Lately, I have been reflecting on the transformation I have undergone since I took the risk and fully embraced God’s plan for my life (i.e., no plan B or C.)
As part of my development and preparation, God has taken me through a rigorous and thorough curriculum on how to carry the oil of joy.
If I were to summarize all that I have learned in one sentence, this would be it:
“To have the joy of the Lord means that I am perfectly fine with what God is doing, where I am, and what is coming next.” Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III
You know that you have the Joy of the Lord when you:
1. Wholeheartedly embrace His will and plans for you. You no longer waste time looking back and mourning things past, resent His teaching methods, reproach, and testing. You obey quickly.
2. Have found rest in His presence and taken on His comfort (Psalm 94:19). You no longer doubt His intentions towards you, even when you don’t understand the complete picture.
3. Know Him as Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11). No matter the season you find yourself in, whether it’s one where you’re being refined, tested, or seem to be ‘alone,’ you know that the Lord is present and you can fully trust Him (Psalm 46:1, Psalm 121:4, Isaiah 58:11).
4. Are not anxious about what is coming next. Your claim to fame is that you can do all things because you are a man or woman that is helped by God and not built on self-success. You are okay with being totally dependent on the Lord to give you the grace and wisdom to handle your next (James 1:5), open doors for you (Matthew 7:7), send you the assistance you need, and even employ the heavenly technologies of ease and favor to work on your behalf.
Upon further reflection during my quiet time, the Holy Spirit revealed why the Lord has painstakingly poured this oil into me. I finally understand why.
The Oil of Joy:
1. Gives you the strength and stamina to endure (Nehemiah 8:10).
2. Keeps you focused until the word of the Lord concerning your life comes to pass.
3. Causes the Lord to intervene in your circumstances quickly (Acts 16:25-26).
4. Accelerates you, causing you to do great exploits for the Kingdom.
You cannot risk losing the Joy of the Lord. It is multifaceted - a kingdom weapon and a key to #kingdomsoftlife.
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