Defiant JOY!

For any of you bloggers out there that have done Beth Moore's study Living Beyond Yourself, you are familiar with this term.  Defiant Joy = Joy that defies circumstances.  This is where I am!  How grateful I am for my God, who allows me to wrestle but lovingly brings me back where I need to be!!!  How grateful I am for my God who ordains my path in such a way that the bible study I am doing (and started WEEKS ago) is exactly what I need to hear the day I do it and the sermons I am listening to speak directly to my heart!!  What a great and loving God we serve!!!!  

God reminded me this week through Luke that all I ever have to rejoice in is that my name is written in heaven.  No matter what my circumstances, MY name is written in the book of life and can never be taken out......that alone is enough for defiant joy!!!  

I have also learned that there is great joy which comes from the discovery of our Lord and Savior in every circumstance where we wish to find him.  Sometimes we learn, as Paul did (phil 4:4) that the presence, purpose, and power of God is best discovered through difficulty.  How encouraging it was to realize that Paul did not discover the strength to "leave" his circumstances; he discovered the strength to stay!  And because he did, many came to Christ!  I had to ask myself....am I willing to look for Him in the midst of this circumstance?  To look past the pain of it and see Him?  Oh my goodness what an amazing discovery that was!!!  Even in the smallest things, He was present!  

Psalm 30:5 says "...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning"!  As Beth Moore put it "JOY cometh!"

Christ is the possessor and giver of TRUE joy.  So, I choose joy.  I choose to remain with Christ and cling to Him and refuse to let my circumstances cause me to leave.

I will exalt you, O Lord,

for you lifted me out of the depths 

and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

O Lord my god, I called to you for help

and you healed me.

O Lord, you brought me up from the grave;

you spared me from going down into the pit. 

Sing to the Lord, you saints of his;

praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and

clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 30:1-5,11