UNENDING JOY

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3 NIV)

            From the moment you were born again, you were brought into a life of unending joy.  The Bible says in Romans 14: 17, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Joy is an emotion evoked by satisfaction, appreciation and pleasure.  God was joyful when He created the earth; He appreciated what He made and took pleasure in it (Genesis 1:31).

            The joy you have is not of this world, but of God; therefore it's independent of external circumstances. I Peter 1:8 describes it as "...joy unspeakable and full of glory." Everywhere Jesus went during His earthly walk, He brought joy to people, and He still does today.  The joy that comes from your inner man (your spirit) transcends physical circumstances; it's permanent, and it'll keep you strong and healthy.  The Bible says, "A merry heart doeth good like medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (Proverbs 17:22 KJV).

            Learn to be joyful and maintain a happy spirit always.  Joy is a fruit of the recreated human spirit (Galatians 5:22), so you can be joyful at all times.  Produce joy from your spirit by making melodies and singing new songs from your heart to the Lord.  The Lord delights to hear your joyful praise.  Nehemiah 8:10 says, "...for the joy of the LORD is your strength." God needs you to be joyful so you can transfer that same joy to your environment, for you can't make others joyful until you're full of joy yourself.

Develop Your Spirit-nature

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).

One very important thing you must do consciously as a Christian is to develop your spirit-nature and become more God-conscious in your daily walk. There’re Christians who aren’t God-conscious, even though they’re born again; they haven’t developed their spirits; they haven’t matured in their Christian walk. When you develop your spirit, you’ll never be afraid of anything; you’ll always be a victor. It makes no difference what happens with you or around you; you’ll always be on top.

Have you ever observed birds, and how they fly? Some can only fly at a certain height. A duck may fly higher and longer than a chicken, but it can’t sustain itself like a sparrow. And as fast and as wonderfully a sparrow may fly, it can never fly as high as an eagle and sustain itself in the air. It’s like airplanes too; some can only fly between thirty to thirty-eight thousand feet above sea level. Some can fly at forty thousand feet, and can’t go higher, no matter how they try. But some can fly at sixty thousand feet.

Spiritually, it’s the same. Some Christians are “flying” very high. Some want to fly high but they can’t, because they haven’t developed their spirit-life for that level; so, when trouble strikes, they’re overwhelmed and rattled by the turbulence. But the one who has developed his spirit, soars like an eagle; he has the “speed” and “lift” to go above turbulence. It makes no difference what your present situation is; if you’d develop your spirit, you’ll always rise above the turbulence. How do you develop your spirit?

God tells us in Joshua 1:8 to meditate on His Word. That’s the secret for training and developing your spirit for success. That’s how you program your spirit for the triumphant life of ever-increasing glory. Practice meditating on the Word of God. When you study the Word, don’t just read through; capture it into your heart, and learn to give the Word first place in your life.

The Inward Witness

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14).

God guides you through your spirit, and not your mind, and He seeks to lead you, primarily through the inward witness. This is the most important leading of the Spirit of God in your life and it’s available to every Christian.

Now, there’s a difference between the inward witness and the inward voice. Have you ever heard someone say, “Something told me to move from there; and as I moved forward, a terrible accident happened behind?” It’s not “something” speaking. That’s the inward voice; the voice of your spirit. When the inward voice talks to you, it’s a little authoritative. You could suddenly hear a voice from inside say, “Get up! Go and turn off the gas in the kitchen.” People have lost money, businesses, jobs etc., because they didn’t listen to that voice.

The inward witness, on the other hand, isn’t a voice, but a consciousness of guidance from your spirit. Imagine that you were contemplating going somewhere or buying a property; or maybe you had two jobs offered to you at the same time and you’re not sure which one to take. At such a time, what you need is to recognize the inward witness. How does the inward witness function?

You’ll discover that when you pray, a consciousness of joy wells up in your heart within the direction that God wants you to go. Sometimes, your head or mind may not agree, but the inward witness just bears witness within you that this is the direction. If for any reason, you consider going in the opposite direction, you’ll find a dampening of your spirit, not your mind. Each time you pray, the witness will come as though with hesitance and reluctance. That means it’s a “no.”

Some people have forced themselves to go against the inward witness, and they missed God. Some even wait for spectacular signs, saying, “Lord, if a dog barks at 3am from the right side of my compound, I’ll know it’s you.” God doesn’t lead us like that.

Through the Word and inward witness, the Holy Spirit leads and guides you from glory to glory. Train yourself to listen to the inward witness and the inward voice; it’ll save you from unnecessary problems in your life. You’ll have a glorious, successful and victorious life, if you’d learn to trust and follow the inward witness, and the inward voice.

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