Tag: Joy

Feast your eyes on this!

·

George Whittenby George Whitten

All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15

Solomon wrote, “a merry heart has a continual feast!” But why does it seem like so many of us are not feasting? How do we maintain a merry heart?

Too often, we brood and complain over all the things we lack. Somehow we’ve come to believe that if good things would only come our way, we’d be truly happy. But it’s not good things that bring a merry heart – it’s living a life of wholehearted faith!

Paul said that he was content both in want and in plenty! Matthew Henry said, “Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sour; it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones.” A third-century man penned these last words to a friend: “It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians–and I am one of them.”

Lord, help us not to focus on the worldly things we lack. Help us to master our souls and overcome the world. We want to be men and women of GREAT FAITH! Lord, you have come that Your joy would remain in us, and that our joy would remain FULL! Help us to experience the full joy you have for us today! In Yeshua (Jesus) Name we pray!

Let’s begin feasting and filling our spiritual bellies with the His Word! Let’s make our mouths to be filled with His praise! The joy of the Lord is our strength!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love

by George Whitten

Obtaining Joy in the Darkest of Times

·

David Wilkersonby David Wilkerson

“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

In this passage, Isaiah is telling us that in the midst of the dark times to come, some of God’s elect are going to awaken and lay hold of the Spirit of Christ. When they do so, the Holy Spirit will cause a spirit of joy and gladness to reside in them so deeply that no condition, circumstance or person will be able to steal their joy.

There may be no joy in our wicked society, among the ungodly, or even in dead, formal churches. But Isaiah speaks a word of hope to the righteous: “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law” (51:7). God is speaking here to all those who know and obey him.

We who know Christ’s righteousness are not to live as those who are without hope. We have been blessed with both the love and fear of God, and his will for us in the darkest times is to obtain his joy. Even as we see judgment falling around us, we are to sing, shout and rejoice — not because judgment has come, but in spite of it.

God reminded his people, “[I] made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over” (51:10. He was saying, “I’m still the Lord, the worker of miracles, and my arm is still strong to deliver you.” So, what does God want his people to know in light of this truth? He says it all in one verse:

Isaiah 51:11“So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing.”

In other words, “I’m going to have a people who return to me with trust, faith and confidence.”

“With everlasting joy on their heads.”

The joy of God’s people won’t be just for a Sunday morning, or a week or a month. It will last even to the very end.

“Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

This doesn’t mean all our suffering will end but it means our trust in the Lord will put us above every pain and trial.

God looked down through the ages and said, “I’m going to have a people who will obtain joy.” You can lay hold of it and it will be yours — forever!

by David Wilkerson