TOPIC: THE FEAST FOR JOY
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)
You must not look like what you are going through if you are deliberate about God’s joy. While ‘joy’ is a spiritual force that is deposited in every child of God, ‘rejoicing’ is a deliberate process of faith by which we release that force to go to work in every area of our lives. Many have the joy of the Lord in them, but they are not experiencing miracles because they are not rejoicing. They are always sad, complaining, entitled, and barefaced. They are not deliberate about releasing this force of joy through thanksgiving and praise.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (TPT), Paul writes, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” The admonition is not to give thanks FOR the situation, rather it is about giving God thanks THROUGH the situation.
You must prepare for joy. In our text, God instructed the people to prepare a feast – a party! Decide to REJOICE by setting up structures and deliberately creating an environment to rejoice. Decide to release the force of joy into that situation. You can start by going to church and praising Him. You can even start by creating a playlist of praise and worship songs on your device, turn up the volume and dance yourself happy as you give God praise.
The bible says, “The joy of the LORD is your STRENGTH!” The word ‘strength’ actually means ‘defense.’ If the devil can’t break your defense by concealing your joy, he can’t steal your goods. Refuse to be put under by anything, go ahead and rejoice today because God is working behind the scenes for you.
DECLARATIONS: I will rejoice and be glad in the Lord. God is the strength of my life. I am coming out better and stronger because He has made me more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.
Pastor Alfred Samuel