Real Joy
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that He cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with joy in every step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to episode number 53 of Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. We are beginning our second year and we wanted to spend some time digging in to the topic of joy. Yes, joy. In the epistle to the Galatians written by the Apostle Paul, joy is listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Sarita Bernadette:It's in Galatians five twenty two. It reads, By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There is no law against such things. Here, Paul lists for us the nine observable observable virtues that the Holy Spirit cultivates in a person's life. Meaning, these traits are produced in believers when they are filled with the spirit of the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:The book of Psalms features a number of songs of joy. They encourage us to shout praises to the Lord in joy and also to command our souls to be joyful even in times of sorrow. Psalm sixteen eleven. You show me the path of life in your presence there is fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Sarita Bernadette:King David testifies that God shows us the right way to live our best lives. He goes on to say that true and lasting joy is found in His presence. Remember, in Scripture, the right hand represents strength, favor, and honor. It indicates an everlasting protected place of blessing. There is great joy in the presence of the Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:Have you heard the expression, this joy I have, the world didn't give it and the world can't take it away? I know I've heard it many times in church, I've heard my older relatives say it, Yes, this joy I have, the world didn't give it and the world can't take it away. Think about a time when you've experienced real joy, not the temporary kind. I'm I'm not talking about happiness that is predicated on your situation at the moment. That type of joy is fleeting.
Sarita Bernadette:That joy dissipates when your circumstances change. I'm talking about a sense of deep rooted satisfaction that lasts over time and can be revisited often because it's spiritual in nature. You know, that joy that comes from deep down in your heart someplace way deep down. So personal story. When I was 27 years old and newly married, we found out we were expecting our son.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, honestly, I was completely caught by surprise. But I tell you, when that baby boy arrived, I was thrilled. The joy that I felt came straight out of heaven. I recently watched some old footage of my son when he was just learning to walk and you can hear the joy just oozing from my husband's voice and mine as we recorded these endless hours of him trying to walk. I mean, we recorded every move he made for that stage in his life.
Sarita Bernadette:I still feel that same joy whenever I see him. In the Bible, the story of Abraham and Sarah is one that came up as I thought about those old videos. And it's it's one that shows us how the Lord can bring us joy through blessings when we least expect them. In the twenty first chapter of Genesis, verses one through three, and then six and seven, we read, The Lord dealt with Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Sarita Bernadette:Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son, whom Sarah bore him. Now Sarah said, God has brought laughter for me Everyone who hears will laugh with me. And she said, Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, yet I have borne him a son in his old age. Isaac's name means laughter. Sarah was full of joy at the unexpected and long awaited blessing of her son Isaac.
Sarita Bernadette:She was not only happy after finally welcoming the child she desperately wanted, but deep, deep joy she experienced in that moment and it came from recognizing that God's timing was best. Beloved, rarely does life turn out the way we imagine it. So watch for the hidden blessings, for they will surely come. Perhaps it's through a surprise gift you've been given or some kind of connection or experience, but it also may simply just come by recognizing God in all that surrounds us. Sarah may have moved on from her desire to have children.
Sarita Bernadette:I mean, she she probably thought it would never happen. She could have just gone on with her life and forgotten about it. But when the blessing showed up, Sarah received it with joy. Speaking of unexpected blessings, this past weekend I experienced several waves of genuine joy and there there isn't enough time to tell it all in this episode. One experience in particular happened when I had the privilege of attending the baby shower of a close family friend.
Sarita Bernadette:There's something so special about watching those we love grow in Christ and live their lives as witnesses of His power and His grace. There's something really special about the family that God chooses for us. Yes, we have blood relatives, but then there's this family that God curates for us and chooses for us. And it's just beautiful to be in fellowship with them and in their company. As we fellowship with one another at this baby shower, you could sense the love of God resting on the house where we gathered and at the request of the expectant parents, those of us in attendance began covering them in prayer and words of encouragement.
Sarita Bernadette:It just gives me goosebumps right now as I'm telling you about it and I can hardly express what the atmosphere was like in the room as this was happening. The space was saturated with the presence of God. As each believer spoke up to pray or share a word of Scripture all of the others fell into agreement with what was being said. Beloved, I tell you I will never forget the experience. I left that house soaked in the love of God and so full of joy, real genuine joy.
Sarita Bernadette:And trust me, the new baby is coming into this world covered in prayer. Psalm 90 two:four reads, For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work at the works of Your hands I sing for joy. Here David reminds us about recognizing and meditating on the wonderful things God has created and what He has done. He says doing so brings deep spiritual joy. The word glad in Hebrew is somach.
Sarita Bernadette:It implies a deep bubbling up joy. I love that bubbling up joy. Further it means to brighten, to cheer up, or to make glad. Recalling the Lord's mighty acts not only gladdens our hearts, but it boosts our confidence in Him. Side note: There is a difference between joy and happiness.
Sarita Bernadette:I won't get too deep with this because I believe many of us have an understanding of the difference but just as a reminder happiness is defined as a broad emotional and cognitive state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment. Happiness is what you feel when something good happens to you. It's based on external factors. Joy is a deeper sustainable state of being a state of being rather rooted in gratitude and internal contentment. Joy is something you have whether you're in the valley or on the mountaintop.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, real joy, deep joy is not dependent upon circumstances. The kind of joy we're talking about today can be experienced even in the midst of trouble. James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to the early Jewish Christians who were living across the Roman Empire and in it he encourages the people to maintain their faith as they endured hardships. James one:two-four. My brothers and sisters wherever you face various trials consider it all joy because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance complete its work so that you may be complete and whole lacking in nothing.
Sarita Bernadette:Here's the message version. Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way.
Sarita Bernadette:James is urging believers to count it all joy when you meet trials because they build resilience. That message translation says to consider it a gift when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. Whew, talk about a paradigm shift. He says, trials strengthen faith and spiritual stamina. A popular passage from Psalm thirty:five reads, For his anger is but for a moment, but his favor is for a lifetime.
Sarita Bernadette:Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Beloved, trouble is temporal. God's favor is eternal. One Peter one:eight-nine, Although you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Sarita Bernadette:The ultimate source of joy is the good news of Jesus Christ. It's the gospel, which is that good news that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again for our salvation. There's a song written by J. Wilbert Chapman. It was written way back in 1910 and it's called One Day.
Sarita Bernadette:You may not be familiar with this song but Donnie McClurkin included the chorus in a medley that was released back in 1997. You may be familiar with it. It captures the joy of the gospel succinctly. The chorus goes like this, Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away, Rising, He justified, freed me forever. One day He's coming back.
Sarita Bernadette:Glorious day. There is great joy in the anticipation of eternal life, Knowing that Christ loves us, that He came to secure our salvation, and that we have hope in Him is the cornerstone of true joy. Life can get tough, but the gospel stands. Having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is precious and that alone brings both peace and joy as we make our way through this earthly life. Beloved, I want you to tune in for the next episode because we're going to continue to explore this topic a bit more.
Sarita Bernadette:I admonish you to choose joy today. Choose joy. Romans fifteen thirteen May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me.
Sarita Bernadette:Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and do give us a follow there. Also check out our website at joyineverystep.org. We'll see you next time.
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