No Joy In Your Salvation?
Now I know that some
of you walk in joy almost daily. My good friend Emmanuel has talked about GOD’S
Joy on numerous occasions.
It was the joy of the
LORD that freed some of those in our home fellowship from drugs and
addictions.
Hopefully I can show you a trick/ or trap of the enemy that has been used on me (and
all of you) countless times before – robbing you of joy and fulfillment.
Let me say it again,
that if you have no (or little) joy today – you will never have more.
It
won’t get better! Because you need a revelation of Joy – now!
Why is that? And I
thought this was going to be good news? I hear some of you
ask.
Hang in there – it
gets better - way better! Remember we are talking about Joy and the solution
to your joyless problem.
You see, many of you
have been hoodwinked (tricked) into a lie that the devil has used millions of
times and you are his next victim
Here is the normal
Christian life according to Romans 5 : 2-4 (AMP – which means Amplified
Version)
2Through
Him (JESUS) also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into
this grace (state of God's favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And
let us rejoice and exult in our hope of
experiencing and enjoying the glory of
God.
3Moreover
[let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and
triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure
and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving
endurance.
4And
endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and
tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal
salvation.
Breaking it all
down:
We enter into this
state of GOD’S favor (GRACE) and walking in this LOVE we firmly and safely
stand. (See verse 2). Eric’s thoughts: “That’s good, I want to safely
stand!”
Because we
(experience and understand) this great GRACE we are full of Joy now –
exulting and triumphing and rejoicing in our sufferings. (Verse
3)
Eric’s thoughts:
“Hmm, full of Joy now”.
This pressure we are
experiencing, if we see JESUS only does something good for us (not for the
world) but for us.
Here it
is:
It produces in us HIS
Character and puts us in habitual joy and confidence (in our GOD
who gives us HIS LIFE every day, not death but LIFE).(verse
4)
Ok so that is all
nice and good, but how where is this trap? And how does it play out in my life?
I’m still depressed and cranky!
Note: depressed and
cranky is not a fruit of the SPIRIT (see Galatians 5).
In the Garden of Eden
when the enemy tempted Eve (remember it says that Eve was deceived not
Adam).
For Adam was formed
first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was
deceived and became a sinner. 1 Timothy 2:
13-14
There are 2 things I
wish to point out, hopefully you get it and perhaps by the SPIRIT HE can bring
us all further into it.
One is a minor point
(sidebar thought) the other is the main point. Note: this sidebar point I need
more revelation on this all just came to me as I write, but there is meat
here.
Minor
(Sidebar) Point:
(new revelation I just received as I’m writing this main
message to you)
First Eve was
deceived not Adam. So Adam didn’t sin at first and not by deception but
willingly. Do you remember the Bible talks about willful
sin?
She was deceived (not
him), he couldn’t live without her (they were part of each other) and so
willingly sinned to be with her.
Adam wasn’t tricked
here or deceived but he still sinned but in a different
way.
(more on this later).
.
There is a difference
between being deceived in sin and willful sin, I don’t know more to say about
this yet, (as this is new to me) but the SPIRIT teaches us all things. John
14:26
Boy I can hear this
discussion already started.
Back
to the Main point:
The devil’s trap is
to deceive and tell you what
you think you are lacking. “if you eat this fruit you will become
like GOD, knowing good and evil”. He says. Genesis 3:5
She was already made
as a daughter of GOD and she had everything and lacked nothing in the garden –
which is now you (inside you) the secret kingdom.
“No”, came the lie,
you need this revelation and your eyes will be opened and will become like GOD.
The implication is that you are not all there yet, you are not truly fulfilled –
lacking so, no real joy.
But we know that when
we have HIM (JESUS) we have access to DAD (GOD) for everything. We are in the
same place as Adam and Eve.
Romans 8:32 says “He
who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also,
along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Here is the
trap.
If you see only what
you lack, then you are looking with natural (carnal minded eyes), eyes of flesh
and that has nothing to do with faith.
Faith only sees what
GOD has said, and promised and it trusts that this JESUS who loves me, heard my
prayer and is working all this for my good.
But if you are
looking to something (longing for something) and want it so bad, you are not
seeing that all things are yours already. You believe a lie that only if I had
this ________________ (you name it) thing/person, then I will be happy, you say
to yourself.
It is all future
happiness, joy someday when this ___________(something)
happens.
WRONG and you are
chasing a lie!
You then make wrong,
rash decisions – suffering the consequences. You get hurt over and over
again.
You are allowing your
carnal mind (flesh) to dictate to you what you need, and not the SPIRIT which
delights in GOD and puts to death the carnal mind.
Once you get the
thing, (if you even get it at all) it doesn’t satisfy (like the forbidden fruit)
and you fall further from the provision of GOD and certainly are not operating
in any faith. Its crushing you.
Without Faith it is
impossible to please GOD. Hebrews 11:6
Adam and Eve took the
forbidden fruit.
Abraham went another
way to have children – not trusting GOD.
Only Joshua and Caleb
saw the Promised Land the way GOD saw it – the other 10 spies died on the spot
of a plaque. Numbers 14:36-37
Peter took his eyes
off JESUS and to the wind and waves and started to drown.
Get
it?
Always wanting and
never taking by faith what is already yours.
One state will leave
you dry and frustrated and zero answers to prayer.
The other place will
leave you refreshed, and full of joy with all your prayers
answered.
Always lacking never satisfied.
Or Always satisfied
never lacking?
Stop being
hoodwinked.
Start recognizing
that all things are yours, and that you are blessed NOW! (see 1 Corinthians 3:21
and John 17:10)
Godliness with
contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6
Who wants fullness of
Joy in their life? Psalm 16:11
Who wants some Great
Gain in their life?
I for one
do!
You won’t get
abundant life in the Kingdom listening to lies and telling GOD you are not happy
with this GIFT of LIFE that HE has given you.
Let me close by this
question to you:
How many of you feel
real good, when you give someone else a gift (or a child a gift) and they open
it and toss it aside?
How does that make
you feel?
Your life is a
gift.
This Christian LIFE
is a gift – JESUS LIFE is a gift!
Prayer:
Thank you DAD that I
have YOU, and that you never leave me, and you are in me, working through me in
your great LOVE.
Pour Your LOVE
through me, that I can refresh others today – thus refreshing YOU (giving to
you, through giving to the least).
Thank you that I have
a home and food and family and friends and all your promises that are IN JESUS
who is IN me and I in HIM.
I choose to see YOU
at work here, and rejoice that this is working for my good, as only good comes
from you and I have you – amen.
