When we read the Bible, we see that joy is a virtue or an attribute that God has: Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place (1 Chronicles 16:27; NIV). Our Father is full of joy, and he longs to impart that same joy into our lives. In Zephaniah, He sings over his people, which is a demonstration of His joy: The LORD your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy (Zephaniah 3:17; AMP). In fact, joy is one of the marks believers or Christians should carry. According to Galatians 5:22-23 in the NIV (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law) our lives should have traces of joy. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit who worked in our hearts to receive Christ; He works to produce joy in us, too. I’m mentioning this to you because this means you are already connected to the One who is the “manufacturer” of joy.
I’ll be honest, there are times when the struggle for joy hits me. But thank God that I have learnt to deal with those moments.
Here’s what I do:
I usually have to take a deep look on the inside and ask myself some questions that help me to disarm anything that is choking my joy.
Below are some questions that I ask when I experience a short circuit of joy. I trust that you, too, can somehow relate to some, if not all:
Am I walking in full surrender to God and His will or purpose?
Am I allowing circumstances or trials to define me? Remember that your IDENTITY is in Christ alone and not in your abundance or lack.
Am I truly believing God’s word and timing?
Am I walking in contentment or comparison?
These questions help to gauge the posture of my heart and to lay everything bare on the table so that God can help me. I urge you to search your heart, examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5). Find out what is really choking your joy. It’s not that you are incapable of having joy – you are already connected to the Source of joy, who is God. The problem is that your heart does not have the right “atmosphere” to host it. The posture of your heart is so important; it can make room for joy to grow or make it impossible for joy to bloom.
Lately, I’ve been reading some of the Apostle Paul’s letters and in many of the letters, he is encouraging believers to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4) and to consider it joy when they experience hardships. This really struck me because this man was on death row – he was literally just waiting for his execution day. If you know anything about Biblical times execution methods, you will know that it was brutal. But Paul’s words seem to be of a man who is full of joy. This meant that he was not allowing his situation to define him, though being in chains for the Lord was surely not an easy thing. One of his most quoted lines is: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7; ESV). What kind of a person speaks like this in the face of death? This is a person who knows who he is in Christ, finds meaning in Christ and is fully surrendered to Christ. He believed that, regardless of his adversities, he was absolutely in the will of God and anytime we are in God’s will God was glorified.
Isn’t it funny though, how joy seems to be more demanded when we are walking in hard seasons? Nehemiah 8:10 says …Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength (NIV). This statement was said when the people were grieving, not when all was hunky dory. When the joy of the Lord comes, it comes with strength. Joy gives birth to strength; joy refreshes us. To walk in joy does not mean that we deny or pretend that all is perfect in our lives. Nope! We sometimes feel frail and weary, but when joy comes, it causes us to lift our heads. Walking in joy means that my heart and mind are not subjected to what I am going through. Joy is spiritual; it’s something that the world can never give us. Joy grows when we are in deep intimacy with Christ and in a heart posture of full surrender and complete dependence on God and His word.
May the Holy Spirit help you to unclog the channels of your heart so that joy may flow, and may your joy be contagious to those around you.
Love
Delaree
Women of Reverence welcomes our contributor Delaree Mkhonto.
Delaree “Spear” Mkhonto is a blogger and editor for a few blogs. She is passionate
about uplifting women to reach maturity in Christ and has been doing so from an early
age. She is a lover and teacher of God’s Word. Delaree is attentive to God’s voice
and that is evident in her work. They have been blessed by a son whom they’ve named
Caleb. He is a miracle baby and everyday he continues to be a reminder of God’s
faithfulness to them.