Living in the Spirit

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

As we submit to the presence and the influence of the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t mean that we won’t have to face challenges or fight giants or overcome obstacles or deal with opposition in any way. But it does mean that in not one of those areas does the enemy get to decide our choices. The enemy does not get to decide how we manage the stewardship of our responses to life’s circumstances.

When we live in Jesus, we live convicted that He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be whole. He wants us to be well. He wants us to be productive. He wants us to have the joy of the Lord as our inner strength.

The enemy doesn’t get to decide my choices. He can shape weapons, and he can release them. He can toxify environments. He can invade the mind and try to crush the heart. He can infect my exchanges with other people. He can entice people to betray me. But I have to make the choice as to whether I forgive or seek revenge, whether I surrender to anger or decide to dispense grace and mercy.

And here’s the point: Jesus says, “Child of God, I’ve established My kingdom inside of you. And because the kingdom lives inside of you, you are more than a conqueror. I am with you. And Me with you is more than the world against you. Don’t say what you cannot do, because in Me, you can do all things.”

Isn’t that amazing to think about? Doesn’t that fill your praise? Doesn’t it deepen your love? And doesn’t it make you want to express it? Each of us is loved so much by Jesus that He will respond to our needs and give us His joy and a peace that surpasses understanding.