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count it all joy

The Joy Of The Lord

by GOD TV January 10, 2023

written by GOD TV

The weapons that we fight with are not weapons of the world, but they have divine power to demolish strongholds. And one of our Kingdom weapons that the Lord has given us is joy. In Nehemiah 8:10, it says that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. And so joy is something that we can grow. A fruit is grown, and so we can grow joy in our life. But why is joy a weapon in the Kingdom? On my journey in stepping into joy, one of the things I learned is that joy is the most vulnerable emotion, and in order to be in joy, you actually have to be vulnerable. And to be vulnerable requires trust. And so with everything going on in the world today, the enemy, you know, it says he’s running around trying to devour people. He’s the father of lies, and we don’t want to focus on that. But in order to be in joy, you have to be in trust. You have to be vulnerable.

And so for me to trust the Lord with all my heart and to get excited about what He’s doing, and be joyful, you know, scripture says that, Jesus, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross. We can use that same principle that Jesus did for the joy of the promise fulfilled. We can endure whatever we’re going through and we can allow ourselves to trust God and be vulnerable. That is a weapon. That’s like holy arrogance. When the enemy’s just trying to come against us, it’s like, “Oh, I’m gonna stay in joy, because the joy of the Lord is my strength.”

And notice that that scripture in Nehemiah, it says, “The joy of the Lord.” I used to think it was my joy, like I had to drum it up. But no, it’s the joy of the Lord. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So if I get in the Holy Spirit, I can find His joy. I can access joy. I’m co-heirs with Christ, so I’m seated in heavenly places and so are you. And so we can live from heaven to earth, because we’re co-heirs with Christ and we can tap into that joy, the joy of the Holy Spirit; righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And so I want to pray for you right now an increase of joy in your life, that it’s not your joy, that it’s the Lord’s joy. And that you would have an increased capacity to receive the joy of the Lord, that He would strengthen you by allowing you to step into His joy, that you would trust Him, and that you would go, “I trust you.” And that you could just enjoy yourself in His presence with the Holy Spirit, because joy is a weapon. It’s not just a thing for Christmas time; it’s a weapon. And so I bless you to step into more and more joy as you grow that fruit and you partner with the Holy Spirit to experience the Kingdom, which one third is joy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

You know, you can’t take anything with you to heaven. You can’t take your car, you can’t take your house, you can’t take that new computer gizmo that you got for Christmas to heaven. But there is one thing you actually can take to heaven: souls, people, human beings, by reaching them with the Gospel of Jesus. That’s all we care about here at GOD TV. We want to bring as many souls with us to heaven, to present them to Jesus as we can. And you can, too, by joining with us, giving a generous gift.

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The Marathon Of Life

by GOD TV July 6, 2022

written by GOD TV

Did you know that it’s not about winning, that it’s actually about finishing? You’ve probably heard that before and you probably feel like you understand that, but when things start coming up in life, you really do want to win. You really want to come on top. And I have a story to go with that.

I just finished a half marathon and in the middle of it, my knee was hurting. I wasn’t feeling the best. And I had no idea how I was going to finish, let alone win. And I could hear just in me, God speaking, saying, “It’s not about winning, it’s not about beating your time from the last marathon. It’s just about finishing.” So I had to walk half of the marathon, but I still finished. And on top of that, I actually beat my time because I had so much grace on myself. I didn’t realize I actually did. So it’s not about just winning. It’s about finishing. He wants us to finish things.

It says here in James 1:12, “Blessed is the one who preserves under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” He loves you and He wants the best for you. And He doesn’t want you to focus on hurting yourself, stressing yourself, to get to all of these places that we’re believing for. He wants you just to finish and believe that the rest will come. The crown will come when you finish, when you don’t stop, because you think you’re not perfect enough. Just keep going.

God, I pray for this person right here that’s watching this video. And I pray that you encourage them, you give them joy, you give them encouragement, that you would inspire them to finish whatever they just started. That’s what you care about. God give them the strength. God give them joy, because joy is our strength. Give them joy to finish this marathon of life and wherever they’re walking. Amen.

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Count It All Joy

by The Shulammite January 9, 2022

written by The Shulammite

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about that phrase, “it’s a hard walk” and contrasting it with “count it all joy.”

For many years, I lived in the hard walk. I didn’t know the beauty that came with recompense. No one had ever taught me that Jesus would repay me for all the trouble I go through. He only asked that I “count it all joy” while walking through the fire.

Simple right?

But counting it all joy seems to always come at the inopportune moment. Death. Despair. Job loss. Misunderstanding. Yes, counting it all joy smacks me in the face and reminds me that there is another reality—one where I am seated in Christ at the right hand of the Father.

“Count it all joy,” the still small voice whispers while my heart is torn in pieces and the pressure to give in overwhelms me to the point of screaming at the wall.

Down on my knees with nothing but tears in my eyes, I have learned to do one thing.

Raise my hands in holy worship, declaring: You are good. You are good. Yes, Jesus, you are good.

Why worship?

Taking up my cross daily is necessary because it is the key that unlocks the joy on the horizon. Every trial, temptation, and challenging road placed before me ends at the oasis of the Good Shepherd’s delight. I recall that I can’t get to the table prepared for me unless I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

So, I remind myself to keep trekking and not make a home in the current valley. It’s that beautiful, and yes, that simple. And counting it all joy in my walk with Jesus brings me to new levels in my God-given identity even while facing the darkness.

Every time the enemy hurls insults and condemnation, I raise my hands in defiance. God is good. His promises are true. And most importantly, He is the One who carries all my cares and worries. I trust Him. Why?

He, better than anyone else, knows the price of finding joy amid the trial.

The joy of obedience amid the trial

I sometimes think about the Savior, and how He stared down Golgotha with blood in His eyes. He scorned the misery He was put through, but looked forward to the recompense.

It causes me to ask:

Can I look to God as my reward and stare down my trial?
Will I walk worthy of Jesus and His sacrifice?

This is when the Holy Spirit breathes on me. He reminds me of the times we walked in bliss, and how marvelous the Father’s love is! Sweeter than honey from the honeycomb.

He takes me down memory lane and surging within me is the joy of freedom. For freedom Christ set me free. And the well He dug in me is bubbling over with life itself.

Nothing in this life is ever easy, but the call to obey always ends in the ecstasy of knowing Jesus Himself and feeling His heart. So, as I stare down the trial the answer becomes clear:

I must count it all joy for He is worthy of my happiness even in the darkest hell. Amen.

January 9, 2022 0 comments