Strengthen Through Joy

Devotion 8 - Strengthening Ourselves Through Joy

“If you know the enemy & know yourself, the victory is not at risk!” (Sun Tzu - The Art of War)

 

Success, therefore, depends on preparation, anticipating every strategy an opponent might use against us and deciding in advance how a response should be, so that when attack occurs, the appropriate action can become instinctual and automatic.

 

For that reason, Peter cautioned us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1Pet.5:8). And Paul also adjured us not be oblivious regarding the enemy “…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Cor.2:11)

 

The joy of the Lord is our Strength

 

Neh.8:10 – “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

If the joy of the Lord is our strength, then joy would be a major focus of attack by the enemy; for if we lose our joy, we would not have strength to strengthen ourselves in the Lord.  On the other hand, if we learn how to keep the Joy of the Lord in us, we will have strength to overcome every situation in life. Hence, joy is like the immune system in our spirit against any emotional attack from the enemy.
A Christian without joy is as good as one with no immunity against Satanic attacks. Hence, Satan uses all kinds of trials in life to rob us of our joy. Because once our immune system is down, he can then easily attack and defeat us.

Jas.1:2 – “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials…”

In this verse, James was not just telling us to keep the right heart attitude when we fall into various trials in life; rather, he was giving us the KEY to come out of the trials and temptation, for the only way to overcome all manner of temptation and trials is through the Joy of the Lord.

Joy vs. Happiness

Joy includes happiness but happiness does not necessarily include joy. Joy is more consistent and is cultivated internally. It comes when we learn to make peace with who we are before God, whereas happiness tends to be externally triggered and is based on circumstances, things, places, thoughts and events.

Happiness is to be satisfied in the soul & body. However, when the Bible talks about the Joy of the Lord, is it not talking about feeling or experience but rather being satisfied in the spirit.  Joy is something inside us, from the spirit. We can have joy despite any circumstances in life.

The epistle of Philippians is written while Paul was in prison, yet it was an epistle full of joy. In fact, the keyword in this letter was rejoicing. In Phil. 4:16, Paul exhorts us to “Rejoice in the Lord always…”. He is thus teaching us that joy comes from having the right perspective and most importantly, it is a choice. This is not about feelings, but it is about a choice we must make each day.

In 2 Cor.8:2, Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to fulfill their promise to take up a collection for the Jerusalem churches. In order to encourage their generosity, he pointed to the generosity of the churches in Macedonia and he said a most unusual thing, “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” Notice that these churches were experiencing “severe trial” and that they also lived in “extreme poverty”, however, they still were filled with an “overflowing joy”.

Faith of Paul - Sorrowful, yet always Rejoicing

2 Cor.6:3-5 – “We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things, we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fasting…”

 

Vs.10 – “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…”

 

Paul was experiencing much pain and suffering in the ministry, nevertheless, he did not allow it to quench his joy. Amid all the suffering, he chose to rejoice in the Lord always!

 

 

Faith of Habakkuk

Among the prophetic writings, Habakkuk is somewhat unique in that it includes no oracle addressed to Israel. It contains, rather, a dialogue between the prophet and God. 

 

The first two chapters are organized around Habakkuk’s questions and the Lord’s replies. Habakkuk saw Judah’s rapid moral and spiritual decline, and this deeply troubled him. Yet God’s response puzzled him even more. How could a good and just God use a more wicked nation (Babylon) to punish a less wicked one (Judah)? God made it clear that both nations are to be judged and appropriately punished for their sin. Although Habakkuk may not fully understand, he had learned to embrace fully the sovereignty of God and trust in His wisdom and justice. This led him to ultimately respond with a beautiful confession of faith and probably one of the strongest statements of faith in the Scripture. Habakkuk determined to rejoice in God even when everything else in life went wrong.

 

Hab.3:17-19 – “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there 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; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

 

The key phrase “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4) summarizes God’s plan for His people. Yes, if only we can fully embrace the nature and character of God, we can always rejoice despite any kind of circumstances!