Joy is a serious business of heaven, so says Rev, Mark Hankins
As I was meditating on the phrase, the Holy Spirit whispered in my spirit,
“If joy is the serious business of heaven, then sorrow must be the serious business of hell!
Don’t Let The Devil Steal Your Joy
Sorrow, perpetual guilt, depression, despondency, and regrets are the tools of hell to create a loophole, entry point, and landing place for the cohorts of hell
The devil cannot just access your life, finances, family and so on, with a loophole Such loopholes are created when you lose your joy!
Later today, I will post a message on joy you need to listen to!
SINGLES -One Thing You Need To Know As A Single Continued from yesterday.
4. God’s word is the source of joy
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. –John 15:11 (KJV)
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. –John 16:24 (KJV)
When you find yourself in situations that do not look like what God promised you, do not get depressed about it or start some pity-party, rather get into God’s word and search out every scripture that handles that particular situation.
As you begin to meditate on those scriptures and use them to pray, you find strength coming to you and the joy of God welling up on your inside!
This joy, as it wells up, rejuvenates you and gets you refreshed. All of a sudden, you start seeing clearer, that it is not about the issues, but about the God, your father who loves you so much and had already given you the victory!
Now, your trust in Him as you express it further moves God to action on your behalf. You think you are long overdue for marriage with suitor not in sight? Don’t get depressed my sister, resort to praise and let the joy of the Holy Ghost fill your heart. You will come to see that your marriage eventually will not be late; it will be the latest in town!
I come against the spirit of heaviness over your life. I come against the spirits behind despondency and suicidal tendencies. I shatter your power now!
Don’t give up on God, because you are at the verge of greatness in your life! God is coming through for you sooner than you expect.
I pray for every reader this morning, God will surround you with his mercy. Your eyes will be opened to see the reality of the kingdom of God that it is not in meat and drink only but in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost! One Thing You Need To Know As A Single
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY My joy is full, and so I attract the favour of God and man.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that you give me the grace to praise and thank you at all times.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY I bless GOD every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. –Psalms 34:1 (MSG)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Choose a convenient hour during the day to just praise God and do that daily.
Rather than weep, lift your voice and cry unto the Lord! He will come through for you! You’ve been jobless for a while? And you are beginning to give up? No, don’t round up your life and make a permanent conclusion because of a temporary situation. The job will still come! Your relationships have not all worked? When you meet the right person, it will work. Rather than feel forsaken and abandoned, use that time to develop yourself! Age is no longer on your side? Agreed, but God is still on your side. When God is on your side, you will laugh last. That very depression is not the way out, in fact, it drives potential suitors away upon seeing your countenance, so cheer up!
What you need to do is to cast down those thoughts. Refuse to agree with what he says. Rather, choose to accept what God says about you. The devil says you are finished. God says He is just starting. Whose report will you believe? If you believe the devil, you will slide into depression, but if you believe in God, you will rise in the joy of the Holy Ghost. That is why the scriptures advise that you should count it all joy. Why? Because there will be victory in the end.
Resort to praise and the heaviness will lift. Start meditating on God’s word and God’s word will come through for you! Despite contradictory and obvious happenstances, switch into praise, praise God to a point till you get the devil confused. Praise God to a point till God has no choice till He deploys every available divine resource in your favour including angelic interventions. Joy is not a function of a situation or circumstance, it is the fruit of the recreated human spirit. It is there all the time. I only need to stir it up! You stir it up with a shout, a dance, or laughter! So, go ahead! It is the dawning of a new day for you. Shout ‘No more depression! No more, not me!’ Did you feel strength from within? That is what joy does! You get it now.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the joy of the Lord always
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I break the hold of depression over my life in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 12:25 KJV Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take a promise of God’s word and meditate on it.
We all know what depression is. We have all experienced it at one point or the other. So, I am not about to give you a definition from a dictionary. You can easily get that and thousands of more definitions from online dictionary tools. But beyond several justifiable reasons for depression and all the psychological jargon and explanations, I want to write on its spiritual implications.
I am going to tell you one thing. Depression is a tool in the hands of the devil to wreck your life! That sounds very hard, but it is the truth. I know you have very good and sane reasons to be depressed like the loss of a dear one, the pain of being jilted, the agony of being used and abandoned, the deep wounds from past sexual abuses, the regrettable waves of sadness from a failed marriage, the trauma of physical abuse and so on and so forth.
And those are exactly the reasons that the devil presents to you which makes depression and despondency justified. Interestingly, the flesh enjoys the feelings of depression, but really depression offers no solution. Rather, it complicates the issue on ground and makes your eyes blurred the more from finding a way out.
Depression comes from the pit of hell and it is a potent weapon in the hands of the devil to stagnate you. However, one good thing is that depression cannot be forced on you as you can either yield to it or resist it.
Depression is first of all oppression, then it graduates into obsession and finally, it could get to a point of possession if you don’t have Jesus Christ in your life. It comes stealthily, almost looking healthy and natural, but before you know it, it will overwhelm you and attempt to control and give direction to your life.
The devil will attempt to attack everybody with depression, but you don’t have to cooperate with his antics. If as a single, you have had some failed relationships, it is not uncommon for the devil to try and attack your mind with depressive swings, telling you something is wrong with you! If you embrace those thoughts, you are simply giving him a foothold to operate in your thought realm.
Why is depression so dangerous? It steals your joy. And that is supposed to be your strength. It stops your prayer life. And that is supposed to be where you get help. It stifles you by making it impossible to read and study God’s word. And that is where life is supposed to flow from. It isolates you from good people. And that is one way wisdom is supposed to come.
What is the way out?
Join me tomorrow as I conclude on this topic.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have the joy of the Lord always
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY I break the hold of depression over my life in Jesus name
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Pro 12:25 KJV Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Take a promise of God’s word and meditate on it.
Depression, discouragement, or moodiness happens to everyone at one point or another. As a couple, you are not also immune to this. Life happens and a lot of things have the potential of getting us down emotionally.
Your spouse will not have the solution to the problem but one of the dividends of a good marriage is having someone who can be a source of succor or comfort at such times.
We should also note that your spouse may not be an expert yet at knowing the right words or actions to take that will make you feel better at such times.
You need to learn to be patient with them. It may even be possible your spouse is also dealing with another form of pressure.
That is why it is good that each couple have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is the ultimate comfort who knows us better than ourselves. He will not only comfort us, he will strengthen us and give us joy and gladness for our depression.
The power of God’s word is such that His words become the rejoicing of our hearts.
However, we still need to be there for one another. We need to be so full or filled with the Holy Spirit that we are able to speak into the lives of each other at such times.
Did you miss out on yesterday’s devotional, we’ve got you covered kindly go HERE. For KHC video Devotionals kindly go HERE
Some temperaments are more prone to discouragement than others, but whichever way, we must be a source of strength and encouragement to our spouse.
Here are few ways to be a source of encouragement to your spouse
1. Love your spouse genuinely I believe to be a source of encouragement to your spouse you have to have a deep and genuine love for them, where you almost cannot bear to see them hurting or going through pain. It is this compassion that helps you to be a source of genuine comfort to your spouse, where the love of God is shed abroad in your heart.
2. Have daily communion with the Holy Spirit What this does is that you are well equipped. He is the source of strength. The strength needed daily is gotten in the place of communion with the Holy Spirit.
May God bless our marriage.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I have victory over depression
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Pray against the spirit of depression
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)
ACTION PLAN FOR THE DAY Resist everything that triggers negative thoughts
