Put on Joy

I told her that God loved her and had a plan for her life. I shared with her that she was special to Him, and that He had sent people to take care of her and get her the help she needed. When she called me back, she was so amazed that I had taken the time to help her. What she didn’t know was how much helping her was really helping me at the same time.

As I began to exhort her, the Holy Spirit took over and ministered things to her that were beyond my own wisdom. God used me to speak things into her life that I didn’t know in the natural.

By the time I hung up the phone, my joy was back! All my issues seemed insignificant, and I felt empowered.

I realized that if my circumstances had changed I would have been happy, but reaching out to someone else activated a deeper joy that blessed her and strengthened me. Happiness will benefit you, but the force of joy will transform not only you, but also everyone with whom it comes into contact.

Your joy will quickly return when you start speaking words of blessing and encouragement to others. There is something powerful in what you say.

SPEAK FAITH
Start confessing what God says about you and speak those things that are not as though they were (see Rom. 4:17). Don’t allow sickness and disease or anything else to touch your body and rob you of joy.

Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (NKJV). Faith activates joy. Faith stirs up joy. When you are down and you make a decision to speak faith over your situation, joy shows up.

My husband, who has always been in good health, starting having trouble with pain in his abdomen. When his doctors couldn’t find anything wrong, he started to worry. The pain, although slight, lasted for weeks and began to alter his moods.

I can be a very stubborn person sometimes, and although that’s not always good for a happy marriage, it serves me well when it comes to believing God. When my son suffered a seizure on the first day of our recent promotional tour, I beat the devil back with everything in me. I beat him down so bad he’s still limping! >{? My son has not had any more seizures to this day and will not have another one. I can be very determined in my faith, so when I saw my husband succumbing to sickness, I got very mad. Very mad!

One day, when Danny wasn’t feeling well, I said to him, “You know, Babe, maybe what you have is the beginning stages of an ulcer. That’s not so bad. Maybe you should ask the doctor about that possibility?”

I realized his faith was lacking when he responded, “I hope not because ulcers can be terminal!” With this remark my “kill all things fear” button was pushed and my “where is your faith?” tirade began.

“Terminal, how can you say that? How could you even let that word come out of your mouth? We are people of faith and power, and we have authority over sickness and disease,” I preached. “You’ve got to start operating in faith that God is able to heal you.

“Don’t allow fear of what it might be to…create a stronghold in your mind. You have the authority to resist this attack on your body.”

Standing on my “my faith is better than your faith” pedestal, I told him: “You better get some faith, Mister, or the devil won’t be the only thing you should be afraid of!”

I felt so full of power and authority, as I shouted to my husband. I walked into another room and began to think, I can’t believe his lack of revelation. I don’t think he’ll ever change. When is he ever going to have the faith that I have? “Never,” I said to myself.

Suddenly, Danny, standing in the doorway, interrupted my thoughts. “Uh, honey,” he said. “You are right; you are completely right. Thank you for reminding me that God is in control. I will put my faith into action and I will be careful what I let come out of my mouth.”

The next day my mouth was still agape when my husband told me that he’d gone out and bought a book titled 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue (Deborah Smith Pegues, Harvest House). Here I was, proudly displaying my faith for healing, when all the while, I was seriously lacking faith in God’s ability to change my husband. Sometimes we can have strong faith in one area and weak faith in others, especially when it comes to our relationships. Some days we may wake up feeling great, and joy is automatic. Other days we may struggle and wonder where our joy has gone.

It hasn’t gone anywhere. Joy is always available. It’s in you, just waiting to be stirred up.

What are you waiting for? Don’t waste any more time being gloomy. Activate the force that is waiting on you to set you free from depression, heaviness and worry. Activate the force of joy!

Read a companion devotional.