This would be the answer I would give my friend who called me a while back for some advice on a relational issue she was battling.
And it may not have been the answer she was looking for… but it was the answer I felt the Lord was giving me to repeat and remind her not only where her strength comes from, but WHAT her strength is.
JOY.
Because I can feel it, too, sometimes. In conversations I have with those who use harsh words. I can feel it swelling inside of me every time I’m in the presence of negativity. This absolute draining on my spirit.
I sense it with grumblers and complainers… and soon enough I can feel the increasing desire to join them in the muck.
Ahh… but “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
I would take my own advice I had given to my friend months ago and declare it over my life and around my house. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
The JOY of the Lord is my strength.
The joy of the LORD is my strength.
The joy of the Lord is MY strength.
The joy of the Lord is my STRENGTH.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and it’s appearance in a life is the proof of a heart transformation. Without joy we advertise to a watching world which realm we are most conscious of. Which reality we’re most aware of - a heavenly perspective or a worldly viewpoint. (James 4:1-3)
I heard these words in a song I was listening to in my car yesterday and the tears streamed… “There is no sound louder than a captive set free!”
Because a captive who has been redeemed cannot help but rejoice!
A captive who has been set free cannot help but proclaim His goodness with a JOYful sound!
The JOY of the Lord is my strength.
The truth really is that your JOY and your PEACE - they aren’t for sale. If you belong to Christ Jesus, they are gifts you’ve already received.
It’s not an act of striving to obtain them… they are yours. Free of charge. Fully and completely accessible.
And if you allow someone to steal the JOY that’s been graciously bestowed upon you, it’s only because you gave it away.
As for me… my JOY and my PEACE are NOT for sale.
I will not allow others to take what is mine.
And I will fiercely protect what is mine to steward well.
I will surround myself with life-givers.
I will insulate myself with the JOY of the Lord.
And I will say it every day if I have to.
Out loud so that the enemy can hear it.
The JOY of the LORD is MY STRENGTH.
Is it yours too?
I am praying it is!
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