The Word: Isaiah 61: 1 (KJV)
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Dig Deeper: Isaiah 61: 2 – 3(KJV)
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Think about it
THIRST FOR JOY
‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat;’
In our discussion on the pursuit of God we have been talking of 7 different kinds of thirst:
– Thirst for righteousness, Holiness, fellowship, Holy Spirit infilling, God’s word, Joy, God’s work or purpose.
We shall focus on the thirst for Joy today.
In one of the preaching of Jesus, he made a remarkable pronouncement:
Matthew 5: 4
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
To mourn is to be sorrowful.
To mourn is to be downcast
To mourn is to be depressed
To mourn is to grieve, be in emotional pain and to cry
We sometimes mourn because we lost a loved one or because things are very difficult or because of the challenges around. However sometimes people mourn and they can’t explain why they are mourning. They are sad and depressed and they can’t put a finger on why they are moody. It is what we call the spirit of heaviness. But just like we have the spirit of heaviness or depression, we also have the Spirit of Joy. When the Spirit of Joy (which is a subset of the Holy Spirit is present in believer (and I am not talking of just being positive as a non christian can have a positive outlook on life), That Spirit of Joy brings a joy and peace and calmness that we can’t explain. We may be going through a storm but will be assured that God is faithful. Listen to the scripture below:
Psalm 45: 7
7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
So the Holy Spirit can come upon us in the form of the oil of gladness….
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
To someone reading this who is downcast or if you know someone else who is suicidal who feels life is not worth living, God wants to give such an individual beauty for ashes, oil of Joy instead of mourning and the garments of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. (So you can send them this scripture)
Are they thirsty for a change? Are they thirsty for deliverance? Are they thirsty for Joy? All you need is to pray this prayer:
‘Father In the Name of Jesus, Thank you for your plans for me. Thank you because you are faithful. I open my heart to receive Oil of Joy of the Holy Spirit. Let the blood cleanse every of my sins away. I receive your help and deliverance. Instead of ashes, I receive beauty, instead of mourning, I receive the oil of Joy, instead of depression and heaviness, I receive the garments of praise. Thank you father IJN. Amen’
Nuggets:
Everyone mourning can receive comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit
Our memory verse for June 2018
Psalm 42: 1
1 As the deer panteth after the water, so my soul pants after you O God.
Let’s take a few moment to learn our memory verse for this month by heart. It can be memorised in 2 lines:
Line 1: As the deer panteth after the water
Line 2: so my soul pants after you O God.
Once you say it a few times it will stick.
Prayer focus: Our next level prayers:
Lord, I receive Joy in my spirit IJN
On the word: Recommended book
The Bible Study Methods – Rick Warren
