Discover
the most common obstacles to joy-filled living and learn what it takes
to overcome them. It’s not as tough as you think.

ARE
YOU ENJOYING your life? If not, God wants you to. Jesus said in John
10:10 that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but He came that we
“may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it
overflows)” (AMP). I believe this means God wants us to
enjoy every part of our lives—not just little bits and pieces here and
there.

Many people today
live their lives in a constant state of stress and turmoil. But as
Christians, we don’t have to live that way. Why? Because God’s Spirit
lives in us, and a fruit of His Spirit is joy.

Now
this joy is not just a “happy feeling” based on our circumstances or on
the things we possess—it is an unshakable stability in our inner man
(spirit). Joy can range anywhere from a calm delight to extreme
hilarity, and it is the joy of the Lord that is our strength (see Neh.
8:10)

Many years ago, I spent
most of my time uptight and upset about something. The reason for this
was because my happiness was based entirely on circumstances. If things
were going my way, I was happy. If we had money in the bank, I was
happy.

If it was Friday
night, a holiday, or if we were on vacation, I had joy. But since these
things accounted for only a small part of my life, the majority of the
time I was sad and discontented.

As
my relationship with God grew, I got tired of being happy only if and
when things were going my way. I was weary and worn out from the
constant mood swings, and I just wanted to be happy.

God’s
Word said that I could live my life with joy, and I finally decided
that I was going to do whatever it took to have it. As I really started
to seek God about this issue, He began to reveal to me several important
principles that are critical to receiving and keeping our joy.
Following are seven of these life-changing essentials:

1. Be led by the Spirit.
One of the most dynamic ways to keep our joy is to allow the Holy
Spirit to lead us in the way we should go. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s
mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.”

Probably one of the hardest
things in the world for people is to walk away from doing something
they have done for a long time. In many ways, I can’t stand to do the
same thing for too long. For example, I have several pairs of pajamas
because I just don’t like to look at the same ones all the time. But in
certain areas I’m not like that—I would probably be happy with the same
hairstyle until Jesus comes!

If
we do the same thing the same way too long, it just becomes old and
stale, and it means nothing. But one of the things I have learned about
the Holy Spirit is that if we follow Him, He keeps everything fresh.
Life does not get stale when we follow the Lord.

The
Holy Spirit will lead us to change things on purpose just to make us
pay attention to Him. God may lead you simply to take a different route
home from work. He may want to show you a new tree or something
beautiful on your way home.

Don’t
just keep doing things the same way if you are no longer joyful when
you do them. You will lose your joy if you are not willing to get out of
the boat.

2. Simplify your life.
Don’t try to do too much. Satan works hard to complicate your life so
he can steal your joy. If you want to live a less complicated life, you
may have to simplify it by not doing so much.

I
used to whine and grumble about my schedule saying, “How can anybody do
all this? I never have any time to rest. I never take a vacation.” God
finally told me one day, “You’re making the schedule. If you don’t want
to do it all, then just don’t do some of it.”

If
you’re too busy, I suggest that you take an hour or so and write down
everything you are doing or want to do. Then look at which events are
not bearing any fruit and mark them off your list.

Before
I uncomplicated my life, I never had time to enjoy my home. I never
enjoyed my kids. I loved them, but I never really took time to enjoy
them.

I encourage you to
spend time with your family and friends. Enjoy your relationship with
God. Many people are too busy to even take a walk. Take a little bit of
time to look at some of the things God has created.

Learning
how to simplify your life is possibly one of the most important
principles to understand because Satan wants to steal your time. He
steals your joy by making you too busy to enjoy all God has given you.
Take time to laugh. Take time to enjoy your life!

3. Pray with boldness.
Jesus said, “Ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your
joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete” (John 16:24).

I
believe there are people who are not receiving from God what He wants
them to have because they won’t ask boldly of Him. Hebrews 4:16 tells us
to come “boldly” before God’s throne that we might receive grace and
help in our time of need.

Many
Christians feel as if they need to “clean themselves up” before they
can come to God in prayer. But our righteousness is in Christ alone, and
no amount of good works will make us right with God. If we are in
Christ, God sees us as righteous right now!

A
few years ago, I stepped out in faith and prayed, “God, I’m asking You
to let me help every single person on the face of the earth.” My mind
said, Now that is stupid. But I kept praying that prayer anyway, and our
television ministry has expanded greatly since that time.

The
Bible says we do not have because we do not ask (see James 4:2). I
would rather ask for a lot and get part of it than ask for a little and
get all of it!

Be bold and
confident in God when you pray; don’t be double-minded when you ask for
His blessings. Don’t think, I wonder if I have been righteous enough for
God to grant my request. Just ask for what you need, boldly and in
faith, without wavering, hesitating or doubting, knowing that your
righteousness is in Christ.

4. Be quick to forgive.
Joy is restored to your life when you learn how to forgive and forget,
and these two virtues go together. God tells us He forgives our sins,
puts them as far as the east is from the west, and He remembers them no
more (see Ps. 103:12; Is. 43:25).

Frequently,
we try to forgive people, but forgiveness can’t do its redemptive work
because we want to remember what they did to us. We continue to think
and talk about them. Remembering a past offense reopens the wound and
feeds anger—then anger in turn feeds unforgiveness.

Why
do we need to forgive other people? Because our faith won’t work if we
don’t. Unforgiveness is like dirt and mud on our spirit. It blocks our
fellowship with God, and that prevents our spiritual growth.

Actually,
we end up torturing ourselves when we hold grudges and don’t forgive
others. While we are miserable and upset, the person who hurt us is out
enjoying his or her life, not even thinking about it. I often say that
holding unforgiveness is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will
die!

Have you lost your joy
because of unforgiveness? If so, I suggest that you start forgiving
people right away. Make a list of people you need to forgive. Ask the
Lord to give you the power to forgive these people, then let it go.

5. Obey God.
I can tell you from experience that walking in obedience to God is one
of the best ways to have a joyful, outrageously blessed life. Psalm 37:4
says: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of
your heart” (NIV).

Every
day we need to submit our will and our plans to God. We need to learn to
wait on Him and listen to what He is telling us to do—then simply obey
Him. God knows what is best for our lives, and He will lead us into His
perfect plan if we give Him permission to do so.

When
we are new believers, we have our own plans and walk in our own ways.
However, as we surrender to God to really follow Him, there will be
things He will ask us to do that we may not want to do—at first. But if
we really love Him, we will let Him have His way in our lives (see John
14:15).

Are you in a
position right now in which God is asking you to do something you don’t
want to do? I strongly urge you to submit to Him. Your joy depends on
it!

I believe that as we
obey God more, it will bring such outrageous blessings that our love for
Him will grow deeper and deeper. As our love grows, we will want to do
what God wants us to do, and our obedience will give us great joy.

6. Be yourself.
Being satisfied and happy with yourself is a very important key to
enjoying your life. It was so liberating to me when I discovered that I
did not have to be like anyone else.

I
used to try to be easygoing like my husband, Dave. I even tried to be
soft-spoken and sweet like my pastor’s wife. But all of that was only
making me frustrated because God didn’t anoint me to be them—He anointed
me to be me!

Many people
think they must become what another person is. That kind of thinking
will steal our joy. We don’t have to compare anything about our lives to
another person’s life. All we’re required to do is be who God created
us to be.

God has made every
one of us unique. He personally made you and gave you gifts, talents
and abilities. Just think about it: Nobody else in the world is exactly
like you. That means what is best for someone else may not be best for
you.

So, when you are
tempted to say to God, “I wish I looked like someone else,” or “I wish I
could do this or that like them,” don’t say it. Be satisfied with who
God made you to be. Remember that He made you exactly who He wants you
to be. If you try to be like somebody else, you will miss the beautiful
life God has planned specially for you.

7. Let God invade every area of your life.
A major change that God helped me make years ago was to stop dividing
my life into what I thought was spiritual and non-spiritual. Somehow I
had fallen into a religious trap of feeling like the only time I was
pleasing God was when I was doing something spiritual such as praying,
reading the Bible or ministering at church.

But
the Bible says that whatever we do, we are to do it as unto the Lord
(see Col. 3:23). This means that God wants to be included when we are
shopping for groceries, pumping gas and combing our hair just as much as
when we are praying or reading the Word.

The
truth is none of us can live in a church service, a Bible study or on
our knees in prayer. There are many practical aspects to our lives, and
God expects us to take care of them too. In fact, I believe He anoints
us to live ordinary, everyday lives in victory and with joy.

When
we decide to let God out of our “Sunday morning box” and into every
area of our lives, we’ll begin to experience His joy and peace more than
ever before.

Remember,
enjoying the abundant life Jesus died to give you is based on a decision
you make—not on your circumstances (see John 10:10). Joy is God’s gift
to us, but some of us have never even opened the package! God is just
waiting for you to do so. He is the glory and the lifter of our heads
(see Ps. 3:3). Satan wants to pull us down, but Jesus came to lift us
up!

Start celebrating your life. Don’t just endure your days—enjoy your days. Smile. It will give your face and your spirit a lift.

Find
some good, clean entertainment or get with some Christian friends and
cut loose and laugh. “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind
works healing” (Prov. 17:22, The Amplified Bible).

Every
morning when you wake up, before you even get out of bed, I encourage
you to declare out loud, “I am going to enjoy this day!” Decide to be
happy right where you are and to enjoy the life you have right now—on
the way to where you are going.

Make
a firm decision to enjoy your journey. When you do, you will begin to
experience the abundant, joy-filled life that Jesus died to give you.

Read a companion devotional.

Joyce Meyer is the author of nearly 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Power Thoughts (Hachette). She is the the host of Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs.

Every
woman has endured one kind of heartbreak or another. We’ve all had the
unfortunate experience of betrayal, and we’ve grieved over the
difficulty of getting past it. As Christian women, how do we process the
hurts we go through? And where is our God in the midst of them?

In
the book of 2 Samuel, King David’s daughter Tamar suffered an
unspeakable violation at the hands of her brother Amnon, who afterward,
rejected her and cast her away. The Scripture says: “Tamar put ashes on
her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand
on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went” (2 Sam. 13:19,
NIV).

Imagine
how this tragic scene might have played out. Tamar’s weeping came from
the depths of her soul and ran through the canyons of her entire being.
Clutching her torn garments to her breast as if to reserve the last
shreds of her dignity, she made her way across the courtyard.

The
ashes with which she had covered herself were a silent witness to the
stain of violation no tears could wash away. Nothing could. If she took a
thousand baths, she would still feel unclean (see 2 Sam. 13:19).

Tamar
was empty, spent, a prisoner of her own despair. She could still feel
her half-brother Amnon’s eyes glaring at her with intense hatred. Still
hear his words ringing in her ears, “‘Get this woman out of here and
bolt the door behind her'” (2 Sam. 13:17). “This woman! This woman!” She
had been deceived and raped, but being reduced to just another woman in
her half-brother’s eyes was more than she could bear.

The
sounds of her suffering carried on the wind, drawing the attention of
her brother Absalom. He came bounding from his house to see what had so
devastated her. Absalom said to her: “‘Has that Amnon, your brother,
been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take
this thing to heart.’ And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a
desolate woman” (2 Sam. 13:20).

She
felt so ashamed as she shared her plight with him. Would he blame her
for this? Would he say that she had done something to entice Amnon? The
thought of his name caused her to shiver in repulsion.

She
thought Amnon liked her. She had caught his gaze many times when he did
not avert his eyes quickly enough to conceal his longing. It was
inconceivable that he had such evil intentions toward her. Though they
did not share the same mother, the blood of their father, David, joined
them together in a familial bond that could not be ignored.

Now
it was too late. Amnon’s “love” had changed to hatred. As a matter of
fact, he hated Tamar more now than he had ever loved her. Now he cast
her aside carelessly, as if he had never known her at all.

Now
where could she turn? Who would come to her defense? No one had been
present to hear her cries, to witness this travesty. Absalom could only
clumsily comfort her by suggesting that she should not take this matter
to heart.

Though
Absalom did not accuse her, his attempts to calm her did not repair her
shredded soul. How could she not take it to heart? The inner core of
her being had been brutally invaded. Her very soul had been ravaged and
left for dead.

Yes,
a part of Tamar had died that day. It did not come back to life when,
after several years, Absalom avenged her by killing Amnon. His death
could not console her devastated heart. And as she wandered the halls of
Absalom’s house, day in and day out she resigned herself to believing
that only the night and her dreams would give her relief from the
desolation that had taken up residence within her.

HURTING PEOPLE, HURT OTHERS
Men
are mandated by God to treat the women in their lives with respect and
honor. They are called to protect and cover us. However, the heart of
fallen man does not always heed the call of the Spirit. When flesh
rules, men and women alike fall prey to selfishness, impulsiveness,
impatience, lust, covetousness, manipulation, strife and every evil
work.

The
cycle of violation that follows sinks the soul into deeper and deeper
depravity, wreaking more and more destruction on others not aware of the
pain of the offender. Whether it is an abusive mother that builds fury
in the heart of a young man, a father with a perverted sense of
affection toward his young daughter, or some other past relationship or
painful incident, no one knows the motivation of one who violates and
damages another person’s heart, body or spirit.

There
is no such thing as a small or insignificant violation or offense. One
cannot compare violations to rationalize which will cause less or
greater damage. The bottom line is the pain is a large reality to the
person who has been victimized. To try to explain away the pain or
attempt to put it in any type of context is to demean the one who is
already struggling to make sense of the occurrence.

Though
the pain is the same, the circumstances can be different. One can be
raped emotionally as well as physically. A person’s heart can be
violated by the misinterpreted motives or deceptive actions of another.
The wound can sometimes be deeper than if a physical act had been
involved.

Ruptured
trust can give birth to fears that can grow and overwhelm its victim.
In their mind, a thousand “whys” remain unanswered. There may never be a
visible rhyme or reason behind actions of abuse, rape, betrayal,
emotional battery or adultery. Emotional devastation can go deeper than
physical abuse, simply because it can be more difficult to locate the
source of suffering in order to deal with it.

Neither
party walks away unscathed by these painful encounters. Regardless of
what the eyes see, both people pay; both lose pieces of themselves.
Those who inflict pain on others are usually weaker than those they
violate and have no knowledge of how to extract themselves from the
prison of anger and pain they find themselves bound in.

The
antagonist who never suffers the consequences of their actions comes to
believe that there are none. Which in the end only serves to increase
their pain because their abusive behavior is a cry for help.

However
this knowledge is usually lost on the victim who is trying to recover
from her assault. Both the perpetrator and the victim become people with
the potential to hurt others over and over again until the root of
their anger is addressed and done away with. Such is the cycle of
unresolved pain. Yet the power of God’s healing is always available.

RECOVERY IS NEAR
In
order to embrace the One who comes with healing arms to comfort us, we
must first extricate ourselves from the offense. We will never forget
the experience, but we must choose to understand (this does not mean
justify) and forgive the one who has wronged us. If we allow ourselves
to become prisoners of unforgiveness and bitterness, we are sentenced to
live a life of seclusion, self-loathing and hopelessness.

How
do you begin to forgive someone who has hurt you? Do you begin sifting
through your pain to find the one grain of rationale that could excuse
the other person’s behavior? Sometimes there is none. What does one do
then?

We
have all heard that hurt people hurt other people, and this is a fact
that is resoundingly true. It must also be noted that if someone truly
loves you, they would never seek to hurt you on purpose. Yet, loved ones
do offend, they do jolt us emotionally, shock us, dismay us and
sometimes even violate us through shattering the things that are nearest
and dearest to our hearts.

Your
body, your mind and even your self-esteem can be dealt a blow from
which you feel you will never recover, but recovery is just a choice
away.

The
gift of free will that God gave to us is more powerful than we know.
Many of us have not exercised the greatest reaches of its capacity to
bounce back, overcome and even forgive. Forgive even when you are right
and the other person is wrong.

The
truth is that forgiveness has nothing to do with who is right or wrong.
Forgiveness is a free agent. It is not attached to reason or agreement
or even understanding. It is however attached to wholeness and to your
healing and liberation.

Unforgiveness
is a prison. It slams the door on new beginnings and entrenches you in
your present pain. It chains the heart and stops it from beating. It
suffocates joy and paralyzes your ability to move on. Unforgiveness is
the cancer of the soul. It slowly eats away the marrow of your existence
and impairs your judgment, your personality and your ability to love
again.

The
desire to want to hurt the person who hurt you can be overwhelming. We
want them to feel the torture we think they deserve. “How can he act as
though nothing ever happened?” We ask. “It’s not fair! Where is God in
all this? Is there no justice!”

Yes,
there is justice. But justice comes only after we have released our
offender into the hands of the One who is solely in the position to
judge.

RELEASE THE OFFENDER
Only
God knows both sides of the story. The fears, the past wounds, the
generational conditioning, the weaknesses, the insufficiencies of
character and integrity. He knows the things that we failed to
notice—the things that should have warned us to guard our hearts.

Only
God knows the hidden motives and unspoken regrets of the one who hurt
you—their sickness, their brokenness. The assumptions we make usually do
more damage than the truth:

“He doesn’t even notice how much he hurt me!”

“How could he be so cold?”

“How could they just ignore my cries for help and walk away?”

“Doesn’t anyone see my pain?”

Our
imaginations can be unmerciful. Trust me, it’s never what you think.
Your guesses will always be more cruel than the reality of what really
transpired, adding unnecessary injury to insult.

You
must let it go. You need to forgive, not for the sake of the one who
hurt or violated you—for your own. It’s time to redirect your focus and
move on. And you won’t be able to do that if you continue to nurse and
rehearse your anger, the many wrongs done against you, all the reasons
why.

If
you can’t forgive for your own sake, forgive for God’s sake. He needs
your hands open in order to bless you. Cooperate. The one who wronged
you does not deserve so much of your time, energy or attention. Your
fixation is standing in the gap between that person and God, shielding
him from conviction. Move out of the way. Free him to receive the proper
correction from God. Free yourself to receive your healing.

Forgive
because you need to be forgiven. How can you expect what you are unable
to give yourself! Forgive my dear sister, because you are not alone. We
have all been prisoners of our unspoken pain and suffering. So come and
join us on the other side.

Choose
to forgive because it is what God requires of you, and it is what is
best. He will help you to forgive from your heart and not just from your
head. Ask Him for strength to release your offender, for to release him
(or her) is to release yourself.

Trust
God to free you from your anger and your pain and from all the
questions that continually assault your mind. Let Him speak words of
comfort to you and assure you that He has taken heed to the things that
have transpired. Although you may never forget what has happened, He
will enable you to forgive even as He has forgiven you.

Michelle McKinney Hammond is the author of several books on relationships. Portions of this article were adapted from her book Release the Pain, Embrace the Joy (Regal).

Whether
or not you were taught as a child to walk by faith, you can learn how
to weather adversity and find courage and strength in the Lord.

When
I was growing up, I learned the meaning of standing strong in God by
watching my family. They were living examples I could observe every day.
I saw how faithful my parents were to God and to each other, and I
wanted to be like that, too.

My
mom was a deeply committed woman of God. I am convinced that every
demon and devil of hell knew her name—her first name. My grandmother was
so full of the power of the Holy Ghost that she could lay hands on the
sick and, believe me, they would recover.

My
daddy was a farmer, who started his day between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. But
every morning, he would get up an hour or so before work to pray for
everybody—12 kids and later, 50 grandkids.

When
my older sisters would come home from school each day, before they
changed their clothes and started dinner, they would go on their knees
and pray. Like our mom, they would fast for days at a time, too.

Growing
up in that kind of environment embedded in me a clear concept of what a
life lived for God should look like. Although I’ve missed the mark more
than once, I’ve always wanted to walk with God, work with Him, worship
Him and stand strong in Him. Now, I want you to enjoy those same things
too.

STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS
Standing
strong isn’t about having inner strength or being a tough person. It
doesn’t mean you’ve been hardened by life’s experiences or are a
graduate of the school of hard knocks.

You
don’t stand strong because your legs are sturdy or because you have
German, African or Native American blood. Nor is it because you happened
to grow up in New York City or on a ranch in Montana. Finally, it’s not
because your mean big brother used to beat you up.

You
stand strong because you are strong in your spirit. You are able to
stand tall (with confidence) and stand long (with perseverance) when
you’ve learned how to draw from a reservoir of spiritual strength that
comes from God.

You stand
strong in your spirit because you are filled with God’s Spirit. But you
are only strong in God because you are, in and of yourself, weak. Paul
said, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10, NKJV). You have
such limited power of your own that you need to keep asking for God’s
Spirit to fill you up continually.

Standing
strong means knowing who God is, and trusting Him to do what He says He
will do. You can’t become strong in your spirit overnight, and it
doesn’t happen automatically. It’s a lifelong process of growth, and you
have to cooperate with it. When the disciples wanted to see an example
of the kingdom of God, Jesus showed them a child. To become strong in
spirit, you must become childlike in your faith.

Sometimes
the only way to become strong in spirit is through trials. The
adversities of life can transform you and make you stronger in the
Spirit. Perhaps you’ve already seen this in your own walk with the Lord.
However, sometimes, you learn this lesson through watching the Lord
work in someone else’s life.

Because
of a medical error, author Bob Sorge has suffered with pain, both
physical and emotional, for more than a decade. Formerly a successful
and gifted worship leader and pastor, today he is unable to talk above a
whisper and can no longer pastor a church or lead worship.

But
there is one thing he can do, and by doing it, he has become a closer
companion of God and an inspiration to countless people. What can he do?
He can stand strong.

In his
book In His Face (Oasis House), he wrote: “Some victories are gained
not through an aggressive posturing of faith, but by simply standing.
God didn’t deliver Joseph from his prison because Joseph had a dynamic
stance of faith, but because he kept his gaze fixed upon God.

“Joseph
didn’t understand what was happening to him. He could get powerful
revelations for other people (the butler and the baker), but when it
came to his own life he could see nothing. But at the right time, God
came and delivered him.”

Far
from being a last resort or a compensation for repeated failures,
standing strong is the result of a life lived in and for God. Standing
strong keeps Bob—and you and me—right in the middle of the palm of God’s
hand, no matter what our circumstances are.

STRENGTH TO ENDURE
We
grow stronger when we put our roots down in Jesus. He is our perfect
example in all things. Throughout the years of His ministry, Jesus stood
firm. When He arose from the grave, He went on to stand for all
eternity in fullest authority and share His authority with those who
would believe in Him.

It’s
obvious that someone who stands strong in God has a different kind of
spirit inside. That kind of person does not go along with the crowd.
That kind of person does not yield to fear. That kind of person does not
compromise his or her faith, even when everybody else decides to do so.

Joshua and Caleb were two
members of the select group of 12 who got to sneak into the Promised
Land to spy it out for Moses and the people of Israel. The Bible
declares that these two men had a “different spirit” from the rest of
the leaders (Num. 14:24).

When
the spies returned with their report, 10 of them said: “This is
impossible. All of the armies of Israel’s tribes will not be strong
enough to prevail against those fearsome giants that we saw. The land of
milk and honey is occupied already—by giants. Just forget about it.
We’re stuck here in the wilderness now ” (see Num. 13:31-33).

But
Joshua and Caleb stood firm, even though the other 10 spies—and all the
people of Israel—disagreed with their wisdom and refused to believe
they could take the land (see Num. 13:30). This refusal on the part of
the people created a crisis of the highest magnitude. God threatened to
cancel His promise and start over with new people (see Num. 14:11-12).
But Moses persuaded the Lord to stay His hand. Now they would have to
endure a 40-year wilderness trek and the slow attrition of all of the
unwilling masses.

Joshua and
Caleb, to their everlasting credit, didn’t add insult to injury and
rebel against Moses’ leadership, even if they may have privately
disagreed with it. They just stuck to their original evaluation—”Yes, we
can conquer that land. It’s ours. God has given it to us.” They were
willing to stand firm for 40 long, dusty years in the wilderness without
wavering, despite negative opinions and many seeming setbacks.

In
the long run, after persevering, they won. Even Moses didn’t get to
possess the land. But Joshua and Caleb never gave up the idea that God
wanted them to conquer the Promised Land.

STRENGTH BEYOND OURSELVES
The
lives of Joshua and Caleb exemplify four key elements that are
necessary in order to know how to stand in the strength of the Lord and
take any promised land: Sight. You must have the vision for what God
wants to accomplish. The Word says, “Where there is no vision, the
people perish” (Prov. 29:18, KJV).

When
God plunked Ezekiel down above a whole valley of dry bones, and He
said, “Ezekiel, prophesy!” Ezekiel had a little trouble believing that
so much deadness could actually come back to life. But after he spoke to
those dead bones and decreed that they should live again, they did (see
Ezekiel 37).

Ezekiel had to
speak life to his vision. The whole thing was unreal before he did
that. It’s the same with you and me. Sometimes we need to speak life to
our dreams.

Don’t be afraid
to shout a proclamation and declare a decree over the vision you have.
God gave you that vision, and it needs to stand up and live. Your part
is to pray and believe—consistently, persistently.

Right.
You must have a grasp of why the vision is clearly yours to claim.
Because your vision is God’s idea and not yours, you don’t want your
prayers to reflect your limited viewpoint or opinions or desires. Your
vision must be nourished and kept alive with God’s own Word. Every time
you ask Him to fulfill your vision, you must base your request on His
Word, the Bible.

You need to
be in the Word every day. Read it, sing it, memorize it and pray it
back to Him. His Word declares His intentions and shows you how your
vision fits in with them. His Word prepares your heart for prayer and
furnishes you with the vocabulary you need when you pray.

It
is an irrefutable fact—God cannot lie (see Num. 23:19). When you stand
in prayer, you can be rock-solid sure of God’s integrity. Stand in
agreement with Him about your God-given vision, and continue to immerse
yourself in His Word. He will convict you and correct you, and His Word
will keep you on the path of faith so you can persist in your prayer
until the end.

Might.
It is extremely important that you comprehend the supernatural power
that is at your disposal. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the
importance of fasting. If you combine fasting with your prayers, you
will see greater results. In fact, there is no better way to underline
your prayers and put them in boldface print.

In
Matthew 6:16, Jesus said, “When you fast” not if you fast (emphasis
added). He assumes that you will do it, and He gives you suggestions for
doing it well. He wants you to fast in some way, usually in a variety
of ways, consistently. Don’t wait for Him to give you a big sign in the
sky to tell you to do it. Just do it. You will find that fasting helps
you stay right at His feet.

When
you are seeking God about something, you need to pursue Him
relentlessly, full of faith, until you feel a release in your spirit. I
can remember when I was a small child, being with my mom and older
sisters at all-night prayer meetings. I would fall asleep in the pew as
they tarried in prayer.

As I
grew older, I began to appreciate that tarrying meant persevering until
you broke through to an answer. It meant faithfully staying before God,
waiting until He assures you that you have prayed enough.

Your
adversary, the devil, will try to make you want to settle for less than
the full answer to your prayers. He will try to wear you down, but if
you hang on to the Word and God’s promises, you will outlast him.

Fight.
You must be willing to take on giants, and able to maintain that
willingness over the long haul, persevering in prayer until the chosen
day finally arrives. At first, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who
were willing to tackle the impossible situation. They were ready to
fight those giants, the sooner the better.

As
it turned out, because they represented the minority opinion, they had
to wait to do their fighting. But amazingly, they kept the faith so well
that they were still primed to fight, and as strong in body and spirit
as they had been when they were fresh from their spying mission 40 years
before (see Josh. 14:7-12).

There
will always be opposition to your mission. But everything God has said
will come to pass. Your destiny is wrapped up in His plan. Your life has
eternal significance, and your prayers will bring your God-given
destiny to fruition.

Do not
grow weary. Stand strong against any temptation to give up the fight.
Stand before God, day in and day out. Ask Him to give you a different
spirit, as He did for Joshua and Caleb. He will do it!

Read a companion devotional.

Judy Jacobs
is known for her inspiring and anointed singing and preaching. She is
the author of Stand Strong (Charisma House), from which this article was
adapted.

Sin and ill are the false notes struck by man across the
harmony of God’s will, and to strike upon or even remember such notes
is instant banishment from the music of His presence. Where all is joy,
there joy is all; and he who has not reached this joy does not know
God—he is still a follower, and not a possessor, and he should refuse
in his heart to remain satisfied with his condition, but climb on. Why
stay behind? Climb on, climb on!

Often I have been mystified and disturbed by the attitude
of many religious and pious people who appear to believe that to follow
Christ is a way of gloom, of sadness, of heaviness. Often I have
gathered from sermons that we are to give up all the bright and
enticing things if we would follow Him, and the preacher goes no
further!

Has the Lord, then, no enticements, no sweetnesses, no
brightness to offer us, that we should be asked to forsake all
pleasantness, all brightness, all attractions if we follow Him? This to
me always seemed terrible, and my heart would sink. Indeed, to my poor
mind and heart it seemed nothing more hopeful than a going from bad to
worse!

All the pictures I have seen of either the crucifixion or
the way of the cross (and especially those of more recent times and
painting) portray Christ’s blessed face all worn with gloom; and I know
now that this is far from the truth. For perfect love knows agony, but
no gloom. He went through all His agony, lifted high above gloom, in a
great ecstasy of love for us.

To speak of sacrifice in connection with following Jesus
is, to my mind, the work of a very foolish person and one in danger of
being blasphemous. For how dare we say that it is a sacrifice when, by
the putting away of foolish desires, we find God! And to find God,
through the following of Jesus Christ, is to gain so much (even in this
world, and without waiting for the next) that those who gain it never
cease to be amazed at the vastness of it.

We find this to be an absolute truth, that if we do not
have Him we have, and are, nothing, in comparison with that which we
are and that which we have when we have Him.

In my earlier stages I was greatly set back and disturbed
by this gloom and sacrifice (which is no sacrifice) of myself so put
forward by pulpit teaching. It was a great hindrance to me and blinded
me to the truth. I was only a normal, ordinary creature, and melancholy
pastors thrust a great burden into my arms.

Little by little, as I was able to learn directly from
His own heart, I came to know Him as He is; and I could not reconcile
the knowledge of Himself that He gave me, especially of His high
willingness and serenity, with pulpit teachings of heavy gloom. The
church too frequently spoke to me of following Him in terms that
conveyed a burden: “Pick up thy cross, pick up thy cross!” they cried;
and He spoke to me in terms that conveyed a great joy: “Come to Me,
come to Me, for I love thee!”

I thought I was very cowardly and sinned by this
inability to like the gloomy burden, and one day I came upon this out
of Jeremiah: “As for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that
shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his
house. Because ye say this word, The burden of the will
utterly forget you, and I will forsake cast you out of My
presence” (Jer. 23:34,38-39, KJV).

Jesus did say, “‘Come, take up the cross, and follow Me’”
(Mark 10:21), but whoever obeys this commandment will be shown by Jesus
that the cross of following Him is no burden but a deliverance, a
finding of life, the way of escape, a great joy and a garland of love.

The world thinks of joyousness as being laughter,
cackling and much silly noise; and to such I do not speak. But Christ’s
joyousness is of a high, still, marvelous and ineffable
completeness—beyond all words—and wholly satisfying to heart and soul
and body and mind.

It is written, “He that loveth silver shall not be
satisfied with silver” (Eccl. 5:10). Why? Because only those who know
the gold of Christ are satisfied.

This is not to say that by following Him we shall escape
from the happenings and inconveniences and sorrows and illnesses that
are common to life; but that when these come we are raised out of our
distress into His ineffable peace.

When your heart is sad, use this sadness to come to a
better understanding of the deeper pain of Jesus, who was in the
self-same exile we are. The more the soul is truly awakened and
touched, the more she feels herself to be in exile; and this is her
cross.

But the remedy for her sadness is that she should
courageously pass out of her woes of exile and go up to meet her Lover
with smiles. Now, He cannot resist this smiling courage and love of the
soul, and very quickly He must send her His sweetness, and her sadness
is gone.

The book from which this excerpt was taken, titled The Golden Fountain, was originally published in 1919 by John M. Watkins of London with the subtitle The Soul’s Love for God.
The only allusion to the author was the descriptive phrase under the
subtitle: “Being some Thoughts and Confessions of One of His Lovers.”

It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can forgive.

Love knows no limit to
its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope. It stands
when all else has fallen. How do we get that strong love? The Holy
Spirit is the one who gives it to us. We must look to Him when faced
with the challenge of loving our enemies.

In
Africa I visited a man who was imprisoned and sentenced to death. I
asked, “Have you ever heard of the cross of Jesus Christ, where He
carried the sins of the world—also your sins?”

He nodded.

“Do you believe in Jesus Christ, that He will be your Savior too?”

“Yes,
I love Him, but I have not always been faithful. Politics has taken up
my time and attention completely, but now I have brought all my sins to
Jesus. He has forgiven me. If I should live any longer, then I will
serve Him with all my life.”·

“Have you forgiven the people who have brought you here, who will have your death on their conscience?”

“No, I hate them.”

“I can understand that. I will tell you of one of my experiences.

“During
the war in Holland, I helped to save Jewish people. One day a man came
to me who told me his wife also helped the Jews and that now she had
been arrested: ‘She is in the police station and probably she will be
put to death. There is a policeman who is willing to let her escape if
we pay him 600 guilders, but I have no money.’

“In
the meantime I collected all the money from my friends and all I had
myself, and it was exactly 600 guilders. I gave it to him.

“But he was a betrayer. His wife had not been arrested. The enemy told him to find out whether I helped Jewish people.

“So
this man thought that at the same time he could make some money. He
went home with 600 guilders in his pocket. But five minutes later the
enemy came, and my whole family was arrested.

“Later,
when I heard that this man had betrayed us, hatred came into my heart,
just as it happened with you. I had given him the last money I had. But
then I read in the Bible that hatred is really murder in God’s eyes.

“How
glad I was that I knew what I could do against hatred. The Bible says:
‘The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from our sins. … If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:7-9). I brought my
hatred to Jesus. He forgave me and cleansed me.

“After
the war this betrayer was sentenced to death. I wrote to him: ‘Your
betrayal caused the death of my 84-year-old father, my brother, his son
and my sister in prison. I myself have suffered terribly through your
fault, but I have forgiven you everything. This is just a very little
example of the forgiveness and love of Jesus. He lives in my heart; that
is why I can forgive you. Jesus will also come into your heart and will
make you a child of God. Confess your sins to Him. On the cross of
Calvary He has finished all for your sins and mine.’

“Later
he wrote me: ‘I have prayed: “Jesus, when You can give such a love for
the enemy in the heart of someone who follows You, then there is hope
for me.” I have indeed confessed my sins to Him. … I am a child of
God.’

“So you see that
Jesus used me to save the soul of this same man I had hated so much. Do
you know that if you do not forgive, you do not receive forgiveness? You
cannot do that, neither can I, but Jesus can!”

That
same day the African prisoner sent a message to his wife: “Forgive my
murderers. You are not able to do it, I am not able, but Jesus is able.
If we are not willing, then we ourselves do not receive forgiveness.”

We
never touch the love of God so much as when we love our enemies. But we
don’t have to do it ourselves. The Bible says, “The love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”
(Rom. 5:5, NKJV). God does the job. Hallelujah!

Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983)
spent 10 months in a concentration camp during World War II. For 40
years after her release, she shared God’s love through speaking and
writing. This article was adapted from Marching Orders for the End Battle.

Many people believe that as a gender, males are superior. Watch as Lisa Bevere dispels this myth and discusses how God created us as the solution to a problem.

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As the turbulent ’60s concluded and a new decade
began, Billy Graham appeared at a July 4 event in Washington, D.C.,
called “Honor America Day.”

More than 400,000 people attended, while millions watched on television or heard it on the radio in 123 other countries.

Bob
Hope, Dinah Shore, Jack Benny, Glen Campbell, The New Christy Minstrels
and Teresa Graves were among those who performed that day.

According
to liner notes on the album, Honor America Day was denounced by the
extreme right and the extreme left, but was supported by ordinary
Americans, “rich and poor, black and white, Republicans and Democrats,
Christians and Jews.”

The idea reportedly stemmed from a telephone
conversation between Billy Graham and Hobart Lewis, editor-in-chief of
the Reader’s Digest, with hotel executive J. Willard Marriott later
taking over the bulk of organizational work.

Organizers hoped the
event would provide an “antidote for the poisons of defeatism, cynicism,
and disillusionment that boil[ed] from the wells of America’s unsolved
problems.”

One commentator noted that Graham’s message was a
“moving, articulate plea for unity, faith and courage amid the strife of
the seventies.”

Read Part of Graham’s Message:

“Pericles
built a civilization upon culture and it failed. Caesar built a
civilization upon power and it failed. Our forefathers founded the
United States upon faith in God, and our country will survive only as it
honors God.

“Our nation was built on a foundation of moral law,
in which a person’s rights were also balanced by a person’s
responsibilities. Why should I, as a citizen of heaven and a Christian
minister, join in honoring any secular state?

“The Bible says,
‘Honor the nation.’ As a Christian or a Jew, or as an atheist, we have a
responsibility to an America that has always stood for liberty,
protection and opportunity.

“There are many reasons why we honor
America today. America has opened her heart and her doors to the
distressed and persecuted of the world. America has been the most
generous nation in history. We have shared our wealth and our faith with
a world in need.

“America has never hidden her problems and
faults. With our freedom of the press and open communication system we
do not sweep our sins under the rug. America defends the right of her
citizens to dissent. Dissent is the hallmark of our priceless freedoms.
But when dissent takes violent forms it becomes anarchy.

“We may be a
vastly different people today than we were 200 years ago. Our
society is far more complex, more pluralistic. But of this we can be
sure. God has not changed and His laws have not changed.

“He is
still a God of love and mercy. But He is also a God of righteousness and
judgment. Any individual or nation, which ignores His moral and
spiritual laws, will ultimately face His judgment.”

Used with permission from BGEA.

Throughout South Asia, many of Jesus’ followers—especially those who
have recently committed their lives to Him—face persecution from their
communities. Within the past year, the following Christians have
experienced threats and abuse because they claim the name of Jesus:

Man’s New Infectious Faith Provokes Village Unrest
Kantimoy once devoutly followed the religion traditional to his people
group. He, his wife and their three children got up early every day to
worship their deity. Kantimoy was even in charge of maintaining the
property of the temple in his village.

But the gods and goddesses he worshiped couldn’t heal his three
children. His 10-year-old son, Jugnu, suffered from seizures, his
8-year-old daughter had a hole in her heart and his youngest daughter
experienced night terrors that disrupted his entire household, robbing
them of sleep.

One day, a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor told Kantimoy about
Jesus. This pastor continued visiting him and praying for his family.
Jugnu stopped having seizures, and Kantimoy started to have faith in
Jesus. Finally, Kantimoy gave his heart to the Lord. He stopped working
at the temple and even opened his home for a prayer group. Three
neighboring families ended up joining!

But the other villagers—including his relatives and family
members—turned against Kantimoy. They started opposing his congregation
and are causing problems for his pastor.

Justice Denied for Christian Villagers
In a part of South Asia where believers have experienced unimaginable
hostility and violence in recent years, believers in one village still
face opposition. In September, some villagers attacked the believers,
beating one individual. When a group of Christians protested against
this violence, police jailed 10 of them. Although they were released on
bail, hostility in the village continues.

Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Sulekh Kapoor reported in January
that the villagers were cooperating with an anti-Christian extremist
group to prevent the believers from going to the market.

In light of this situation, Pastor Sulekh has requested prayer for
protection and safety for the Christian families in this village.

Choosing Christ’s Family or Earthly Family
Kanan Tamang, 20, recently chose to give his life to Jesus. He worships
with a growing congregation led by GFA-supported missionary Rehmat
Chatterjee. However, his parents have threatened to disown him if he
continues to follow Christ. The other villagers are also opposing
Kanan’s decision, saying that if he makes his decision to follow Jesus
final, they will chase him from the village.

Pastor Rehmat requests prayers on behalf of Kanan that God will give
him courage to remain faithful. Also pray that Kanan’s witness will draw
his family to Christ, and Pastor Rehmat will point many people to Jesus
as he continues abiding in the Holy Spirit.

Counting the Cost at a Young Age
On May 10, two adolescent boys decided to give their lives to
Jesus. Sixteen-year-old Bodhan Tambe gave his life to Jesus after his
friend and schoolmate Yash, a Christian in a GFA-supported congregation,
shared the good news with him.

When Bodhan’s parents found out, they angrily threatened to kick
their son out of the house if he went to church. However, he is still
trying to attend worship services.

The other young man, Kiranmay Mehta, faces a similar dilemma. When
his parents learned that he chose to follow Christ, they started abusing
him and prevented him from going to church.

Please pray that Bodhan and Kiranmay will stand strong in their new
faith and be able to worship with other believers. Also, please pray
that their families will receive salvation.

Please intercede for God to work mightily in each of these
situations, strengthening the believers and transforming the hearts of
those who are against Him and His followers.

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” —John 14:23-24

Jesus equated obedience with love. Let’s not deceive ourselves: it’s critically important to obey God. David was tenacious, determined, and sincerely devoted to following hard after God’s commands. This desire chiseled and shaped his heart over many years. But he was far from a model of obedience. There was often a yawning gap between his sincere resolve and his actions. In other words, he blew it from time to time, sometimes in spades. Yet he was still a man after God’s own heart. That should flutter your heart a bit! What does this tell us? That there’s more to being a person after God’s heart than obedience. There is also the posture of your heart before God. God counted the sincere intentions of David’s heart even when his great weakness led him to wrong decisions. God sees us the same way. Our sincere intentions to obey are very significant to God. He notices our desires, not just our outward actions.

{ PRAYER STARTER }

Father, search my heart and show me where I have failed to walk in obedience to Your will. Keep my heart pure before You, and help me to walk in ever-increasing obedience to Your plans and purposes.

A sincere determination to love Jesus even in the
midst of your weakness is a huge part of being a man
or woman after God’s own heart.

For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. —Psalm 5:12

Our righteousness is as filthy rags. Right standing with God comes only through the blood of Christ and has nothing to do with our works; it is nothing we can earn. We are made the righteousness of God, and we will never be more righteous than we are right now.

Being in right standing with God positions us for blessing. We serve a “faith God.” His promises are “yes” and “amen” to those who believe, and He wants every believer to walk in those promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Because God wants to bless you, He will give you supernatural favor with all men. God will cause your boss to give you a raise when he knows he can’t stand you. He will cause the owner to sell you a house at a bargain price without knowing why. He will even cause your enemies to bless you. Because God rejoices as you come into His presence, you are wrapped in His blessing and favor—an impenetrable covering and shield of His loving grace and mercy.

God, release Your favor upon my life.
Cover me with Your blessing as I go out
and come in. Thank you, Jesus, for being
my righteousness. Amen.