Here’s last Sunday’s message from my radio show, The Refuge.

“Joy in Adversity

The world we live in is growing increasingly dangerous. As the bible promises in 2 Tim 3:2, “But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy.” Have I mentioned anything here that is foreign to you? Do we see evidence of these things abound in our society today? Yes, yes we do. Add to this the economic stress our nation and perhaps even the world, appears to be going through and it is not a surprise that there is no joy anywhere: Not in our streets, not in our homes, not in our hearts. Christmas, a season of joy and celebration especially for us as Christians, has now become a season of great fear and a cause of anxiety in many homes with people worrying about the rising insecurity and expenses.

I think about this and wonder to myself, does this thinking align with the will of God? In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief’s [satan’s] purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give [you] a rich and satisfying life.” Steal, Kill, Destroy- in that order. Let’s pause here to think on the meaning of this. Satan comes first to steal our joy, then he kills our peace: peace of mind, peace in our homes, peace in our relationships, then he destroys us totally by destroying any love we have in our hearts. So my friends, the first thing to go when the devil wants to attack you is your joy.

What is joy? Let us begin by examining what joy is NOT. Joy is not happiness. Happiness, like the word sounds, is dependent on happenings. Joy is a feeling of wellbeing in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit at work in us. I recently heard that, “Happiness is a thermometer…it just takes on the temperature of the outside.” But joy, joy is a thermostat, it sets the temperature. A joyful person carries their own presence with them and hold the power to change, to reset the temperature wherever they are. They don’t regulate their mood to fit the feeling of the place because unlike happiness, joy is internally not externally regulated. The Bible says that chained to a prison wall and scheduled for execution, Paul and Silas not only prayed, they SANG, and the Holy Ghost came down. Joy has nothing to do with your circumstances, it exists in spite of what else is happening around you.  Joy is based on nothing but the assurance of the work of Christ in you, the hope in the promise of God and the confidence in God’s love.

Why does the devil work so hard to steal our joy? Because joy is a source of strength. Nehemiah 8;10 says, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Joy is a powerful tool that strengthens the heart for battle, it prepares your soul to take over, empowers your spirit to fight. This is why the devil tries to steal your joy first, to weaken you, to discourage you from trusting in God’s promise.

It’s important we rise to our calling as Christians and take our place as the intercessors in God’s kingdom. We are called to wage a holy war against the forces of evil and to do this, we need joy even in the midst of adversity. In fact it is in the greatest adversity that real joy is found. An easy victory is not as powerful or celebrated as a difficult win. So, count it ALL joy when you are faced with challenges for as long  as your joy remains, there is hope. And my friends, let me assure you that you CAN hope in God, no matter how evil the days we live in are. The Bible does not promise us that evil will not come,  it tells us that evil will never prevail against the children of God. Job 5:19 says, “He will keep you safe from six troubles, and when the seventh comes, no harm will touch you.” Another translation says,

“He will save you again and again! No evil will harm you.”

This is God’s promise to you.

In conclusion, I encourage you to hold on with everything you have to your joy because that is one of your most powerful tools in this time. Be at peace, stay in hope, rejoice in the Lord always and pray without ceasing. I’ll leave you with this word, “So with you: now is your time of grief but I will see you again and you will rejoice…

…and no one will take away your joy.”

-John 16:22