So I’ll admit it. I’m kind of a serious individual. Always have been. It’s not that I don’t like to laugh; I always crack sarcastic jokes, but for years when I’d hear other ministers talk about joy, I sometimes struggled. I struggled because I wanted to hear serious things that would change my life like faith, healing, and finding the will of God. Joy just didn’t seem to measure up. Over the last year or so, however, the Lord has ministered to me about the power of joy and its connection to receiving from God. This has changed my life. I want to share some of that with you in this article.
Look at 2 Kings 19:3:
3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.
In this story, the Assyrians were threatening to destroy Judah and potentially carry their people off into captivity. In 2 Kings 18, the Rabshakeh (an Assyrian general) told King Hezekiah’s servants about great victories he won against other nations and even said he’d give Judah 2,000 horses to use to fight against him, but they probably couldn’t even find enough riders. He did some pretty serious trash talking! He went on to tell them to not trust in Hezekiah or his God because other nations had trusted in their gods and been defeated. He told them the same would would happen to Judah.
How many times have the circumstances of life or the devil himself trash-talked you? You’ve had thoughts of failure and how you don’t have enough to overcome in your current situation. These are the thoughts King Hezekiah was warring against in this situation. Hezekiah went on to tear his clothes and put on sackcloth because he had moved into a state of grief prior to saying:
“For the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.“
How many times have you been there? You’re in a spiritual fight with the devil, confessing the promises God and doing all you know to do, but you get exhausted. You can see the promise, (children who have come to birth), but you don’t have any strength to continue to believe so the promise can come to manifestation. What do you do when that happens?
Look at Nehemiah 8:10:
10 Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Do you see that? Joy brings strength to endure so you can continue to believe and bring the promise to manifestation. Now, look at 1 Peter 1:6-9:
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
In this passage, Peter describes people who are going through intense hardship and trials. He said these people received the end of their faith in spite of their trial. The key to these people receiving the end of their faith was they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory. When did they do this? Before they received the end of their faith, which was the answered prayer.
One of the most powerful things we can do when we are in a prolonged fight for our breakthrough is to rejoice. This isn’t a feeling, it’s a choice! We must make a choice to rejoice! Why? Because we are in right relationship with God and He holds the answers. Rejoicing, particularly when we don’t feel like it, is an intentional act of faith. I repeat, joy is a choice, not a feeling. Interestingly enough, feelings usually follow our choice to rejoice when we exalt God’s promises above our circumstances.
James 1:2-4 confirm this. Take a look:
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Notice, it says to count it all joy when we go through difficult circumstances. Do you know why James says to count it as joy? Because no one feels joyous when bad things happen. We have to be intentional and count it as joy when we go through hardship. Verse 4 goes on to tell us that when we do this and we are patient, we will be perfect complete (whole), and lack for nothing. Lacking for nothing means we received the answer to our prayer.
Joy is a powerful weapon God has given us to help us defeat our enemy and to strengthen us during times of hardship. I hope this article has encouraged you. If you’d like to learn more, check out this message I taught at Grace Life Church.
