(Sixth part)
Memory verse: (Palms16: 11) “ You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore ”
Praise release God’s presence, and God’s presence release the joy of the Lord. One of the anointing of God is the anointing of joy.(Heb1:9). Show me a praiseful church, people, family, person and I’ll show a joyful bunch of people. Praiseful people are joyful people. One of the most vital ingredients in life is joy. Joy is life, the scripture says: “ righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit is the kingdom of God ” (Rom 14:17). A place devoid of joy is a dead place. When a person looses joy, he/she is loosing life. David prayed, restore unto me the joy of your salvation (Ps51: 12). Joy is the sign that the life of God is still in you.
Cold, dead or dying churches are joyless and their praise is stale and lifeless. Joy is strength (Neh8; 10). A joyful church is very strong, dynamic, hopeful, energetic and passionate. A joyful people can do anything. When a man is sorrowful or discouraged, he can do nothing, in fact even when you give him something to do, he’ll destroy it instead of building it. Discouraged means a man emptied of courage. What can a man without courage do except to break, destroy, and ruin? Great achievers in life are joyful people. Great healthy people are joyful people. All of us love to be in joyful homes, joyful churches, with joyful people etc. We can create the atmosphere of joy in our lives, in work places, in our homes and in our churches by becoming people of praise. Until you make God happy by your praise you may never know the joy of the Lord in your life. If you want to be joyful, make God joyful by your praise. Today’s problem of a selfish generation that has robbed us of great riches of God’s joy. We think of making ourselves happy. We don’t have the capacity to make our selves happy; Only God can. Our praise and worship are not self-centered but God centered. God centered praise is about pleasing God. Self-centered praise is about how to make us happy. This produces an emotionalism which many confuse for God’s presence but it’s only flesh and it’s fleshly and emotionally deep. It’s not spiritual and it’s a short time experience. People feel as they are happy but they are empty as soon as they leave the church. Let’s focus on pleasing God and God will give us his joy.
Nice weekend and see you next Monday.
