Merry Christmas, dear one!

Although we all face tribulations, trials, distress and frustrations in life, we were not created to endure life; we were created to enjoy life.  1 Timothy 6:17 says,

  • …Set your hope on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Plus, Jesus tells us in John 10:10,

  • I came that you may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, til it overflows].

See, we can’t control what happens on the outside, because 1 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan is the god (little “g”) of this world, but we can control what happens on the inside.

For a lot of people, happiness is based on their circumstances, but JOY isn’t based on what’s happening around you ~ JOY comes from deep down within you.  Galatians 5:22 says,

  • But the fruit of the Spirit is…JOY.

Walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD means that there’s a calm delight; you’re content; you’re at peace; you know God is fighting your battles for you.  You have the opportunity to be upset, but instead, you choose to have a smile on your face.  Why?  Because you continue to thank God for all He’s done for you, instead of focusing on the outward circumstances.  

When you live life constantly thanking God for His Word and His promises to you, you’ll tap into THE JOY OF THE LORD.  Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:13-14,

  • Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.  But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again.  But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.

There’s a well inside of you right now, a spring that is supposed to bubble up and continually flow.  So, you may be asking, “Why don’t we all have JOY?”  It’s because there’s something that we have to do:  Ephesians 5:18 says,

  • Be ever-filled with the Holy Spirit.

Notice, you don’t get filled one time and then you’re done.  It says, “be EVER-FILLED…”.  This means, on a regular basis, we have to keep filling ourselves up.  Well, how do we do it?  Verse 19 tells us how.  It says,

  • By speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks ALWAYS for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The way to have the continuous JOY OF THE LORD flowing in and through you is to keep a song of praise in your heart.  All through the day, on the inside, you should be singing.  This means, in your attitude, be grateful; in your thoughts, you’re always thinking about God’s goodness; cooking dinner, you’re humming the tune to a song; driving in the car, you’re saying, “This is going to be a great day.”  In some way, you’re always making melody in your hearts to the Lord.

So, I exhort you to think about God’s goodness all through the day.  When you do this, you’re being filled back up.  God will pour into you peace, strength, favor and victory, and you will find yourself walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD.  

Walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD,

Lisa Gordon

Assistant Pastor

Jesus City Church