Whatever it is, it can’t penetrate you because you have JOY as your fortress! Like the girl from the movie, the Fantastic Four, you have a force field around you and it is called JOY!
So how can I get JOY?
As usual, the Bible provides the direction we need. Here are some of the ways we can get Joy:
Joy comes from loving God’s Word. Take a look at Psalm 1:1-2
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his DELIGHT (or JOY) is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”
John 15:11
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my JOY might remain in you, and that your JOY might be full.”
Joy comes from trusting God, knowing that He is our protector…
Psalm 5:11
“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for JOY, because thou defendest (protect) them.”
In light of the rise in crime we hear about daily, it’s good to know that we can still have Joy. Why? Because GOD protects us!
Joy comes from his presence…
Psalm 16:11
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of JOY!”
Look at the book of Joel 1:11-12. It reads, “be ye ashamed… because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up… the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because JOY is withered away from the sons of men.” HOW IMPORTANT IS JOY, YOU ASK?
The thing that you allow to steal your Joy, is the thing you will most likely lose.
No matter what comes your way, “my brethren, count it all JOY.” James 1:2
© 2008-2010, First Lady Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written consent is not permitted. Please contact us at FLM, PO Box 1233, Mableton, GA 30126 or email us at flmezine@gmail.com.
How important is Joy?
Let’s start by going to Galatians 5:22-23, which reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit…” STOP! The word fruit, here, means: results or product. In other words, the evidence of.
If I plant an apple tree in my backyard, the resulting product or evidence would be a tree with apples on it! If there are pears on it, then I didn’t plant an apple tree at all, because the results don’t match!
I use that example because many of us “say” we walk in the Spirit, but the results don’t match. In Galatians 5:22-23, we see what should be the fruit (or result) of us walking in the Spirit—it is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. I repeat, against such there is NO LAW!
When you produce these results, you are UNSTOPPABLE! So remember, just because you wear the jersey doesn’t make you a part of the team. We have to be sure the results, fruit, and evidence of our claim to be a Christian, line up.
Now that I have your attention… let’s talk some Joy!
Joy is delight, gladness and benefit. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness comes from happenings. Something has to happen to you in order to experience happiness—you got a promotion on your job, bought a new car, boyfriend just proposed (with that one, you might go dancing in the streets)!
Joy is not these external things. Joy comes from within. It involves a decision, whether something good happened to you or not. If Ed McMahon never shows up at my door with balloons and a check for one million dollars—I am still determined to have Joy.
WHY IS JOY SO IMPORTANT?
It is so important because Joy is your strength. The latter part of Nehemiah 8:10 says, “For the Joy of the Lord is your strength.” Here, the word strength means force, defense or fortress. When I first studied this, I got stuck on the word, FORCE!
Force: the physical influence that produces a change in a physical quantity. Which means that the JOY that comes from the LORD through you will be so forceful that it will change your physical situations! So Joy can change physical situations! Rejoice!
Remember, “against such there is no law?” Joy is a force nothing can stand against. It’s a fortress: a fortified defensive structure, which means nothing can penetrate it!
When you embrace the JOY of the LORD, you become impenetrable. Nothing can get to you. Sickness, grief, death, loss of job, loss of car, house, boss tripping, husband tripping, kids gone wild, rent due… look, you got a light bill too!
