Joy is one of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22). When we live a lifestyle of faith and abide in Him, joy is our portion and inheritance as a believer. Are you a joyful person? If you are married, does your spouse consider you joyful?
How do we develop Godly joy in our lives?
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 35:9
In the midst of being chased by his enemies, David chose to look to the Lord and remind himself that God is the source of his salvation. For those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, it is important to remind ourselves of the value and life-changing significance of our salvation. Without it, we would have no hope in this world. We are a different person because of Salvation and our relationship with the Lord. He helps us to handle tough situations differently because we have a new nature. We know that no matter what life throws at us we belong to Him, and we will live eternity with Him. That’s something to be joyful about!
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
God’s presence gives us assurance and security that He has everything under control. Just as the sun rises every day, we have an assurance that God’s light will shed in the midst of darkness, and He will light our path and show us the way we should go. When God’s presence comes in, the spiritual fog gets lifted, and we begin to see things clearly. It’s as if we were blind and now we can see. God’s presence causes joy to rise in our hearts. I thank God for His presence that lifts us out of the miry pit and the fog of life.
Those of us who are analytical can lose our joy by analyzing things too much which leads to confusion or apprehension. If we wait to have all the answers before we are joyful, we may only reach there in rare occasions. It is the simplicity of our faith and asking for His reassurance that calms our busy minds and helps us to just have childlike trust and joy in Him. Our joy comes from trusting Him when we don’t have all the answers.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
