God Can Restore Your Joy

Restore the joy of thy salvation was a prayer that David prayed in the book of Psalms (Psalms 51:12) Many mis-quote this scripture as my salvation, but salvation is given to us as a gift and joy that is the glue in which we are called to abide.

You read in the book of John chapter 15 verses 1-11. These verses explain this process of obedience and abiding, it also gives a reason to abide through obedience. Jesus says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” -John 15:11

I will be real with you, I used to think that sin, temptation, or any emphasis along my daily walk with Christ would be something that would cause him to turn away from me. Or I would do my best to get in what I considered to be his “good graces” so that I can seem clean, good, and righteous in his sight.

In a prior post, I talked about self-righteousness and my journey to understanding on this continued journey, and that what I have learned is different and sustaining.

Fresh out of my past season I made a pact with myself and God to have many seats and really focus in on what the Lord wants me to do. I prayed a prayer, one of those prays where you bargain with God, WAIT... let me back track, it was not this time around where I prayed a prayer of that sort, it was two now three years ago in the he

ight of the pandemic where I prayed this prayer. The same prayer David prayed, “Restore the joy of thy salvation.”

God did that in my life. I sit in church and am fed. I read my word and study, I am fed, gaining a vision of the body of Christ, not just in knowledge but also in understanding as the Lord reveals it to me.

I was studying a few days ago and went down a rabbit whole of reference scriptures that led me to John 15:11 which says: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” I teared up because for the first time I understood that what is required of me is for my joy, for my good, and I was thankful for th

is understanding.

As scripture says, “In all thy getting get understanding.”

Romans speaks about the law of sin and death, and the spirit of life through Christ Jesus. Paul explains that the Law of sin and death only produced death because it did not help get to the root of sin, just pointed sin out. There was no room for change.

Paul also shares that through Jesus dying on the cross he fulfilled the law of sin and death in being the ultimate sacrifice. So now we can walk in newness of life and take a step forward in living a sin free life by walking by the spirit. Romans Chapter 8 explains this in detail. The Spirit of life through Christ Jesus reaches to the root of the issue, which is within our humanity, which is our sinful nature that produces sin in ourselves, but by walking in the Spirit and daily denying to ourselves described in (Matthew 16: 24-26) we can overcome sin.

You go through the process of laying down the old you described as the only man in scripture, why? Because who you were is dead, dying and now you are living unto the Lord through a true relationship with Jesus, forming a connection with him comes with its daily difficulties.

The truth is that I wanted it to be an even kill journey always, good, but within my humanity there is a sinful nature that is centered on wanting to be a slave to sin and death because it is comfortable. Truth be told again I thought it was easier to trust in myself rather than God. I had to realized one thing, it is a relationship and Jesus is not going anywhere.

Things change or changed because I changed. He will never leave or forsake me.

Jesus is not going anywhere, and God is not going anywhere. This is a relationship, which means when there are more downs than ups, he is there saying, “Hold my hand! Keep going!! When there are more ups than downs he is saying, “Hold my hand!!! Keep going!! Go ahead!!”

I wondered why at my church there is an encouragement to keep going, keep moving forward, keep holding onto his promises. It is because it is quite easy to hold onto the things, people, places, situations, and circumstances that easily beset us, lead us astray. Amen, but God will take the smallest spark, light, flicker, and fan it into a flame that will be a fire by night as you walk with him through Jesus. He will take the smallest muster seed and have it move mountains. It does not take much, but the decision to abide, that is where the joy resides. His joy continued and your joy through abiding, obedience, relationship increasing.

That is the joy and the testimony of Jesus Christ. That if he had not come obeyed the father and fulfilled the law of sin and death through his death and crucifixion there would be no change for each of us to have a personal relationship with

God through our personal relationship with Jesus as we live now as new creatures crucified with Christ. That we may now walk in the newness of life through Jesus Christ by the Spirit and in the Sprit, made in his image, and transformed into his likeness, uprooting daily our sinful nature.

The Lord’s not going anywhere, and because of that I can stick it out with him, walk with him...that is the joy restored...

Matthew 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

-Daishaswritings