Now I will have to admit, this scripture is a hard one to swallow, kind of like fresh salt water taffy on the boardwalk during the summer. How are you supposed to be in a state of joy when you are going through hard times? Before I indulge on this question, let’s take a second and be honest here. Just because you asked Jesus into your heart and are going to heaven doesn’t mean life is going to be filled with days of frolicking in fields of lavender… though we all can only hope (Ha Ha). Now back to the question. In this scripture, James is speaking to those of faith! God is speaking through him to his people, admitting that life will have it’s bumps, and things will not always go perfect, but have FAITH that God has your back and everything will be okay!
“If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]”
– Romans 8:31 (AMPC)
With God on your side, who can be against you?! What issue cannot be overcome?! None! Not to mention, when you push through and have joy and faith in God to get you through the trial, your faith will be built up even more! Then, when the next trial comes along, you will be able to laugh right in its face and say, “No, no, devil! God is on my side! You are already defeated!” This will cause the Joy of the Lord to become even easier to obtain, so get ready to laugh and be strengthened during trials!
God wants nothing but the best for his kids. That’s you. All we have to do is follow Him and listen to His guidance through the Holy Spirit. So whatever you are going through this week, month, or even year, count it all joy! Persevere and know that God is on your side! Seek Him and He will direct your steps and show you the way out of the trial!
He has done it for me endless times; there is nothing too big for God! I wouldn’t write or say these things if I wasn’t 110% sure of it!
Confession for today: “Lord, today and every day I will count it all joy! Even in the hard times when joy isn’t what I am feeling, I will think upon You and You will give me rest…”
God is good… all the time… all the time…
Joey
