Joy in the storm

 

 

                1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: 16) “Be joyful always; 17) pray continually; 18) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

        In today’s world how can we begin to stay continually joyful? Where do we look for joy? In what ways do we find joy? Do you find joy in the work that you do or the ways you live? Does the world affect your day to day, or hour to hour, mood? When times are tough, at work or at home or at school, do you think of praying?

          My circumstances of the last 6+ years were stormy! I have been prison. But Christ was there through it all. Even though my heart, at times ached, my spirit told me that I was in His hands. He was tightly holding on to me. That gave my spirit hope, peace, and joy. My voice, quiet as it was, rejoiced that the Maker of the universe loved me even in my sinfulness and shame. He willingly shed His blood for me, dying to spare me the pain of eternal separation from Him. “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” Psalm 5:11 (NIV).  “Rejoice in the lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NIV). Before my incarceration I did take refuge in Christ. He filled my spirit through His Holy Spirit, which allowed me to stay focused on His ways made for me, giving me the strength to praise His name every day. Yes, some days where harder than others but Jesus made His presence known to me in many different ways which encouraged my heart to stay focused on Him, because I was living in the light of His glory.

          Many times the hustle and bustle of this world wears on us, to the point that, at times, we lose hope in our lives. We pass over prayer because we think “That just won’t help me now.” Satan, then, has won another battle in our lives. We have surrendered to his. His lies have infiltrated our minds, again, and we have surrendered in defeat. But allow me to say, prayer DOES WORK!! Allowing yourself to just sit for a moment, quietly, clearing your mind and opening your hearts door so that you hear God’s soft and LOVING voice speak to you, clearing out the debris that litters your heart from all the destruction that Satan has left there. Prayer is the avenue that we have been given, by our Father, to enter into His throne room. Prayer affords us the opportunity to sit at God’s feet as He showers the joy and peace and comfort He so desires to give to His children. Yes, you are His child! He created you. Now you may be saying “Wait a minute! My parents made me!” Yes, they came together at one time, but God the Father created you, and He had designed a gift only for you, even before the earth was created! “Wow, wait a minute.” You are saying that I was thought of before the creation of this earth!! Yes, we all were. So now knowing this, that sheds a whole new light on prayer. No matter your past, and take it from me my past was nothing to write home about, Christ Jesus, being God in human form on earth, showed His love for you and me by going willingly to the cross. So we now see that coming to Him in prayer is easy, and that He desires it, He longs to have us in His presence, because He loves to converse with His children, who are made in His likeness. Prayer opens the doors for us to gain insight into His ways, that He created for us to walk. Prayer opens the way for us to gain peace in times of storms in our lives. Prayer open the way for us to be guided in our walk and be given direction on helping others. Prayer calms our hearts from the troubles we are facing and gives the strength and courage to challenge Satan’s actions that are meant to only derail us and heap on us the burdens of a past we no longer need to carry!! Prayer takes practice, and I have had plenty of time the past 6 years to do just that. For me also, prayer meant getting away from my problems and focusing on the storms in other’s lives. Praying for them ahead of myself. Christ continues to teach me to “die to self” in order that I gain true life in Him. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” Matthew 7:7 (NIV). “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NIV).

          Now I am in a thankful/thanksgiving mode, daily studying the word in order to stay deeply rooted in Christ. With the Holy Spirit in my heart, the peace and joy that I now feel leads me to be always thankful, always giving thanksgiving to Him. Through the God of the universe, my life now is on the path of sharing what He has done in my life. Through words and actions my desire now is to share Jesus with those who are walking in the dark. The strength and courage that I now possess has come through the power of the word. My heart is thankful for the fact that Jesus Christ found me to be worthy to do His work here where I am. I can only be thankful for what He has done not only for me, but what He has done for the world. I try to live my life now in a way that shows others how I am thankful for Christ’s death on the cross. I enter into each day with a thankfulness that today my Father will use me, in a way that I may not see, to bring encouragement to a hurting world. That will be used to bring the light of His glory into the spirit of someone. Someone that the Lord wishes to speak to. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”  Psalm 100:4 (NIV). “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 (NIV). So living with the peace of Christ in my heart, thankfulness and thanksgiving flow from me. Giving back to Him who graciously has given to me. Me, one that did not deserve anything but eternal death. I have been delivered from that, now, so my lips speak words of praise and thanksgiving. Through all this Jesus has calmed the storms inside my spirit, and that has enabled me to share with others the amazing power of Jesus. A power that broke the chains of addiction and pain. The power to break the stone that encased my heart, giving me a heart of flesh that beats with the love of my Father.

          Yes, these changes have occurred because of His healing and transforming power. “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10 (NIV). So I walk in His ways, guided by His directions. My purpose is to further His kingdom, to tell and show others that the Creator of the universe loves them unconditionally. Their pasts are gone, in God’s eyes, because of the blood that He shed on the cross. Many folks still have the misconception that their pasts somehow effect how Jesus looks upon them. They strive to “do good” so as to be noticed, “Hey there God look at me and what I am doing here!!” Having a heart that is now been transformed by His love, I see that for me to “do” anything is hopeless, and that is not what God is looking for in a follower. Taking the “me” out of the equation and “putting” others first is what He desires. Doing His will, preforming the duties that He has set before us is what brings glory and honor to Him. Allowing Him to guide and direct us, and not getting in the way, enables Him to fulfill His plan. By walking with Him, then, means that He does not need to stop and correct our thinking. He is able to continue on, speaking to others through us, working to fulfil His plan for not only us but the ones we encounter.