Greetings Family!
Good morning from this part of Nigeria.
Trust we are all having a great day.
May we not lose our Joy irrespective of what we are passing through in Jesus name Amen.
Today I want to encourage us with the word of the Lord from the book of James.
Below is our Bible passage
James 1:1-18
1KJV:James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2KJV:My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3KJV:Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4KJV:But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5KJV:If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6KJV:But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7KJV:For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8KJV:A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9KJV:Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10KJV:But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11KJV:For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12KJV:Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13KJV:Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14KJV:But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15KJV:Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16KJV:Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17KJV:Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18KJV:Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The scriptures state clearly that the devil, our enemy moves to and fro like a wounded lion seeking whom to devour.
One of the age-long schemes of the enemy against Christians is to make us lose that which connects us to every spiritual resources in God; our joy.
He wants to keep us sad so that we can be cut off from the well of life.
We do remember that in the presence of God there is fullness of joy. So without that joy we cannot approach the presence of the Father boldly.
It is easier for us to see the hopelessness of our situation than acknowledge the power of God in the face of adversity. So we fret and worry easily and eventually lose our joy.
The anxiety of a drowning man would drown him faster than he naturally would have drowned. This is what happens to us when we worry and lose our peace and calm. And this is exactly what the devil desires and want.
CHARGE.!
Whatever challenges that you may face today, say aloud to yourself, "you can't steal my joy, devil"!
Conclusion
The devil wants us to lose our joy so he can act on our blessings and distort our connection to God our father. He wants us to lose our peace and calmness, but far be it from us that we succumb to that and let him win.
Prayer Focus
- Cast me not away from your presence my Lord and take not thy Holy Spirit away from me
- Restore unto me Lord the joy of my salvation and renew a right spirit within me
I believe you said this prayers with me. May the good Lord bless us and keep us safe in Jesus name, Amen!.