Rejoice Always
How you can rejoice in the Lord always? When you believe that all things are possible
to them that believe, you can focus on what Jesus can do to change any
circumstance, and even if you do take your eyes off of Him and begin to sink, you can
cry out and He will save you, just like He did Peter (Matthew 14:25-31).
The Bible tells us to “fear not” over 300 times, reminding us that He is with us and we
can count on Him to turn the situation around (Isaiah 41:10) “Fear you not, for I am
with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, yea, I will help you,
yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness”. Proverbs 3:5-8 “trust
in the Lord Yahweh with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all
your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own
eyes, fear (reverence) the Lord Yahweh and depart from evil. It shall be health to
your navel, and marrow to your bones”. When it says “lean not to your own
understanding”, it means don’t try to figure it out on your own. “If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not, and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:5-6). Don’t
panic, the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in every thing
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus”. We have been adopted into the family of God, and
can ask our Father when we need help.
Be like David, rehearse what God has done in your life, David proclaimed that God
had helped him defeat the lion and the bear, and that God would help him defeat
Goliath that uncircumcised Philistine (I Samuel 17:34-37). And we know that God is
the same yesterday, today and forever. I believe that is why David is called “a man
after God’s our heart”. Revelation 12:11 says “And they overcame him (the devil) by
the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and loved not their lives to
the death”. Stop looking at the problem and start testifying. Rehearse what God has
done in your life.
Know what God says about you. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, says the Lord Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
expected end”. Meditate on that and also on Psalms 23 and Psalms 91. Isaiah 55:11
says “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth, it shall not return to Me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it”. God is not a man that He should lie, so trust Him.
Besides we have read the end of the book and know that we win, giving us strength to
go through any thing, looking to the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2a).
The problem is that people are trying to finish it themselves. Remember, Romans 8:
11 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your moral bodies by His Spirit that
dwells in you”.
Some people look at Romans 8:28 “and we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose”, and try
to say that God is bringing the problem to teach them something, but not so, the devil
is trying to steal, kill or destroy you. But when you stand therefore trusting God, He
can take what was trying to destroy you and turn it around. That’s how Paul and Silas
were able to praise God in their darkest hour and see the out come (Acts 16:25-31),
verse 26 “and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s
bands were loosed”. Not only were Paul and Silas loosed, but all the prisoners and
even the keeper of the prison and his family got saved. James says “count it all joy,
when you fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works
patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing” (James 1:2-4). The reason he can say this is because he has
confidence that God is able to do all things. I John 5:14-15 “and this is the confidence
that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if
we know that He hears us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that
we desired of Him”. Our job is to find the word on what ever the situation is and
meditate on it, speaking what God says about it and then telling the problem that you
have been redeemed from it, by saying “it is written” and in the name of Jesus, I cast
you out.
Paul said it like this “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice”. Nehemiah 8:
10 “for this day is holy to our Lord, neither be you sorry, for the joy of the Lord
Yahweh is your strength”. Let’s look at it this way, if the joy of the Lord is your
strength, then when you are anxious, worrying about things, then that is your
weakness, your downfall.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: May 4, 2007