Consider it Pure Joy
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that they testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
In the movie War Room, Priscilla Shirer's character Elizabeth has a moment where she has come to the end of her rope. She can feel the enemies presence surrounding her life, demands that he leave and boldly proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord over her house, her family, and her life. At the end of this moment she says an extremely powerful line that had an impact on me as I sat there in the theater.She says, "I am so sick of you stealing my joy, but that's changing, too. My joy doesn't come from my friends. It doesn't come from my job. It doesn't even come from my husband. My joy is found in Jesus. And just in case you forgot, he has already defeated you. So go back to Hell where you belong and leave my family alone." I cannot tell you how many times I have repeated this line around my house when I feel the enemy bearing down and surrounding me. I cannot tell you how many times I have felt my joy fading.The enemy is the thief of our joy. He plays with our minds as we look for joy in our family, our marriage, our friends, our jobs, in our acceptance, and any other part of our lives. He looks for ways to take our joy and turn it into something we should feel guilty for.
Lately the enemy has been stealing my joy, and to be honest, and I recently realized I had been looking for my joy in all of the wrong places. I realized I had lost sight of where my joy comes from. I have let my cares, my stresses, my pain, my worries, my mistakes take up all the places in my mind. I have felt as though I have been drowning and saturated in the wallowing. A couple days ago I found Psalm 94:19 which says, "When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy." I have been looking for comfort in my family, my husband, my friends, my church, but I did not look to the One who could truly comfort and rescue me from the oceans waves crashing over me.
I knew I had been placing my joy in my plans and not holding onto the promises He had for my life. I was struggling and the struggle was so so real. I have always placed my joy in becoming a mom and when I was married I felt that promise was finally going to come. I had made that particular joy the center of my life. By doing that, everything else had fallen at the wayside including my relationship with the Lord. I was so angry with him. I had let my fear of not knowing His plans take over my life. I let it take over my joy and my identity. My belief in His promises has begun to fade. When I began feeling this way I forced myself into the Word, reading His promises, memorizing them, writing them down, attempting to burn them on my heart. His promise in Psalm 46:10 which says, "Be still and know that I am God." and in Jeremiah 29:11-12, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" holds so true in our lives. We are able to cling to His promises to give us a hope that can only come from Him.
One verse that struck me during this time of anger was Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you?" Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I cannot tell you how angry I was when I read this verse. Do not be afraid? Do not be discouraged? How am I supposed to feel when my plans feel as though they are being looked over as others are having their plans come to fruition so easily? A verse, a promise from God, that is supposed to be so encouraging suddenly filled me with so must desperation and anger. Where was God? I wasn't seeing Him move in my life and I was not feeling His presence.
As my anger subsided I began to let His word soften my heart. I looked at His promises and saw them for exactly what they were, His promises. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 His word says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Where I was in my anger, where you are in this exact moment He wants you in, He is telling us exactly what we are to do through this verse. We are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in every circumstance and know He is with is wherever we go.
My question for you is this: Are you able to see His promises in your life? Can you remember a time when you realized His timing what just what you needed and His promises were true? Or are you still struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Are you stuck in a place that seems darker than you could have imagined? I am praying God's Word softens your heart today. I am praying His promises over you always and I am praying you let His Word into your heart and let it change you from the inside out.
In Him and For His Glory!
In the movie War Room, Priscilla Shirer's character Elizabeth has a moment where she has come to the end of her rope. She can feel the enemies presence surrounding her life, demands that he leave and boldly proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord over her house, her family, and her life. At the end of this moment she says an extremely powerful line that had an impact on me as I sat there in the theater.She says, "I am so sick of you stealing my joy, but that's changing, too. My joy doesn't come from my friends. It doesn't come from my job. It doesn't even come from my husband. My joy is found in Jesus. And just in case you forgot, he has already defeated you. So go back to Hell where you belong and leave my family alone." I cannot tell you how many times I have repeated this line around my house when I feel the enemy bearing down and surrounding me. I cannot tell you how many times I have felt my joy fading.The enemy is the thief of our joy. He plays with our minds as we look for joy in our family, our marriage, our friends, our jobs, in our acceptance, and any other part of our lives. He looks for ways to take our joy and turn it into something we should feel guilty for.
Lately the enemy has been stealing my joy, and to be honest, and I recently realized I had been looking for my joy in all of the wrong places. I realized I had lost sight of where my joy comes from. I have let my cares, my stresses, my pain, my worries, my mistakes take up all the places in my mind. I have felt as though I have been drowning and saturated in the wallowing. A couple days ago I found Psalm 94:19 which says, "When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy." I have been looking for comfort in my family, my husband, my friends, my church, but I did not look to the One who could truly comfort and rescue me from the oceans waves crashing over me.
I knew I had been placing my joy in my plans and not holding onto the promises He had for my life. I was struggling and the struggle was so so real. I have always placed my joy in becoming a mom and when I was married I felt that promise was finally going to come. I had made that particular joy the center of my life. By doing that, everything else had fallen at the wayside including my relationship with the Lord. I was so angry with him. I had let my fear of not knowing His plans take over my life. I let it take over my joy and my identity. My belief in His promises has begun to fade. When I began feeling this way I forced myself into the Word, reading His promises, memorizing them, writing them down, attempting to burn them on my heart. His promise in Psalm 46:10 which says, "Be still and know that I am God." and in Jeremiah 29:11-12, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" holds so true in our lives. We are able to cling to His promises to give us a hope that can only come from Him.
One verse that struck me during this time of anger was Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you?" Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I cannot tell you how angry I was when I read this verse. Do not be afraid? Do not be discouraged? How am I supposed to feel when my plans feel as though they are being looked over as others are having their plans come to fruition so easily? A verse, a promise from God, that is supposed to be so encouraging suddenly filled me with so must desperation and anger. Where was God? I wasn't seeing Him move in my life and I was not feeling His presence.
As my anger subsided I began to let His word soften my heart. I looked at His promises and saw them for exactly what they were, His promises. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 His word says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Where I was in my anger, where you are in this exact moment He wants you in, He is telling us exactly what we are to do through this verse. We are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in every circumstance and know He is with is wherever we go.
My question for you is this: Are you able to see His promises in your life? Can you remember a time when you realized His timing what just what you needed and His promises were true? Or are you still struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Are you stuck in a place that seems darker than you could have imagined? I am praying God's Word softens your heart today. I am praying His promises over you always and I am praying you let His Word into your heart and let it change you from the inside out.
In Him and For His Glory!
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