0 God Wants You to Be Full of Joy

Recently my pastor preached on the subject of joy using a scripture of which many of us have heard before, that is, Nehemiah 8:10 - “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  However, my pastor did not use in the usual way I had heard this verse previously preached.  In fact, the pastor stated that he was going to use the scripture in the usual way it is preached, but the Holy Spirit stopped him and caused him to meditate on the verses preceding verse 10.  What followed was a Rhema word from God.

First you must understand the background of this passage.  Because of their rebellious hearts, the Israelites as an entire nation had been conquered by the Babylonians and transported from their home country to Babylon, which was about 500 miles as the crow flies, but by caravans, the route would be about twice as much since it meanders.  Finally after 70 years of exile (the length of time prophesied by Jeremiah and others that the exile would last), God gave the Israelites favor with the King of Babylon and opened the door for them to return to their home country.

As you can imagine, while the Israelites lived with the Babylonians, over time, they forgot their culture and adapted to the culture in which they lived.  Life continued on, births, marriages, and funerals.  In Nehemiah chapter 8, we see the Israelites have settled back in their homeland and for the first time in many of their lives they heard the priest read publically in an assembly from the book of the law.  What proceeded next was great sadness as “all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law.”  Nehemiah 8:9.  Why did they weep?  Because they could not bear God pointing out their failure and the failure of their ancestors to keep God’s law.  They felt rebuked, scolded and flat out shamed.

Isn’t this typical human nature when God corrects or disciplines us?  We suck our thumb and threaten to quit church, or even worse, quit God.  This should not be.  My pastor used a wonderful example to demonstrate the absurdness of this reaction to God’s loving correction and discipline.  Say you are a high school football player and you got the opportunity to receive tips and pointers from someone you admired and looked-up to in the professional league.  Surely you don’t expect to be as good as them, nor would they expect you to be as good as them now.  And when they corrected some of your bad habits, would you get long faced and threaten to quit.  No, of course not.  With gladness, you would receive their instruction because you know it would only make you better and it is coming from one of the best.  In fact, just being in the person’s presence would bring you great joy . . . right?

Then why do we feel like a failure and quitting when God shows us where we could improve?  Shouldn’t we received God’s correction and discipline with joy knowing it is coming from God, a being more perfect and above any other person who was, is, or is to come?!  In fact, just being in God’s presence should bring us great joy and energy because it’s God, the creator of all that exists, but yet the ever-present lover of our souls who desires to have a relationship with us.  This is why Nehemiah said “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  God’s presence is invigorating.  He doesn’t desire for you to be sad around Him or dread his instruction.  He desires that you be full of joy, knowing that any instruction is for your good and the good of those around you.  Let His joy, that is, His presence fill you today.  May you find peace and joy IN HIM.  Blessings.

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0 How to Find Joy and Peace in Life

Most of us are familiar with John 3:16 and God’s promise of everlasting life to those who believe in Jesus.  In John 10:10, Jesus stated that he came to bring us life, and life to the full.  When we think of this life that Jesus came to bring us, many people think it refers to the life God will give us one day after we die and go to heaven.  Yes, this is included in God’s statement, but He meant so much more.

Jesus was clear that once we accept Him as savior, the Kingdom of God, and everything it represents, already resides in us.  Luke 17:21.  And the Bible says that the Kingdom of God “is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 14:17.  God desires that your life be filled with peace and joy.  He has placed these deep within your heart.  Your job is to draw it out and cultivate it with God’s help.  I want to show you today six key ingredients to living the full life that Jesus came to give us.

THE FIRST KEY INGREDIENT IS SPEND TIME WITH GOD.  We spend time with God through reading His word and prayer, that is, simply talking to God and listening for His still small voice deep within.  Spending time with God affects the quality of our lives in many ways.  One such way is found in Philippians 4:5-7:

“5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

How often have we said “Oh well, I’ve done everything else, I guess all I can do now is pray.” Often times we forfeit the peace and joy that God has for us in any given situation because we do not take our issue to God first.  He has the answer.  Trust and rely on Him.

THE SECOND KEY INGREDIENT IS PERSONAL GROWTH.  We all have attitudes, behaviors and habits that are not Godly.  It is a result of being born sinful and living in a fallen world.  We will not live joyous and fulfilling lives and have healthy relationships until we get some of our bad habits and behaviors straightened out.  Romans 12:2 states:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

How do we get straightened out?  By meditating on the Word of God as it will sanctify and cleanse us.  Ephesians 5:26.

THE THIRD KEY INGREDIENT IS TO SET GOALS AND WORK TOWARD SOMETHING NEW.  Note that in Genesis 1, each day God created something, at the end of the day He stood back and looked at it with satisfaction and said it is “good.”  It brought Him satisfaction and joy.

God created us like Himself, to be progressive and creative.  See Genesis 2:15 - “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”  Only when we are working toward a goal, will we find true satisfaction in life.  Galatians 6:4 makes this clear:

“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

THE FOURTH KEY INGREDIENT IS TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.  Proverbs 17:17 states:

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

And Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 states:

“9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.  10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.  11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?”

In times of trouble, we often isolate ourselves because we are ashamed that we are struggling.  This is a dangerous place to be.  We need people to whom we can be vulnerable, accountable and go to in time of need.

THE FIFTH KEY INGREDIENT IS SERVICE TO GOD AND OTHERS.  To live a fulfilled life, “it can’t all be about us.”  In fact, the Word of God instructs us to comfort others like we ourselves have been comforted by God.  Second Corinthians 1:3-4 states:

“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ”

God certainly rewards those who serve as He makes clear in Proverbs 11:25 that a generous person will prosper; a person who refreshes others will themself be refreshed.

Lastly, THE SIXTH KEY INGREDIENT IS REST.  Genesis 2:1, 2 states that God rested after creating all that exists.  He didn’t need to rest, because God does not get weary, nor need sleep.  See Psalm 121.  He was setting up a principle for us to follow.  Our natural bodies need rest or we will burnout and life will lose its joy.

I encourage you that if you are feeling tired and weary today take the key ingredients that I have shown you and examine your life and assess where you might be out of balance.  Most importantly, ask the Holy Spirit to show you.  As Him for His help.  He loves you so much.  He is more than ready to help you.  He desires that you be full of His joy and peace.  Remember, Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full.

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0 Strength in Numbers

We all need people to whom we can go to in time of need.  But that is not what most of us do when we need help.  Most of us are embarrassed or too proud to go to someone with our problems.  We believe that people will think less of us.

So what do most of us do in times of trouble?  We often isolate ourselves.  We keep it all on the inside and suffer silently, or make bad decisions because we don’t seek advice from someone with more knowledge or experience.  But this is a dangerous place to be.  It’s a place where your real enemy the devil wants you to be because when you are alone, you are vulnerable to attack.  

God illustrated this point to me using something as simple as farm animals.  I would frequently pass by a farm on my commute into town and I noticed that the animals always remained huddled together in a pack.  No matter what part of the field in which they were feeding, they remained together.  One day as I drove by the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.  He asked me, “Do you know why they do this?”  I answered “No.”  He continued, “I gave them this survival instinct to group together because there is strength in numbers.  They are not as vulnerable to attack by predators when they are in tight packs.”

Our “adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour.”  1 Peter 5:8

He then communicated to me that we His children are likewise vulnerable to attack by our enemy when we isolate ourselves.  He brought to my mind a Scripture, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV):

9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

Through this lesson, God communicated three pieces of advice to me.  One, when we are hurting or in trouble, we should seek out someone we respect for help.  The person from whom you seek help might be able to help you see a way out because when hurting emotions are running high so our ability to think clearly on our own is diminished.  And don’t be embarrassed.  We all make mistakes.  No one except God is perfect.

Second, when we have a big decision to make, seek advice of other people who have knowledge or experience in the area.  Listen to people who know more about a subject than you do.  Be humble.  The Bible has plenty to say on this subject:

Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

    Proverbs 13:10 - Wisdom is found in those that take advice.

    Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

    Proverbs 20:18 - Make plans by seeking advice.

    Proverbs 24:6 - In the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Third, reach out to others who might be alone.  If you see people isolated because of personality or problems, reach out to them.  One word from you could change everything.  The Bible is clear that God comforts us so that we can comfort others.  See Second Corinthians 1:3-4.  And please don’t make the mistake of thinking that you are better than someone else.  What do you have that hasn’t been given to you?  (See First Corinthians 4:7 - "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?").

Some of my best friends are people who I never thought God would put me with.  But God was looking at their heart, not their exterior or what they have or what position they occupy.  Until next time, be blessed our friends.

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