With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. -Isaiah 12:3

Having just written about false teachers, as I pondered what to write next, I decided to write one of the fall outs of embracing false teaching. Lack of joy in the Lord.  Christian joy is based on the fact that we have had our sins forgiven and heaven bound. Based on that, we should really be the most joyful people on earth. But this is not so. Why is this?

When I say we should be always be joyful, I don’t mean by any stretch of the imagination that Christians ought to be happy all the time and never know any sadness. That would be unscriptural as Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to  mourn and a time to weep. Ecclesiastes 3:4 – a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance

I am also not talking about happiness which is based on happen stance (circumstances), for our circumstances change all the time.  I am however, talking about the kind of joy that the apostle Paul had even when he was in prison – a joy that comes from the depths of our hearts when we know for sure that our sins are forgiven and we are heaven bound. A joy that is as a result of knowing that we are no longer under the wrath of God. The kind of joy that enabled Jesus to face the cross, knowing He was doing the Father’s will. Hebrews 12:2 – looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Christian’s joy is directly connected to her embrace of the sovereignty of God. Our joy in the Lord rests on our knowledge of the fact that He has everything under control – He is the sovereign Lord of the universe and our lives. We trust Him and rest in Him in any situation knowing that His way is best and that nothing takes Him by surprised.

While there are many reasons for the lack of joy among Christians, one of the main ones I would say is the embrace of false teaching. Most people who embrace false teaching do not always know they have embraced a lie. However, as they try to live out this false Christian way, what they find is that this false way robs them of their Christian joy. I know this by experience. I used to believe in the “prosperity gospel”.

False teaching usually sounds good and is initially embraced with joy. Take the false teaching that says God always wants His children to happy, wealthy and wise. That you can get anything from God, all you have to do is just “name it and claim it” and it will be yours. Who wouldn’t want all their desires met?  As time goes on however, the believer who has embraced this begins to find out things are not really happening as they desire. After trying all the ways they have been taught to get their way to no avail, they will begin to see themselves as maybe second class Christians with little or no faith at all. Over time, the weight of a lot of unanswered prayers begin to weight them down. The result is a sadness and lack of joy.

The” name it and claim it” gospel is a false teaching that denies the sovereignty of God. The Christian’s joy is directly connected to her embrace of the sovereignty of God. Our joy in the Lord rests on our knowledge of the fact that He has everything under control – He is the sovereign Lord of the universe and our lives. We trust Him and rest in Him in any situation knowing that His way is best and that nothing takes Him by surprise.

When believers walk in the joy of the Lord, we are witness to a lost and dying world that true peace and joy can only be found in having our sins forgiven. While God can and does bless some of children with material blessings, that however, is not the purpose of our salvation. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians tells us that we are saved for holiness and righteousness.  Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

 True Christian joy comes from knowing that we belong to the Father and that nothing can ever pluck us out of His hands. Our joy is directly related to the assurance we have of knowing that someday, we will be with Him forever in a place where there will be no more sorrow or pain , where we will enjoy true lasting joy forever and ever!

 
 
Soli Deo Gloria!