You are welcome to the February 2021 edition of El Shaddai Heritage!
I believe the Lord has been good to you and your family. He made you see another month in the year 2021 despite the uncertainty pervading the world.
Our Prophetic Focus For The Month of February is JOY!
Our anchor scripture is Habakkuk chapter 3 verses 17-19
“Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.”
Joy is the emotion we feel at salvation.
The feeling you have knowing that you have the life of God in you, knowing that you are surrounded by the presence of God.
A feeling that your salvation in Christ is secured, that you shall reign with Jesus Christ eternally.
Joy is the outward show of your appreciation of what God is doing in and around you.
As a child of God, your joy is not activated as a result of seemingly positive things you see around you.
“Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Joy is the barometer of your spiritual life, when you lose your joy as a Christian for whatever reason, be watchful! The enemy is at the door!
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 14:17
The joy you have in Christ Jesus should not be terminated by life’s circumstances
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Romans 8:35
Your joy as a Christian is not the same as the power of positive thinking.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
Galatians 5:22
It is necessary for you to understand that you can not be joyful and be complaining at the same time.
Joy and complaining are not from the same kingdom.
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”
James 1:2
When you murmur and complain irrespective of how bad your situation is or afflicted you are, you lift the hand of God off your life and everything that pertains to you.
“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
1 Corinthians 10:10
Murmuring is anti joy. When you murmur, you shut the door of good things, you prevent the rain of blessings from falling on you.
“The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”
Joel 1:12
However, you need to understand that joy is not something we can pull out each time we need it.
Joy is activated by the power of God on your inside.
When you carry the presence of God, you naturally and automatically flow in joy.
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”
Ephesians 5:19
Joy has a voice.
“…let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
Psalms 95:1-3
Joy is communicated through your voice and seen in your action. In other words, joy can be seen.
“Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp”
Psalms 149:3
The question is, when you are by yourself and nobody is watching, what do you do?
You can fool people in church and outside by your outward show of joy demonstrated by dancing and singing.
” Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”
Ephesians 5:19
The Bible talks about you speaking to you, not you speaking to others. It talks about singing spiritual songs to yourself, in your private moments, songs that edify your spirit.
The real you is, who you are, what you do when no one is watching.
You have a duty to protect your joy.
“having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,”
1 Timothy 1:19
As children of God, joy is strategically placed in our lives and becomes indispensable if the blessings of God must flow and continue to flow into our lives.
If God can open your eyes to see what goes on around you, then you will truly appreciate what God has done and what He is doing in your life. You will probably forget your needs and focus on thanking Him.
God has promised that He will never, never leave you nor forsake you, no matter how terrible your situation is, the only way out is joy.
Learn to trust God, as you trust Him, He will take over your battle.
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
Romans 8:37
As He steps into your situation, every opposition will bow. You become victorious and you begin to reign over all life’s situation.
I pray that the grace to stay joyful will come upon you now in Jesus name!
See you next month!
SHALOM! SHALOM! SHALOM!