Fruits of the Spirit: JOY

     

LESSON 2:


Let's start off praying....


Father, I thank You for the many blessings that You have given to me. Thank You Lord for Your love and Your joy that You have blessed each one with. Lord You are LOVE and JOY. Father open my ears, heart and mind to the things of You. Help me to understand what You are showing me. Help me to accept the LOVE and JOY that You have given to me. In Jesus name amen and amen.


Our main text will be coming from:

Galatians 5:22:

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

This week we are going to be talking about : JOY.

Nehemiah 8:9-12

King James Version (KJV)
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.



Ezra was telling the people “the joy of the Lord if your strength.” They were going through things and were upset with what they were facing. Ezra was just reminding them that they have JOY unspeakable.
The power of these words are stand out, as they should. God wants for each one of us to be happy and to have the JOY that Ezra was talking about. We go though day to day life sometimes feeling like we only exist. We can not let this life get to us and take over what the Lord has already ordained in our lives.



God tells each one of us to let go of what happened in the past- regardless of what it might be. He wants for us to move forward into HIS JOY. In doing this you will see and know that the Lord will be your strength and HE will bear all the same and scars in your life.

Strength:

Psalm 118:14

King James Version (KJV)
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.



By His stripes we are healed

Isaiah 53:5

New King James Version (NKJV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.



Here in Nehemiah we see God as a God that wants for His people to be full of JOY and not look at what is going on around them. It is when we enter into the joy of the Lord that gives us this strength to come through what we face in this life.



By now your probably wondering how can I obtain this JOY? How can I have JOY in what I am facing? No matter what it might be the Lord wants you to have the JOY!!!
Psalms 51:10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NIV)
Ask God to restore your JOY that the devil had taken. It is just as easy as that!!!
Sometimes we think that the Lord has taken His hand from our lives and that He has forgotten about us. It is like we are facing things alone. But guess what???

Hebrews 13:5

New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We have the promise that HE will never leave nor forsake us.
So we have this promise that the Lord will never leave us no matter what we face in this life. Things come up and do arise that we don't know the reason why it happens. All we can do is just trust in what the Lord is doing and know that He will take care of it ALL. It does rain on the just and unjust. BUT we can have that JOY in the Lord.
Questions to think about:

1. What are you facing today that has taken your JOY?
   
2. How can you get back your JOY?
   
3. Can you stand up the promises of the Lord no matter what your facing?