The joy of the Lord is my strength

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH

Sometimes, we in the church are accused of glossing over the fact that life can be hard.

We sometimes tend to give the impression that all you need to do is give your heart to Jesus and all of your problems will be solved, all your bills will be paid, you will have a success and prosperity, and everything you touch will turn to gold. If you are a Christian, you will have a continual smile on your face and always be happy. We make all our baskets, we sink all our putts, we close all our deals.

Does that sound like your testimony? I know it doesn’t sound like mine!

I think the problem is that we’ve confused joy with happiness.

Happiness is dependent on happenings. Circumstances in your life dictate whether or not you are happy.

Joy, on the other hand is a gift from God, a fruit of the Spirit that transcends whatever is happening in your life. Joy allows you to rise, even soar, above difficult circumstances, challenges, and heartaches.

Joy comes from knowing Who is in control and that He has a plan to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

We do not draw our strength from the great feelings we get when things go right; if we did, we would be powerless when hard times and adversity hit, and we would all be easy pickings for the devil.

No, it is the joy of the Lord that is your strength!

Jesus wasn’t happy about going to the cross. He prayed the night before “If there is any other way, let this cup pass from me...” But He did have joy in obedience.

The writer to the Hebrews put it this way: “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross...” 

There was joy for the Lord Jesus even in the pain and the agony of the cross because He knew the end result of His obedience and sacrifice would be the offer of salvation for you and me. Jesus chooses to go through hell for us rather than to go to heaven without us.

In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul talks about joy over and over again (Phil. 4:4). Yet he wrote that letter to the church at Philippi while he was imprisoned in horrible conditions.

How could he write about joy while imprisoned in a dark, cold, rat-infested Roman cell? It’s because joy is not dependent on circumstances!

When you and I face tough times, we can draw on great reserves of joy that are rooted in our knowledge of the faithfulness of God. That’s how Job was able to say in the midst of tragedy, heartache and great loss, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15).

He knew God and He trusted God. That is how he could have “joy in unrelenting pain” (Job 6:10, NIV).

Brethren, faint not in the day of your adversity because it is the joy of the Lord that is your strength – Prov. 24:10; Nehemiah 8:10.

Kingdom Gospel: “TO FINISH FIRST YOU MUST FIRST FINISH”.

Kingdom Gospel: “TO FINISH FIRST YOU MUST FIRST FINISH”.: “TO FINISH FIRST YOU MUST FIRST FINISH”.   The race is not always won by the fastest, but rather by the one who keeps on keep...

“TO FINISH FIRST YOU MUST FIRST FINISH”.

“TO FINISH FIRST YOU MUST FIRST FINISH”.

 

The race is not always won by the fastest, but rather by the one who keeps on keeping on, who refuses to give up.

This is not the time to buckle under or down. Also, this is not the moment for you to neither throw in the Towel nor give in to the words of the critics, give up to the opposition, and give way to the obstacles. Now is the time to buckle up despite mounting criticism, intense opposition and overwhelming obstacles. 

However, with perseverance and your determined resolved you will certainly and surely succeed. “Great power is embodied in persistence”. And remember the word of Race Car Driver – Rick Mears that says; “To finish first you must first finish”. It is always too soon to quit. One of the most powerful and destructive tools that Satan has in his arsenal is DISCOURAGEMENT, the subtle but dangerous compulsion to GIVE UP, TO QUIT, saying, “ WHAT IS THE USE?”

When you are tempted to quit: RESIST! We must endure in the battle until the evil day is over. 

We must press on in the face of the temptation to quit.

·         Until the war is over, we must fight to the end.

·         Until the race is finished, we must keep running.

·         Until the wall is built, we must keep stacking bricks.

NEVER GIVE UP. Never! 

The promises of God are always at the end. Conclusively, remember Revelation 2:26-28 that says;

“Here’s the reward I have for every conqueror, everyone who keeps at it, refusing to give up: You’ll rule the nations, your Shepherd-King rule as firm as an iron staff, their resistance fragile as clay pots. This was the gift my Father gave me; I pass it along to you—and with it, the Morning Star!”

-          Revelation 2:26-28{MSG}