The 26 Power Paradigms In The School Of Destiny

Chapter 10

The Power Paradigm of Joy

I believe happiness depends on the happenings around, but joy is an outward outburst of an inward calmness that outlasts happenings.

—Jonathan Obise

Joy is the ultimate expression of happiness swelling from the soul of an individual. Most times, its reason for expression can hardly be fathomed because it transcends the physical happenings around us. Joy remains ever glowing through the thick and thin of life. The American author Anne Morrow Lindbergh had this to say about joy: “For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.” How can you explain a situation where an individual has lost loved ones so dear to his heart but still pulls through life sharing love and enjoying it?

Joy grants access to supernatural help; it opens the door of blessings unspeakable, stops the mouth of the devourer, and causes the greatness of God to speak forth in one’s life. The challenges we encounter can leave us in despair, doubt, and unbelief that can deprive us of joy, which conquers, triumphs, and overcomes even in the heat of life’s furnace. This is why it is necessary to subscribe to a lifestyle of inner peace and tranquility.

True joy that overcomes is a blessing from God and must be seen as such. It is one of the fruits of the regenerated human spirit. According to Galatians 5:22–23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The Grand Deception

God’s intention was for man to enjoy the blessings that life offers with no restrictions, but the devil always tries to counterfeit God’s master plan. He deceived man in the beginning by offering temporary pleasure, and he still does this by offering temporary happiness to individuals without knowledge of God’s promises for their lives. The good news is that he has always been a failure and will not succeed in your life.

Have you been downtrodden before? Take your joy back! Have you been disappointed because you trusted so much in some temporary happiness? God never intended you to go through life being happy as a result of the happenings around you; rather, He intended you to be joyful based on His Word! In 1 Peter 1:3, we read, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” Don’t let no devil deprive you of your sole inheritance in Christ. His Word supplies all the joy you would ever need in this life.

Joy accesses the supernatural and unveils the uncommon glow of glory that engulfs the true believer. Rest assured that God’s promise for you is too sure to fail. Isaiah 12:3 says, “And with joy he said shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

Joy Commands Singing

Joy and song go hand in hand. Every joyful person has a melody in his or her heart. King David, the man after God’s own heart, was joyful even in the midst of all the bad times he experienced. The book of Psalms proves the fact that you can be joyful through the thick and thin of life only when you depend on God and not your strengths or circumstances. Psalm 5:11 reads, “Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them; let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”

To be a candidate for a joyful life, learn how to ignite every moment with the light from God’s Word. When you don’t have anybody to depend on, just turn and lean on Him because He does care more than you can care.

When you’ve tried your best and it all turns out not up to par, when you’ve given your all and there’s no more to give, when your best shot falls short, trust Him because He cares more about you than you can fathom.

Joy Comes When You …

Replay God’s Faithfulness

Whenever you realize your joy bank is running low, refill it by reflecting on all He has been to you and for you. Only those who count their blessings can give true and sincere gratitude to God for His unending faithfulness and loving-kindness.

Praise is the secret for an uncommon life of consistent raise. If you don’t learn to count your blessings and be grateful for even the littlest privileges, you will never realize the degree of God’s faithfulness to you. Only ingrates fail to realize that the mouths they use to complain were given to them by God. The eyes they use to castigate and demean obvious doings of God were also His gifts to them. To be joyful, just count God’s blessings in your life—your legs, hands, mouth, and ears just to start with.

Complaining about life is a step toward restraining your progress toward your destiny. Think about the sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the fish, and a host of other natural wonders. There’s no reason your joy should run low because even if you feel you have lost something, God is the reason you haven’t lost everything.

If you’re complaining about having no shoes, think about those with no feet and thank God that you have feet. Friend, you have thousands of reasons to be grateful. Let nothing steal your joy because God has been and will always be good to you.