Fasting | Day 7
Did you know joy is your right as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ? In fact, it says in Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Your STRENGTH! But the enemy wants you to feel beat up and condemned for things you have done in the past. He wants to rob you of your God-given right to joy. We all have to hide in the wounds of Calvary. We have all fallen short of the standard. We have ALL rebelled against God’s authority over our life. But we are also blessed because our sins have been forgiven.
Psalm 32 is a great example of the powerful grace of God and the price He paid:
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity ... I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:1-2, 5
A lot of Christians don’t understand the power of God’s grace. They are forgiven and they are on their way to heaven, but they think they have to pay for what they did by being sad and beating up on themselves. Many feel condemned for the rest of their life, when nothing could be further from the truth. Grace wins! But until you acknowledge and accept that, you will allow the enemy to steal your joy. Psalm 51 takes it to a whole new level:
Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:8-12
Think About It
- How would you rate your joy on a scale from 1-10?
- What would it take to move that score closer to a 10?
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