This Blog article is taken from a teaching and prophetic word Graham gave called “A Lifestyle of Joy Keeps Our Heart Fresh” on Brilliant TV.

Today continues from where we left off in Part 1, our previous Blog article.

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Key #2 – Joy and rejoicing are rooted in God’s nature! 

When we look at the fruit of the Spirit, we see His nature on our behalf.  

Joy is who God is! It is the atmosphere of Heaven, and the expression of the kingdom here on earth.

In our hearts, the joy of the Lord is both our particular environment and also the place of our habitation in Him. 

On earth as it is in Heaven is the joyful response that creates favor, expectations and faith in our fellowship with the Three.

Psalm 16:11

“In His presence there is fullness of joy!”

 

1 John 4:17

“As He is, so are we in this world.”

 

Romans 14:17

“The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” 

If joy is who God is then it is also who we are in Him! That is what we practice; receiving His joy in us and giving it back to Him in trust.

Rejoicing is our response to God’s nature and the fact that His life in us is all about His joy being real to us, so that our response delights Him.

Joy is the express means of our being delighted to be included in Christ and also to be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

 

THREE+ME means that I have access to a joy that is 300% more powerful than any negative thing raised against me.

John 15:11

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.” 

This is a fabulous promise that we must stand upon and inherit joy now, today! 

God speaks to put a smile on our face and to fill our heart with fullness of joy. Take His joy for granted. 

Jesus’ prayer in John 17:3

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ, who You have sent.” 

There are implications for God in every truth He gives us. He must follow through on His word to us. 

He loves giving us that certainty. 

So, this is how we can think about this as God’s new creation in Christ…if the joy of the Lord is the atmosphere of Heaven, then the environment on earth must reflect that!

Psalm 96:11

“Let the Heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice.” 

Joy is the expression of who Jesus is in you and therefore the response to who you are in Him. 

I love this truth that rejoicing is the earthly manifestation of the Kingdom.

  • It is vital to our growth and development that we allow the Holy Spirit to develop our internal atmosphere of celebration. 
  • Rejoicing is not only a great way of living with God, it has astonishing implications for how we walk with Him. 
  • Rejoicing makes the presence of God tangibly near, it reduces anxiety to nothing, empowers prayer that is heard in Heaven…

it creates an enormously powerful peace that guards our heart and mind in Christ Jesus

This is all part of Philippians 4:4-7, this can be part of your learning and permission in your assignment; to read it, study it, understand and practice the presence that God is releasing to you.

Our experience of the attributes of God are totally dependent on how we perceive His nature.

Joy is one of the signs that we are processing life well in our fellowship with God.

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Check in for our next Blog article, which will be the last part of this teaching included here, “Refreshing Joy as a Lifestyle – Part 3.”