Joy Laughs at Fear; The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
Fear.
We constantly face circumstances, forces, events, and people who are stronger than we are. At times, life can hit us hard, tossing us around like a rag doll in a Doberman’s jaws.
In “Everyday Answers”, Joyce Meyer writes:
“Fear is a tool the devil uses against us to make us miserable and destroy our lives. It begins as a thought and then creates emotions that can rule us.”
https://tinyurl.com/y86k6csx
Why do we so easily fall prey to fear?
Fear comes from believing you are powerless. Fear comes from believing you face danger, pain, or loss (real or imagined) alone.
Fear comes from seeing the danger, pain, or loss we face or imagine as greater than God.
If our hearts are connected to Jesus' heart, we live from a different reality.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. … 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9, 11 NIV
Jesus reassures us of His love in John 9, 11. Why?
So we will be filled with His joy.
You and I are filled with Jesus’ joy when we know we are loved. We know we are not alone.
And, as Nehemiah told the people: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NIV
Jesus said this many times, in many ways.
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV)
We will never be alone. He will always be there, with us and for us.
You and I are anointed to live joyously. Joy does not bow its knee to circumstances, fear, anger or discouragement. The joy of God is greater than all these.
And, as Nehemiah told the people: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NIV
Shift the atmosphere. Be so full of the joy of the Lord that it is a river of living water, flowing from you, touching and changing the hearts and minds of everyone around you.
Joy is a powerful weapon in our battles against fear.
Activation:
Dave shares how praise and worship always lifts him above fear, discouragement, or whatever toxic thoughts are harassing him.
It’s Not Easy Some Days (written November 11, 2015)
As I was writing this, I got the news that someone very dear to me has cancer. It was like someone hit me in the stomach – hard! Fear and anxiety smothered me. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was sing.
But I’ve been here before. I already had playlists of anointed praise and worship songs on Youtube. I chose an anointed playlist.
At first, I couldn’t sing along. I was too numb. I was hurting and I was crying.
A few minutes later, the words of hope and faith in a song ripped open the pain that enveloped me. I was riding the anointing of the worship leader and that anointing began to break the yokes of fear and hopelessness off me.
I mumbled a few words of a song. Then I began to worship God with all my heart. My study filled with God’s presence and fear and hopeless were gone. The King was here.”
As we begin to sing and praise, we refocus our minds on the greatness and the goodness of God. We release our pain and our fear and declare His truths. He replaces what we were thinking and feeling with gratitude, praise, and worship.
Psalm 28:7, NIV The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Burdens, stress, and fear cannot enter into the presence of God. We enter the gates of the kingdom of God with thanksgiving. We boldly approach His courts, the very throne room of God, with praise. (Psalm 100:4)
And there we are, with God. In the fullness of joy.
Stress, worry and fear are repelled by God’s joy! They can’t live in the presence of joy.
True praise and worship changes us.
We are never the same after we’ve experienced the presence of
God and have tasted his goodness. God’s invitation is to taste and see that the Lord is good. He knows once we taste we will keep coming back for more.
Practical steps:
1. Find the most anointed praise and worship music you can. (I create playlists (on Youtube) of anointed praise and worship that I use to start every day).
2. Get alone with God. Close the door. Turn off your phone. And let yourself go. Go where you can sing and shout and no one will hear you.
3. God’s love will draw you into His presence. We love God because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). As you begin to praise and worship you will feel the presence of God calling to you. When you feel it, love him back. Take a small step and begin to praise.
4. Circumstances, the pain, stress, fear, and discouragement will begin to fall off of you. Joy will come.
Go worship the Lord now. And watch fear run away as Joy laughs. He who is in you is greater than fear.