Let’s Talk About Joy: The Purpose of Joy: To Provide Victory Page 1
One purpose or function of joy is to provide victory in our lives, to cause us to become “overcomers” in all situations in our lives. The key to overcoming every situation in our lives is to realize what we are seeing and to realize that, as in 2 Corinthians 4:18 (AMP), “So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.” We must understand this principle in order to produce this God-kind of joy in our lives. We must understand that we live in a very spiritual world. There are things going on in the spirit realm around us constantly that most people are oblivious to.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Apostle Paul understood that our eyes often deceive us. He was not moved by what his eyes saw. He was only moved by what God told him. As we explore some “overcomers” in God’s Word, see how each of them was moved by “God’s reality” and not their own.
This is faith: knowing that God’s Word is reality – the ONLY reality – and acting on it! Faithfulness is one of the fruits of the spirit that we will explore later. Faith cannot be separated from joy, because joy is an action – an attitude – which comes when we step out in faith. When we step out in faith, we overcome.
First, let’s look at Abraham. Romans 4:18-24 (NIV). “18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. 22 This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ 23 The words, ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Let’s back up to verse 18. Abraham believed that God’s Word was true. Period. In verse 19 we find that when Abraham looked into the mirror he saw a man 100 years old, and when he looked at this wife Sarah he saw an old, barren woman. They had no children at this point, yet God had promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations. Abraham was not moved by what he saw, but by God’s Word alone. Verse 20 says “he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” How many of us desire to reach the point where we don’t stumble? Where we “stagger not” at the promises of God? Where no matter what our circumstances look like, we still know what God has promised us and we CHOOSE to believe that His Word is true, and we CHOOSE to glorify God in the midst of it because we are looking at things not seen rather than at things that are seen!?!
In verse 21 it shows that Abraham was “fully persuaded” that what God had promised, He was fully able to do. How many times do we sell God short? How many times do we prevent God’s promises from being realized in our lives because we, for some reason, are not “fully persuaded” that God is able to perform what He has promised? If we can get hold of this principle, not only will we begin to see God’s promises manifested in our lives, but it will be credited to us as righteousness (right-standing with God, verses 22-24).
Think about it… how many of you, when your children do not trust what you say, don’t believe in their hearts that what you promise, you are also able to perform, become angry with them – even punish them? And how many of you, when your children act immediately on your word, being “fully persuaded” that what you have promised them, you are able to perform, can keep from placing them in a position of “right-standing” with you? God is our father! Get the picture!?
Abraham gave glory to God before he saw the results of God’s promise. He chose to be joyful in the promise, and as a result, he was an overcomer, and God’s promise was fulfilled in his life! We’ll look at some more examples in the next posts.