The Joy of the Lord...

Have you ever noticed that the times you are happiest and most content in life are the times when you are walking closest with the Lord? It doesn’t mean that life is perfect or that everything is necessarily going the way you want them to go. However you’re at a place where whatever happens, good or bad you take it in stride and trust God that he’s going to see you through.

Those times are the best times in our walk with God, the times of simply trusting him and having that inner joy in our hearts that the enemy can’t extinguish.

God loves these times; times of fellowship with his children, times of love, laughter sometimes tears but most of all trust.

The enemy despises these times. It’s in times like these that he can’t get a foothold in our lives. We are too optimistic, too trusting, too confident, too joyous, hence, too strong. He doesn’t want us strong. Consequently he focuses on the one thing that if we lose, is guaranteed to sap our strength. Little by little, he tries to chip away at our joy, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Let’s not let him…

Remember the scripture where David encouraged himself in the Lord?

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV) (emphasis mine)

I had to remind myself of that scripture this week when something happened that for a moment (well maybe it was more like an hour or two), started to sap my joy. But, I remembered that I made a promise to myself that I was not going to let anything steal my joy this year. Consequently, I began to encourage myself in the Lord. In fact I started writing this post the same day. The problem is still not fixed but I realized that getting all upset and depressed about it wasn’t going to make things right one minute before God’s time. So I’ve turned it over to him.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

The enemy will rear his ugly head in our lives, it’s his job but let’s not allow him to get the victory over us. Let’s stop him in his tracks by trusting God and rejoicing in him anyway.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Joyfully trusting Him,
~Bernadine~

Joy... that's my focus word for this year.  I find that I need to choose it more, to live more joyfully, to find joy in everyday life and consequently be stronger spiritually for indeed the joy of the Lord is my strength!

The above post is actually a re post from a few years ago but the Holy Spirit led me back to it.  Maybe he thought I needed reminding...