“Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy!” (Philippians 4:4).
Apostle Paul is an example of faith overcoming fear. He was in Rome, languishing in a jail when he wrote to the Philippians, that Book is now widely recognized as ‘The Book of Joy’. Paul was physically enslaved on the outside but he didn’t allow the chains on the outside to get on the inside. Moreover, only God knows how much he must have been in want emotionally as well, yet Paul had an overflow of “unspeakable joy full of glory”. (1 Peter 1:8). This man had learnt to look at afflictions through the lenses of the Almighty God. He looked for the good in all things, with a thankful attitude. He viewed his ordeal as God’s opportunity to further the Gospel in Rome. He renewed his mind to the fact that God is much bigger than any dirt the devil throws at him!
Paul’s joy stemmed from the fact that he lived his life from ‘The Kingdom within’. (Roman 14:17). Satan works by sight, and his strategy is to use discouraging circumstances that we can see to oppress us. He will use our pasts to torment us, rejection to chain us to self pity, he will use fear to enslave us to hopelessness and depression. If we allow him, the devil will use every unfavorable situation we experience to hold us down and stop us from moving forward in life! My friend we have to learn to be thankful, rejoicing by faith in the face of discouraging circumstances, trusting, that God is for us and much bigger than any need we will ever face. God is well able to deliver you and make all things work for good. Be encouraged today, focus on God’s promises for you, rejoice by faith in the Lord and watch God give you a testimony. God is bigger than every lie of the devil!
Prayer Confession: Heavenly Father, your kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Thank you that your kingdom dwells in me now by faith. There is a reservoir of unspeakable joy full of glory in me, causing me to overcome in every situation. I am not a victim of any circumstances against me, I choose to meditate on the Word. I am more than a conqueror in every trial. God will not allow me to be tried beyond my endurance. I refuse to allow the devil to steal my joy and hold me captive. I walk by faith and not by sight. The devil is a liar! I have supernatural wisdom and breakthrough in Jesus name! I am ever vibrant, joyful and productive in every area of life and in the work of the kingdom. Lord, use me as a source of hope for many and let your name be glorified. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Reflection: “We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
He is always there to empower us and show us the way to grow strong. It might not be exactly what we expect but His ways are perfect. Thanks for sharing!!!
Amen. Praise the Lord for His constant faithful! Blessings to you Henry!! 🙂
Amen. Glad to have you back. Hope you had a great break, separate from us but not the Lord. vw 🙂
I’m glad to be back too, thank you VW! It was a nice break, very refreshing, and I did get to catch up with family and friends. Bless you & have a wonderful day! 🙂
🙂
YW 🙂
“Be encouraged today, focus on God’s promises for you, rejoice by faith in the Lord and watch God give you a testimony.”
Amen! Praise the Lord! 😀
Amen n Amen.Thanks for the encouragement and comment! Blessings and more! 🙂
This lines really speaks of and to me: He will use our pasts to torment us, rejection to chain us to self pity, he will use fear to enslave us to hopelessness and depression. If we allow him, the devil will use every unfavorable situation we experience to hold us down and stop us from moving forward in life! But God is much bigger than any dirt the devil throws at me! I have been spiritually down(sort of dryness and not feeling out of place) for a while and due to depression I eventually decided to stop blogging, Thank God for this encouragement. I’m not regretting the fact that I didn’t see this post in my mail earlier, but I guess I just saw it when I needed it. So today, gladly I am going back to God and have decided not let anything steal my Joy and to take my focus off the challenges I am facing now.
God bless you Aunty Shade for this post. It really blessed me.
My dear Grace, I’m so glad that everything we go through is never wasted. Thank God that He will use our pain to bring gain into our lives, He will use death to bring life to us. The devil is a liar! And so I thank God by faith for you, that God is able to use even this to work for good in your life. I pray for strength, a renewed joy and restoration for you in Jesus name. Know that you are so loved by your your heavenly Father! 🙂
Really appreciate your presence and I’m praying for you! Much love, hugs and blessings from this end! My dear, have a joyful weekend:)