What does GOD offer us?
In Nehemiah 8:10 the prophet says, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
May I encourage us all to enjoy what the LORD provides and not to allow the enemy to steal our joy! He likes to kill, steal and destroy; but Jesus came to bring abundant life. (John 10:10)
How true this is for me: “The joy of the LORD is your strength” was one of the first scriptures given to me prophetically. And as I have journeyed with the LORD, I have learned JOY.
My first experience of joy which I can distinctly remember, was coming out of the baptismal water. Feeling light, elated, peaceful, I said to myself, That’s what joy is!
As I journey now, filled with joy rather than emptiness or sadness, I realise that when all is well, the enemy attempts to rob me of this joy as in order to destroy whatever work the LORD is doing through me.
This is by way of a little bit of Testimony
My achilles heal is relationships. There are some rocky times in our relationships … that’s just normal.
But sometimes, the enemy attempts to shatter my joy with doubts about a friendship or a family relationship. He tries to sabotage. BUT the longer I walk with the LORD, and the more often I ignore the fear, the shattering turns to into lesson the LORD has for me. Grace comes in full measure as I realise people are no more perfect than I am. We’re all on a journey.
I’m learning to ignore disappointments
Yes, I do get disappointed in people sometimes, perhaps because I put them on a pedestal, or perhaps because Jesus is showing me a glimpse, a tiny taste of the disappointment He experienced when His chosen people turned their backs on the love of GOD,
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)
The disappointment — the pattern of pain — is not going to destroy my joy. It may be diminished for a time, but you, and I, and all of us, need to stand — achilles heal and all — on the serpent’s head. He may bite our heel but he will not destroy us.
How to overcome: 5 steps
1. We surrender to GOD; we surrender the disappointment we feel. And if the disappointment comes through a person, we forgive that person for their imperfections, and surrender that person to the LORD.
2. We can shift our focus on the issue, look at Jesus: the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) rather than dwell on the disappointment.
3. We trust in the LORD always, searching our heart to see if we’ve done anything we should not have, and repent.
4. We wait, we are still, for “He who waits upon the LORD shall renew His strength. He shall mount up with wings like eagles. He shall run and not be weary. He shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
5. We count our blessings, expressing our gratitude with praise.
Recently, I was a bridesmaid
It was a joy and great fun to be a bridesmaid at a long-standing friend’s wedding.
I’m a bride of Jesus! I enjoy life!! I live like a bride every day.
We all are beautiful, special, “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
(Psalm 139:14)
And as we wait upon Him, we celebrate what we have, look at how He is teaching and training us and we…. “Rejoice in the LORD always, Again I say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)