Steadfast Joy
“Joy is a decision, a really brave one about how you are going to respond to life.” – Wess Stafford
Hello Dear Friend,
It started out as well as any other day, it was a new year and everyone was slowly trickling back into work after finishing up their holiday vacations. Naomi was in high spirits and thinking of all the new and good things that could come forth in the upcoming months when her boss called her into his office.
He seemed pretty laid back and Naomi assumed that he just wanted to catch up and chat a bit since it was his first day back from the Holiday. She was smiling and exchanging small talk pleasantries as she closed the door behind her. It was then that his tone changed as he began explaining that he had just been called into an uncomfortable conversation with the vice president of their company regarding complaints being made against her.
Naomi’s expression quickly sobered as she sunk into the seat across the desk from him. She listened quietly and tried to absorb his words. As he retold the conversation he’d just had, she was shocked to find out about the false accusations that had not only been formed against her but taken all the way up to the top of the chain of command. He explained that he’d been completely taking off guard when he’d stepped into that office and the conversation was not one that he had expected at all.
“Yeah, I can relate.” Naomi thought as he continued to speak and she remained silent until he finished. He told her that he had no idea of that being the topic for discussion or of the incident that he was being told about. He continued to say how he immediately defended her even without knowing the details and told those in the room that it didn’t sound like Naomi at all and that they should seriously question the source where these accusations where coming from. He finished up by saying, “Now, I’m going to shut up and let you talk.”
Stunned from being caught in the blindside; she was left to feel bewildered, used and betrayed as the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Almost instantly the Holy Spirit rushed in to coach her, “Do not react.” Naomi knew her boss was looking for her to confirm that he was right in what he had said to the higher-ups and that the accusations being made against her were indeed false.
“Do not react.” She continued to hear those three little words echo over and over in her mind and spirit as she chose her next words carefully. She responded first by reassuring him that he was right in what he had said. She followed up by explaining the entirety of the situation to the incident in question as best as she could recall. Rising above those that meant her harm, she was very careful not to throw them under the bus even though this would have been her chance.
The following day, Naomi found herself in another conversation with her boss. She stated that she didn’t care what the people accusing her actually thought of her. “They can think what they want to think,” she told him. “What bothers me the most is that based on what they have falsely said about me I feel like my character and integrity are now wrongfully being questioned.”
Her boss was quick to tell her that he understood why she would be feeling that way but strongly assured her that nobody was questioning that about her and that the sun wasn’t going to go down that day without him making it right. In the days that followed the truth was brought to light and where it mattered, all was made right again.
Days passed and turned into months. Naomi fought to hold steadfast as her faith was tested in various ways. For the next two years she prayed those people out of her life. She fought to remain patient when they gave her false hope caused by empty promises. She fought to not react, exercising wisdom and discernment when she caught those she once trusted lying to her face and fumbling over their fabricated web of lies. She fought to hold on to her strength and her joy as she pressed on day after day working with and facing the same people who had used her, abused her and deceived her. She refused to let her character become a casualty and while she fought to hold onto her dignity she continued to offer a smile to those she’d once called friends but no longer respected or trusted.
The Battle For Your Joy
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let the steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:2-4, ESV
That passage from James has been on my mind lately. It has also seemed to be brought up in various sermons, conversations and devotions over the past month or two. Funny, since it was just a few years ago I referred to those exact verses as my “season scriptures” so I guess God feels that I need to be reminded of those words for a reason that has yet to be revealed to me. I do believe that might also be the reason why I’ve also been thinking a lot about joy lately as well.
If there is one thing we often forget but need so desperately to remember and truly understand it’s that the enemy isn’t really after our dreams. Nope, here’s the profound truth; He’s not after our health or our finances. He’s not even primarily after our family. He’s putting all his energy and resources into all those things and more as a grand masquerade attempt that distracts us from his real plan – to steal our joy.
He begins his real mission, working on you little by little and bit by bit chiseling away at your dreams, your health, your finances, your family, your acquaintances, your job, etc. until he’s stripped away more and more of your joy. After all, he knows the Bible better than anyone. He knows the Biblical truth that’s found and clearly stated in Nehemiah, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10, NKJV).
The enemy knows that if he can deceive you into living in the dumps and slumming it in your own pity party until all of your energy is weighed down by depression then it won’t take much time before you no longer have the necessary strength – physically, emotionally, or spiritually – to withstand his attacks. And boy does he like to attack! He’s a mastermind at finding out all the little (and big) ways that he can truly get to you. Then the day comes when you wake up to find that you’ve allowed yourself to be sucked into a deep and dark depression that overpowers your soul and your mind.
Yield To God
“Joy doesn’t come when you try to hold it all together. Joy comes when you let God hold you.” – Author Unknown
Through it all, just as the Lord was working in Naomi’s favor He’s working in ours. She couldn’t see all that He was doing behind the scenes, in the midst of her pain. But she counted it all joy and held onto the truth of knowing that God was doing something and it was good being done in her. She knew in the end He would be glorified and she would be blessed and that was the strength she needed to keep pressing forward.
Maybe you’re fighting to hold on to your strength and to what you know is true as the enemy tries to tangle you and trip you up in his lies and deceit. You doubt who you are, you doubt what you know and you doubt the point of it all. I get it, I’m with you and I’ve been there too. Like you, I’ve fought to hold on to the joy that the Lord gave me.
Though your soul may be downcast and you find yourself experiencing a spiritual battle that’s dragged you down into your very own version of hell, know that you do have the strength to claw your way back up again. Maybe it’s the first time you’ve experienced this kind of fight or maybe you feel like you’re a veteran at this point – either way, you might be down but you’re not out.
“'I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that dinner.' 'Did you have something against running away?' 'You start running they’ll never let you stop. You stand up, push back…Can’t say no forever right?'” – Captain America: The First Avenger
Take a cue from the little guy, don’t let people discredit you. Everyone has got to love the Marvel character, Captain America. Starting out as a “little guy” from Brooklyn, anyone who lays eyes on him can use one word to sum up Steve Rogers, he’s a runt. There’s another word that can be used to describe him as well and that word is determined.
It takes a lot of mental, physical and spiritual strength to keep those against you stunned in bewilderment as you leave them to wonder what keeps you showing up each day with a grin on your face and all the while refusing to relent under the pressure from that which is trying to intimidate you.
I get that you might be in the middle of the spiritual battle of your life at the moment. But hey, you showed up. You’re standing your ground but you’re feeling like that kid from Brooklyn. You’ve got heart but you’re puny and feel like you’re lacking in strength in every way.
That’s what I love about God, He gives us the strength. He takes our mustard seed faith, our runt like faith, and He uses it. It’s enough, it’s a start. He grows us up spiritually through the adversity of our trials and our tribulations, He is working on us and building up that spiritual muscle tone. When we remain steady, stand up and refuse to back down we’re choosing to hold steadfast to our faith.
What the enemy doesn’t realize is that we get to decide how we respond to what he throws our way. When we choose to yield to God and what He is doing in those moments, we find the unmovable joy that can only come through His strength. When we feel like we’re being destroyed and we begin to lose hope, God shows up and uses those tribulations for Himself.
Tests come, tests go and all the while throughout those tests our faith is being fed and continues to grow. Through the joy of the Lord we face what attempts to steal our thunder and our faith is being built up more and more in the process of every season. During every trial and every test our faith gets stronger and more powerful when we allow God to take control and cling onto the joy that only He can give. Our faith gives us the authority to face the adversaries that come to destroy us and steal our joy.
When we choose to trust and submit to the Lord’s path, He’ll do amazing things in us and through us. None of the adversity or past failures of our life can tamper with God’s ability to use us. After all, we are His creation. Big or small, we are His children. He enjoys going to work in our lives. He loves to show off by taking our weakness and making it useful. In doing so He gets to show that all the glory is His.
“May the God of hope full you with all joy and peace.” – Romans 15:13, ESV
With love,
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