gracetidings:with dr doug mamvura
AlThough the fig tree doesn’t bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18) It takes someone who has an intimate relationship with God to be able to have the attitude that we see expressed by Habakkuk above. The whole world is going through very challenging times at the moment and consequently the vast majority of people are very uncertain and feel very insecure about their own future.
There is a difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermometer measures what is there while a thermostat regulates temperature. Every believer has a thermostat. Sadly, some are not aware of that. No amount of pressure or challenge from outside is greater than what we have inside: “You are of God, little children and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
It is very important to realise that victory starts from inside you an then it comes out as a lifestyle. You may look small (child) on the outside, but your inside is swelling with God. It is impossible to live big outside when the inside is as small as a bean. We should never be intimidated by the nature of the challenge we may be facing. We should be God-conscious and know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is not man that He should lie nor son of man that He should repent.
The Holy Spirit in you is the seal and guarantee of the grace covenant (Ephesians 1: 13-14) which is your Source of victory. He is the firepower that releases renewed energy in you and keeps you in victory territory”. When you focus on Him, the battles of life reduce to nothing. His Word tells us that “Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4). You are the whatsoever as long as you are born again.
It is important for us as believers to rejoice in the Lord always, regardless of circumstances, as we are encouraged by Apostle Paul. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
So, is true happiness obtainable even in the midst of a crisis? And if so, how do we get it?
There are many scriptures that command us to rejoice and be glad (Psalms 32:11, 40:16, 68:3, 70:4, to list a few). Some specifically command rejoicing in the midst of trouble (Psalms 34:1, Matthew. 5:12, and John 16:33). The people of Israel were even punished because they didn’t serve the Lord with joyfulness and gladness of heart for the abundance of all the things the Lord had done.
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“Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee” (Deut. 28:47-48).
So, if joy was a command and people were punished for not rejoicing, then happiness is something we can control. Otherwise, the Lord would have been unjust in commanding us to do it.
Today people think happiness is a result, instead of a choice. They believe that if they didn’t have any problems and if they had an abundance of good things, happiness would be the inevitable result. That’s not true.
Happiness isn’t a state of being; it’s a state of mind. A person can be happy when everyone and everything around them is in turmoil just like under the current lock down conditions. They can be content no matter what the financial or physical conditions might be. True happiness and contentment are not dependent upon circumstances.
The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians while he was in prison in Rome. He had been in prison for two years in Israel, one year in transit to Rome and an undisclosed amount of time in Rome. He was facing possible execution.
Yet, his letter to the Philippians is the happiest letter of any he wrote. He mentioned rejoicing seventeen times in this short letter. How could this be? What was Paul’s secret? The book of Philippians gives us the keys Paul used to obtain such success.
In Philippians 4:11 Paul said: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
l Dr Doug Mamvura is a graduate of Charis Bible School. Feedback: [email protected] or Twitter @dougmamvura
