NOT WITHOUT MY JOY

Not Without My Joy

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. — Psalm 16:11 

“If His Presence is available, joy is available.” — PG

Joy is one of the greatest evidences that we have been with Jesus. Yet somewhere along the way many believers have accepted living without it. We would never intentionally choose weakness, exhaustion, discouragement, or bitterness, but those are often the fruits of a life that has misplaced its joy. We have become so accustomed to stress, frustration, and offense that we treat them as normal parts of Christianity. The problem is that when I read the New Testament, I find believers facing persecution with joy, hardship with joy, imprisonment with joy, and suffering with joy. Today many lose their joy over inconveniences, disappointments, and delays. Somewhere along the way, we started treating joy like a luxury when God intended it to be a necessity.

Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His Presence is fullness of joy. Not partial joy. Not occasional joy. Fullness of joy. That means if His Presence is here, joy is here. Joy is not happiness. Happiness depends on happenings. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. Happiness changes with circumstances. Joy remains even when circumstances do not. Happiness is rooted in chance. Joy is rooted in Christ.

The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 includes joy. That means joy is not manufactured by human effort. It is produced by Holy Spirit. Joy becomes one of the distinguishing marks of a believer. We are called to be peculiar people, and one of the things that should make us different from the culture around us is the deep confidence and joy we carry regardless of what is happening around us. A world filled with anxiety should encounter believers filled with joy.

Jesus Himself demonstrated this truth. Hebrews 12:2 says that for the joy set before Him, He endured the Cross. The Cross was painful, but His joy remained intact because He could see the purpose beyond the pain. Joy is not promised to those with the least pain. Joy is available to those who trust God’s purpose in the middle of pain. Every trial, every delay, every disappointment can become bearable when we know God is working something eternal through it.

“Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” — G.K. Chesterton

Peter described believers as rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory even though they could not physically see Jesus. Their confidence was not based on what they could see but on Who they knew. Romans 14:17 reminds us that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Joy is not a side benefit of the Kingdom. It is part of the Kingdom itself.

One of the greatest lies of the enemy is convincing believers that joy can be stolen. Jesus said in John 16:22 that no one can take your joy from you. Joy cannot be stolen, but it can be neglected. It can be misplaced. It can be surrendered. Too many people prepare themselves to be disappointed, offended, and miserable. Yet Nehemiah declared that the joy of the Lord is your strength. When joy disappears, strength begins to disappear with it. Many people are not tired because they are busy. They are tired because they are trying to survive without the strength that joy supplies.

So how do we receive His joy?

First, count it joy. James tells us to count it all joy when we face various trials. Notice he did not say feel joy. He said count it joy. Joy begins with trust. We trust that God is working all things together for His purpose. We trust that He who began a good work in us will complete it. We trust that every trial is producing something valuable in us. When we see God’s purpose in our pain, joy becomes possible.

Second, shout for joy. Scripture repeatedly commands God’s people to shout for joy. Most people want to shout because they have joy. The Bible teaches us to shout for joy. Praise often precedes the manifestation of joy. There are seeds of joy hidden inside praise. When we lift our voices in faith, we remind our souls that God is still good, still faithful, and still worthy. Praise becomes the pathway through which joy returns.

“Praise is the highest form of faith.” — Smith Wigglesworth

Nehemiah 12:43 says that God made His people rejoice with great joy and their joy was heard from far away. That is my prayer for Judah. That our joy would be so genuine, so contagious, and so Spirit empowered that it could be heard from far away. A weary world does not need more angry Christians. It needs believers whose lives testify that Jesus is alive and His Presence changes everything.

Today, choose to rejoice. Choose to count it joy. Choose to praise before you feel it. Joy lost can return. Joy misplaced can be recovered. Joy neglected can be restored. If His Presence is here, joy is here. And when His Presence comes, we should leave with many things, but not without our joy.

Live This Out Loud:

• Turn On: “River Of Joy” by Calvary Worship (featuring John Wilds)
  

     Worship and proceed through the rest of this blog.

•   Start every morning by thanking God for three specific blessings before looking at your phone.
  

• When a trial comes this week, ask, “Lord, what are You producing in me through this?” before complaining about it.
  

• Spend five minutes each day praising God out loud, even if you do not feel joyful.
  

• Replace one negative statement each day with a declaration of God’s goodness.
  

• Read Psalm 16:11 every day this week and remind yourself where joy is found.
  

• Protect your joy by limiting voices, media, and conversations that continually produce fear, anger, and offense.
  

• Smile, encourage someone, and become a visible expression of the joy of the Lord.
  

My Prayer:
Holy Spirit, I come to You in the name of Jesus.
Thank You that joy is not dependent on my circumstances but is found in Your Presence. Forgive me for every moment I have accepted discouragement, bitterness, or hopelessness as normal. Fill me afresh with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Teach me to trust Your purpose in every season and to praise You before I see the breakthrough. Let Your joy strengthen me, sustain me, and become a testimony to everyone around me. Restore every place where joy has been neglected or misplaced. May my life reflect the goodness, faithfulness, and victory of Jesus Christ. 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised. — Deuteronomy 1:11

Marked By His Presence,
PG