EXPRESS JOY

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms (James 5:13).

   Imagine  that  someone  got  the  news  that  a  kind person left  him an estate worth a hundred million dollars;  how  do  you  think  he’d  receive  the  news?  I’m most  certain  he  won’t  receive  it  with  a  listless  “Thank you.”  He’ll  express  much  joy  for  what  he  received. Likewise,  when  you  pray  about  a  situation,  maybe  a health  condition,  and  you  believe  God  answered  you, act like it. Express joy!
   One day many years ago, I was leading the church service  and  had  invited  everyone  to  come  forward  for prayer.  They  all  came  around  the  altar  and  prayed. After  the  prayer,  they  returned  to  their  seats  as  though they  had  just  been  whipped,  and  the  Lord  said  to me,  “They  didn’t  receive  answers  to  their  prayer.” He  didn’t  say,  “I  didn’t  answer  them,”  because  He always  answers  when  we  pray.  But  they  didn’t  receive because  they  didn’t  act  like  people  who  had  received answers to what they prayed about.
   There  have  been  people  who  received  healing  or other  miracles  in  a  meeting,  and  just  as  they  turned to  leave  the  venue,  everything  returned  to  what  it was  before.  They  lost  the  healing.  Their  healing  was a  sign;  God  had  given  them  attention,  and  got  their attention,  but  expected  them  to  further  act  their  faith. He  wanted  them  to  rejoice,  testify,  and  be  glad  about what  already  happened,  and  thus  keep  their  miracle, but they didn’t.
   Many  people  don’t  know  that  their  expressions are  a  message.  Faith  is  expressed  in  words  and  in actions.  If  your  words  and  actions  don’t  demonstrate your  faith,  then  there’s  no  faith.  Every  time  people received  something  from  the  Lord  in  the  Bible,  they demonstrated  it  in  their  joy,  and  their  blessing  was sustained.  Some  actually  received  more  as  a  result  of their  joyful  testimonies  and  gratitude;  an  example  is the leper in Luke 17:11-19.
   The Bible  says  faith  without  works—corresponding action—is  dead.  If  you  accept  what  God  has  said  about you, you’ve got to act like it.

Prayer
I  thank  you  Precious  Father,  for making  my  life  a  bundle  of  joy and happiness, and a testimony of your  goodness.  I  go  forth  in  your glory  today,  in  righteousness, peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

further  study:
Philippians 4:4; 1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalm 27:6