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

Isaiah 51:11 (KJV)

 In the weeks of preparation for Christmas, there is so much talk of “joy.”  So much talk while so many feel anything but joyful.

For many, the holiday season is one of the most despairing of all times in the year – only to be topped by the post-holiday blues.  A new year dawns with hope of new beginnings, while the darkness creeps in to steal the hope that the new year brings.

It’s a sad reality.  However, we must remember that what we see in the natural is not an occurrence all to itself.  It is a reflection of the spiritual climate. 

The enemy seeks to shroud the true meaning of Christmas from the world, and therefore uses every means at his disposal to do so.  One of the greatest counter measures he has for joy – which is released and celebrated at Christmas -- is depression.  After the holidays, the depression often turns to despair – another agent of evil.

Together, depression and despair join forces with restlessness, hopelessness, grief, regret, cynicism, sorrow and so many other perpetrators of harm that much of the earth loses sight of the new beginning that God has just granted to us.

In this battle, which often sets the pace for the year, we can be pro-active.  We do not have to sit by and take what the enemy throws our way.  As followers of Christ, we have an awesome arsenal of weapons at our command.  One of the most powerful and oft-overlooked is the force of joy.  The enemy knows its power; that’s why he seeks to stop it.  Instead of his misery, we need to unleash the power of joy.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, but you may not have realized that the fruit are not just character traits that make us nice people.  They are characteristics of the divine life living inside of us.  They are powerful forces which exude the very essence of God, whose life-giving Spirit abides with us.

Look at the Bible.  When God confronted a problem, what did He do?  Well, I can tell you what He didn’t do.  He didn’t do what we so often do; He didn’t agree with the force opposing Him.  No.  What He did was contradict the predicament with His own solution.

When confronted with chaos, He brought order.  When facing hopelessness, He brought hope, which is the foundation step for faith.  When He was up against the false, He brought the true.  When faced with religion, He brought freedom.  Whatever the problem, He never sunk to the level of the problem.  He remained at His high and lofty position above all other things.  He remembered who He was. 

We would do well to do the same.  When confronted with depression, we must release joy.  When confronted with captivity, we must release praise.  When confronted with fear, we must release faith.  When confronted with self-pity, we must do something for someone else that we would like to have done for us!

I understand.  Really I do.  It doesn’t feel that easy.  “If I had any joy, I would release it,” you might be saying.  That’s the first thing we have to get straight.  Every good and perfect gift comes from heaven above (James 1:17), and we don’t have the power of joy on our own.

However, the good news is that even though we don’t have it of ourselves, we are partakers of the divine Spirit, and as such, He’s got everything we need for every situation.

We must get past what we do or don’t have in and of ourselves, because we will come up short every time.  What we must do is realize that what we have is more precious than silver or gold and that the Greater One who lives within us has exactly what we need to overcome every obstacle to the fulfillment of His plan for our lives.

It is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)

As an act of faith, intercession and prophetic declaration, I release now to you the full force of joy. As I have freely received, I now freely give.  You do the same.  Confidently take this joy into every situation, and LET THERE BE JOY! 

--- Tracy Schellhorn --

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