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Word for the Year: Joy

John 15:9-11 (AMP)  I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

I tend to be joyful person. I have been through some trials in life, and I have been known to complain when it did happen thinking that I had a sympathetic ear. I have learned to not because some people used it against me. If you do not know this about me, my husband and I took over as the pastors of our church about thirteen years ago. Before that we served as associate and assistant pastors at the same church for nearly thirteen years. This has apparently given license for people to correct me from those that I submit to and those that I serve. I have had comments from “I love to see you serve me,” to “you are going to hell.” Then there are those that weaponize my words or actions, just to see me get corrected yet again. I have been hurt by people like you would not believe, but yet I am still here.

So, when God gave me the word “joy” for 2026 my first thought was “what is going to happen now?” The first book in the Bible I read for this year was Habakkuk. We ended 2026 in our church with not very good attendance, but deeper growth for those that wanted it and better giving. We ended 2026 not in a new building, as we had hoped for all year long, and now entering year seven in someone else’s building. We even got really close the last month of the year. So, I cried out to God, why? That is when I got the word “joy.” Habakkuk starts off in chapter one with, “O Lord, how long will I call for help and You will not hear?” When we have doubts about His goodness, He is still faithful. I read this book over and over again for a full week. God said He would show up in a mighty way. God told Habakkuk it would get worse before it got better. Yet Habakkuk responded in faith.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (AMP) Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet and makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].

With every time correction has come into my life, I have checked it against the Word. When it lines up with His Word, I accept it gladly. It is a discipline from the Lord. He will help me change this within me. One thing I never did was bite back or disrespect the person it came from, even when malice was intended for me. I am grateful for the people that allow me to speak into their lives. I have learned from experience what it means to genuinely care for others. If we are afraid of correction, then we are missing out on something that is necessary for our spiritual maturity. There are so many babies still in the body of Christ because people are not allowing Word of God, the fivefold ministry and the body of Christ to do what they were given as gifts for.

The next book I read was Philippians. Paul is in prison, literally chained to a person that was guarding him, writing this letter. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Happiness depends on our circumstances. Joy depends on our relationship with Christ. Paul had a confident assurance of God’s love and work in his life and the life of fellow believers. The secret to joy is grounded in our relationship with Christ. There are some that say, “I have lost my joy.” Have you lost Christ? Look back at John 15. Jesus is telling us the importance of our abiding in Him (our relationship with Christ). It all goes back to love. The real reason we have lost our joy, is because we have become self-involved. We look out for our own self-interests. We start asking “what about me?” We can have joy, even in hardships. Joy does not come from our circumstances. We are not to rely on what we have or what we experience to give us joy, but Christ within us.

Philippians 2:1-5 (AMP) Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ]. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility]

It is the confidence I have in Christ that I know that people have a problem with. It grieves me to know that what they most want they can have too. What is limiting others from attaining such? Not that I have arrived myself, it is to surrender more. I am pressing on. I will continue to press on. It is when we give up or find something else to get our identity in that we become stagnant in our spiritual growth. I desire for growth in all of His body. It is hard to watch people “lose their joy” yet with not receive the gift that will point them back to their dependency of Christ.

Which brings me to the third book of the Bible that I have read this year, Nehemiah. Being in leadership I have heard gripers and complainers or what our church needs to do, what we do not have that meets their needs and so forth. It is easy to sit back and analyze and talk about the problems that you see. Instead of gathering people to discuss, be like Nehemiah and pray then act. Nehemiah saw a problem, was distressed about it, didn’t complain about it, not wallow in self-pity about it, he took action. Nehemiah became a person who God could count on. He did not even allow the people who were giving false reports to distract him. He did not allow the ones who did not participate in the rebuilding get him discouraged (I need to work on that one myself). He not only rebuilt walls but wanted to align the people back to the heart of God. They spent days listening, being taught and implementing what they heard from the prophet Ezra as he read them the law. God does not want our actions without our faith. This is the book that we get “the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).” Another thing I got from Nehemiah is the importance of our praise and thanksgiving. I want to start off my closing prayer with what is written in Nehemiah 9: 6. Pray this prayer with me and add it what you are most thankful for.

You are the Lord, You alone; You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host (the heavenly bodies), the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host is bowing down [in worship] to You. Jesus, Your Son, was with You at the time of Creation. We were created through Him and for Him. You sent Him in fullness of Love to die for our transgressions. You have forgiven us of our inequities and we in turn at to forgive others. We repent for not forgiving as you commanded. You gave us the gift of Your Holy Spirit. You gave us this gift to mature us and grow us. You also gave us the gift of the fivefold ministry and the body of Christ. Your desire has always been that we would work together to mature into a glorious Body. We thank You for desiring so much for our lives. We thank You that You desire for us to be full of joy and peace. Thank in our submission to self-control empowered by You we are secure in who we are in Your Son. You are forgiving, gracious and compassionate and abounding in love. You will never leave us nor forsake us. Even though hardships may come upon us, even persecution, You remain faithful. You are patient and keep your covenant of love. We love you. We choose to remain in Your Son. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Strength to their minds, to their bones and to their resolve

Proverbs 3:7-8 (AMP) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts] and refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.

“Strength to their minds, to their bones and to their resolve” is what I was praying over our church yesterday. The word I looked up at the end was “strength”. Then I remembered Proverbs 3:8. My children are athletes. They will come home bruised and/or sore from that days practice. Often the soreness lasts through the weekend. Praying Proverbs 3:8 has become something I do daily. However, I cannot be so selfish in my prayers that I do not focus on the precept that God laid out. It is not me who makes things happen. My prayers are no more special than any one else. It is all about our reverent awe and obedience to the Lord. I can now stand on the promise that our muscles, our bones and our full bodies will be healthy.

I stand on that promise for other’s as well. I have especially been praying that promise over a precious woman of the Lord that I love dearly. A few months ago she had a procedure done and has been using a walker. I have noticed that she now has an attendant with her to drive her, to help her through doors and other needs she has. Yet I stand on the promise. I know she is a woman of faith and loves the Lord dearly. She is obedient and has the resolve to continue with her calling in the Kingdom. She has not stopped.

Psalms 118:14 (AMP) The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

Psalms 28:7 (AMP) The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield; my heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him.

David understood that the Lord is his strength. David knew God on an intimate level because revered and honored Him. David was in awe of God. He wanted God’s Presence. He was willing to look foolish to man in order to bring His Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. Did he make a mistake the first go round? Yes he did. That did not stop his resolve.

Proverbs 3:1-6 (AMP) My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life [worth living] and tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life’s blessings] they will add to you. Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; bind them [securely] around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

Proverbs 3 is one of my favorites. Why? I believe it holds quite a few keys to my prayer yesterday. Strength of the mind has to do with if we have surrendered it or not. Whether I am going to have mercy, kindness and stand on the truth is going to start in the privacy of my mind. My trust is the Lord begins on how I think about Him. The Word tells us not to rely on our own insight and understanding. That is why I am quick to check it against the Word: Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. (Philippians 4:8)

We have already gone through verses 7-8 about strength to our bones. What about the resolve (determination) that I prayed about? David’s resolve was to have His Presence. Our resolve should be the same. I have found that through the avenue of faith and honor (obedience) we can stay on track with that resolve.

Proverbs 3:9-17 (AMP) Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your crops (income); then your barns will be abundantly filled and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject or take lightly the discipline of the Lord [learn from your mistakes and the testing that comes from His correction through discipline]; nor despise His rebuke, for those whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. Happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is the man who finds [skillful and godly] wisdom, and the man who gains understanding and insight [learning from God’s word and life’s experiences], for wisdom’s profit is better than the profit of silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for compares with her [in value]. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are highways of pleasantness and favor, and all her paths are peace.

Yikes the first thing was about our money. When we get into the understanding that we are honoring God with our first, then our resolve will be aligned with His. Discipline is another thing we do not like. Especially in a culture today that tells us to do what makes us happy. We do not even like to be corrected from the Word. We will find a church that will not talk about such things as repentance. I would rather be challenged by the Word than live a life in darkness. Peace is a promise with this kind of resolve. How many of us would like peace in our lives? It takes faith to honor God is such a manner.

I have included the rest of this Proverb at the end of the blog. If you desire to read more I encourage you to take a look. It is quite insightful.

This is my continual prayer for my church and for the entire body of Christ: That the Lord is your strength and He brings strength to your mind, to your bodies and to your resolve to follow after Him.

Lord, we are in awe of You. You are Marvelous and Holy. We do not need anything other than You. Thank You for sending Your Son to be our Yeshua, our Rescue, our Savior and our Deliverer. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Christ from the dead not dwells in us. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and knowledge of Your Word. Thank You for the gift of Your Word. Passages like Proverbs 3 are dear to us. Your whole Word is full of Your Love. We choose to honor You through applying the precepts of Your Word. We repent for not trusting You at Your Word. We repent for picking and choosing what parts of Your Word we thought did not apply to our lives. We repent for our lack of understanding of how precious it all is. Thank You for the banquet of Your Word. Let it full us up. Thank You for the opportunities to carry our the precepts so that we can glorify Your Name. Thank You that You are our Strength. You are the strength to our minds. You are our strength to our bones and to the fullness that You can only bring. You are the strength to our resolve to honor and trust You. Your Presence is all we need. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Proverbs 3:18-35 (AMP) She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is everyone who holds her tightly. The Lord by His wisdom has founded the earth; by His understanding He has established the heavens. By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the clouds drip with dew. My son, let them not escape from your sight, but keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life to your soul (your inner self) and a gracious adornment to your neck (your outer self). Then you will walk on your way [of life] securely and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the storm of the wicked when it comes [since you will be blameless]; for the Lord will be your confidence, firm and strong, and will keep your foot from being caught [in a trap]. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due [its rightful recipients], when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,”
when you have it with you. Do not devise evil against your neighbor, who lives securely beside you. Do not quarrel with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm. Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are repulsive to the Lord; but His private counsel is with the upright [those with spiritual integrity and moral courage]. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just and righteous. Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, yet He gives His grace [His undeserved favor] to the humble [those who give up self-importance]. The wise will inherit honor and glory, but dishonor and shame is conferred on fools.