1 Thessalonians 5:16
Rejoice evermore.
There are many emotions we feel at different times in life: sadness, anguish, pain, fear and the list goes on. Life does not come with a note of caution for when storms creep up on us.
We do not have a shock absorber for all the times life hurls wild winds our way, but we do have a choice, in the midst of it all.
Be joyful! Not once! Not twice!
But at all times! And in all situations.
At first glance, it seems pretty impossible to be joyful or to rejoice, even in the midst of trials and turbulence. But if it was impossible, we probably would not have been told.
One thing about the instructions in the scriptures is that God not only expects them of us, but He has made us able to heed them.
In Philippians 4, we are encouraged to know that we can do all things because our strength comes from God. In the moments when fear surrounds us and life comes at us hard; it is the knowledge of God’s word and our confidence in Jesus that gives us joy in the midst of the storm.
Now, rejoicing in the midst of storms is unnatural to man; the flesh cannot do these things. It is the Spirit that makes us willing, the Spirit that enables us.
What we need to do, every day, is to put off the flesh by prayer and communion with God and walk in the Spirit. For if, the flesh cannot be joyful in the midst of trials, then we do not need the flesh at all. It is the Spirit we need.
Thus, to rejoice evermore is to
Unplug the Flesh! Tune in to the Spirit!
Practically speaking, how do we make this happen?
– Stay in God’s word. It is His word that fills us with confidence to believe that, the storm will not swallow us whole, that we will weather every storm.
– Stay in fellowship with His Spirit. We do this by thinking on and communing with Him in prayer. Stay prayed up and in worship.
– Guard your thoughts and words. What you think, you become. If you think the storm will beat you down, it will beat you down! Think positive! Think right! Think Spirit!
Rejoice, I say
And again, I say, Rejoice!
Unplug the Flesh!
Tune in to the Spirit .