CHN Newsletter: June 2004

“These things I have spoke to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

June 2004

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine, and rejoicing in God’s Goodness and blessings. Praise God for taking us through a long winter and rainy spring. Look up to the sky! Allow the sunshine to penetrate your being, and lift up holy hands to praise the Name of the Lord! Take that deep breath and breathe in life! Doesn’t it feel good?

Springtime is a time of joy. After struggling through a dark, dreary, cold winter, we suddenly hear the birds sing, and there is color everywhere! The trees have blossomed and bright colored tulips are standing proud and beautiful on front lawns. There is the fragrance of freshly cut grass in the air. Everything seems to come alive, and it energizes us! Suddenly we have energy and stamina to begin walking outdoors. There is spring in our steps, and joy seems to burst forth in our hearts!

Think back to another time. Do you remember when you were first Born Again, and everything became brand new? Wasn’t it like springtime? Suddenly, you noticed all the colors and aroma’s around you and things that you may not have noticed before took your interest. I remember noticing little yellow dandelions on my lawn, and thinking how beautiful they were. I was sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch, writing to a dear friend who was in the last stages of cancer, when I noticed those dandelions. I wrote a whole page describing them to her with the hope of giving her something beautiful to focus on. I don’t know if that description helped her, but it was forever edged in my memory. Do you remember that silly grin you walked around with? I remember mine! I never smiled so much in my life! There is such a joy inside that you never thought you could ever experience!

Wasn’t it fun when you went out to a gathering of family or friends, and the Holy Spirit would give you someone to witness to? I remember times when I practically flew home singing and praising God for the birth of a new Christian! What happened to those days? What things drew us away from that first love, that first encounter with the Lover of our soul? Where are we now, in our walk with Him?

This joy that I am speaking of is the joy that Jesus promises. It is a joy inside of us that touches our soul when we receive salvation, and no man, or weather, or trial or demon can take it away from us unless we allow it to. Jesus has planted in our hearts the very means of receiving everything He has to offer. Why do we allow life and circumstances to rule our emotions? Why do we allow the enemy to rob us of our inheritance?

There is a difference between joy and happiness. Joy is something that we can have inside of us no matter what turmoil or tribulations we are going through. This is the type of Joy that Jesus spoke of. He said He came to give us joy. It is the joy of our salvation, of knowing Jesus personally, of knowing that our sins are not only forgiven, but forgotten. It is the joy of knowing that we now have access to the very Throne Room of God, and we can come before our Heavenly Father covered with the precious Blood of the Lamb and present our needs before Him. It is the joy of knowing our inheritance! Eternal life begins in us the moment we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The world and its lures no longer have dominion over us, and we are Blood bought children of the King! Heaven is our home, and death has lost its victory! Nothing can separate us from the love of God! The Bible says “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:37). Isn’t this reason to be joyful? Praise His Holy Name!

Just think! The Bible says “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Rom. 8:16,17). God sometimes leads us through suffering before we can reach His glory. There are times when we go through things that are so hard, and we wonder if we will make it through. We seem to lose our joy; we lose that softness we experienced when we first accepted Christ as Savior. We wonder if we will ever see springtime again. This is the time when we have to hang in there, hold on to Jesus, and trust Him with all of our heart! This is the time when we should begin praising Him anyhow. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, and nothing can separate us from His love, so we must keep holding on. It is not easy to keep praising when everything around us is going wrong, but that is the very time to do so! That is what the Bible tells us to do, and when we do this, we are fighting spiritual warfare. When there is praise and thanksgiving, the enemy has to go. He has lost the battle! Glory!

The Bible also tells us “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance...” (Prov. 15:13). The next time you feel as if you are in the winter of your soul, speak to your soul, and command it to line up with the Word of God and begin praising God until you permeate in the warmth and sunshine of springtime. Praise God until the Glory Cloud comes down, and His mighty anointing takes you into heavenly places where there is joy, and peace, and happiness. This is your inheritance! Receive it! Receive His joy, now! Know that you are loved by Him, and He finds joy when He sees you receiving all that He has to give. Don’t you find joy when you give your child, or a loved one a gift? Think of how Jesus feels when you receive the wonderful gifts He has for you; then give Him thanks.