“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ~Galatians 5:22-23
O to have the joy of the Lord! The prophet Nehemiah declared the Joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). The word for joy here in Hebrew is “chedvah”( Lexicon :: Strong’s H2304), which also means gladness or rejoicing. In other words, the fruit of being connected and in constant communion with Christ, is having gladness. Being connected to Jesus is in itself reason enough to rejoice and be glad.
The apostle Paul concludes that knowing Jesus is the very root of Joy in Philippians 3:7-9. Why? Consider what Jesus did for us. According to Ephesians, Chapter 2:4-9, God has:
● Made us alive in Christ to sit in heavenly places
● Given us access to immeasurable riches and kindness
● Gifted us with salvation knowing that we could not earn or repay Him.
On top of that,verses 13-21 tell us that through the blood of Jesus:
● We are in close fellowship with our Heavenly Father
● We are made whole and reconciled to God
● We are built together into a new family–the Household of God. Does this not make you want to rejoice? To make it simple, the fruit of Joy is birthed in our constant awareness of God’s love and Jesus’s sacrifice for us. How can one not rejoice in knowing that Jesus sacrificed his life not only for their sins but also for their right to an abundant life according to John 10:10? Even when facing grim circumstances, can you rejoice believing that the end result and outcome will be for your benefit and promotion? When you are connected to the true vine, Jesus Christ, this is your reality. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice (Philippians 4:4)!
Lets pray! Father, thank You for Your love. Thank you for accepting me into your family. I rejoice in you! I declare, in the name of Jesus, that I receive your joy unspeakable and full of glory according to 1 Peter 1:8. I declare my joy and gladness tank is full according to John 15:11. Thank you Lord for you Goodness and mercy always following me. I evict anxiety, sorrow, depression and fear from my life and I put a bloodline of Jesus between me and them. Replace them with the gifts and benefits of a child of God! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! I declare it is done in Jesus name!