Can’t sleep… so I write down a few thoughts. I find it helps my mind as I think to just write as thoughts come to mind, to help me THINK and focus on the LORD. Hope it may encourage you in these trying, testing times you find yourself in, be it physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually,…
In those moments of temptation to despair or anxiety, you need to speak TRUTH to yourself, Jesus Christ is in CONTROL. He has not been taken by surprise, He has not been overthrown. He is not in some battle trying to hold onto His Power, in a losing battle, as He sees His power slowly but surely been pulled from His weakening hands, desperately trying to keep His grip on it but seeing it being clawed and pulled inch by inch from His weakening finger tips…, causing Him great distress and anxiety, as He faces the inevitable of losing power and ultimately authority and at best been nothing more than A token King in name only with No power, a mere figure head, whose best days are behind Him. A figure of pity, scorn even. How often we see Him like that, not that we would ever say it but our lack of confidence in Him speaks volume’s of a “weakened and disposed King ,we “serve!”
But, there is not some “see- saw” battle of power going back and forth between Him and the evil one in the unseen realm, for who ultimately is in control. That is settled. The LORD Jesus Christ sits upon His Throne!
He is Sovereign King, doing what pleases Him!-{Psalm 135:6}.
And He has not given us a spirit of fear, to cower under our circumstances but in these circumstances for us to run to Him and lean upon Him to strengthen our faith to be about His business, whether that is in our home by conducting ourselves with love to those who are around us, to look out our windows and the houses we see we can pause and Pray for those who dwell there. We can Pray , we can love, we can look to Jesus and KNOW He uses circumstances, difficulties, to mature us spiritually according to James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-4.
God is not only working around us but IN us!-{Read Phil 2:13; Rom 5:3-4}
Paul told believers in another generation, “Rejoice in the LORD it is a SAFEGUARD for you…” -{Read Phil 3:1}.The Object of CHOOSING to DELIGHT, is in THE LORD, Who He is and how He has shown Himself and His Word -{A Good study and you have time is to read through the Book of Philippians and mark out who it reveals Him as and what He does and will do… example in Chapter 1 He is Affectionate. Chapter 2 He is LORD in whom every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is LORD … Chapter 3 He is coming Again… Chapter 4 He strengthens us to be content {v 10-13}; He provides “all of our needs” These are some reasons to THINK right about Him and to DELIGHT in the LORD!
The Believers Joy, delight, gladness is not dependent on pleasant, favorable circumstances but in RELATIONSHIP- with the LORD! “Rejoice In The Lord” Joy, delight is IN the Lord not IN circumstances!
He says to REJOICE in Him it is a “SAFEGUARD,” the word speaks of, – to keep from tripping up, or stumble… REJOICING IS AN ATTITUDE to choose to DELIGHT in Him … and it is an act of FAITH in difficult times and FAITH Pleases Him- {Heb 11:6} and GLORIFIES Him-{Read Rom 4:19-21}….
WE CAN CHOOSE TO DELIGHT IN JESUS CHRIST…
So we can DELIGHT in JESUS CHRIST He is SOVEREIGN KING
We can DELIGHT in JESUS CHRIST who Works ALL things- including the very “thing” you are going through for “GOOD.” No. “it may not feel good or look good” as a friend once told me at the start of my illness “BUT He PROMISE’S He will CAUSE it to work out for Good!”
We can DELIGHT in JESUS CHRIST that when we trust Him it is pleasing to Him!
We can DELIGHT in JESUS CHRIST because by faith we GLORIFY Him in doing so!
We can DELIGHT in JESUS CHRIST because He assures us it is a “SAFEGUARD” to keep our MORALE up and Not TRIP up and Stumble in our faith and through false teaching. It is His MEANS to PROTECT our Morale and promote it by DELIGHTING IN JESUS CHRIST , who is LORD, Master, Owner, Ruler, Sovereign King over all!
CHOOSE JOY…. THE ATTITUDE TO DELIGHT IN JESUS CHRIST!
In “the hard place” the OBJECT of our faith is still to be JESUS CHRIST. But isn’t this often where the Battle of our faith is. To trust Him. To obey Him and in Phil 3:1 it is to obey the COMMAND to “Rejoice in the LORD” and believe Him that in doing so He will use it as a “safeguard” for us as He says.
To know also that as we CHOOSE To Obey His command that in doing so we express LOVE to Him “in the hard place” even for He says “He who has My Commands and keeps them LOVES ME”{Read John 14:21}. In the hard place by faith in obeying to DELIGHT in the LORD and using His Word as the fuel for THINKING RIGHT about Him we are EXPRESSING LOVE TO HIM …
Question?
So, why “Rejoice in the LORD ?
A. It is a SAFEGUARD for me…my morale. and to keep me from stumbling over false belief and over faulty emotions that would have me turn away from Him rather than to Him!
B. In Obeying the command to Rejoice in Him… I am expressing LOVE to HIM!
It takes “FAITH” to do so, it takes “faith” not to! It all depends who is the OBJECT of your FAITH … THE LORD? or Circumstances?
So often we see “Rejoicing” as Tokinism, like an ornament on a Christmas Tree, nice but Non Essential. We may “feel” like “REJOICING in the LORD” when circumstances and “life” is pleasant and going our way and may even tell others to “Rejoice” but as soon as the winds of difficulties and the temptations to despair or anxiety seek to knock us off course, like a small boat in the hurtling seas of a darkened night in the ocean we abandon the “nice” idea of “Rejoicing in the LORD” as non essential. We Reject Him and His ways and lean to our own understanding , though not saying it believing by our actions we are superior, wiser and we can trust ourselves and NOT Him!
It is like we praise the Captain of the ship as we leave the harbor and under blue skies and calm waters. We say we have “great faith” in his capabilities but when the storm comes in the pitch dark of the night surrounded by the vastness of the ocean, and the waves are high and we are being bounced around we doubt his abilities and throw him over-board and take the wheel because we are not convinced in his capabilities or judgement and we end up ship wrecked crashing against the rocks, splattered, because we believed we knew better, we were wiser than Him!
In the spiritual realm we reject His Leadership, instructions and believe we are wiser than Him by rebelling against His word to us… and how has that ended in the past when we have rejected His wisdom?
“Rejoicing in the LORD” is essential to our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is ESSENTIAL because He says so!
We often confuse rejoicing with “rejoicing in our Circumstances – when they are pleasant, favorable” when the verse says to “Rejoice in the LORD,” irrespective of circumstances. it takes faith, focus, it takes Knowledge of the TRUTH from His Word… it takes effort, to choose to fight against what we”see,” or “feel.” When at times what we see or feel are wrong contrary to His Word and the life of faith in His faithful Word, and they seek to divert us from Honoring Him by expressing Love to Him in choosing to obey His command which HE GIVES FOR OUR good!
Would you say “Rejoicing” is a non essential for you? Do you see it as optional? Would you say, it is tied to pleasant circumstances or would you say it is tied to following and Honoring Him as an expression of love to Him and is to be applied because He says it is a “SAFEGUARD” for us and He knows best, and therefore it is best for us to follow His instructions!
Often we are battered by circumstances, fears without and within, like that little boat in the darkness of night by the winds and waves of circumstances, pleading for it all to stop, forgetting and throwing overboard as a non essential His command to “Rejoice in the LORD” which He has given to us as a “SAFEGUARD” NOT TO SAVE US FROM DIFFICULTIES BUT FOR us, in Our DIFFICULTIES AS WELL AS THE GOOD TIMES TO HELP US IN OUR MORALE AND AS AN EXPRESSION TO DEVELOP OUR FAITH, Confidence in Him! And by choosing to do we get to express our love to Him even in “the hard place!”
“Rejoice in the LORD!” you have the command to. The capacity to… and the ability to CHOOSE to…
I am tired, weary, my body is breaking down from this disease. Sleep is never restful, constantly interrupted even when I do sleep, But like tonight,{this morning} Thankful that He turns my mind to Him and recalls His Word to mind to help me THINK on Him and perhaps as I write to encourage you in your journey of faith….
In another few hours… time to start another 4 Hour IV…I’m tired, weary but by His kindness…Thankful!
Memorize Phil 3:1
Practice Phil 3:1
Be able to share some REASONS why we are to REJOICE…DELIGHT IN THE LORD…with someone else, that they too may be protected in their morale , express love to Him and honor Him by fixing their faith, reliance on Jesus Christ and be their Focus!- 🙂