal her, He made her WHOLE! When I find myself looking to anything or anyone other than God for joy, I know I need to reel myself in and get my priorities straight. Sometimes I may even need to fast and pray so that I can get my heart in alignment with God’s perfect plan for me. I press into God even more and experience what only He can give to me. I just need one touch from Him to recognize once again, He is ALL I need!
Maybe you’re going through some struggles right now and wonder how you can have joy in the midst of them. I know it isn’t easy, but this is when we need the Holy Spirit more than ever, to give us a fresh infilling of joy! When we’re weak, He strengthens us. I’ve found that praising and worshipping God in the midst of the trials is key to breaking out of sorrow and receiving the supernatural joy of God. Again, we see this in the life of David. He was a true worshiper, and in the midst of his most trying times, He continued to worship God. Many of the Psalms were written by him and are his personal worship to the Lord. We see that God delivered Him from so many things and set Him up for great success. I remember a time in my life where I was so depressed, I couldn’t physically get out of bed. Thankfully, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, and one day I turned on the praise music. I lay there in my bed clapping my hands pathetically…. but soon I was sitting up clapping, and before you know it I was out of bed singing, dancing, and praising the Lord. I continued to do this for days until that depression had no choice but to go and the joy of the Lord flooded my heart. It doesn’t make sense in the natural, because it’s something only God can do in us. I want to encourage you – Don’t allow the enemy to keep you in a pit of despair another moment! God has great joy for you! His joy will be your strength and will see you through any trial you’re facing. The enemy may think he can take you out, but he’s mistaken – the joy of the Lord is your strength!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4
