{"id":1081,"date":"2013-07-23T05:21:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T05:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2013-08-18T21:00:20","modified_gmt":"2013-08-18T21:00:20","slug":"the-power-of-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=1081","title":{"rendered":"The power of joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most unsung pieces of artillery in the war chest bequeathed to us by God is joy and\u00a0good humor. As a melancholic personality-type (someone with a natural tendency to view the glass as half-empty and then to agonize over it long after the glass has been washed and put away), the good humor of joy has pulled me out of quite a few downward spirals. Does it sound odd to you that a melancholic-type can use joy as a weapon of warfare? It works—that’s why I use it!<\/p>\n

As with every good thing we receive from God, Satan has devised a clever counterfeit for true humor and joy. Although I’m not addressing joy’s counterfeit here, suffice it to say that no one\u2014including the devil\u2014counterfeits worthless items. It is obvious, then that joy and good humor are very\u00a0valuable when used in the right way.<\/p>\n

A much-quoted\u00a0Scripture declares at the end of Nehemiah 8:10, \u201cThe joy of the Lord is your strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does this joy—and its sidekick, good humor\u2014work to strengthen you? Well, first of all, let me state something very clearly. I’m not referring to pretend “smiley-ness” and “praise the Lord-iness” that we can sometimes\u00a0hide behind (I’ve been\u00a0guilty, too)\u00a0to make others think\u00a0we’ve\u00a0got it all together. No. The joy of the Lord which releases the\u00a0strength\u00a0of God\u00a0is confrontational<\/em> joy and humor—not\u00a0exercised to impress\u00a0others<\/em>—but\u00a0exerted in confrontation against\u00a0the enemy<\/em>—and\u00a0against your own<\/em> negativity, pain,\u00a0or depression.<\/p>\n

When you confront the devil with the joy of the Lord, he cannot stand against the strength that God imparts through it. Joy released during times of stress, pain, torment, or any other negative mindset or emotion empowers you to resist the devil, forcing him to flee from you.<\/p>\n

However, sometimes an even more formidable foe stands between you and the attainment of God’s promises—you. How can you operate in joy when your mind or emotions scream in agony against the universe–or your neighbor–or your boss–or your body, racked with pain? It is at times like these when joy–and more simply, humor–can be among your most valuable assets.<\/p>\n

When I catch myself\u00a0becoming uptight and taking myself too seriously, I’ve learned that the quickest path out the inevitable downward spiral is through exercising the joy of the Lord and good humor. At first\u00a0I have to force myself to participate in the process, but when I do, true joy always\u00a0takes over and\u00a0I am\u00a0strengthened and refreshed. Remember—this is confrontational<\/em> joy, and the target of this confrontation is yourself.<\/p>\n

I have exercised this confrontational form of\u00a0joy against my own negativity more times than I can count. Allow me to embarrass myself as I share some examples.<\/p>\n