I'm not waiting on WHEN!

I believe God wants you to ENJOY life not just ENDURE it.  In John 10:10 (AMP), it says, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

This verse tells me that God doesn't just want us to be ALIVE, but He wants us to ENJOY being alive!  He wants me to live with JOY - ABUNDANT, OVERFLOWING JOY!

I've met too many people that seemingly aren't happy.  They have a scowl on their face all the time, rug burn on their chin and they're always tripping over their lower lip. 

My passion as a pastor and teacher of God's Word is to help people learn how to live the life Jesus died to give us!  I've also learned in my own experience that if you don't have JOY, then no matter what you HAVE or what you DO or how great your circumstances may be...it doesn't mean much.

Where do you get the JOY from?

Jesus said in John 15 that if we will ABIDE in Him, we will experience God's will for our lives, and everything Jesus has will be OURS!

ABIDING means MAKING Jesus the most important person in our life, LIVING and REMAINING in Him, and making everything in life REVOLVE around Him.  That's when we bear the FRUIT of a godly life.  And that's when God's TRUE JOY is explosive in our life!

Focusing on Jesus has BENEFITS!  For one, when I'm focused on Him, I'm not focused on my problems, politics or people.  PEACE comes easy and JOY is FULL!  

I'm not waiting on WHEN!

I know so many people who think that they will really be happy and enjoy life WHEN...when they go on vacation, when their kids are older, when they get that promotion, when they get married, and on and on.

I understand this thinking, because I spent some of my life thinking the very same thing. There was a season that I even thought about that in ministry.  I wasn't enjoying my responsibilities and the activities I was leading.  I HAD TO LEARN to live in the moment and enjoy what God was doing in me and through me NOW...not WHEN I was able to take a breather and go on vacation.

Someone needs to hear this right NOW...not WHEN! 

As a Christian, you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life.  He is the HELPER who gives us supernatural strength and anointing to live this ordinary, day-to-day life with the JOY of the Lord!

I'm learning more EVERYDAY that the JOY OF THE LORD is my STRENGTH! (Nehemiah 8:10)

What is JOY?

It's not about always having to be ENTERTAINED.
It's not about always GETTING YOUR WAY.
It's not about LAUGHING all the time.

Joy can be intense LAUGHTER and even a settled CALMNESS!

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:22 that "a happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing..."  Interesting enough, studies even show that laughter has good BENEFITS!

• Laughter release ENDORPHINS. (A chemical in your body that relieves pains and creates a sense of well being.)
  
• It can boost your ENERGY level.  Which can relieve tension and improve your attitude.

It's no wonder the devil wants to STEAL our JOY and get us discouraged, depressed and distressed!  His job is to steal, kill and destroy.  But we don't have to give in to him and lose our JOY!

Lighten up!

Joy is a CHOICE!  Choose today to start enjoying life, no matter what!  Don't be so serious about everything!  Laugh at yourself!  Refuse to be frustrated!  Remember that God loves you!  He knows everything about you and loves you anyway!  That ought to make you smile right there!

Holy Ghost Helium

So many of you love the Lord with all your heart and you wouldn't think of ever turning your back on the Lord.  You're doing your best to serve Him and please Him and you never thought you'd reach a place where your JOY felt depleted. 

The truth is, it happens to everyone at some point or another.  Even David, the great psalmist, prophet and king understood more about praise and worship and the presence of God than almost anyone living.  And yet, one day he found that his joy had leaked out.

Even then, David knew the source of his JOY!  In Psalm 51:12 he cried out to God to restore unto him the joy of his salvation and uphold him with His free spirit.  See...the devil knows that JOY is a tremendous source of POWER for every believer!

In Nehemiah 8:10 we find that the JOY of the Lord is our STRENGTH!  Strength to do what? Strength to BOUNCE BACK!  JOY can give you BOUNCE BACK POWER or even GET BACK UP POWER!

As long as you have the JOY of the Lord, no matter how hard the devil hits you, you will BOUNCE BACK and be STRONGER than ever!

What else can the JOY of the LORD do for you?  He can give you TAKE YOU THROUGH POWER!  It doesn't matter what you have to go through in life, the JOY of the Lord will give you the ability to keep WALKING, PUSHING, PRAYING, PRAISING, SOWING and GOING!  We all have to through stuff sometimes.

Thirdly, he can give you TAKE YOU OVER POWER!  The JOY of the Lord gives WINGS to your FAITH and give you the ability to RISE above the storm, trials and attacks!  When God gives you WINGS...it's like saying you have HOLY GHOST HELIUM!  It's the INTERNAL SUBSTANCE that gives us LIFTING POWER!

You have the POWER to break the gravitational pull that wants to drag you down into worry, fear, depression & discouragement! 

Joseph pulled from the WELL of JOY and was able to overcome every wall and adversity! (Genesis 49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:")

When you have the JOY of the Lord, it's like an EFFERVESCENT alka seltzer tablet!  All the sudden, you become ALIVE!  Friends, that kind of life is CONTAGIOUS!  If anything should distinguish us from the world it should be THE JOY OF THE LORD!

When you can go through the same TESTS, TRIALS and HARDSHIPS as the world and not trip out, flip out or freak out...they're going to want what you have!

Many of you have been going through all kinds of difficulties, hardships, trials and just plain old attacks from Hell and it seems like you get victory in one area then you're attacked in another area.  You feel like you're in continual warfare...like you're caught up in a spin cycle in the washing machine!

Why does the devil attack you like that?  Here's why...he wants to WEAR YOU OUT! Daniel 7:25 says "he shall speak great words against the most high and shall wear out the saints!"

None of us are exempt!  We're all in the same boat!  We've all been hit hard, not just in one area but in multiple areas!  The truth is IT WAS A GOOD HIT!  The devil hit you where it hurt and you felt it and it stunned you!  You see, the devil's been after your strength.  He's been after your BOUNCE BACK POWER!  He's after your GO THROUGH POWER and your TAKE YOU OVER POWER!  He's been trying to steal your HOLY GHOST HELIUM...but YOU'RE GETTING IT ALL BACK!

You're getting your WINGS back!

You're getting the PEP in your STEP back!

You're getting your FIRE back in your FURNACE!

You're getting the POWER back in your PUNCH!

You're getting your HOLY GHOST HELIUM back!

You're getting the WIND back in your SAILS!

The devil may have hit you hard but that was only round one.  You might have been beat up pretty bad in the last round, but the fight isn't over!  You've got your FIGHT BACK!  You've got your JOY BACK!

The devil made one big mistake.  He hit you hard, he knocked you down and he almost killed you.  But he made one mistake...he left you breathing!  He should have killed you when he had the chance!  See...as long as you have BREATH...you can PRAISE THE LORD!  If you can praise the Lord, you can access the POWER OF GOD and when you access the power of God...GOD IS GOING TO TURN IT AROUND!

This is your time for a DIVINE REVERSAL!

Your JOY is going to CATAPULT you into victory!

Drawing From The Well Within

God has already given us everything.  

• There's a well of living water on the inside of every born-again believer. 
• It's not the Lord's fault if we're hungry and thirsty.  
• It's not time to ask Him to come and touch us.  
• It's time for us to start taking, eating and drinking of what He's already given!

I'm not saying there's no place for a Christian to ever have problems or discouragement, or that we should always be perfect and just deny reality.  

• Believers do experience hunger in the sense that they feel empty and God seems like a million miles away.  
• But when we experience that, it's bad taste to approach Him saying, "Oh Lord, I just don't feel Your love.  Please love me.  Do something to show me You care!"  
• We might as well have said, "God, You haven't done anything," because we're blaming Him for our feelings of emptiness and hunger.

We've learned through the Scriptures that God loves us infinitely more than we can ever comprehend or need.  

• He can't love me more or give me any more love than what I already have.  
• Knowing this will keep me out of depression and discouragement!

There have been times when such feelings are tempting.  

• I've had issues and terrible things happen, just like anybody else.  
• I've even had thoughts like, "Man, just get in your truck and drive.  Don't ever come back!  I can't stand it anymore.  Just walk away!"  
• Although I've had these thoughts, I don't give in to them, because I also have a revelation that God loves me and has already provided everything I need.

So instead of giving in to hunger, discouragement and despair, I remind myself of God's Word.  

• I don't say, "Lord, that's the way it is.  Now You must do something brand new to touch me.  I'm looking for something else from You!"  
• That would be an insult against what He's already done.

Instead, I pray, 

• "Father, this is absolutely wrong.  John 6:35 says that I should never hunger or thirst again.  I know that on the inside of me there is so much love, joy and peace - all the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Everything I need is already there.  So, Father, I know that You have done Your part.  It's not Your fault if I'm tempted with depression, discouragement, giving up and quitting.  It's my fault.  I'm not focused on You.  I've let my eyes be taken off of You and put on the problems of this world."  

I'll just separate myself and spend a day or so fasting, praying and seeking God.  

• What I'm doing is MINING what the Lord has already placed within me.  
• Instead of asking Him to give me something new, I draw out the life that He's already given.

That's why depression has no hold on us!  

• I've been tempted with depression.  
• I've had feelings of depression start to hit me.  
• But within ten or fifteen minutes, I just decide that I don't like depression and refuse to have it.  
• God has given me such joy inside that I can choose to rejoice at all times.  (Philippians 4:4)