God's Power For Depression and Sadness: Joy Is Not A Luxury, It's A Weapon | EP10

Dear God Sister,

Have you been struggling to get your joy back? Have you been functioning while sad or even depressed? In today’s JOY-packed episode of The Your God Sister Podcast, we’re enjoying powerful truth that will ignite your joy. One day the Lord spoke this revelation to my heart. “Joy is not a luxury. It’s a weapon!” 

 For Christians, our strength in this life is the joy of the Lord. Joy is a benefit of Salvation. Man can't give you this joy, nor take it away. True, constant joy is only available in Christ. In Christ our joy never changes. When we walk in the truth of God's Word, our joy remains stable. It’s not based on conditions. True joy comes from knowing something, not from getting something. Let's embrace this joy and walk in it TODAY!

If you have ever desired to go deeper in faith, enjoy authentic God-centered community, or a space where biblical wisdom for everyday life is the norm, this is the place for you.

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Transcript

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When is the last time you experienced real joy? Have you accepted a life that's less than joyful? Did you know joy can be constant regardless of your current circumstance? Would you like to experience this kind of joy? Let's talk about it. One day in my heart I received this powerful truth from the Lord. Joy is not a luxury, it's a weapon. If we are not careful, we can often think joy is only for those who can buy it or create it. As one scrolls or binge watches videos, the subconscious thought might be, joy is only for the rich and famous. We know this can't possibly be true. We all know stories of celebrities and wealthy individuals who commit suicide or lose their families in horrific court battles or find themselves in places too dark to describe. So, as is our custom here, let's go to the Bible to explore another of our benefits in Christ. Joy. Welcome to the Your God Sister Podcast, where we address life's challenges with biblical answers while enjoying our time together. A couple of constants here are what the Bible says and what the Lord speaks to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. My name is Joy Cooper. I am an associate pastor, I am a youth minister, and through the years I've had the opportunity to mentor young ladies. But on this podcast, I'm here with you. Back to what the Lord dropped in my heart some time ago. Joy is not a luxury, it's a weapon. The Bible backs this perfectly. Nehemiah eight ten in the Amplified Classic Edition says, Then Ezra told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord, and be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. Our strength in this life is joy. The joy of the Lord. We've been talking about the benefit package Christians have in Christ. This benefit of joy is not man-made. Constant, immovable joy is only possible in Christ. Man's joy is conditional. It shows up when we receive something. But for example, if we get a raise, a new car, a dream date, or any number of other things, this conditional joy shows up. The joy available to us in Christ never changes. It is constant because we have knowledge of truth. It's not based on conditions. I like to say it this way true joy comes from knowing something, not from getting something. So think about that. It comes from knowing something, not from getting something. Because what happens when the thing that you received you no longer have? Well, does that mean you hit rock bottom? Does that mean you crash out? Does that mean you're sad? Does that mean you're depressed? Think about how wonderful God is. He's like, nope, nope, nope. I don't want that for you. I don't want you going up and down, up and down, up and down based on what you have. I want you to stay constant based on what you know. That is so good. God is so good. Oh, I'm telling you. And I used to think, you know, I remember thinking, this is not something I have to do. You know, you know how we can think, oh, I know I'm supposed to be in joy. Oh, I know I'm supposed to. I know I'm so no, this is a great gift from God that we get to under all circumstances. God wants us to remain stable in Him, not to be, you know, there's a scripture blown and tossed by the wind. That that's some devil meant right there. To live a life that's constantly moving and shifting and swaying. That that's not what God wants for us. So again, true joy comes from knowing something, not from getting something. Is it wonderful to get wonderful things? Yes, we all want wonderful things, but our joy can't be based on that. Our joy has to be based on He who is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. That's constant. God doesn't change, and so if our joy is in him, our joy is in the Lord, then our joy is constant. Do you understand what I'm saying? What happens when you are walking in the joy that Jesus provides? When you have joy that doesn't change based on circumstances, the devil's tricks just lose their sting. Our joy can stay stable in the Lord. Once in preparation for preaching a sermon, I was studying this well-known verse. Psalms 118, verse 24, and the New King James Version says, This is the day the Lord has made. Then the Lord gave me this to follow. Because the win is already built in. Oh yeah. Oh, I'm telling you, when God speaks to you, it is so good, it is so life-altering. Let him speak to you when you're reading his word, when you're studying his word. So when he said that to me, this is the day the Lord is made, I read, This is the day the Lord is made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. And when he said, Because the wind is already built in, oh my goodness, that short phrase from the Holy Spirit gave me greater confidence in that scripture. Think about reading that verse as it is, without the Holy Spirit giving that extra juice. You could say to yourself, I know, I know I should rejoice today, but I just received bad news. I know the Lord made this day, and I should rejoice, but I don't feel well. Listen, I've been there. The days before me preparing this episode were extremely trying. I couldn't find joy anywhere. And then I remembered, wait, the win is already built in. I just have to hear from the Lord where the win is. In Christ, there is no day that can offer us defeat without the win meeting it head on. Where is the wind, Lord? What do I need to know? What are you trying to tell me? Because this is the day that you have made, and rejoicing is what I'm supposed to do. So the wind is here in this day. Well, why is the wind in the day already? Well, because Jesus has already defeated Satan. It's already done. Jesus said he saw Satan fall like lightning. I love that scripture. I love that visual. And we must remember that no matter what is happening, no matter what we hear, no matter what we're experiencing, we can be joyful. Because Jesus already whipped the devil. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 2 14, New King James Version. Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. In Christ is where we find the win. Will we accept that as truth no matter what comes our way? Oh, Pastor Joy, some days bring trouble, challenges, etc. Yes, that might be factual, but the truth is every day those circumstances will meet the power of Jesus in your life if you walk aware of that power. You must engage what you believe. That's why we are building beliefs based on the word of God. Your beliefs must be based on the truth of God's word. It's not just going to happen because it's true. It's going to happen because you believe it's true. You believe your uh faith actions, your faith mindset is what causes you to walk in the truths, walk in the things that God has provided. You have to believe it. You have to believe it. And so this is what is being offered. This is another one of our benefits of being in Christ. Another one of the benefits of our salvation is we don't have to be flip-flopped based on what is happening to us, around us, none of that. We can come up higher. We can come up higher to where God is seated. Where God is seated. The devil can't even approach where God is seated. So stay with him. Oh, well, Joey, I'm living here on this earth. Yes, you are on this earth, but you are to be heavenly minded. We are seated together in heavenly places with Christ. Oh, this is so good. This is so, so, so, so good. So, you've got to change your mind. You got to tweak your mindset, you got to tweak how you view things. And you should be viewing things according to the word of God, not according to your feelings. Your feelings are not a source of truth. Your feelings, you got to put your feelings in check according to God's word. You know, the Bible says to renew our mind. The Bible says that we are to put the flesh under. The flesh doesn't get to just do what it wants to do. If if the flesh is like an unruly child that needs discipline. Put the flesh in check. Put your feelings in check. Well, I this just how I feel today. I just, you know, it's Monday, and I just feel some kind of way on Mondays. You better put your flesh in check. You better put your feelings in line with God's word. Let's look at more scripture because we're building beliefs based on the truth. The Passion Translation of Romans 15, 13 says, Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his superabundance until you radiate with hope. This is a powerful statement. It also helps us locate ourselves. Locate yourself, okay? In a nutshell, if we truly trust God, joy is present. And I know that's mm-hmm. You can be like, uh-uh-uh-uh. I believe, I believe, I just, you know, I'm just concerned. No, that's called worry. I believe, I believe, you know, this is just a serious situation. No, that's called worry. If we truly trust God, joy is present. If we believe that the word says he always causes us to triumph, the middle doesn't matter. And that's where the enemy tries to get people. He tries to get people in the middle. And what do I mean by the middle? Well, the space between you saying, I believe God, and you receiving or taking in hand um manifestation of said belief. It's the middle. And what he likes to do is make the middle so long that you're like, okay, I believe, but uh it's been more than a day. I believe, but my goodness, I mean, how long? No, you just believe. You believe because of what God said, and because you believe what God said, there is joy to accompany that belief. So really, it's the um, it's how we know if we're really in faith or not. Does joy follow? Is joy present? When joy is not on the scene, think about all the things God tells us about himself. I mean, he gives us so much evidence of how wonderful he is and how he can be trusted. He has told us much in his word about what he has provided, who he is, what he has done. The question is, do we believe those things? And if we do, no matter what we see, we will believe and joy will be our constant flow. Oh, I just thank God for this. And I'm telling you, like I said before, I was having some days. I mean, like days upon days upon days, but what was it? I forgot. I did not have in front of mine. Wait a minute, Joy. The win is already in your day. What do you believe, Joy? If you believe what God's word says, it doesn't matter what the circumstance is trying to scream at you. Think about it like that. That is exactly what happens. Circumstances try to yell at us. Don't you see me? Don't you feel this in your body? Don't you see your bank account? Aren't you angry? Circumstances try to yell at us, but we can silence them with the truth of God's word. We can live high in Christ, we can live elevated to heavenly places and not even hear the mess that is being yelled at us. You get far away, far enough away from something, you can't even hear it. You can't even hear it. Oh, I love that. Devil, I can't even hear you. I'm too far. I'm too far away from you. I can't even hear you. I see your mouth moving, but I can't hear you. Nothing, nothing. I can't even hear the lies that you are spewing because I'm seated in heavenly places in Christ. Oh, hallelujah. Ooh, we okay. All right, we're still reading. Let's get to the Passion Translation. Oh, thank you, Lord. Philippians 4, 4. It says, be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow. You know, I'm gonna share this, and I didn't think about this until this moment, so the Lord must want it to be shared. Um, my father was absolutely wonderful. He was a great father to me, and we were very close, extremely close. And he went home to be with the Lord. And when he went home to be with the Lord, truly in large part, based on much of what he had taught me, I knew that that was not a time for me to grieve. And I'm don't misunderstand me. I miss him very much. Sometimes I'm like, oh man, I wish I had more time as an adult with my father. But I know that my father is with my heavenly father, he's in heaven rejoicing, he is in heaven walking streets of gold. I can't be sad about that. It does not honor him to be here grieving and sad because I know the truth. So the joy of the Lord is my strength. Under all circumstances, we can be joyful. I'm not glad that my dad passed away, but in this season where I'm here on the earth and he's in heaven, I'm joyful because of what I know. And I know that that would make him just thrilled. I can see, that's right, daughter. That's how I used to talk. That's right, daughter, you're living by faith. That's right, you're living the word. That's right, you're doing what you know you should do. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. He used to say stuff like, um, Joy, are you a wimp? No, Dad, I am not a wimp. I'm living by faith. Oh, and I'm so thankful for all of that that he put in me. He put the word of God in me. He put living by faith in me. And I'm so grateful for it because I get to live that way. Under all circumstances, I get to live the truth of God's word. So if you haven't noticed, joy is a recurring theme today. This is a gift from our Father. We don't have to walk in joy, we get to walk in joy. You must decide to walk in joy. We've been learning what joy is and what it is not. It's not feelings, it's not based on what you have, it's based on what you know. Joy is not a luxury, it is a weapon, it is not a feeling, it is a decision. 1 John 1, 1 through 4, New King James Version. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes. Which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, concerning the word of life. The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. I can say it this way. These things I say to you on this podcast today, so your joy may be full. The more we engage Jesus, the more we know what his death on the cross supplied, the more joy we will encounter. And like I said, I had to keep that stirred up. I had to re stir. Was that a word? I had to re-stir, had to stir it again. I had to stir that up again because you could get so bogged down, you could be so underneath things that you have to remember. No. Jesus has already done everything he will ever do for me. I just have to walk in it. Jesus is sitting down at the right hand of the Father. He's done his work. He's already done it. But what can I do? I can remember what he has done. I can say no in the face of circumstances. My Jesus has already whipped you, devil. So you're whipped. Oh, hallelujah! The devil is already whipped. Pause and think on these things until next time. Let's take our joy in Christ. Let's live there. Jesus died so we could have joy in this world no matter what. What a beautiful gift! Let's not leave that on the table. Let's take it and live it. I've put together a list of joy scriptures. Review them, pray them, let them become real to you. Remember, God's word is truth. Build your belief on truth. You can download the scriptures, it'll be a blessing to you, I promise. You can download them. I'll leave the link in the description. But just know that what God has for you is so good. Partake of it. Enjoy it. Even if it takes effort, enjoy what He has provided. We'll talk soon. But until next time, know what the Bible says and treasure what the Lord speaks to your heart.