Romans 15:13
"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
As believers we can have joy through all things, that does not mean that we don't cry, feel sad, even deeply discouraged, but that we ignore the feelings and continue on to do what we should until the feelings pass.
The deep down joy is a part of our flesh and bone and can never leave us, even if the emotions cloud it at times.
The joy comes from the knowledge that we are obeying God no matter what the circumstances. And, when the sadness, tears and discouragement leaves the joy emerges reminding us that the joy is permanent and real and the feelings are temporary and flimsy without substance.
Focus on Christ and nothing without substance will stick to us. Our actions and attitudes will be the same no matter what our feelings are doing.
1 Corinthians 15:58
"58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."
James 1:12
"12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has [a]been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
James 1:2-4
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various [a]trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [b]endurance. 4 And let [c]endurance have its perfect [d]result, so that you may be [e]perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Psalm 112:7
" He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."
Acts 11:23
"23 Then when he arrived and [a]witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;"
Galatians 5:1
"5 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."
We are commanded by God not to allow ourselves to become lazy and stoic concerning our Christian walk. If we are walking closely with our Lord we cannot be indifferent to the things of the Lord, just the contrary, we become more excited about the Lord and His principles. The more we immerse ourselves in Him! The greater our devotion to Him the more we hate what is evil and love what is good.
Romans 12:9-12
"9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality."
The word "decimate" no longer means to reduce by one tenth, it has been used continually in recent years to mean "completely destroyed."
Not that long ago, many people understood that if a city was decimated, it meant that one tenth of the city was destroyed. Now when we hear the context of that word, we understand it to mean that the entire city was destroyed.
The word "fewer" has nearly been dropped from our language and replaced with the word "less."
The word fewer has long been used to refer to things that can be counted, such as "fewer apples in the bin." While the word "less" refers to things that cannot be counted but must be measured, "there is less flour in the bin."
I have been thinking long and hard about the need to convey the proper message to those with whom we speak. If we are using words that mean the opposite from the understanding of the person we are speak to, then we have given them a wrong message.
It is vitally important to understand what God is telling us in His Word. Many misunderstandings of God's truths have created cults that hold to a standard or principle, that isn't at all what God taught in His Word.
My hope is that all those who call themselves Christian will read the Word, praying over the understanding, even digging deeply as far as we are possible to discern what God is telling us, not based on our own cultural bents.
The misunderstanding about divorce and remarriage emerged from men's hearts, a desire to contort the meaning of God's Word by using English words that do not mean what God meant in His Inspired Word, but will give them the answer they want.
Many things believers hold to today are not accurate because they rely entirely on the English versions without knowledge of the original languages or seeking the Holy Spirit in prayer for truth.
I am woefully ignorant about the original languages, but when I ask the Lord to show me truth about a matter, almost inevitably someone comes along with the meaning of the original language that brings great insight.
I knew before I had done any real study on divorce and remarriage that these practices were sin. The Holy Spirit showed me, that even though most of our culture accepted it, somethings was just not right.
I began to pray reading the word more carefully, and searching out teachers who didn't say what I have heard all my life. God quickly brought the truth to me on these matters so completely, there could be no mistaking the truth.
Even when we don't know the original languages, God can warn us when something is taught that is amiss. He can bring uneasiness to our soul, it is our responsibility to go to prayer and then to study. When He brings the answer we can know it was Him, peace floods over our soul and the answer becomes clear. There is no backing up or confusion any more!
