Psalm 16:10-11
10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your
Holy One to see corruption.
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness
of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
What was the Joy that was set before him? Knowing that he was again
going to sit at the right hand of God, and that we would be raised
up to sit with him, in heavenly places. Not some day...but as soon
as we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are automatically sitting
with him.
Ephesians 2:4-7
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and
raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus.
If we can get a clear image in our spirit that we are with him,
nothing would be impossible to us! We can't help but have Joy, no
matter what the circumstances
1 Corinthians 2:16
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct
Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
If we have the mind of Christ, and treat every situation that comes
our way, that it has to bow it's knee to the name of Jesus, we will
have Joy!
John 15:10-12
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I
have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.11 “These
things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that
your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you.
Loving and serving others brings Joy.
Isaiah 51:11
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with
singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy
and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Joy is everlasting! And joy brings gladness or happiness, and chases
away the "Blues". Gladness is a by product of Joy. If the Joy of the
Lord is in you and flourishing, you will be glad and sorrow and
mourning will have to leave. If you are redeemed, let the Joy take
over. Don’t let Satan steal your Joy.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Jesus quoted part of this passage when he was reading in the temple
one day. If we belong to him, we can say this as well.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to
preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prison to those that
are bound, to comfort those that mourn, to give them beauty for
ashes, the oil of Joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
By preaching good tidings of the gospel to the poor and broken
hearted, you give them salvation and hope ..... This brings Joy
By proclaiming to the captives and prisoners to drugs and other
addictions, freedom and victory over it - This brings Joy
By comforting those that mourn by telling them they will see their
loved ones again (if they knew Jesus) and sharing the blessed hope
that we have, pouring in the oil. - This brings Joy
By making people forget the heaviness of the day, by bringing them
into a place of praise in the presence of the Lord - This brings Joy
Showing people that being rooted in Jesus makes them the
righteousness of God, the children of God - This brings Joy
All of this brings Joy and Glory to God!
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it only comes from God. It is
within us the day we are born again. It just needs to be brought
out.
Song of Solomon 2:15
The foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines
have tender grapes.
Satan will send little foxes in to destroy your Joy. We need to
recognize it and stop him and tell him to get out. How do we do
that?
John 15: 1-8 Abide in the true vine, Jesus, and bear much fruit.
I believe that Jesus laughed a lot and that Joy was a way of life
for him. He told Satan to get behind him and he had to. He let Joy
reign.
1 Peter 1:5-8
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by
various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much
more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire,
may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus
Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see
Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, Knowing Jesus brings Joy inexpressible and full of Glory.
Whenever you are down, think of Jesus and what he did for you. This
will bring tears, but they will be tears of Joy. Being Joyful is a
choice. In the circumstances of life we choose self pity and
unhappiness or Joy. You can have joy in the midst of your trials.
And you will have Joy, when other people quit.
James 1:2-8
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let
patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing. ...
Psalm 42:4-5
Christian Standard Bible
4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and
thankful shouts. 5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in
such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my
Saviour and my God.
Psalm 16:11 You show me the path of life and in your presence is
fullness of Joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my
righteous cause and let them say continually Let the Lord be
magnified.
Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with Joy shall you draw water, from the wells
of salvation and in that day, you will say, Praise the Lord and call
upon His name.
We see from these scriptures, like with Love, Joy comes from
spending time with God and praising Him.
2 Samuel 6
13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone
six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David
danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a
linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the
ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. 16
Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal,
Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping
and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the
daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was
the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of
the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly
uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the
Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to
appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore
I will play music before the Lord. 22 And I will be even more
undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as
for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held
in honour.” 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children
to the day of her death.
David worshiped God with Joy! "Then David danced before the Lord
with all his might"
Do we have that much Joy when we worship? Do we do it with all our
might?
Those that despise our heartfelt joy and worship will not receive
from the Lord. Don't be afraid to worship God with Joy. Forget those
around you and just do it!
God has called us to worship. Worship brings Joy because we enter
into the presence of the Lord.
Psalm 95:1-3
A Call to Worship and Obedience
95 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the
Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout
joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
Luke 24:51-53
New King James Version
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted
from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the
temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will
save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you in
His love and He will rejoice over you with singing!
God is Joy! He laughs, he sings! He rejoices over us! How can we do
any less. We need to
rejoice in His presence. Sing unto Him and let the Joy well up in
you!
Joel 1:12
12 The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The
pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree...All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered
away from the sons of men.
If Joy is not present, if you let it shrivel up and die, everything
within you will shrivel and die.
Nehemiah 8:9-10
New King James Version
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe,
and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This
day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all
the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,
and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this
day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is
your strength.”
God’s Joy will give you strength
and helps you to face the circumstances of life. Don’t let Satan
steal it! He will try to keep you concentrating on what you have not
done to follow God's Word. Or how short you fall of the standard God
has set for you in the Word. Forget that! Repent and enter into the
Joy of the Lord! Joy is a force that has the ability to quicken you
and strengthen you on the inside!
John 15:10-11 NKJV
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I
have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.11 “These
things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that
your joy may be full.
Let your Joy be full! Let Jesus’ Joy remain in you. Dwell in God and
He will dwell in you!
