“Strengthened
with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and
longsuffering with joy”—Colossians 1:11
Joy
is not possible outside of Christ. Joy is always there in the midst of every
circumstance. When a Christian experiences
difficulties, we do not loose hope because our faith and joy is in Christ. This is what
causes our lifestyle to be appealing to those who do not know Christ. When we sincerely live this life of Christ,
people take notice because we look and act differently.
Christians have the countenance of
Christ. We do not carry the same countenance of people who are lost and have no
hope. In the midst of circumstances, we are not grouchy, we
are not sad, our actions are not temperamental, and we are not easily
offend. We are not selfish, angry, or
jealous—none of these things are the lifestyle of the believer who is walking
in the life of Christ. Our hope and trust in the Lord.
Isaiah 35:10 -11 gives us the answer
why we as Christians can always have joy
in the midst of every circumstance. “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
Ransomed—that
is us—the believer.
Zion—this
is a picture of what happens through Christ to those who were lost. We, who were afar off and have returned to the
Lord with a song on our lips. We
returned with everlasting joy on our heads.
Our
inheritance—joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Whenever I feel sorrow coming upon
my heart, or when I hear myself uttering a sigh; I have learned that this is an
indication in the natural of a spiritual burden or a weight that I am carrying.
Also, my back or shoulders will feel
heavy or I may even experience pain in that area. This scripture comes to my mind as a reminder
of God in the midst of the circumstance. It becomes my faith standard so that I resist
that sorrow and tendency to sigh in the midst of circumstances.
I encourage you today to take hold
of this joy. You will want to mark this scripture in your
Bible so that you can go back and read it whenever the enemy comes to you and
tries to depress you in a variety of ways.
You may sense that something has happened or you have heard some news that
could be devastating. Perhaps something has occurred that has caused
you to have sorrow. Or you hear yourself
sighing with a heaviness of a weight that you are carrying. Read it out loud like I love to do. And remember that as you read to make it
personal to you, “I am the ransomed of
the Lord and I have returned” with singing and everlasting joy upon my head. I
have obtained joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away, in
Jesus Name.”
Come to every circumstance with a song in you heart and everlasting joy. Say out loud, “Look at me it is from the top of my head joy flows down through every
part of my being and my life. I have obtained joy. I have
obtained gladness sorrow and sighing has had to flee. Claim it walk in it everyday in Jesus
Name.
