There is no joy in being demonized. Every unclean spirit produces torment and hopelessness. So, imagine what the power of joy could do for a person’s spiritual and emotional agility, perseverance, and focus! Oh the joys that come with being free!
By leaning into the superpower of God’s joy, the quest for freedom can be a much simpler process. No wonder that Isaiah 61:3 refers to the oil of joy for mourning!
The difference in joy, laughter, and happiness
According to Embark Behavioral Health,
“Happiness is typically a more fleeting emotion, often sparked by a particular moment or event that brings a sense of excitement or exhilaration. Joy, on the other hand, is a more long-lasting state of being, characterized by contentment and satisfaction with life overall.”
Joy doesn’t always feel like happiness, but happiness can be a part of joy.
- Joy can be a choice and is a state of being.
- Happiness can be a choice and is an emotion that comes and goes.
- Laughter can be a physical response to both happiness and joy.
The power of Joy is that itcan stimulate happiness and even laughter.
Joy and laughter as a medicine
My husband has thwarted many arguments by saying something to make me laugh. His effort would transform my sour disposition into a soft and kind woman having a fit of giggles. Screenplay writers often soften suspense or drama by embedding quick wit into their manuscript to lighten the mood.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can:
- Stimulate many organs
- Activate and relieve your stress response
- Sooth tension
The article, Stress relief from laughter? It’s no Joke, states that the long-term effects of laughter could include improving the immune system and relieving pain! Laughter can cause the body to produce its own natural painkillers!
The news that a happy heart can act like a medicine is not new! The writer of Proverbs said this around 3000 years ago:
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. NKJV Proverbs 17:22
The Supernatural Power of Joy
The ability for a believer to have sustained joy is not just a gift. Since God is a God of joy Himself, we can access this beautiful emotion and way of life through Him. Check out the advantages.
- Strength: God’s joy is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10
- Total Joy: In Him, we can have full joy, not just a bit! John 15:11
- Joy comes: Even if we go through tough times, joy is faithful and will refill us again. Psalm 30:5
- Joy in Heaven: Joy is present in heaven. It is not temporal but an eternal emotion and state of being. Luke 15:7 Luke 15:10
- Joy reception: We do not have to respond with doubt or fear. We have the ability to receive good news and information with joy. Matthew 2:10 Matthew 13:20
- Joy can be grown: We can pray for more fruit of the spirit and grow in it. Thankfully, joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God! Galatians 5:22
- Joy can be revived: It is possible to pray for restored joy! Psalm 51:12
The following is a 5-minute blooper that I wasn’t sure I’d ever release to the public. But for this article, I’m uploading it to YouTube. I got tickled at a word mix-up and then could not pull it together. The men in the engineer rooms began laughing with me. For almost 5 minutes, I laughed. Even now, when I think about it, I smile.
How to get the power of joy when you feel blue
I have been asked how I seem to produce a lot of joy. Knowing the joy-giver, I am sure, helps! I have also been told that I don’t understand what it means to feel sad. Sure I do, but our responses most of the time is a choice of what we think, what we say, and what we believe.
I was out with a group of women yesterday when my cell phone had a fatal accident. A group of my friends had bought that expensive phone for me, so I was in a bit of shock as I held the crushed device in my hands.
Sad? Yes. Disappointing? Absolutely? Earth-shattering? Not even close. Worth losing my joy over? No way. One of the women remarked that I seemed to be handling it well. I said, “Actually, I’m a bit in shock, but I know it could be worse.” I wasn’t saying that to comfort myself, it was true.
Here’s a snapshot of my last four days:
- My father had surgery.
- My vehicle had to have a surprise $900 worth of repairs
- My father had to return to the hospital with internal bleeding and infection.
- My daughter took my husband to the hospital to diagnose extreme pain in his abdomen.
- My one-year-old nephew was rushed to the hospital with fever and internal bleeding
- My newborn niece had to return to the hospital for tests due to janky bloodwork.
- I smashed my iPhone into smithereens.
- I vehicle broke again. I took it to a new person and there was no evidence the $900 worth of repairs had been done! The new quote for repair is staggering.
Sure, I’ve been emotional at times, but it’s not touching my joy. How could we have a lasting and deep joy that stabilizes us when the world is spinning out of control? First of all, sadness is not proof that joy isn’t working—it’s amazing work! We can’t really be happy and sad, but we can have joy and be sad.
Handy Tips
Here are some tips on how to produce the kind of joy that strengthens us in our weaknesses:
- Staying in His presence. Psalm 16:11
- Joy is connected to sound! Make a sound! Joy can be a result of joy or initial joy. Release a sound of thanksgiving and praise to flow in joy. Psalm 5:11 Psalm 33:3 Psalm 51:8 Proverbs 15:23 Isaiah 52:9
- Dance or move! The people of Israel rejoiced in the Lord. They sang, danced, and played instruments with joy! 1 Samuel 18:6 Note: You may not want to dance and move during traumatic events. However, you can go into a private place of prayer and give God all of the pain. You can then remind yourself of His goodness and even dance before Him with gladness. The gladness isn’t because you’re glad of the pain but for His mercy and goodness. This can produce a tremendous amount of tangible joy.
- Make the choice! Like love, joy can be a choice. We can encourage our souls to remember the joyfulness of God’s provision. Isaiah 61:10 Acts 20:24
- Know that Joy is God’s Will! It is His will for us to get to experience His character. John 16:24 Acts 13:52 Jude 1:24
Some feel less authentic when they have to do things that help produce laughter. I have to say that when I cannot seem to get over a case of melancholy, I will purposely watch or remember something that makes me laugh. The response to laughing can change my mood, and strengthen my resolve to rest in joy.
The Power of Joy in the Ministry of Deliverance
One of the most important aspects of a person walking in freedom is learning how to shun old coping mechanisms and learn Godly ways to process trauma or difficult emotions. In my experience, those seeking freedom often feel shame, torment, guilt, and a lack of peace. While we cannot make a person be happy or receive joy, we can model it, and point the direction to where they may obtain joy.
Many do not realize that what they need is the power of joy to walk out our salvation, healing, and deliverance. Many subtitue joy with other things, not know that what they are looking will heal their souls. While joy is a strength we can turn to when our soul needs healing, many turn to:
- False comforts such as: drugs, alcohol, food, sex, shopping, etc.
- Escape: Hide, run, shove emotions down, or ignore, thinking it will all go away
- Blame, shame, and guilt
- Anger, rage, or even violence
After considering just a few ways to cope with sadness, trauma, or disappointment, isn’t leaning into joy a better option? What if we could choose to trust in God, lean into the power of joy, and let it do the work God intended to do?
Praying in Joy
As a minister, one of the prayers I begin praying for those going through deliverance is that they would experience and know the joy of the Lord. One of the markers of someone being set free is that joy and peace erupt.
In Acts 8:7-8, we see that not only were those healed and set free full of joy, but there was great joy in the city! The power of joy is that it not only helps us as we are set free, but it is a by-product of the freedom itself.
“ For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.” NKJV
Acts 8:7-8,
The power of joy is contagious! When a person gets to experience its healing properties, and the strength it lends to a person, it is a light for others to behold the beautiful work of healing and wholeness that is the ministry of Jesus Christ. Going after Jesus is going after joy!
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. NKJV Luke 2:10
