I've been feeling like I just need a break from all the trials, tribulations and persecutions of life. I needed a break from all my troubles. I needed a break from all my cares and worries.
But instead of "casting all my cares upon Him, because He cares for me...
And instead of being "anxious for nothing because my Father in Heaven knows what I have need of...
I kept complaining, muttering and declaring that I needed a break!
Here's what I got instead:
- Two broken shoes in one month - and I have never broken a shoe ever before,
- Two broken car windows that now won't roll down,
- I broken laptop that I gave away, and now have to use the broken desktop w/no sound card,
- A broken ring I inherited from my late mother-in-law that now has 2 missing diamonds,
- 1 broken earring,
- And most recently, 1 broken strap on my LV book bag,
Well, now I declare: BREAK TIME IS OVER!
Mark 11:23 and 24 says: "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. Therefore I say unto you, Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Basically, we get what we say.
You know, we are created in the image of God our Creator. We are created in His likeness. And God SPOKE into being all that He created. By that same token, we too create our lives into being by what we say. Yes, our words have that much power. And when we say things like "That just kills me," or "That chaps my hide," or "That makes my blood boil," or "Give me a break," after time, we get what we say.
Well, break time is over! Besides, think about it - even at work, when you take a break, you simply take a momentary respite and go back to the exact same thing you were doing before the break. The concept is that we should step away from work to replenish, refresh and renew our energy and get back to it. It's time to do that with our words. We need to replenish our words with good instead of negative. We need to refresh our thinking and renew what we say. If we're going to "re-do" anything at all we should focus on RE-JOICING!
That's right, to rejoice means to refill our joy! And if we get what we say and we start speaking nothing but joy - what do you think our lives will become? JOYOUS! Instead of a break, say "I need some JOY!"
The end of Nehemiah 8:10 says, "the joy of the Lord is our strength." So, when you need strength to carry on; when you need strength to deal with your cares; when you need strength to ease your anxiety, you need to rejoice! That's what gives you strength.
Easier said than done, right?
Let me borrow a bit of teaching and pass it on to you... JOY is not an emotion. It is not a feeling. It is a power and a fundamental attribute of God. "In His presence is the fullness of joy." To get joy - or to rejoice, we must spend time in the presence of God. And not just through praise and worship, but actually by reveling in the holiness of His nature. Holiness is "wholeness" - revel in the wholeness of who God is.
I'll give you a hint. Here are the 7 attributes of God I have researched: God is TRUTH, Numbers 23:19; God is GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL, 2 Chronicles 30:9; God is MIGHTY, Job 36:5; God is RIGHTEOUS, Daniel 9:14; God is FAITHFUL, 1 Corinthians 1:9; God is GOOD, Matthew 19:17; God is LOVE, 1 John 4:8. God is Holy - and when we focus on the wholeness of who He is, we are focusing on His holiness.
Bask in who God is. Be still and know that He is God. Revel in His abilities: Creator; Savior; Provider; Healer; Bridegroom; King... Eat lavishly of the fruit of His nature: wisdom, joy, peace, power and hope. And guess what, since we are created in His image, we are created in the likeness of truth, grace, faith, love, wisdom, joy, peace, power and hope! Now that is a refreshing better than any coffee break!
Break time's over - speak your peace and REJOICE!
Power, love & peace, ya'll! (2 Tim. 1:7)
~Min. Dez
