Real Joy Part 3
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that he cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. We're into our second year, and today, we're continuing our deep dive into the topic of real joy, real joy, true joy. Proverbs seventeen and twenty two.
Sarita Bernadette:A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. I'm going to read that in the Living Bible translation. A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick. This proverb lets us know that our mental and spiritual health impacts our physical health. A joyful attitude creates an environment conducive to healing and vibrancy.
Sarita Bernadette:Yep, it's like medicine. Long periods of unhappiness or stress can literally weaken your body and drain your strength. You know, that verse seems to be a companion verse to the joy of the Lord is your strength, right? Remember that from Nehemiah, I believe it's eight and ten. So beloved worry, anger, bitterness, etcetera, can have an effect on our health in a negative way and literally make us weak.
Sarita Bernadette:But looking at your life through the lens of God's Word brings joy and it gives strength, the strength that we need to live our best lives. So in the last episode, we were reminded that real joy, true joy is possible regardless of life's troubles. Remember James one and two, it encourages believers to count it all joy when facing trials because the struggles build perseverance and faith. Building our faith allows us to maintain our joy no matter the circumstances. The seventeenth chapter of first Kings opens with Elijah, The prophet.
Sarita Bernadette:He's predicted a severe drought that would last for three and a half years. After declaring that there would be neither dew nor rain except by his word, Elijah was instructed by God to go and hide by a brook where he was miraculously fed by ravens until the water dried up. You may remember his story. He had done what God told him to do and God sent him off to rest and to eat. We pick up in the eighth verse with this encounter that he has with the widow at Zarephath.
Sarita Bernadette:She and her son found themselves in the midst of said drought, the drought that Elijah predicted. First Kings 17 verses eight through 16, long passage, bear with me. Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you. So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks.
Sarita Bernadette:He called to her and said, bring me a little water in a vessel so that I may drink. Verse 11. As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. But she said, as the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am now gathering a couple of sticks so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son that we may eat it and die.
Sarita Bernadette:Elijah said to her, do not be afraid, go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel, the jar of meal will not be emptied, and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth. Verse 15. She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, as I was researching the topic for, these episodes, I came across this term unfaltering joy. You may be familiar with it. Unfaltering joy is defined as enduring unconditional and enduring unconditional state of peace and positivity that remains steady even when faced with life's inevitable challenges, suffering, or even humdrum routines. The definition further states cultivating it relies on internal practices rather than external circumstances. Beloved, unfaltering joy is constant and consistent.
Sarita Bernadette:It comes from the inside. I would posit that the widow in our scripture today ended up with unfaltering joy. Stay with me. She was indeed stressed due to the financial hardship she and her son were enduring. Was she happy about that situation?
Sarita Bernadette:No. But notice how quickly she shared her story with Elijah when he asked her for water, when he asked her for bread. There must have been some faith in there somewhere, because she didn't turn away to carry out her plan quietly. She was honest about what was going on. I'm gonna say that again.
Sarita Bernadette:She was honest. She was frank about what was happening at that moment. And then when Elijah gave her some instructions, she acted on them. And that took faith. She listened to Elijah's directions and God's promise.
Sarita Bernadette:And as a result, she experienced a miracle. Then, sometime later, her son stopped breathing. Verse 18 of first Kings chapter 17 reads, she then said to Elijah, what have you against me, oh man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son. The widow at Zarephath asked Elijah if he was mad at her because her son had suddenly fallen ill and died.
Sarita Bernadette:She reacted in grief and outrage. In that moment, she assumed that Elijah brought God into her home to penalize her for her sins and to kill her son. Beloved, I believe she was able to be honest once again with the prophet because of what she had already experienced through him. She'd already seen a miracle. So she cried out.
Sarita Bernadette:She didn't hold back. Elijah responded by taking the child to the upper room where he, Elijah, was staying in the house. He laid the boy out on the bed and prayed over his lifeless body. Then he stretched himself out on the child's body three times as he cried out to the Lord. We pick up again in verse 22.
Sarita Bernadette:The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. The life of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother. Then Elijah said, see, your son is alive. So the woman said to Elijah, now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.
Sarita Bernadette:The widow truly believed God from that point on. Her faith increased. Great faith brings great joy. Her words revealed her confidence in the power of a living God. The message version of verse 24 reads, the woman said to Elijah, I see it all now.
Sarita Bernadette:You are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks a true word. The Living Bible says, now I know for sure that you are a prophet. She told him afterwards, and that whatever you say is from the Lord. Now that's some confidence.
Sarita Bernadette:Friends, as we trust God more, our doubts and fears shrink. That creates space for joy to develop and to grow. And, yes, trusting God can be difficult at times. Many of us have experienced money trouble. Maintaining a positive attitude as God works things out isn't necessarily easy.
Sarita Bernadette:But then, after some time, God shows Himself to be a provider and we are blown away. He's done it before and He'll do it again should be our mantra. Encore, God, encore, do it again. When we witness the power of God in our lives, we're able to tap into unfaltering joy. Unfaltering joy, constant and consistent.
Sarita Bernadette:Just like our God, He is unfaltering, right? He is unwavering and steadfast. One last thing. Have you ever heard the expression, You can't make me doubt him. I know too much about him.
Sarita Bernadette:You can't make me doubt him. I know too much about him in my heart. I remember hearing my aunt use the expression when I was young and I didn't fully understand what it meant. As time passed and my relationship with the Lord deepened, I got it. Recently, I discovered the song online and as soon as I hit play, I turned it up good and loud so my 92 year old mother could hear it.
Sarita Bernadette:And don't you know she began to sing right away and sway. Beloved, it was pure joy. You can't make me doubt Him in my heart. Power belongs to God. Friends, I've seen him move in some amazing ways.
Sarita Bernadette:Just as the widow said, now I know for sure. John fifteen and eleven states, I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. This is Jesus telling the disciples that remaining connected to him and adhering to his teachings will result in an unfaltering joy. And beloved, Jesus shared this just hours before his arrest and subsequent crucifixion. Wow.
Sarita Bernadette:That's a joy that comes from deep within. It's a spiritual strength that's not dependent on circumstances. Christ offers us the type of joy that endures trials and tribulations, hard times and hardships. Let's look for our joy in Him. Beloved, I pray that you are able to find joy today.
Sarita Bernadette:I pray that you choose joy today. I pray that joy seeps into your heart and comes out in your attitude. I pray that joy begins to heal whatever might come against you. I pray that you continue to draw strength from the joy of knowing God more intimately, knowing Him more deeply. I pray that you are able to tap into unfaltering joy from the unfaltering one.
Sarita Bernadette:This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the web site at joyineverystep.com.
Sarita Bernadette:See you next time.
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