Is it possible to be a Christian and be happy? To look at the lives of some Christians you would think not. Yet Paul says in Romans 14:17 that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy Spirit. Life as a believer should be one of joy and peace and an overwhelming sense of being in right standing before God.

Jesus was the life of the party, everywhere he went crowds followed him, they wanted to be near him, enjoy his company and see what he would do next. They didn’t gather merely for the entertainment or novelty factor. They followed him because there was a constant release of life that emanated from him. Jesus lived with absolute confidence in who he was. Even though he restrained his divinity and operated as a man in all he did, he knew he was an accepted son. That reality empowered him with a confidence to face anything that was thrown at him. When the devil came to tempt him it was Jesus identity that he attacked, yet he could not find a chink in Jesus’ armour. Nothing could rob Jesus of his joy and peace. He was completely secure, he knew his heavenly father and he knew his purpose.

Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 6 and also in 2 Corinthians 10: that the battle ground is primarily in our mind. The devil is constantly firing darts of accusation against us to undermine who we are in God. he brings lies and half truths to our attention, which if we are not aware of his schemes can quickly wear us down and we lose our joy. The Christian who does not live in joy actually lives with a serious lack of strength. Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is your strength. If the devil can rob us of our joy, he knows he has also robbed us of strength. Jesus said the thing that kept him going, that energized him, was to do his father’s will. In fact what he was saying is that he found total satisfaction, energy and fulfillment in doing what he was sent to do. It is the same for us, when we lose focus of our purpose any difficulty we may face suddenly looms as an insurmountable mountain.

How then can we recover lost joy and peace? I believe an ongoing revelation of God’s grace toward us holds the key. When we understand nothing can separate us from God’s love, that nothing can rob us of our eternal security, that nothing can interfere with our sonship, then no accusation has the power to rob us. As we study the lives of Paul, Peter and others, we discover a clear truth. They all knew how to lean on God as their strength, and they all stayed focused on their purpose. This month we as a church will be manning a Healing Encounters Booth at the Conscious Living Expo. Our intention is to release the love, compassion and healing power of Jesus. This is our purpose as believers on the earth, to spread the fragrance of Jesus everywhere we go. It’s in the doing that we truly live, find joy and become the hands of Christ to a hurting world. In addition Brooke is travelling
to Kenya to minister there for 10 days this month. May our vision be ever outward and upward.