STRENGTH FROM JOY!!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Nehemiah 8:10b – …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The struggles and battles we face in our daily lives often drain us of our strength. The challenges in life are so intense that it takes away all our energies. Our enemy is so fierce and when he confronts us, it often affects our emotions and leads us to become powerless. When circumstances are against us, we are often caught unguarded and loose all courage. The ministries that are spread before us are so demanding that they take away our capacity to withstand the pressures. It is at this time that we must recharge our spiritual batteries in the presence of the Lord. When we spend time meditating on God’s Word, His Spirit fills our hearts with the glory of our Lord. When we are thus filled with His Spirit and His Word, His joy will fill our hearts. We will then be able to rejoice in tribulation and tests. Our hearts will be filled with special joy in spite of our circumstances. The joy that the Lord gives us will give us the necessary energy and strength to keep going. When joy fills our hearts, we will experience the power of the Spirit in our souls. Thus when our hearts are filled with joy, our body functions will become more efficient and the hormonal system will enhance our physical energy as well. Thus the Lord will make us emotionally, spiritually and physically strong to cope with the challenges which lie ahead of us. The people of Jerusalem were grieved and lost their energy because they were so contrite in their souls. So the Lord encouraged them through Nehemiah and Ezra to find their strength in the joy that is available to them in the Lord’s presence. This joy is given to us also today as we get our spiritual batteries recharged in the presence of the Lord in spite of our circumstances.

Dear reader, are you feeling drained out of your strength because of the fierce battle that you are engaged in your life experiences? Is your life a series of tests, tribulations and conflicts which create a lot of tensions and subsequently kill your joy? Remember, even as you are in a series of battles, you can take sufficient breaks in the presence of the Lord to recharge your spiritual batteries. The Lord’s presence is a place to unload your burdens and relax. You can always hand over your battles to the Lord who will fight for you because the battle belongs to the Lord in the final analysis. If you try to fight it out in your energy, you will surely drain out of your strength. But if you dwell in the presence of the Lord and entrust your battles to Him, He will keep your heart and soul in perfect peace in Him. There are times when your heart is grieved because of the failures and weaknesses the Spirit points out to you. It then becomes your opportunity to confess and repent of those sins and get your life right with the Lord. Thus when you enjoy true forgiveness from the Lord, it ought to make your heart rejoice in the Lord. It will impact your whole life with vigor, vitality, enthusiasm and excitement for the Lord. This joy was the strength of the life of Joseph in the pit and the dungeon, Daniel in the lion’s den, the Hebrew boys in the furnace, Peter the night before his expected execution and Paul in the Roman prison. It was the same strength John enjoyed at Patmos. This strength is available to us today to live joyfully in the Lord in spite of our circumstances. The Lord invites us today to go to His presence and recharge our spiritual batteries and be joyful with the strength and energy that He bestows upon each of us in all our situations.

Philippians 3:1 – Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is safeguard for you.

Thought for Today