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Faith by Debbie Wallis
"The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength," Nehemiah 8-9. The walls of Jerusalem have just been completed but there was something lacking. They spent seventy years captive in Babylon and had finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but their lives were still in shambles. The Israelites were told "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Their heart condition is revealed in Nehemiah 9:36, "But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land You gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress." They had forgotten their spiritual heritage as they were held captive in a foreign land. They had forgotten their native language, but most of all they had forgotten God. The consequences were that their lives were in great distress. They saw the connection between the sins of their own hearts and their distressful situation. They
Monday, August 10, 2015
saw their slavery as a result of their own sin. They saw the relevancy of sin to their own lives. They had experienced the destruction of sin. As they were on rock bottom they began to realize that it was in joy that they can find strength to put their lives back together. We need God back in our government but a revival begins with the Word of God not with politics. If you want to see America return to Christ be a witness to the power of a changed life. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength as we realize that we can come to God from where we are right now. “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live,” Deuteronomy 30:19. There are blessings and curses available and that is why we are told to choose. We have always had free will. John 10:10 says that He came that we may have life. Jesus is the life we can choose and it doesn’t stop there….it starts there. It’s not about the sin being the fun we will miss; it’s all about the joy of following Christ where true life begins. You will never enjoy life unless you make a quality decision to do so. John 10:10 also says that Satan came to rob you of true joy, to destroy you and to kill you. If joy is your strength and you let him take your joy he’s rendered you weak and hopeless. Jesus came to give and “Satan roams like a roaring lion, looking for the weak he can devour,” 1 Peter 5:8. Who is the stronger of the two? Jesus is! He is the King above all Kings. He is the Lord above all Lords. There is no other like Him. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He was in the beginning of time and will always be. Satan is a fallen angel. He was created with a free will and his
pride made him fall. He holds no power over the One who Is the Great I Am; King Jesus. I don’t give any authority to Satan in my life. I have Christ in me and the devil can only take what I give him permission to through sin and disobedience.
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by the grace of the cross then do not forget what God has done. Keep your mind fixed on the promises of God. Read His Word daily to remind you and fill you with hope. The Israelites thought more on what they left behind; beds, food and routine, than they did on what was ahead; a land promised by God. Their own words Jesus wants us to experience got into their hearts and God allowed enjoyment in our souls. It’s the consequences of their own sins to important to our physical, mental, keep them and their descendants emotional and spiritual health. wondering. Some never made it to “A happy heart is good medicine the Promised Land. and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries You can't understand and know how up the bones,” Proverbs 17:22. to worship with hope, gratitude and It’s God’s will for us to enjoy praise to God until you realize the life. I don’t know about you but distress your sins has cause you and those two choices seem to be those in your world. It’s the Lord's easy. Choose life, choose joy. joy that is our strength. It’s His Choose it for you and your rejoicing that gives us reason to children. rejoice. It’s His joy that fills us with hope. It’s His joyous wish to save us The Promised Land was just as we are, in spite of our sins. available, yet the Israelites It’s God's joy to stand us back on our wandered around the wilderness feet and strengthen our feeble legs for forty years when it was only and wobbly knees just so we might an eleven day trip. They simple discover His joy as our strength, also. would not believe God and If you do not have a Bible please therefore, they disobeyed Him. contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo.com They walked in their own way and I will provide you one. and that willful disobedience stole their joy. They wandered around complaining, mumbling, discouraged, fearful, impatient, filled with self-pity, blaming others and God for their misery. They forgot what God had brought them through. He brought them out of a captive life. One person at a time doubted God’s ability to save, then they felt the need to bring another to their way of thinking. My momma calls that a pity party, ya’ll. “Do not be misled; Bad company corrupts good character,” 1 Corinthians 15:33. If you desire to live in the strength of joy you must be determined and ready to watch for the thieves of joy. If you have been brought out of sin and saved
