Joy

“The Joy of the Lord is my strength…” (Nehemiah 8:10)

This verse came to mind the other day when I was feeling defeated. I feel defeated by life and people on certain days; good thing God’s strength is perfected in my weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). Why can’t I be like Paul and boast about my weaknesses (2 Corinthians 11:30) to be glad that the Lord will work in them!

Any who… after this verse came to mind, I meditated on it hard. The Lord used it to turn my work day back around. I was going to be joyful no matter what. How many times can you knock me down Satan, and how many times do I have to get back up with a smile on my face for you to leave me alone? The JOY of the Lord, from the Holy Spirit, overcomes every other feeling I might be having and overwhelms my soul with love. This is how I battle it out; an arsenal of verses that proclaim where I find my joy; which is the same thing to me as finding my strength.

Where do I find my joy? THE LORD. He is everything that I need to get through the day. He is MY ALL, THE GREAT I AM. I find my joy in Him because He is the only way to experience “lasting joy” instead of “fleeting happiness”.

Yes it is hard to differentiate between the two; joy and happiness. I honestly get very frustrated when people say, “If this would just happen (fill in the blank) or if I had this (fill in the blank), I would be happy or find my JOY”. Silly gooses; you already have Joy if you ask the Lord for it and find it in Him.

The fruit of the Spirit; JOY. Such a deep, wonderful and rich feeling; one that once it is experienced, you will laugh at the fact that you wanted to be merely “happy” before. You will find that if you search for Joy in anything but the Lord, you will be sorely disappointed. Life is designed that way. Imagine God watching from above as you frantically run from place to place, object to object, searching feverishly for this perfect Joy you seek. Meanwhile, God looks down and with a stern voice says, “I AM RIGHT HERE, I will let you keep looking as long as you like; but you will eventually understand it can only be found in ME and I have been readily available to you this WHOLE TIME”.

We also see that in Jeremiah 15:16, a thankful heart is a joyful heart. If we wake up with an “attitude of gratitude” (forgot where I heard that from, I totally am not taking credit for that), we will see our days playing out much smoother and the beautiful things in life we appreciate and are grateful to have will show us the true Joy the Lord has for us, His beloved children.

An important verse to pick apart on the topic of Joy is John 15:9-11:

9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Note that the reference to the Father’s love (God is love) an His JOY are what fills our JOY. Remember that the only true Joy can be experienced through the Father and because of the Father. Searching for it elsewhere could lead us off course, even to idolatry; especially when we cannot differentiate between Joy and Happiness. When you have His Joy, Jesus can shine through you to others.

Dictionary.com defines happiness as;

Good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.

This could lead us to believe that the Lord’s Joy is interchangeable or comparable with the word “happiness”.

Believe me, from experience, once you experience the Lord’s Joy, your mind will be blown. What you thought you knew of joy and happiness will become differentiated and your understanding will become perfected through His Word.  

Dictionary.com defines joy as;

The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation:

She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.

2.

a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated:

Her prose style is a pure joy.

3.

the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4.

a state of happiness or felicity.

This also would lead someone to believe that Joy from the Lord and Happiness are interchangeable and comparable. I promise you that once you experience the true Joy of the Holy Spirit and realize that happiness is situational and Joy is rooted deep within you, you will understand the difference. 

No one can take the Lord's Joy from you. Don't let Satan lie to you.