Victory of Joy

 

    To find victory in joy is to walk in confidence and victoriously in Jesus.  It comes down to your faith.  If your faith is weak it is easier to fall into despair, depression, or an oppressed mentality.  There are things and chemical conditions that can make you feel like that when you have strong faith, but in general you tend to be able to find the joy in all circumstances when your faith is stronger.

    Paul is a great example for us to look at for victory of joy.  He faced things that would kill most us in the first encounter, but he survived and thrived.  He never gave up and God protected him because of that.  He got hurt, broken, and disappointed in people.  However, God did not remove him from this world until his job was done and then God took him where he could never be hurt again.  

    Paul never stopped trusting God's Word because he saw it all.  He was on the side of the Pharisees when Jesus was killed.  He saw what Jesus' resurrection did.  He fraught against it until he had a personal encounter with God. Then he bought into Christianity all the way.  He became the enemy of his people to fight for God's Word.  He took all his knowledge and turned into wisdom and began teaching everyone he could about the truth of God's Word and Jesus creating most of the New Testament along the way.

    No matter what the circumstances are (and they can be really bad) you can choose to find joy.  You need to understand that God put you exactly where you are for a reason.  It is our choice on how we respond.  None of us respond well all the time, but some have more fortitude than others to find joy in all circumstances.  We need to strive to change the way we think so that we can find Jesus in all things.

    To find the victory of joy is to pray over and through all situations.  It is to pray over your attitude.  When you know you have the wrong attitude, then you need to pray through it and allow God to change your heart in that area.  In Philippians you will find the word joy and rejoicing over 50 times.  It is mentioned so much because it is so important for our heart condition.

    In the poorest conditions God can still give us a message of hope to give us joy.  You just need to hear it.  You need to allow it be felt deep in your heart and have your mind accept it.  It is a sign of genuine faith.  We all face hardship.  We can face it along by pushing God away and choosing anger and isolation.  Or we can face life with God and accept that He has our best interest at heart.  That truth gives us permission to let go of somethings that we can't control, so that we can focus on Him.  This gift is a supernatural gift that can provide joy even when we may be facing a horrible death or watching others die.

    Joy is characterized by peace.  That means that even when life is at it's worst we can have peace in our heart that produces joy.  It enables you to sustain joy in difficult situations.  Joy is not happiness.  Happiness is a feeling based on the situation.  Joy is an attitude that directs the way you live your life.  It even helps you live a longer and healthier life mostly because of the choices you make, but also because it relieves stress.

    Christians are guaranteed to face hardship because they choose to follow Jesus.  Jesus faced it first and led the way, but following him will not make you popular.  Being obedient will draw attention from people that you may not want attention from.  That is why you can't rely on happiness.  It is unreliable.  Joy is consistent if you allow it to be.  

    There are lots of reasons or excuses to give up in life, but it is part of maturing as a Christian to persevere.  Through perseverance you will discover true joy.  You will see what it brings to your life and it will make you stronger.  You just have to push through and rely on God.  We all know we will die one day.  

    Do not let fear of death or the unknown be a stumbling block.  Find peace and joy in what is immanent.  If you can't, then you need to check in with God on where you stand in salvation.  Faith is the foundation if salvation.  It is immovable and the source of joy.  It gives you a missionary spirit, so that your heart can sing when facing death.

    Joy removes sorrow, self-pity, pr complaining.  It is replaced with thanksgiving to God.  This is truth that only God can provide.  It is a truth that we need to share.  It is the truth that leads to hearing God's voice.  True joy becomes unshakable because it comes from an intimate and personal relationship with God.

Psalm 118:15-29, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 6:13-17, & Philippians 4:1-9