"Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away" (Isa. 51:11).

One lot of the redeemed is joy. There are several reasons why they should be full of joy. Although some people use the word joy and happiness interchangeably yet they are two different things. Joy is the mother of happiness. Everyone that is full of joy is happy but not everyone who is happy is full of joy. While happiness springs from pleasant events such as having a child, promotion at the office, moving to your personal house etc. joy is there whether pleasant events occur or not. Happiness is superfacial while joy is deep-rooted. Happiness could be from man but joy comes from God - deep from the inner recesses of the spirit man. Joy is like a spring of water that keeps bubbling within the heart of the redeemed. If you are born again, one evidence you will have is this overflow of joy. At some point, people will ask why you are so full of joy. Have you experienced this joy like a river?

One characteristic of this joy is that it is not easily affected by events and physical changes. For instance, during a storm, you will remain peaceful because of this joy. In the same manner, in sickness, the knowledge of having been healed by His stripes automatically catapults you over the grip of that ailment: hence, you can be rest assured that healing and health are yours in Christ. Before being attacked by enemies, you have the assurance that you have already overcome because you are more than conquerors. There are three basic reasons for the joy of the redeemed.The first is the joy of a new name. According to today's reading, when you are redeemed, you are given a new name - the son of God. The name you bear determines what will happen to you. Moses was named ‘Moses' meaning ‘drawn out of water' and he encountered water several times during his ministry. He changed water to blood, brought water out of the rock, changed the form of water rom bitter to sweet, and finally his inability to enter the promised land was because of water. A man's name is equal to his destiny. A new name means a new destiny. Have you received a new name? Until you switch from being a child of Satan to a child of God, your destiny cannot be changed for the better.

 

Action Point: One major source of joy is God's eternal Word.Ps 119

 

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor Adeboye