THE FORCE OF JOY - Pastor Faith Oyedepo
‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new’
- 2Corinthians 5.17
‘Therefore with JOY shall ye draw water out
of the wells of salvation’ - Isaiah 12.3.
God does new
things for us every day, every month, every year. Lamentations 3.21 says God’s
mercies are new every morning. Revelations 22.2 speaks of fruits yielded every
month from the tree of life. To partake of the new era, we must be armed with
certain launching pads, one of which is Joy. The spirit of Joy enables us to
enjoy new things continually, therefore know that whatsoever attempts to steal
your joy is attempting to steal your destiny.
Joy is a choice
not a gift, so choose to be joyful and the devil will respect that decision. Rejoice
in the Lord, and not in the appearance of circumstances.
‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and
the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and
there shall be no herd in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will
joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make
my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.’
Habakkuk 3.17-19.
The word ‘joy’
is an acronym for Jesus
first, Others next and Yourself last. If you live in
this order, making Jesus first, and looking out to be a blessing to others
next, you will never be frustrated.
Now, what are
some benefits of living a joyful life, especially as relates to our new dawn
heritage?
- Joy catalyses divine presence. Joy in the heart
overflows in praise. According to Psalm 22.3, God will inhabit your praise, so the
joyful do not lack divine presence. Be joyful always, and end murmuring, grumbling,
and complaining.
- Joy strengthens. Nehemiah 8.10 declares that the
joy of the Lord is our strength. This strength is in all areas of your life –
divine strength, spiritual strength, mental strength, emotional strength,
physical strength. ‘A merry heart doeth
good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones’ - Proverbs
17.22.
- It guarantees supernatural harvest. When you
sow, you need the spirit of joy to bring home the harvest (Psalm 126.1-6). To
bring in sheaves at the end of the day, fill your mouth with laughter and your
tongue with singing.
- It opens up revelation – ‘with Joy, you draw from the wells of salvation’ (Isaiah 12.3).
- Healing and health. Again, Proverbs 17.22. Joy
is medicine.
- It empowers our intellect for excellence. 1Corinthians 2.16 declares that ‘we have the mind of Christ’ and that includes covers intellect also.
However, be
cautious of hindrances to a joyful lifestyle.
- Negative report. Isaiah 53.1 asks whose report
will you believe? Don’t see with your eyes, but with the Word. He will turn
whatever you face around in your favour. In Numbers 13.30, Caleb denounced the
negative report of the 10 spies and received what he believed. Declare with the
‘minority’ standing with God that ‘You are well able’.
- Fear. In Job 3.25, the thing Job feared the most overtook him. Fear steals your joy. As you truthfully believe that God is over all things, remind yourself of this always and stand in the knowledge that all fear is the bait of the devil.
Watch teaching link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2kitRgVu-o
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