“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.â€
Romans 15:13Â
         Oh, the more I am learning, the greater the joy, for it is truly in the surrendered heart that joy flows from the Spirit within. There is a song I love singing which says “the joy of the Lord is my strength!†Have you too, found this to be so?
         Do you remember when you first received Jesus into your heart? The joy was overwhelming; we wanted to share the good news with everyone. As time passes the joy diminishes because we get lax and fail to feed our spirits with God’s Word, the prayer time seems to lose its supreme significance. We kind of drift along until…………God gets our attention! A tragedy, sinful desires that bring about confusion, He has multiple ways each designed specifically for us! Have you been there?
         I’m sorry to say, I have with much regret and there are scars in my heart that remind me. It takes time in our walk with the Lord to become sensitive to that still small voice that says, “was that the right thing to do?â€Â Oh yes, He is ever present and aware of our every thought and action. This is the reason Jesus sent us His Holy Spirit with power to convict our hearts of sin and to mold us into His image. Once we acknowledge our sin and ask His forgiveness, He picks us up, brushes us off and sends us on our way again.
      If you are a parent or grandparent you understand this precept, it is so simple yet so very profound. The Holy Spirit teaches us God’s commands in a similar way. “If you love Me, keep My commandments.â€Â (John 14:15)
Our God, in the infinite tenderness and omnipotence of His love, waits to be our Life and Joy! All we have to do is accept it with a yielded heart ready to be obedient to His commands!
 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.â€
Isaiah 55:12