How do I find joy in the Lord?

[Guest yod]

May the Lord bless you with His overwhelming love and His holy presence.

If you weren't sensitive to this, you wouldn't care and there would be no hope for breaking up fallow ground. You've already gone halfway....he'll make up the distance if you keep going.

Yeshua is praying for you and we are praying for you

[George]

Hello Mark,

I suggest reading the thread -- Understanding the Enemy!

You are in the midst of a Spiritual battle and I believe this will help you understand how the enemy is trying to come and steal your joy. Remember the enemy comes to rob, steal and destroy -- he's stolen your joy -- now you have to recognize how to be an overcomer.

To be overcomed is human -- to be an overcomer is Godly! Learn to be an overcomer,

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[Guest WarriorProphet]

There is also the option (well, I don't know if that's the correct word) that I may have chemical depression. That's not what I want in any case, but that may also be the reason for my joylessness. Today I'm going to try to get into the Word a good bit, and pray for some time. Make a discipline out of it, too. Catch y'all later. Thanks for the feedback. God bless and good day.

In His Service,

Mark Murphy

[WayneB]

Bless you Mark.

You said that you were going to put two (prayer and reading His Word) of the seven pieces of Armor on. What of the remaining five?

Put on the full Armor of God. There is more to God's Armor than prayer... there are SEVEN pieces to be more specific and complete. Do you have any armor missing? Do you protect your thoughts and mind from corrupt things? Do you read and study God's Word? Are you clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Do you really believe in Him? Are you truthful in your work & personal life? Are you serving God and spreading His Good News message? ALL these are parts to the Spiritual Armor of God.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.  [Ephesians 6:10-18]

Brother Mark, I will be praying for you!

Bless you,

Wayne

[Guest YAHlover]

Repentance is the Joy Filled Life

Ps 16:11

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

KJV

During the first year of my life in Christ when He was truly my First Love, I enjoyed much delight in my God and savior Jesus Christ. I was very lowly and my heart was often broken and contrite. I could not understand how those around me could keep be so cold in their worship of such an Awesome and Merciful God. I devoured the word of God constantly seeking to know my Lord better. As I increased in knowledge and revelations of God I began to be puffed up in pride and my heart was not as tender as it once was. As I began, without realizing it, to substitute knowledge about God for the tender fellowship with God, I found myself slipping away from the intimacy I once enjoyed with God. I began to realized that God was continually calling me to surrender more and more to His Lordship and He was exposing the innate resistance of sin that was in me. I began to excuse my sin and selfish life mostly thru a shallow understanding of grace, and a presumption upon the mercy of God instead of humbling myself and seeking repentance. Soon I was without joy in God and would seek gratification elsewhere, which only made me more and more empty. Going back and forth for some years, I finally learned that If I would allow God to expose my sinful self and confess my sin from the heart that He would work Godly sorrow in me unto repentance. When I allowed His testimony against me to penetrate to the depths of my being and work repentance I was restored to the Joy of intimate fellowship with my Lord thru a broken and contrite heart. The truth of

[Guest Corby]

This may or may not help...

James 1 2-4 explains why would should have joy, specifically in trials, but generally in all thiings.

"Consider it all Joy my brethren when ou encounger various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurcance have it's perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing."

Our Joy should be found in knowing that God is working in and through us. I have spent much time on this verse, and the first 12 verses of James.

Joy is a state of mind, according to James. He shows here that even though you in a tough situation, which might not feel so good, you have to consider it Joy that God is producing in you endurance!

I think those difficult times get longer as we get older... we develop more endurance, more knowledge, and more trust in our Lord. And each time he stretches far beyond our abilities and again, we have to rest in him in the end.

Our Joy comes from the knowledge that God is working in us to perfect us.

So Take HEART! God's working in you... and to think that God Almight, creator of the universe is making and molding you! If that doesn't bring you joy something is terribly wrong. It might not make your situation better or strike in your heart that passion you once had, or that zeal, but it will no doubt bring a smile accross you face.

And in years past you'll look back and say, "wow, if I God hadn't put me through that, I never would have been able to handle this!"

It's God, making and molding you to be more like Him. SO be encourage...

I hope that helps! Be Strong

[gypc]

Hey Mark, I've been there brother. I had lost my joy and it seemed the fruits of the spirit were dwindling away. I was amazed that I had come so far and then I felt rejected by God. But God wasn't rejecting me at all. Ya see, I had lost my revelation of the cross. I got caught up in ministry so much that I forgot my 1st love.

The Lord led me back to the cross and there, I became humble again. I told the Lord that I've sinned so much against him and use his grace as a license for sin. He said I know......that's why I had to take you on this journy. He said..I love you and I have invested so much in you just to leave you in your sins. He wrapped his arms around me and restored me completly. :hug:

Mark....run back to the cross. There you will find fullness of joy.

Hey also, if you havn't seen the movie "The Passion" yet, go watch it.

In the Love of Christ,

Brian

[Guest LCPGUY]

Greetings Brother Mark and welcome to Worthy!

My friend, I don't think there's a Christian alive that doesn't spend some time in the valley so to speak. Being a true Christian does not mean we will be be in a steady state of bliss with no worries, and everything is milk and honey flowing down a hill side of pure gold. We will all experience tribulation of some kind in our lives, often more than once. This is the time I believe God is calling us closer and closer to Himself.

I suggest you read the book of Philippians, slowly and prayerfully. It is a book of joy and encouragement. It is not big. You could easily read it in 30 minutes or less. Then, read it again, and again until that simple message of love and joy it conveys really sinks in.

Also, find people in need to pray for. When the focus is off of self and onto other's, the joy is amazing! Search your memory for people in the past that have wronged you. Then, in prayer, forgive them, and ask the Lord to bless them and not hold them accountable for their wronging you.

May the peace and joy of our Lord be upon you my brother...

In His Love,

John

[Kay]

Amen to 'happiness and joy' are not the same

I have JOY in the LORD: even when I am not hapy in my circumstance!!!

Praise YOU JESUS

[Guest WarriorProphet]

Again, thanks for the encouragement. I haven't addressed this yet, but work just drains me. I'm hating it, but I have to remember I'm not working for man but for the Lord. That's the only thing that makes me half interested in going to work. That and the money.