Praying Through, Pt 2

Colossians 4:12. Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

In our text today, we are told that Epaphras “laboured earnestly” in prayer for his fellow Colossians. In the Greek, the word used is “agonizomai,” from which we derive our English word “agonize.”

Epaphras “agonized” in prayer for his brothers and sisters in Christ, so that they would stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God!
 
Paul labored so strenuously in prayer for the believers at Galatia that he compared it to the pain of childbirth! (Gal 4:19).

While there are many times that you can simply “believe you receive when you pray,” there are other times when, due to the infirmity of the flesh or because other people’s wills are involved, that you “labor earnestly” in prayer in order to get done what needs to be done!

Or as the old time Pentecostals used to say, you “pray through.”

Praying Through, Pt 1

Colossians 4:12. Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

“Praying through” is an expression that Christians have used for many years. Essentially, it means to pray until once again you lay hold of the liberty that belongs to you in Christ or until you have an assurance in your spirit that the situation you are praying about has been resolved.

Now, when we pray, we’re not to base our assurance that God has heard us upon our feelings, but rather, upon the promise of His Word. God’s Word is His will. The scripture tells us that if we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15).

The problem is that there are times when we are not in a position to “believe we receive when we pray,” either due to ignorance, unbelief, an infirmity of our own or because other people’s wills are involved.

And although we are instructed by God’s Word to “stand firm” in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, sometimes, because of the infirmity of our flesh, we need to “pray through” in order to lay hold of the victory that belongs to us in Christ.

There is a “rest” of faith that is reserved for the people of God, but in situations like this, the scripture tells us that we “labor” to enter into that “rest.” (Heb 4:3, 9-11).

Your Thoughts or God’s Thoughts

Isaiah 55:7-9. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

One day the Lord spoke to me and said, “You are full of your own thoughts.” I knew immediately what He was talking about, and it helped me a lot!

You will either be full of your own thoughts or full of God’s thoughts. You can be so full of your own thinking, worries and anxieties that you have no place and no room for the thoughts of God.

You become full of the thoughts of God by becoming full of the Word of God, for the thoughts of God are contained in God’s Word just as our thoughts are contained in our words.

You also become full of the thoughts of God by praying in the Spirit, because as you do you gain the mind of the Spirit. Romans 8:27.

When God’s thoughts become our thoughts, then God’s ways will become our ways; and all His paths are peace and pleasantness! Proverbs 3:17.

Every Day Can Be A Good Day!

1 Thessalonians 5:18. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

James 1:2-4. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Every day you have a choice to rejoice. Bad things happen and frustrations arise almost every day.

You can choose to get frustrated, grumble and complain, or you can give thanks in the midst of the situation and rejoice.

Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. When you encounter trials and tribulations with that in mind, it helps you to rejoice.

Think about it! If you believe 1 Thessalonians 5:18, James 1:2-4, and Romans 8:28 and put them into practice, God will cause even your frustrations and problems to turn to your benefit. For one thing, you will learn how to walk in love in the midst of them. Love is not fretful, touchy, irritable or resentful. Love is patient and love is kind. If going through a test or trial does nothing more than teach you how to walk in love, it will be a major blessing in your life!

To learn to walk in love no matter what happens, is to learn to walk like Jesus did on the earth – always in perfect peace, always with perfect kindness, and always in perfect communion with His Father in heaven.

You can turn a bad day into a good day by doing this. You can make every day a good day by doing this.

Every day God wants to teach you things. If you stay in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit by rejoicing in the Spirit, you will have Spirit-filled days, full of victory, joy and instruction from the Holy Spirit!

How to Rekindle the Flame (Pt 2)

Colossians 3:18-19. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Likewise, when a husband fails to love his wife unconditionally, she feels hurt and rejected. What’s the antidote?

Honor and respect him unconditionally! As you do, often it will break down the resistance in your husband and cause him to begin to love you with unconditional agape-love.

Some wives may say, “I cannot respect my husband because of things that he has said and done in the past. Now he needs to earn my respect and show me that he deserves it.”

Wives, ask yourselves this question. What would you do if your husband said to you, “You do not deserve my love. You have to earn my love before I’ll give it to you.” How would that make you feel? Terrible, of course! That’s why the Lord tells husbands to love their wives with unconditional love.

Just so, the respect that a man needs and requires is not respect conditioned upon his performance or good judgment, but unconditional respect that is bestowed upon him simply because God says to do it.

In honoring your husband unconditionally, you are honoring God. Furthermore, you are extending grace to your husband and grace is what will cause him to have dominion over sin, rather than sin to have dominion over him.

Husbands need unconditional respect in the same way that wives need unconditional love! According to our text, we each have a duty to respond to our spouse in a manner that is not dependent upon our spouse’s reaction to us.

A husband has a God-ordained responsibility to love his wife unconditionally with agape, regardless of whether or not she shows respect to him. If he will do that, most of the time she will eventually begin to respond by showing him the respect and admiration that he desires.

Likewise, if a wife will begin to show unconditional respect and admiration to her husband, even when he fails to show unconditional agape-love to her, most of the time, he will eventually begin to treat her with the tenderness and love that she desires.

(If you are interested in further study along this line, I recommend to you the book Love & Respect, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, published by Thomas Nelson, 2004).

How to Rekindle the Flame (Pt 1)

Colossians 3:18-19. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Here the Lord gives us a marvelous key to resolving problems in marriage. You can attack them from either angle.

First, He tells wives to submit themselves unto their husbands. In other words, respect and honor him. Then he tells husbands to love their wives unconditionally and not to be bitter against them.

Why would a man become bitter toward his wife? When a wife fails to respect and honor her husband, second-guesses his decisions all the time, and constantly questions his judgment, it frustrates his sense of dominion and authority. It challenges his sense of self-worth.

A man’s sense of self-worth is derived from how much he feels respected and honored as a man. If his wife deprives him of this, it tends to make him bitter. One statistical study showed that, if they had to choose between being loved and being respected, most men would choose rather to be respected!
 
Ladies, if you want your husband’s unconditional love and devotion, show him unconditional honor and respect.

But men—what can you do if your wife fails to show you the honor and respect that you require as a man? Then you can attack the problem from the other end. You can make the first move.

According to our text, the antidote to that bitterness is to choose to love your wife unconditionally, no matter what her response may be towards you. Eventually, you will have a “breakthrough” and she will begin to honor and respect you in return.

If You Sow Bountifully, You Shall Also Reap Bountifully

Ephesians 5:28. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

The smartest thing a man can do is to love his wife. Why?

Because women are multipliers. Whatever you sow into her life, she will multiply back to you.

One reason why in Ephesians 5:22-33 the Lord never has to specifically tell wives to love their husbands with agape is because He created them to love their husbands with agape! That comes naturally to a wife. She has to be mistreated in order to stop loving her husband with agape. But if he will love her with agape, she will multiply back to him many times and in many ways the love that he sows in her.

Husbands, you cannot out love your wives with agape. She will always multiply back to you what you’ve sown in her. This is good news for us men. Looking at it selfishly, the smartest thing any man can do is to love his wife with agape, because in loving her, he is in fact loving himself.

That’s the good news. The bad news is, this works in reverse. If you sow meanness, unkindness, impatience, and criticism into her – watch out! The tsunami is coming! She will multiply that back to you a hundredfold. I don’t care if she weighs just 90 pounds and you weigh 265 pounds and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a contest like this, that little woman will whip you every time!

In so many words, Paul is saying, “Guys—be smart! Love your wives with agape!”

Husbands Love Your Wives; Wives Respect Your Husbands! (Pt 3)

Ephesians 5:33. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

I’ve noticed this about my wife over many years. It seems that I have never showered her with so much unconditional “agape-love” that I have exceeded her capacity to receive it! She seems to have a limitless capacity to receive agape-love.

Not one time in almost 30 years of marriage has she ever said to me, “Joe, please do not tell me how much you love me any more today. I’ve reached my limit. Give it a break for a week or two, and then maybe you can tell me again.”

No, on the contrary, the more I show true agape-love to Mary, the more her capacity to receive it grows, and also, the more honor and respect she pours out upon me!

Likewise, I seem to have an unlimited capacity to receive her admiration and respect. The more honor and respect she shows to me, the more valuable and fulfilled I feel. And the more she respects, admires and honors me, the more my unconditional love for her grows!

Husbands Love Your Wives; Wives Respect Your Husbands (Pt 2)

Ephesians 5:33. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

As you study Ephesians 5:22-33, it becomes apparent that the primary needs of husbands and wives are different.

Although a man also needs to know that he is loved by his wife unconditionally, that is not his primary need. A woman, on the other hand, has a deep-felt need to experience the total, absolute and unconditional love of her husband—no matter what.

What then is a man’s primary need? To know that he has the total, absolute and unconditional respect of his wife—no matter what. Genesis 1:27 says that God created man in His own image; male and female He created them.  Because in marriage the man and woman have separate and distinct roles, they also have separate and distinct needs.

Although we often hear jokes about the male ego, in fact, it is a gift from God. God created the man to govern, to rule and to have dominion with the help of his wife. Nothing speaks more strongly to a man’s heart and nothing empowers him more than to have the wholehearted and heart-felt respect of his wife.

Likewise, nothing speaks more strongly to a woman’s heart and nothing empowers her more than to know that she has her husband’s total, absolute and unconditional love and honor.

Husband, love your wife with agape! Wife, have heartfelt respect and admiration for your husband!

Husbands Love your Wives; Wives Respect Your Husbands! (Pt 1)

Ephesians 5:25. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

In Ephesians 5:22-33, four times Paul mentions the word ‘agape’—God’s unconditional love—in connection with his instruction to husbands to love their wives. But interestingly, not one time in that passage does he ever tell wives to love their husbands with agape. Nor does he do so in any of his other epistles. (In Titus 2:14, he tells wives to be “affectionate” toward their husbands—a different Greek word altogether!)

In fact, although Christians in general are admonished many times to love others with agape-love, not one time in the New Testament does the Holy Spirit ever specifically tell wives to love their husbands with agape!

Why would the Lord need to tell husbands four times in eight verses to love their wives with agape, and never once tell the wives to love their husbands with agape?

Evidently, husbands need to be reminded of this more than wives do!

The Anointing Enables You to Fulfill Your Destiny, Pt 2

Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Just as Jesus could not fulfill His ministry upon this earth apart from the anointing of the Holy Spirit, neither will you.

Without the anointing, you cannot and will not fulfill your calling. Who you are meant to be in God is brought to fulfillment as you walk in the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. Your destiny in Christ is to destroy the works of the devil, just as Jesus did!

That’s why the enemy constantly endeavors to keep you in the mental arena where he can defeat you. If he can get you to walk in the mental realm all of the time, he knows that you will walk in the flesh, and in that “place,” you are no danger to him at all.

Learn to meet every distraction, every problem, and every situation that the world, the flesh and the devil bring your way with the anointing – by staying in the anointing.

That’s how Jesus walked on this earth and went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil – He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power! That is how He went about destroying the works of the enemy.

Don’t let the world, the flesh and the devil draw you out of the “bubble” of the anointing! Stay in communion with the Holy Ghost by meditating on the Word and by praying much in other tongues!

The Anointing Enables You to Fulfill Your Destiny, Pt 1

Acts 1:8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…

If you are baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, you are anointed with the Holy Spirit and power.

The calling of God upon your life is manifested in and through the anointing that is upon you. The calling and anointing upon your life will gradually become more evident to you as you take time to feed on the Word of God, pray in the Holy Ghost, serve faithfully in your local church, and do what your hand finds to do for the Kingdom of God.

When you walk in the anointing that is upon you, you walk in your calling, you walk in your gifting, you walk in your grace, and you are enabled to run your race and fulfill your destiny in Christ.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit empowers you to fulfill your ministry and enables you to fulfill your destiny.

The Lord Speaks to Us Through His Word

2  Tim 2:7. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

For years I struggled with the notion that the Lord could speak to me. In the denomination in which I was raised, we did not believe that God speaks to people.

When I first got filled with the Holy Spirit, I struggled to hear the voice of the Lord. I positively had faith that He would not speak to me! However, as time went by, I gradually learned to get quiet and to hear the voice of the Lord in my spirit.

Another area in which I struggled was in hearing the Lord speak to me through His written Word. I made it more complicated than it is!

I discovered that if you will simply read, read and re-read a particular verse to which your heart is drawn, as you consider that scripture, gradually the Lord will give you understanding in all things and speak to you through that verse. (2 Tim 2:7).

The thoughts that rise up within you bringing illumination and liberty to your spirit as you mediate upon a verse of scripture are from Him. It is the voice of the Lord speaking to you!

What Oral Roberts (1918—) Had to Say Concerning Tongues

“[Praying in tongues is] one of the sweetest experiences of my life!…I can only state sincerely and honestly that when the day came that I yielded to this glorious and marvelous and deep-moving experience by ‘releasing’ what I had learned to call ‘my prayer and praise language of the Holy Spirit,’ there was an illumination of God and of things of a higher spiritual dimension which suddenly began to open within me.  It was only then that I could be the person and do the things for the Lord which I had only partially dreamed of and meditated on, and which I had never before thought possible! Really, it’s the most exquisite and soul-satisfying experience that I have daily with the Lord… It isn’t a cure-all, but it is wonderful beyond words and it can help you find God’s miracle answers to your needs.  [Speaking in tongues and interpreting] still fascinates me and is the cream of my walk with God!”

What Kenneth E. Hagin (1917-2003) Had to Say Concerning Tongues

“One of the greatest spiritual exercises there is, is to pray in tongues every single day…All the leadings I have ever received have come from out of my spirit. And most of them have come while I was praying in other tongues…I have learned this through these many, many years.  In every crisis of life I have learned to look to my spirit inside me.  I have learned to pray in other tongues.  While I am praying in other tongues, guidance comes up from inside me.  This is because my spirit is active…The way I have learned nearly everything I know about the things of God was by praying it out in tongues and then praying the interpretation out in English.”

What John G. Lake (1870-1935) Had to Say Concerning Tongues

…”[O]ne day the glory of God in a new manifestation and a new incoming came to my life…I found that my life began to manifest in a varied range of the gifts of the Spirit. I spoke in tongues by the power of God, and God flowed through me with a new force…I want to talk with the utmost frankness and say to you that tongues have been to me the making of my ministry.”

What Smith Wigglesworth (1858-1946) Had to Say Concerning Tongues

“There are great possibilities as we yield to the Spirit and speak unto God in the quiet hours…I can never estimate what the baptism of the Holy Ghost has been to me these past 15 years…I maintain that with a constant filling you will speak in tongues morning, noon and night…We must be edified before we can edify the church. I cannot estimate what I, personally, owe to the Holy Spirit method of spiritual edification. There never was a weaker man on the platform. Language? None. Inability—full of it. All natural things in my life point exactly opposite to my being able to stand on the platform and preach the gospel. The secret is that the Holy Spirit came and brought this wonderful edification of the Spirit.”

The Common Denominator

Proverbs 13:20a. He who walks with wise men will be wise. 

If you want to soar with the eagles, you must learn to fly as the eagles do. Over the years, I have observed that one thing many great men of God had in common is that they spent much time praying in tongues.

The benefits the gift of tongues yields in your life will be proportional to the importance you assign to it. Great men of God down through the ages have assigned much importance to this gift.

We could mention the Lord Jesus Christ, who said that one sign that shall follow those who believe is that they shall speak with new tongues.  Or the Apostle Paul, who told the Corinthians that he prayed in tongues more than they all. Or Jude, who exhorted the saints to build themselves up on their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. 

Over the next four days, I want to share with you what four great men of God had to say concerning the operation of the gift of tongues in their own lives and ministries.

What Paul Did and Did Not Say About Speaking in Tongues

1 Corinthians 14:4. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

There are many misconceptions about what the Apostle said in Chapter 14 of 1st Corinthians concerning the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy. For example, contrary to what some teach, Paul did NOT say:

• that we shouldn’t pray in tongues;
• that the Corinthians spoke too much in tongues; 
• that tongues is not important;
• that prophecy is more important than tongues;
• that speaking in tongues causes church splits; or
• that an emphasis upon tongues is “childish” (as one Bible commentator once stated).

Here are some things that Paul DID say about the gift of tongues:

• that he spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians combined—which apparently was a lot! (1 Cor 14:18);
• that tongues is spirit to Spirit communication with the Father (1 Cor 14:2,28);
• that you are speaking mysteries unto God from your spirit when you speak in tongues (1 Cor 14:2);
• that speaking in tongues builds you up (1 Cor 14:4);
• that tongues is the doorway into other manifestations of the Holy Spirit, because other manifestations of the Holy Spirit come as we spend time edifying ourselves speaking in tongues (1 Cor 14:6,12-13, 26).

The more you pray in tongues, the more the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in you, through you and for you!

Tongues and Prophecy Work Hand in Hand

1 Corinthians 14:5. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

In chapter 14 of 1st Corinthians, Paul is not comparing the value of tongues and prophecy in general, but rather the relative value of prophecy and tongues in the context of the public assembly. 

He was not saying that prophecy is more important than tongues. What he said is that the one who prophesies in church is greater than the one who speaks in a tongue, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.

The whole import of that statement has been missed by most! The comparison has to do with the manner in which the gifts are manifested, and not with the value of the gifts themselves.

The purpose of the comparison is not to rank the gifts in importance, but to point out that in the public assembly, the purpose of the vocal gifts is to edify the church, not just yourself. Tongues edifies you, but unless you interpret a message in tongues, it doesn’t edify anyone else.

The gifts of tongues and prophecy are not in competition with each other. In fact, speaking in tongues is what brings forth the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit, including prophecy! (See 1 Cor 14:6, 12-13, 26).

Therefore, as the Apostle Paul wrote, let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret! (1 Cor 14:13).

The Supernatural So-Called ‘Little Gift’, Pt 2

1 Corinthians 14:4. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

I’m convinced that most Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians on average pray very little in tongues—maybe only a few minutes each week, if at all. They have no idea! No wonder they think praying in tongues “doesn’t do much” for them. If you only pray in tongues a little bit, that’s exactly what you’ll get out of it—a little bit.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. The first manifestation of God’s power on the Day of Pentecost was the gift of tongues! The more you pray in tongues, the more of God’s power will be released into your life. If you pray in tongues only a little, you’ll only have a little power.

I think that most people do not understand the value of the gift because they have never “pressed in” to spend quality time praying in the Spirit.  Consequently, they have never tapped the potential of this so-called “little” gift.

These are things that we must teach, especially to the next generation of believers, or they will altogether lose sight of the tremendous value and power of praying in tongues.

The Supernatural So-Called ‘Little Gift’, Pt 1

1 Corinthians 14:4. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

The gift of tongues is one of the most misunderstood gifts in the Bible. I call it the undervalued, under-appreciated, under-utilized, supernatural so-called “little gift” because some people refer to it as the “least” of the gifts.

But you cannot find that in scripture! 1 Corinthians 12:31 makes reference to the “best gifts” or the “greater gifts” but nowhere does it say that tongues is the least of the gifts.

Brother Hagin used to say that the best gift is the one that you need “right now”! When you think about it, you don’t need a miracle or the gifts of healings every day.  You don’t need the word of wisdom or the word of knowledge every day.  But you do need to be edified every day!! So if you want to go through life edified and victorious instead of beat down and defeated, how important is the gift of tongues to the believer?

Love is Prosperous

Luke 2:52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Walking in love causes you to prosper. Think about it: God is love and He is prosperous. He is rich in every respect! Rich in love, rich in mercy, rich in kindness, rich in goodness, rich in peace, rich in wisdom and rich in blessings!

God is love. Love gave the ultimate gift. Love gave the best gift. Love gave Jesus to the world!

God is love and He is all-sufficient. He is no man’s debtor. Love is complete. Love is the answer to every situation. Love is not selfish or self seeking.

Love is prosperous! As you sow, so shall you reap. Love is always giving and therefore always receiving. Love causes you to prosper spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally and financially!

A person who is insecure, with a critical spirit and an air of unforgiveness about him repels people. But a person who knows he is loved and forgiven by God, loves others and is secure, confident, uncondemning and always ready to forgive. He enjoys favor with God and man, and all his ways are prosperous!

As you allow the Word of God to abide in you, love is made perfect in you. Learn to walk in love, to think in love, and to speak words of love, and you will prosper in all your ways!

What’s Hard on the Flesh is Good for Your Spirit!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This scripture describes the right response for a person going through a test or trial. Many Christians wonder what God’s will is for them. Well this verse tells you: rejoice always, pray always, and give thanks always—in all circumstances.

The last thing that the flesh wants to do in the midst of a test or trial is to rejoice, but it is vital that you do. Why? Let me give you five good reasons.

First, God says to do it. He’s a lot smarter than we are, and He must have a good reason for telling us to do it.

Second, the joy of the Lord is your strength! When you’re in a test or trial, you need strength.

Third, the Word of God says that when you fall into various trials and count it all joy, it causes you to grow up spiritually so that you are lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4). That’s something to be happy about!

Fourth, Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. If you believe that and act upon it by rejoicing and giving thanks in the midst of trouble, you will see that God somehow, some way, miraculously, turns things around to work to your benefit! Only God can do that! That’s something else to be happy about it!

Fifth, and finally, when you encounter tests and trials, keep in mind that God always leads us in triumph in Christ and gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that’s something to shout about! 

Don’t let the devil steal your joy! If you keep your joy, you’ll keep your victory!

Count It All Joy!

James 1:2-4. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Sometimes in the midst of a test or trial, I’ve told the Lord in so many words, “Lord, this isn’t joy and it sure doesn’t feel like joy. But if right now I had as much joy as I have sorrow and pain in this trial, then I would be very happy!!!”

And then, just out of sheer obedience and trust in the Word of God, I start to do just what the Word says to do. I count the situation as if it were joy! I begin to praise the Lord that He’s bigger than the test or trial and that He will cause it to work to my benefit somehow. I begin to rejoice by faith and laugh at the devil because the Word says that he’s defeated and that I have the victory. Sometimes I even start jumping up and down and shouting praises to God just as if I really had something to be happy about!

When you act like the Word is true, that’s when it starts working for you! That’s real faith.

I have found consistently that after just a few minutes of acting upon the Word in this way, genuine joy begins to rise up within my spirit. That’s the joy of the Lord!

The joy of the Lord is not dependent upon outward circumstances—it comes straight from the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. And when you have joy in the midst of the trial or the test, you’ve got the devil on the run, because the joy of the Lord is your strength!

Don’t Lose Your Joy

Nehemiah 8:10b. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

One of the hardest things I have had to learn is to rejoice in the time of trouble, but it works and pays rich dividends when you do.

James, the brother of the Lord, wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4.

Notice that James didn’t tell us that it is joy. He said to count it as if it were joy. There’s a difference!

Don’t Listen to Strangers

John 10:4-5. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

Take time to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying! Instead of getting all your information from the news media, make sure that first and foremost you are getting it from the Holy Spirit.

What the Spirit of God says to you as you wait upon Him in the Word and in prayer is real time, current information, that will not only help you in what you need to know, but also in “filtering out” what is untrue or irrelevant in the information that the various news agencies choose to report.

The only news really worth hearing is the news that you hear from the Holy Spirit. God’s news is good news! When we encounter difficulties and trials, it’s important to remember that the information the Holy Spirit gives you will prepare you for whatever comes.

If you’ll spend time with the Lord feeding on His Word and praying in the Spirit, He will show you ahead of time what will happen and what you need to know. He will guide you into all truth. He will show you things to come.

Inside Information

John 16:13. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

When we lived in Chukotka, Russia, near the Arctic Circle, we would go long periods of time without hearing much news from home. 

It was very remote there, and it was before the internet and email had reached that part of the world. Regular mail reached us only rarely when people from the states would visit. I was interested to hear what the Holy Spirit was speaking about to Christian leaders in other parts of the world, but I had no effective way to do so.

However, I found consistently that as I spent extended time praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit would begin speaking to me about themes that months later I discovered were the same themes that He had been speaking about to Christian leaders in other places in the world.

If we will spend time communing with the Holy Spirit through the Word and prayer, He will prepare us for what is coming upon the earth. He will show us things to come in our individual lives as well.

He will give us the “inside information” that we need in order to walk in victory, no matter what the circumstances may be.

He Will Show You Things to Come

John 16:13. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

In this passage, Jesus told us that when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide us into all truth and show us things to come.

Seven times in the book of Revelation it is written, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Holy Spirit is continually “broadcasting” information that we believers need to hear. The question is whether we are “tuned to His frequency.” We’re not always listening, but He is always speaking.

How does He speak to you and show you things to come? As you feed upon His written word, and as you pray in the Spirit! It’s in those times that He will guide you into the truth that you will need both for today and for the future.

The supernatural knowledge that the Holy Spirit imparts to your spirit as you commune with Him brings confidence, comfort and assurance. He will show you what you need to know!

Everything Else May Change, But God’s Word Never Changes

Psalm 34:1-10

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

God’s ‘Now’ Word To You

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.