John 16:22 “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”
Jesus is our joy in the midst of sorrow, no one can steal him, and his joy in us.
‘Jesus is truly all the answer we need in our lives.’
It is easy for us to say or make such a proclamation, but some of us may not necessarily apply or live up to that statement.
God will put us through specific trials and incidents to test our belief in Jesus Christ, only for us to realize talk is cheap because we weren’t fully surrendering ourselves to Jesus Christ.
If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of our joy, we would still have true joy and peace in us when all the other possessions and joy are taken away from us. This abiding sense of joy is a sign of spiritual growth. It is normal in life to suffer from emotions from pain, grief, sorrow, and negativity, because of our fleshy nature, but do not allow our flesh to overrule us.
‘Because no man taketh our joy away from us.’
The Joy of the Lord is our Strength
What helps us in the midst of difficult times, is to contemplate the joy of the Lord. It is one thing to feel the flesh and let the sorrow come, but never let that sorrow stay in us for long. For it is going to grow and overpower us, and overwhelm us.
If we allow ourselves to murmur and be sorrowful for too long, we will lose the desire to appreciate God’s blessing. One thing to remember is that we should derive true happiness from walking in the Spirit, rather than from our flesh.
1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
As human beings, we tend to follow our hearts, feelings, and flesh and get consumed by worldly goods.
John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
We need to pay attention to God when He shows us the light and also seek his light, let’s stop getting stuck in a rut. Have an intimate relationship with God. He is our source of strength.
Live a Prayerful Life throughout the day
There is a specific time that we allocate for fervent and “kneeling down” prayers, but it should not stop there. If we want to experience true joy in the Lord, then we should also continue to speak to Christ Jesus throughout the day and make God a part of our life and answer.
Take comfort in trials from God
A lot of us tend to resent whenever we face trials and afflictions in life. It is because we are so accustomed to comforts and blessings from God, and we think the blessing is what leads us to true joy. However, Bible believers would see trials and afflictions as a means of true joy, and that Jesus really is the answer, and nothing else.
Find strength in times of trouble in the Lord. Find comfort in times of difficulty in the word of God, in the fellowship of the brethren.
Worldly Pleasures are Temporal
It is fine for us to take comfort in the company of our brethren and sisters, family, and friends. However, these are all temporal. When we are on our deathbed, all of these worldly possessions and company mean nothing. This is because when we are at the judgment seat of Christ, Christ is the only one that we will see.
One of the most important takeaways of this sermon is that our biggest enemy is not Satan, as we do not believe in crediting Satan. Rather, it is our flesh that we should detest the most. Given that we have a nature of constantly being critical, we should really be critical of the right things; and that is towards our flesh, rather than towards other Christians’ spiritual lives.
God wants us to live a joyful life even in the midst of trials. No matter what experiences of life you go through, seek to glorify God.