Several years ago, as the Lord was concluding His time
on earth, while passing on his legacy to His disciples, He left them this very
important one in John 16:22-24:
“…but I will see you again, and your heart shall
rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask,
and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
His desire from this text shows us that God not only wants us
to have joy, but to be joyful; in other words, to be full of joy. In our text
for the month in 1Pet.1:8, it is clear that this desire of the Lord was
fulfilled as one of his disciples in his inner circle shows us in these words:
“Whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
Why is joy so important for the
believer? Several reasons for this can be gleaned from scriptures and the life experiences
of people like us who believe the word of God. For instance, in His letter to
the Church quoted above, Apostle Peter gives us an insight from the word of God
why joy was necessary for the believer. He shows us that joy proves the reality
of our faith in Christ. The believers he was addressing here have never seen
the Lord physically yet they believed in Him and the proof of their faith was
joy unspeakable full of glory.
Another truth is seen in Peter’s
testimony here and that is the fact that the kind of Joy he was talking about
does not rank at par with happiness which is usually controlled by positive
physical experiences we have. This joy is controlled by the revelation of the
heart of God to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. This revelation is usually
imparted to us by what he says to us personally. In John 15:11, the Lord said:
“These things have I spoken unto you,
that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Clearly, it is evident that the legacy of joy
the Lord left us with is not controlled by physical circumstances but by what
He tells us. When we put this together with Apostle Paul’s testimony to the
Romans in Romans 10:17, we cannot deny the fact that our faith comes from
hearing the word of God which in turn releases joy into our heart.
Another reason for joy is that
it eliminates dryness which usually presents in lack of momentum in the
believer. When there is no joy, the believer would become unproductive and
therefore not fulfill their God given purpose which is to bear much fruit. See Joel
1:12, Jn.15:8 where fruitlessness is traced to joy being withered away from the
sons of men. In other words, whatever succeeds at stealing your joy can cause
you to become barren and unproductive in every area of your life including your
spirit, soul, body/health, finances etc. This was clearly understood by the
prophet Habakkuk who said in spite of every negative circumstance around him,
he would exercise his will to rejoice in the Lord. He caught this revelation
and I believe it paid off for him big time; which is why his name is included
in the most important book: the bible. See Hab.3:17-19.
Joy can also mean life to the
lifeless and health to the sick. When we put Proverbs 15:13 and 17:22 together,
we can reach this conclusion.
Finally, joy in the heart to
overflowing levels of unspeakable joy is an indication that God is present with
the one who has this kind of joy. The reason is given to us in Psalm 16:11
where we are told that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy.
In summation therefore, this
month of unspeakable joy, God has decided to grace us with his manifest
presence to overflowing measures such that we would experience all the energy
we need to be and do all He has called us to be and do.
However, this joy is meant for
only those to whom He left this legacy as we have seen so far. If you are not a
believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, this is not attainable to you because it is
meant for the redeemed. However, if you choose to enjoy this grace, you can do
so right away by receiving His invitation to unspeakable joy. If you opt for
this good life please say this prayer out loud to the Lord and receive his
mercy:
Father
in Heaven,
I come
to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your word says in John 6:37 that
you will not cast me out when I come to you. So I thank you that you will take
me in.
You also
said in Romans 10:9-10 that if I shall confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and
shall believe in my heart that you raised him from the dead, I shall be saved.
For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth,
confession is made unto salvation. I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is
the son of God. I believe that he died for my sin on Calvary’s Cross and was
raised from the dead for my justification and I confess him now as my Saviour
and Lord.
I
believe that I have now become your righteousness in Christ whom you made to be
sin for me on Calvary’s Cross.
Thank
you father that I am saved from this day in Jesus’s name!
If you
just said this prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God. Please
send me an email at flourishinggirl@gmail.com. This will enable me send you
an e-copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to help you start out well on
your spiritual journey.
For more
information and our resource materials, you can visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and my blog at:
www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com & www.jointheirsfamily.blogspot.com. You can also become a fan of
our page on face book by logging on to www.facebook.com/khmii2015. www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl & liking: healing &
Restoration time with Pastor Alero Nanna.
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