Psalms 5:11 - 12 (KJV) 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Psalms 30:4 (KJV) Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psalms 16:11 (KJV) Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
JOY, WHERE IS THE JOY?
If the world does not see anything different in us why should they want what we have? They shouldn’t!
If you have allowed your joy to be knocked out of you, then you are having a terrible time trying to smile. And the world knows a fake smile when they smell it. For many of them, that fake smile is hanging right below their own noses every day.
In this era of terror in which we live, the world needs God’s joy now more then ever. Parents send their children off to school with a nagging fear they may never see them alive again. People are watching each other wondering if the next person they see is a bomber. Will this subway, bus, plain ride be my last?
The financial fortress I have built is starting to crumble down around me.
I put all my faith in the fact that my spouse was going to stay with me till death do us part.
The joy of the world is shallow and very temporary. I know, I used to be there.
The joy of the world is shallow and very temporary.
IS YOURS?
It is easy to see why the world is so discouraged. But that is not the point. What I need to know is, why is the CHILD OF GOD SO DOWNCAST.
Psalms 43:5 (KJV) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?
There are a few main reasons that we are not basking in the sunshine of his joy, and there are many offshoots of these reasons. They all stem from guilt, lack of prayer and Bible study.
GUILT - A sense of shame at personal wrongdoing. Guilt implies being responsible for an offense or a wrongdoing. It is a situation that exists because one has done something forbidden or failed to do something that was required.
James 4:17 (KJV) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Matthew 25:44 - 46 (NLT) 44“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
So we have guilt brought on by the sin of commission, doing something we weren’t supposed to do, and the sin of omission, not doing something God has called us to do. Both are devastating to our spirit and our walk with God. They greatly hinder our prayer life.
But God in his Eternal love, mercy and grace has already made a way for us to not only get back to where we were with him, but to draw us even nearer. He loves us so and wants us, yet we draw so far from him.
Proverbs 14:9 - 10 (NLT) Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation. 10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,…
each of us knows the depth of our anguish.
1ST we have to acknowledge the guilt which means we acknowledge the sin that has brought on this guilt.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?
Is it because of a sin that you love and are hanging on to? Is this sin one that you playfully chase away knowing it will come back.
Hebrews 12:1 - 3 (KJV) 1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, When it comes back do you long for it in the depths of your heart?
Is it the rush of that first drag of a cigarette, the alcohol, the rush you get when you tell gossip. Is it the adrenalin rush when you feel powerful in your anger? That same adrenalin rush works for gamblers and those in pornography. When it comes back and you dive in head first, your heart breakes a lot, if you are a blood bought child of God. Or maybe it breaks just a little, depending on the hardness of it.
Knowing you have hurt the lover of your sole, again, your heart breaks a lot. Or maybe just a little. The more you sin the harder your heart becomes and the farther from God you fall.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?
but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.
LETS GO ON WITH HEBREWS 12:
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. {NLT} 3Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
When your peculiar lust or sin, hits you, consider what Jesus went through for you. This and prayer will help to strengthen your resolve. The more you refuse to accept it the easier rejecting it becomes.
Or is yours the sin of omission. It could be not doing what you know needs to be done for God. It could be something as major as a lack of faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. When you don’t believe that God will see you through, you know you’ve hurt him and you fill the separation grow wider.
Which ever the case may be God not only wants to restore your joy but he wants to bring you into an even closer union with him.
Remember it is only by God’s love, mercy & grace that we are saved and kept. We must cry out to him. When he starts to search us we must let him look deep for the hidden roots of our rebellion. When he shows it to us we must let him take it.
Psalms 139:23 - 24 (KJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 51:10 - 13 (KJV) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. When I started this lesson I said if the sinners do not see a true joy in us they won’t want to come to God. Here David tells us that when his joy was restored the sinners were converted.
When we come back to him with a humble contrite spirit he will restore us.
Psalms 30:11 - 12 (KJV) 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
If we are to stand strong in the Lord, there is a totally different mindset we have to get.
1.
WE must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
You must believe that the Lord will use the trials you are going through for your own good. You must believe that they are being used to prepare you for eternity. You must believe that God is the rewarded of them that seek him.
You must stand firm in this faith so that the guilt of doubting him won’t steal your joy. LISTEN TO WHAT GOD SAID:
1 Peter 4:12 - 13 (NKJV) 12Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. See, we must take on a different way of thinking. If we are truly glad in the Lord while going through the fire, the world will sit up and take notice.
Psalms 32:10 - 11 (KJV) 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. This is impossible if you have allowed your faith to fail.
Know that God’s mercy will be there for you and it is you that decides to hold on or not. You can never do it on your own. Allow the Holy Spirit of God to keep you. When the demons start their lies, saying, “you have already failed, you might as well go ahead and enjoy, it’s God’s fault go ahead, blame Him”, rebuke them with all that is in you, which is the Holy Spirit of God.
2.WE MUST SUBMIT TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.
James 4:7, 8, 10 (KJV) 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. … 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
3.WE MUST CRUCIFY THE LUST OF THE FLESH.
Galatians 5:24 - 25 (NKJV) 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
4.WE MUST ALLOW GOD TO SHOW US WHAT THAT DARK PLACE IN OURHEARTS IS AND WE MUST ALLOW HIM TO REMOVE IT.
Psalms 139:23 - 24 (KJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
2 Corinthians 8:1 - 2 (NLT) 1Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
Romans 15:13 (NLT) 13I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
When we give up whatever is holding us back, God our source will fill us with the joy we need in order to stay strong.
In Nehemiah 8:10 we are told the joy of the Lord is our strength. We let a little sin in and we feel guilty, we lose a little joy which makes us weaker. We hear the lie, how can God love me now, and our faith dwindles just a little. This brings about guilt that removes more of our joy and our strength dwindles just a little more.
satan wants you in his vicious whirlpool going down.
Jesus said because of my love, mercy and grace, I have redeemed you by my blood.
sATAN SAYS GOD HAS GIVEN UP ON YOU.GOD SAID,
Matthew 18:21 - 22 (KJV) 21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
The more you deliberately give in to the pleasure of the sin that so easily besets you, the harder your heart becomes toward God. God does tell us there will come a day, when He will know {and you will know} you have totally rejected Him. If your heart is crying out to Him then you are not forever lost, as the demons would want you to believe. If you were truly lost forever your heart would not cry out for God.
AT THE START OF THIS MESSAGE I READ FROM Psalms 16:11 (KJV)…: in thy presence is fulness of joy;
I also spoke on how our prayer life is affected by this. The more we pray and the more we talk to Him whether in tongues or English, the stronger we will stand.
satan will do what ever he can to stop us from doing what is necessary to get our prayer life in proper order with God. satan will even use God’s Word against you if He can.
Isaiah 59:2 (KJV) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isaiah 1:15 - 16 (NLT) When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
John 9:31 (KJV) Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
You have to realize that satan won’t show you verses like:
Isaiah 1:16 (NLT) Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.
Psalms 66:18 (NLT) If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Hebrews 8:12 (KJV) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
When we are in full communication with God and his Holy Spirit is truly comforting us, we will have the joy.
Paul went to his death on a stable foundation of joy and faith.
Acts 20:22 - 24 (NKJV) 22And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
1 Peter 1:6 - 9 (NKJV) 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
THE 1ST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO GET OURSELVES CLEAN IN GOD’S SIGHT. THEN ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN DOES TRULY LOVE YOU AND HAS FORGIVEN YOU. ONCE THE SIN AND GUILT IS GONE YOU CAN REGENERATE A PRAYER LIFE OF STRENGTH.
