REJOICE IN THE LORD
Pr. James Victor Lubwama
Philippians 4:4-7 (AMP)
“Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].”
Every Christian should know the secret or mystery of rejoicing in the Lord. Joy is crucial to Christian life and a core ingredient in the Salvation journey - God's children are commanded to rejoice and are characterised by joy. The devil speaks in our lives every day but the weapon to defeat his lies and tricks is to rejoice in the Lord, encourage ourselves in His word and put into thought that His salvation is so near.

 The book of Philippians draws attention to various challenges to joy, such as prison, opponents, grumbling and disagreement (Philippians1). Paul rejoices in the Lord always, even though he sits in prison, defamed by his enemies. His joy is not anchored in circumstances but in his Savior, who will never disappoint him and who will surely deliver him. Rejoicing in the Lord means knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; It means he gives us deeper, authentic, pure and lasting pleasure than anything this world has to offer (Philippians 3:8). 
Always have hope and self-control knowing that the solution to your problems or worries is just around the corner. Don't focus on the pressing situations around you or the facts of life that the devil points you to but be governed by what the word of God says about you and that situation. Is it sickness, lack, your children's education or business? The bible has the rightful response to everything
Isaiah 43:1-4 (AMP) says;
“But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. 3 “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you. 4 “Because you are precious in My sight, You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life."
Pour out all your worries and problems unto God in prayer; focus on God, His Word and promises. Be positive and always expect to see the goodness of God in your life (Psalms 27:13). Be positive and hopeful; hope will prevent you from fainting. Don’t be like Thomas who only believes after seeing; for we don't walk by sight but by faith in the word of God.
If rejoice in the Lord and trust Him wholeheartedly, the lions will not devour you, (Daniel 6); and the fire will not consume you (Daniel 3). Because God has preserved you, He is still taking you far. No need to fear, worry or be anxious, but just stand still on the rock (word of God) and have faith in God; for He is the Alpha and the Omega - He will finish what He started and promises because, God's promises never fail
In every situation know that God already has a rescue plan and place of refuge for you. He has already set a person and place for your salvation because He knew you before you were born (Jeremiah 1:5). For example, God used a prostitute called Rahab to hide spies sent by Joshua on a mission to spy the promised land (Joshua 2). God knows you more than anyone else and won't allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) says;
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Christian joy is the great pleasure and happiness that we feel whether or not our bank accounts are smiling, whether or not our businesses are profitable, whether or not we are healthy or hurting but because our redeemer lives, because he makes all things new, because he brings the dead things to life and because he will come to our rescue and save us. The book of Philippians reminds us to rejoice in the Lord always by refocusing from the present challenges to anchor our hope in Christ and to take our eyes off ourselves and, pray and pursue fullness of joy in Christ.
Rejoice always, your situation is temporary. Silence the devil’s fears, facts and lies with the truth – God’s word (His promises and prophesies).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
SILENCING THE VOICES THAT SPEAK IN OUR LIVES Pr. James Victor Lubwama Matthew 4:5-11 (NIV) ‘ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  6  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you,  and they will lift you up in their hands,  so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  7  Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” 8  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  9  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11  Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.’ There are silent   destructive  voices that speak in our lives which usually discourage our hope and i
Read more
Image
WHAT TO DO WHEN PROBLEMS STRIKE Pr. James Victor Lubwama DAY 2 - REFER TO THE PREVIOUS VICTORIES 2 Chronicles 20:7 (NLT) “O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?” When faced with problems, we should always remember the previous victories or testimonies and miracles that were made possible by God because, they give us hope and boast our faith in the Lord knowing that He who did it before will do it again. Are you not the God who gave me a job when I had been jobless for 3 years? Are you not God who healed me when I was sick? Are you not God who built me a house?  Always refer to your previous testimonies or victories that God gave you. Jehoshaphat called upon the mighty God of Israel who drove out inhabitants of Canaan and planted foreigners –  a person who remembers what God did yesterday is the only person who can see what God
Read more
Image
THE ANOINTING  (I) Pr. James Victor Lubwama Luke 4:18 (AMP) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (the Messiah),  Because He has anointed Me to preach  the good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to announce release  (pardon, forgiveness) to the c aptives,  And recovery of sight to the blind,  To set free those who are oppressed  (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy)." The Holy Spirit is the one who anoints men for His work ; and when the Holy Spirit anoints you, it's for a specific purpose and for a designated  time frame . He anointed Jesus for a specific mission at a specific time as seen in the scripture above.   The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and there are signs that can show whether the Holy Spirit is within you: 1. There is conviction of sin  Conviction is that urge that makes you lose your peace and drives you to repentance. Without the Holy Spirit there is no conviction of sin, and when ones sins he has no remorse at all for his or he
Read more
Image
PRAY IN THE SPIRIT Pr. James Victor Lubwama Prayer is an appeal of the things you need from the Lord; its dialogue between man and God; it's a way to realise the will of God ( Psalm 25:4 ), and learning how to pray ( Mathew 6:9-15 ) strengthens your relationship with God. Authentic prayer is communication between your heart and God Praying in the spirit and not in one's understanding (carnal state) does not mean that you will not understand what you are saying, but implies that you will pray in unity with the Holy spirit - for your mind and heart will completely be focused on God. Be aware that  God is a  S pirit. John 4:24 (AMP) says;  "God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)" Human beings are both flesh and spirit. We exist in two worlds - physical and spiritual ; thus to communicate with   God (God is a Spirit), we must use our spirits. A Carnal Christian can neither communicate
Read more
Image
SPIRITUAL CIRCUMFERENCE Pr. James Victor Lubwama The church attracts many believers from all walks of life; however, not everyone who comes to our church is pastored by me (spiritual children). Some come to the ministry because of the calling and anointing upon the pastor like the miracle working power. There are two categories of people in church;  1. The ones that I pastor (spiritual children) 2. The ones that i pray for (followers) The distinction is created by the people themselves; by how they relate with me as a pastor, their ability to imitate me as i imitate Christ and by following my instructions. Paul tells the Christians in 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 (NLT) that;  "For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me." And in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT) he says; "And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." You can be able to tell the difference between the people I pastor a
Read more
Image
PLAY YOUR PART Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo DAY 3 - PLAY YOUR PART BY BELIEVING GOD’S WORD Luke 1:38 (AMP) “ ……Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Mary was told that she would give birth to Jesus the Saviour who was prophesied by prophet Isaiah. Matthew 1:21 (TLB) “ And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins.” We do not mind about our prerequisite but we want to know how God is going to do what He promised or how will he perform it, even though we know that God’s ways are not ours. When God speaks forth in your life, it takes your personal initiative to have faith in His word! Always what God’s speaks into our lives through His servants, dreams or any other way is always beyond our understanding and imagination and many times it brings riot in our minds when we try to figure out how it will come to pass. Mary too was confused and she asked the
Read more
Image
EFFECTIVE AND FERVENT PRAYER Pr. James Victor Lubwama James 5:16 (NKJV) ''Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." We have prayed alot but our prayers have yielded nothing. This is because when we talk to the Father, we present ourselves in a carnal state. So, how do you pray effectively? 1. Purify your heart and mind Close off yourself from worrisome and stressing issues such as lack, disappointment or any other kind of diversion that is causing a frantic mood, and primarily focus on the most High God. You can’t pray effectively when your mind is in riot. Psalms 46:10 (AMP) says; “Be still, and know (recognize, understand) that I am God” 2. Repent and forgive God will forgive your sins, inequities and transgressions if you repent. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT) says;  ''If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and
Read more
Image
JESUS - OUR PERFECT STANDARD Luke 2:52 (ESV) "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" Having a human body, Jesus was born, he grew, he thirsted, he hungered, he wept, he slept, he sweated, he bled, and he died. Jesus did not simply emerge from heaven preaching the kingdom. He learned to latch and crawl, to walk and talk. Perhaps he broke a finger or hurt his nail working in the carpentry workshop. He got sick faced all human challenges and learned social graces and worked as a laborer in relative obscurity more in adult life. All four Gospels reveal his three year ministry to the final day of his life on earth. But what was the Son of God doing most of his earthly life? He was growing. What did he do for three decades between his celebrated birth and his anointed ministry? He walked the ordinary path of basic human growth and development. Jesus grew in all aspects of life 1- Wisdom This is the ability to use knowledge, i
Read more
Image
FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT Pr. James Victor Lubwama Day 1 - WE ARE BORN FIGHTERS 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NKJV) “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” We are all born fighters - y ou must be a warrior in order to get what you desire! This is in counterpoint with the vision of Miracle Christian Fellowship Ministries which is; “to train and equip an army in the body of Christ to make war in the later.” Just like the bible says in Palms 18:34 (NLT) that;  “ He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.” We learn from Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4 that we are all fighters and there are no civilians in the army of God, and in order to achieve anything in this world we have got to fight. This was not in God’s original plan, however when the devil tricked man in the beginning, he snatched authority from Adam. From then on we have had to struggle for everything thus our life has become a battlefield. Jesus said i
Read more
Image
WHY WORRY? Pr. James Victor Lubwama Matthew 6:25-33 (AMP) “Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear….…………. 31 Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also” God gave us a Rhema Word or Prophesy in the month of August that the last five months of the year 2019 will be a resurrection season and the Lord is going to bring all dead things to life. However, just
Read more