Yesterday as I was driving home from work, this one song lyrics rang through my head "we receive Joy in the Holy Ghost."
I heard it over and over and over again. I knew what the Lord was saying and so I started thinking about the last time I had prayed in the Holy Ghost. Yesterday was Thursday and the last day I had prayed in the the Holy Ghost was Monday. Now I don't know about you, but if you are baptized in the Holy Ghost (the second baptism, different from water baptism: Acts 1:4-5), then you know you receive power and joy when you pray this way.
Acts 1:8 - New International Version (NIV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you
Romans 14:17 - New International Version (NIV)
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
So as I was driving home, feeling tired, and drained, I had to ask myself the hard question of WHY I had gone 3 days without doing the very thing that would keep me from feeling tired and drained. Here's where we insert the facepalm emoji. Whack!
When I got home, I started scrolling through IG stories as I was preparing to cook dinner. And as I was scrolling through IG I saw something that struck me in my Spirit.
As I let my mind process the "it" that I saw, the Lord spoke to me and said "get back to your first love."
Y'all. Let's be honest. The Lord does discipline His children and that's exactly what He was doing here. He was doing it in a loving way; like the way you ask your child(ren) to do something a few times in the soft voice with raised eye brows and semi-smile. You know that sound and look, right? It happens right before you make your voice a little louder and more stern. It's the gentle pre-warning before the strong danger, you're in deep waters, warning.
Hewbrews 12:6 - New International Version (NIV)
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."
Moment of transparency here, I have struggled with living a life full of joy for the majority of this week. And when I'm struggling to live full of joy, I know it's because I'm not in proper relationship with God. Hence the, "we receive Joy in the Holy Ghost," and "get back to your first love," discipline, through song and voice drops in my Spirit.
See you may not know it, but God is in fact your first love. You may not love Him now, but He first loved you. He knew you before you were born. Knitted you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13). Thought you were special enough to breath you into existence. He loved you first. He still loves you.
So getting back to IG. What exactly did I see? Well, I saw a video of my cousin. She is one of my most favorite humans in this entire world. And while she may be my cousin, my heart towards her is like that of a sister.
And as I was watching her IG story, I saw her playing on a baseball field, hanging out, taking some batting practice with an apple. The significance of this was the pure joy I saw in her face as she awkwardly hit the apple and spun around. Softball was never really her thing, and yet there was so much joy.
When I sat down to write this blog, I went back to watch the video again and it was blurrier than I had remembered and yet I could still see it in the Spirit: Joy. Happiness. Love. Peace. Strength. Laughter. All of it. All of the things that for me, are a direct result and fruit of proper relationship with Jesus.
Her IG story reminded me of the way I feel when I'm in right relationship with God. Full of joy and peace and love. Carefree, energized and easygoing. Full of power and strength.
Proverbs 31:25 New International Version (NIV)
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
And so I just want to encourage you today. If you are lacking in the joy department, run to your Heavenly Father; The One who first loved you. Because He is our true, never-ending, always enough, portion of joy, peace, love and power/strength. He loves you. He wants good for you. Lean into Him. Lean into His discipline. Let it produce good fruit in you so that you may bear good fruit in this world.
Galatians 5: 22-23 New International Version (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
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