Joy Is Coming: Your Strength in Trials
In this powerful message, part two of the ‘Joy Is Coming’ series, the preacher unpacks the difference between fleeting happiness and the deep, abiding joy that comes only from God. Drawing from the story of David at Ziklag and other scriptures, the message encourages believers to encourage themselves in the Lord, release bitterness and disappointment, and choose joy regardless of circumstance. Listeners are reminded that no matter what trials they face, the joy of the Lord is their strength and restoration is on the way.
Overview
In this second installment of "Joy Is Coming," the preacher distinguishes joy from happiness — happiness being a fleeting response to circumstances ("happenings"), while joy is an inner gladness rooted in God that is a fruit of the Spirit, independent of what is happening around us. Using David's crisis at Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:1-6) as the central text, the message teaches that joy is not automatic but a decision — one must actively "encourage" oneself in the Lord when circumstances, loss, and grief threaten to drain all strength. The sermon closes by outlining three progressive levels of joy (in expectation, after restoration, and regardless of circumstance) and calls believers to release bitterness, choose joy daily, and trust that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Key Scripture Passages
- 1 Samuel 30:1-6 — David returns to Ziklag to find it burned, his family and his men's families taken captive; the people weep until they have no strength, then David "encouraged himself in the LORD his God."
- Hebrews 12:2 — Jesus, "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame," modeling joy-empowered endurance.
- Psalm 30:5 — "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" — God's anger (and our sorrow) is momentary compared to His enduring favor.
- Psalm 126:2 — "Then was our mouth filled with laughter... the LORD hath done great things for them" — the joy that follows restoration.
- Habakkuk 3:17-18 (referenced alongside Hab. 3:18 directly) — "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation," joy that holds even when every visible blessing (fig tree, flocks, herds) is absent.
- Acts 16:22-26 — Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, pray and sing praises at midnight; an earthquake shakes the prison and looses everyone's bonds — joy regardless of circumstance breaking literal chains.
- 1 John 1:9 (alluded to) — confession and God's faithfulness to forgive, cited as reason we need not fear His anger enduring.
Sermon Outline
- Joy vs. Happiness (recap from Part 1)
- Happiness depends on "happenings" — circumstances, gifts, achievements — and fades once the novelty wears off (illustrated by the preacher's excitement over a new car).
- Joy is defined as "an inner gladness rooted in God, regardless of your circumstances."
- Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), not an emotional high or a manifestation of the Spirit's power like tongues — it is cultivated character, not a spontaneous experience.
- Jesus as the Model of Joy-Empowered Endurance (Hebrews 12:2)
- Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before him" — joy that looked past present suffering to future glory.
- Believers likewise must fix their eyes on Jesus, not on other people or their own strength, when enduring their own "cross" (illness, unanswered prayer, family estrangement).
- Testimony requires testing: "without a test there is no testimony."
- David's Crisis at Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:1-6)
- David and his men return from battle to find Ziklag burned and their families taken captive by the Amalekites.
- They "wept until they had no more power to weep" — grief and bitterness drain strength; the enemy's true target is not possessions but strength and vision.
- David faced a double crisis: his own wives were captured, and his own men spoke of stoning him.
- David's turning point: "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" — a deliberate act of self-encouragement through the Word, not through people.
- Joy Is a Decision
- Because joy is a fruit of the Spirit, walking in it is a choice, not a feeling that happens to you.
- Bitterness can be generational ("passed on from grandmother to mother to daughter") but can be broken.
- Unresolved bitterness is linked (pastorally, not clinically) to physical sickness, including cancer, through the toll of the emotions/hormones it produces.
- Don't let circumstances control your joy — surrender the person, situation, or disappointment to God.
- Three Levels of Joy
- Joy in expectation (Psalm 30:5) — joy that anticipates what is coming, like a pregnant woman awaiting birth or a strong interview candidate awaiting an offer.
- Joy after restoration (Psalm 126:2) — the laughter and testimony that follow God restoring "the years the locust hath eaten."
- Joy regardless of circumstances (Habakkuk 3:18; Acts 16:22-26) — the highest level, exemplified by Paul and Silas singing in prison at midnight, and by Jesus asleep in the storm-tossed boat.
- Practical Release and Closing Charge
- A call to stop taking on authority/burdens God never gave us over other people ("he did not give us authority over people," only over creation).
- A call to release bitterness, disappointment, and shame in an act of prayer/declaration, and to "pick up joy" as a daily garment.
- Closing corporate prayer surrendering trials to God and asking Him to plant joy in the congregation's hearts.
Theological Insights
- Joy as fruit, not feeling: Galatians 5:22-23 lists joy among the fruit of the Spirit, meaning it is cultivated over time through abiding in Christ (John 15:4-5), distinguishing it from an emotional gift or momentary manifestation.
- Suffering with purpose: The sermon's Christology echoes Hebrews 12:2-3 — Jesus' endurance was not stoic indifference but joy-anchored hope in what lay beyond the cross (resurrection and exaltation, "sat down at the right hand of the throne of God").
- Self-encouragement as a spiritual discipline: David's act in 1 Samuel 30:6 is a rare biblical picture of reflexive faith — actively strengthening one's own soul in God when no human comfort is available, paralleling Psalm 42:5, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?"
- Corporate lament and its limits: The men's weeping "until they had no more power to weep" reflects the biblical honesty about grief (cf. Job's mourning), yet the narrative pivots toward action once David re-anchors in God — grief is not condemned, but it is not the resting place.
- Sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-9): Referenced to explain why good done to one person may be "repaid" by God through someone else entirely — countering the bitterness that comes from expecting reciprocity from the same person we blessed.
- God's momentary anger versus enduring favor: Psalm 30:5 sets divine discipline/anger in stark proportion to God's steadfast love (chesed), reinforcing assurance of forgiveness (1 John 1:9) rather than fear of lasting rejection.
- Sovereignty amid unanswered prayer: The sermon holds together God's goodness with the reality that some prayers (healing, children, a phone call from an estranged child) go unanswered in this life — joy is framed as trust in God's character, not a guarantee of desired outcomes (Romans 8:28, alluded to via "all things work together for good").
- Human authority limited to creation, not people: An allusion to Genesis 1:26-28 (dominion over fish, fowl, and every living thing) is used pastorally to argue believers are not given authority to control other people's choices or relationships with God — only to pray and release.
Word & Context Study
- Ziklag: A Philistine border town given to David by King Achish of Gath (1 Samuel 27:6) while David lived among the Philistines fleeing Saul. Its destruction by Amalekite raiders while David's army was away fighting alongside (then dismissed by) the Philistines represents the loss of the only safe base David had — the attack came precisely when David's men were most exposed and exhausted.
- Amalekites: A nomadic raiding people long in conflict with Israel since the Exodus (Exodus 17:8-16); their raid on Ziklag is one of several biblical episodes portraying them as opportunistic plunderers, fitting the sermon's point that "the enemy" attacks even those who have little left to lose.
- "Encouraged himself" (Hebrew: chazaq, "to strengthen, make firm"): The phrase in 1 Samuel 30:6 conveys David actively fortifying his own inner resolve in God — the same root used for "be strong and of good courage" (Joshua 1:6-9), underscoring that biblical encouragement is often a deliberate, willed act rather than a passive feeling that arrives.
- Fruit of the Spirit (Greek: karpos): In Galatians 5:22, "fruit" is singular, suggesting joy is one facet of a single, integrated Spirit-formed character rather than an isolated gift — supporting the sermon's claim that joy must be grown and chosen, not simply received in a moment.
Application
- When loss or betrayal hits, name it honestly (weep if you must) but don't stay there — deliberately "encourage yourself in the Lord" through Scripture and prayer, as David did.
- Treat joy as a daily decision: choose to forgive, release offense, and "walk in joy" even when feelings haven't caught up.
- Identify and interrupt inherited patterns of bitterness in your family line rather than passing them to the next generation.
- Stop expecting reciprocity from the exact people you bless; trust the broader principle of sowing and reaping.
- Guard your household's emotional atmosphere — what you speak over your family in hard moments (scarcity, fear, sadness) shapes the spiritual climate of the home.
- Release control over outcomes you were never given authority over (other people's choices, timing, relationships with God); pray for them and let go.
- In prolonged waiting or unanswered prayer, practice praise "while waiting," not only after breakthrough — like Paul and Silas singing in prison.
Reflection & Discussion Questions
- How would you explain, in your own words, the difference between happiness and joy as defined in this message? Can you recall a recent example of each in your own life?
- David "encouraged himself in the LORD his God" when no one else could comfort him and his own men wanted to stone him. What does practical, personal self-encouragement in God look like for you today?
- The sermon claims that grief and bitterness can drain the very strength needed to receive vision or accomplish God's purposes. Where in your life might unresolved grief or bitterness be costing you more than you realize?
- Of the three levels of joy — expectation, restoration, and joy regardless of circumstances — which do you find easiest, and which is hardest for you to walk in right now? Why?
- Paul and Silas sang praises at midnight while imprisoned and beaten. What would it look like to "praise God anyhow" in your current circumstance, before anything visibly changes?
- The message warns against taking on authority over other people's choices or relationships with God. Is there a relationship or outcome you've been trying to control that you need to surrender in prayer instead?
Conclusion
At its heart, this message calls believers to stop waiting for circumstances to hand them joy and instead to actively choose it — following David's example of self-encouragement in the darkest moment of his life, and Jesus' example of enduring the cross for joy set before Him. Whether joy comes through expectation, restoration, or steadfast trust amid unchanged circumstances, the central declaration remains the same: weeping may last for a night, but joy is coming in the morning, and the joy of the Lord is the strength that carries believers through every trial.
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Full transcript — tap a timestamp to jump in the video.
they will be delivered amen hallelujah so i just want everyone take your bible your pen your paper
we started our series on joy is coming today i'm going to just go to part two of joy is coming
hallelujah oh you are not shouting joy is coming amen hallelujah part two of joy is coming
so last week we learned something and i know a lot of people when those that called me when they
were excited about it the message said apostle i'm so glad you explained the difference between
joy and happiness amen hallelujah so happiness we learned last week that is what when things are
happening somebody received their paycheck and they become what happy that is what what happenings
amen so there is different between happenings and joy okay you get a good report you are happy it's
happenings oh somebody just give you one million dollars right now how many of us know we are going
to be happy hallelujah that is happenings because something happened amen somebody is looking for a
baby they got pregnant they are happy it's happenings but i need to tell you that that is not joy
do you know that that happens sometimes for a moment there's a powerful man of god god the word
of god calls him a man of wisdom and he explained that one day he said he looked at everything and
he said vanity is vanity all is vanity how many of us have received something that we're so excited
and now when we see we're not excited anymore hallelujah i remember the first time i bought
i bought my license i actually told everyone pastor mary asked if you sit in this car you pay
20 dollars pastor terry 50 dollars i gave everybody hallelujah but today when you go in that car praise
the lord hallelujah and i even told them nobody is in my car because why it made me happy but have
you noticed the happiness after a moment it's oh it changes right the feelings begin to leave
because then that happiness it was concentrated on that thing that you received hallelujah but
when we come to joy since the only person that can give you joy is god amen because joy is something
that has nothing to do with your circumstance whether i have money i have joy whether because
it's a gift of the holy spirit holy is a it's a fruit of the spirit and it gives you something
where it's called joy and that joy when it comes to you and trouble can be happening around you
everybody can look at your situation and say if i were here i would die but you because you have
the joy of the lord in you that thing is not shaking you it's not doing anything because god
himself has clothed you with this joy so i just want to define joy because last week i realized
that i did not define joy let's do if you are taking no joy it's an inner gladness rooted in god
regardless of your circumstances an inner gladness rooted in god hallelujah an inner god rooted in
god it means that no it's not about what you have it's not about what is happening it's not about
what somebody is giving you it's not about the experience you are having you could you could be
going through challenges you could be going through failure you could be going through disappointment
but you have some inner gladness that nobody can give you but god that is joy hallelujah
that thing that nobody can give you you yourself sometimes you can't even explain it when somebody
ah why you you are laughing this thing is going on you are smiling but if it somebody else they commit suicide but god has embraced you with some kind of peace some inner gladness that you are able to go through it And that thing I need to tell somebody that that joy is the fruit of the Spirit
Hallelujah.
Nobody can give it to you.
It's a fruit of the Spirit.
Hallelujah.
And I want us to look at Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2.
Because Jesus is an example of endurance that has joy.
Amen.
jesus went through so much but while he was going through it he went through with joy
he boosted the 12 verse 2 let's read it together what is he saying what looking unto our jesus
the author and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross despising the shame and they sat down at the right hand of the throne of god
the author or our beginner amen so instead of us we are looking up to who jesus says when we are
going through trials when you are going through tribulations the other that was telling you that
if listen somebody can be in the house of the lord looking for a child of god looking for a
baby a foot of the womb that doesn't mean they'll get it you know that some people die not receiving
that baby that they wanted yeah does that mean that god is not god he's still god you gotta find
your confidence you have to find your solace you gotta have your peace when you are you put your
heart you put your eyes looking on to jesus the altar and the finisher of our faith hallelujah
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross so i said since i need to tell you that
there is some areas in our life that you have to endure the cross you endure the pain but while
you are enduring this pain and during the disappointment and during the shame you better
look you can't look onto anybody you can't even look at me who you have to look onto jesus the
author and the finisher of our faith this you know i met this man last week and he was just telling me
how he he came to united states working hard making sure that his children will go to college
making sure that they will finish he said their last semester all two boys one came to school in
pennsylvania one went to school in maryland that was the man's last phone call after now for five
years no call for many of his children and they are working doing good getting money get him it's
not like he even wants money from them just to get a phone call and say how are you doing papa
this man did not get it so somebody am i i'm asking you at that point are you going to commit suicide
no you have to look up to what jesus the altar and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that
was set before him endured what the cross maybe you are listening to me i don't know which cross
that you are enduring maybe your cross might be infirmity that you have been praying and crying
out unto the lord father heal me maybe sometimes you have read every scripture from genesis to
revelation you have already underlined every scripture of healing and you have not received
that healing but i need to tell you that you still have to have that fruit of joy amen that
confidence that you have and during that knowing that what what when you are able to despise the
shame jesus what was set down at the right hand of the throne of god amen because since i'm telling
you after you endure there is something that you received after endurance i need to tell somebody
that anybody that has a testimony means that they passed a test without a test or somebody tell to
neighbor without a test there is no testimony oh turn to somebody without a test there is what no
testimony hallelujah without a test there's no testimony and this life as a child of god some
people think that you know when you receive jesus christ that your life is just oh from a to z i
get up in the morning oh i love those i said and i met my boys and my you will have a shocking life
hallelujah you will have a shocking life that doesn't that's not how life is
hallelujah life is sometimes you go down and you come up sometimes things are good sometimes things
are not what you want but one thing that you know you have to look up to jesus oh somebody the author
and the finisher of our faith hallelujah i want us to look at the word of god and go to first
samuel chapter 30 verse 1 to 6 because we yesterday last week we ended up with habakkuk
and habakkuk begin to say that when i get it i am happy when i'm disappointed i am happy when i
when the fig trees blossom i'm okay when it doesn't blossom i am okay when i get a promotion i am okay
when i don't get a promotion i am okay when i marry i am okay when i don't marry i am okay
When I have children, I am okay.
When I don't have children, I am okay.
See, I'm telling you that that is the life of a believer.
Putting it in your heart that all things will work together for my good.
If you don't have that character as a child of God, you'll be so disappointed.
Because you are expecting that everything should be handed over to you in a silver platter.
But it doesn't go like that in life.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
Hallelujah.
So now, let us go.
First, Psalm 4, chapter 30, verse 1 to 6.
It says that,
and it came to pass when david and his men were come to ziklag on the third day that the amalachis
had invaded the south and ziklag and smitten ziklag and burned it with fire and had taken the women
captives that were therein they slew not any either great or small but carried them away and went on
their way so david and his men came to the city and behold it was burned with fire and their wives
and their sons and their daughters were taken captives then david and the people that were with
him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep i don't know about somebody
before we continue listen the word of god is saying that they found themselves their stuff burned
if you look at the story of job job found himself with what without anything
but the word of god says that he was the most powerful man in the east go to the book the book
of job he was the most powerful man one day he woke up and it was stories of doom stories of doom
stories of doom but one thing that job did he never forsook his god hallelujah listen paul
on silence look at this situation with uh with david and his men he said they found themselves
he said they came and things were burned sometimes you know that you don't even have too much for the
enemy to attack you the little that you have he's coming after him he said they burned everything
and they came and they took their wives and they took their children but look at what then david
and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep
do you know why the word of god says that the joy of the lord is your strength because anything that
will cause you to weep will take your strength and when the enemy is up it's something that
attack it's not really the car that the enemy wants i need to tell somebody it's not that your
children that the enemy wants it's not your finances you know what i want to get you to
a place where you have no strength to bring because then you can't you get to a place where you are
like bitter and you know that bitterness you know this uh this week last week i was dealing with
bitterness i said bitterness open the door for sickness to enter our bodies because sometimes
you know that you can go through some things that that thing all you do is go through demonic record
the enemy when you get up in the morning i can't believe my child did this i can't believe my
husband did this i can't believe oh my god oh and then the enemy can even bring it to church
i can't believe the members i can't believe my job i can't believe my finances what is the enemy
doing the enemy is actually destroying the strength that god has given you until he can
and get to a place where you are helpless you have no strength so some of these attacks since you
have to make it a point so to walk in joys somebody write this is in your note it's a decision
to walk in joy it's not something that it's a decision you have to decide to walk in joy oh
hallelujah because it is a fruit of what the spirit it is not the holy spirit coming upon you
and you are praying in tongues you know no it's a fruit that you bear so for you to walk in joy you
yourself how to decide my god this situation that i'm going on with pastor mary is irritating me
but i choose to walk in john i forgive her i hug her i love on her and i move on oh somebody in the
name of jesus if you don't die i'm telling you you will die premature and you still know christ
and when you show up there god is going to be asking you why are you coming too early because
you did not fulfill your assignment and listen do you know sometimes the series of bitterness
is already in our bloodline watch and see sometimes your mother was better your grandmother was better
sometimes your great-grandmother was better and they've passed that bitterness on to next generation
on to next generation on to next generation but somebody i need to tell you that you can break out
of it oh somebody shout i am breaking out oh i need somebody to shout i am breaking out
because why the joy of the lord is yours it's your strength and if you don't have joy you can't do
anything do you know that if you don't have joy you can't think there are things that visions that
god wants to give you but because you don't have joy you can you cannot accomplish it because your
mind is always on dwelling on something that somebody has done against you something that's
supposed to go the what right they went wrong against you but how about we get an attitude and
saying that father my god all things will work together for what oh my god he said what they
cried that until they had no power to weep i don't know about you but i remember being in this place
before now you can go through something that you can weep until you have no power to weep
no strength but i have to tell somebody today that's when the enemy takes your strength you
can't do anything you know hallelujah you show up on the job i'm telling you something happened to
me i cried so much i weep and wept and wept i showed up to the job i remember my secretary
saying to me at the hospital she said miss sister can you take a vacation today she said can you go
home and can you just take a vacation for today and tomorrow and come back the next day she said
i said why she said i could see from your face say sometimes our face can show that thing that we are
are going through hallelujah when i walked out i said no no no no i'm changing this thing i'm
turning this completely around i'm changing this so somebody if you are listening to me you can
turn the whole situation completely around oh to the glory of god in the name of jesus hallelujah
hallelujah he said what until they had no power to let's go to the next verse verse five
uh-huh and david's two wives were taken captive ahinoam the jesraelites and abigail the wife of
nabal the carmelite uh-huh and david was greatly distressed for the people speak of stoning him
because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters
but oh somebody let's read them but what but david encouraged himself in the lord his god
oh somebody turn to your neighbor and say encourage yourself in the lord your god
so that is the time where you can't encourage yourself with sister olivia what you can see you
know you gotta encourage yourself with the word of god maybe your healing is not where you want it
to be and how you gotta take a scripture and say father my god jesus was bruised for my iniquity
he was wounded for my transgression
the utterstignment of my peace is upon him
and by the stripes of Jesus
I have been made whole
because the word of God is the only tangible thing
you can depend on at that time
and not enough because let me tell you something
and in these places you find a place
where you can actually trust God the most
how many of us know that we can
trust people
oh my God
you can trust and trust and trust
thinking that oh listen
last week i met this man the man says pray for me just pray for me he said i did
doubles and doubles and doubles and saved the money and i said i'm buying an acre of land for
my children he said all i did was save that he said i didn't buy anything for myself he said i
took i bought a ticket and took the children they are all grown when they stopped there and they
look at the lungs they look at it and say father who told you we even want to live with each other
and the man was so broken
the man was so broken
but I'm telling you somebody
encourage yourself in the Lord
hallelujah
maybe your marriage is not what marriage you want it to be
hallelujah
I am here to tell you that what
encourage yourself in the Lord
maybe your job
you were the one that was supposed to be promoted
and they gave the promotion to somebody
or somebody do what
encourage yourself in the Lord
you know one area that i think it hits us as christians is when we do good to people we think
the people supposed to do good to us do you know that's not how it works the word of god says see
time and harvest shall never cease whatever you sow you shall surely reap it doesn't mean that when
i bless pastor mary but the mary is the one that's going to bless me no where the harvest will come
i don't know one thing that i know that as long as i believe in the word of god that see time and
harvest i will sow and i will surely reap her in the name of jesus and i believe that that thing
caused a lot of bitterness in the body of christ we think that when we bless somebody the person
is supposed to come and bless us it doesn't go that way you don't know who god is going to use
to bless you hallelujah amen so david did what he encouraged himself in the lord hallelujah
because when you encourage yourself in the word of god you can be able to push that sadness away
You can push that disappointment away.
You can put that failure away.
You can remove that pain.
Oh, somebody said, I encourage myself.
Encourage myself.
Oh, somebody in the Lord.
In the Lord.
Oh, somebody shout, this week I encourage myself.
This week I encourage myself.
In the Lord.
So, you know, Habakkuk said, even when I don't see what I have, I rejoice.
Somebody, can you have that attitude?
All of us.
even when i don't see that my bank account overflowing somebody do what i rejoice hallelujah
if i don't see everything that i want to see my life somebody shout i rejoice oh my god somebody
if i don't see all the blessings i'll be do you know that sometimes you can even pray and pray
and pray and you don't get the answer oh somebody else will pray do you know that somebody will
pray 10 minutes for the same prayer and god will answer that prayer oh who are you getting angry
with oh somebody hallelujah god is the god that chooses to answer this prayer this time that time
over there over there hallelujah he does whatever he wants whatever he wants at whatever time he wants
but one thing that we know he is working everything together for our god in the name of jesus
hallelujah amen so if you don't have that spirit of encouragement you'll be bitter to us a lot of
people. You'll be
so bitter. You'll be a better person.
And I have to tell you that a lot of cancers
came because of bitterness.
Do you know that? Because why?
All the hormones that you are releasing
in your body, it's not good for your health.
But if you can just release that
person, you can release that situation.
Sometimes it's not even a person, a situation.
I tried this business. It didn't work out.
So what? Let me move on.
As long as I'm alive. Oh, somebody.
Oh, somebody. Hallelujah.
As long as I'm alive.
There will be opportunity for me to do that then again.
In the mighty name of Jesus.
Hallelujah.
So write this in your notes.
Don't let your circumstances control your joy.
Let's work on letting our circumstances control our joy.
Because if you allow it, it will serve all your strength.
You can't do anything.
No visions, no dreams, no accomplishment.
Hallelujah.
no visions, no dreams, no accomplishments
and before you know you are
passing by and passing by and passing by
but if we can just let things go
hallelujah
let that brother go, let that sister go
let that situation go
let that marriage surrender everything
unto the Lord, hallelujah
you will get something called joy
and I need to tell somebody that joy is something
that you decide to walk in
hallelujah, you have to download joy
and decide that I am walking in joy
today in the mighty name of
jesus hallelujah so there are three levels of joy number one the joy in expectation there are three
levels of joy number one joy in expectation when we expect something that we are enjoying
i you know when you are pregnant you haven't had the baby but you have joy because you know what
one day in nine months you deliver that baby hallelujah that is joy in expectation when you
go to an interview and the person tells you oh yeah i know i think you are the candidate you don't
have the the job offer already but why you are in joy oh somebody because you know it's what it's
going to happen hallelujah that is what we call what joy in expectation let's look at psalm 30
verse 5. psalm 30 verse 5. hallelujah joy in expectation it said for his anger endured by the
moment in his favor his life weeping may endure for a night by joy cometh in the morning hallelujah
weeping may endure by he said what for his under do you know that says listen the anger of god is
just for a moment that is why me i'm quick to go to him and say father forgive me it doesn't matter
what i have done do you know that everybody can be angry at you but one thing that one person that
that will never be angry at you forever is your god because he has said his only son jesus christ
to die on the calvary cross on our behalf and he said if you confess don't say john one night if i
confess my sins is what he's faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness
hallelujah so that i can only go to the throne of grace oh somebody hallelujah so he's telling
that his anger and your rep but a moment in his favor is what life weeping may endure for a night
but joy commit in the morning i don't know how many of us have gone to bed sleeping and crying
about the situation how many of us and sometimes you know that after you have overcome that thing
you don't even remember that problem anymore it's other people that try to remind you but you
yourself you have already buried that thing oh somebody i need to declare to you today that joy
is coming oh somebody i don't know what circumstance you are crying about but today god said joy is
coming there will be a day where you will not remember that problem anymore oh are you clapping
your hands for jesus there will be a day that you will not remember that disappointment anymore
you will not remember that pain anymore you will not remember that rejection anymore
you will not remember that story anymore because joy commit in the morning hallelujah hallelujah
you can cry oh when we were young and you know we were broken hearted you go and date that guy and
get something called broken hearted hallelujah and you are laying in the back crying as if the
word has come to an end oh somebody you cry and fall asleep then when you wake up you don't
remember that cry anymore somebody you will not remember that cry anymore in this month god is
going to wipe all your tears and you will not remember that disappointment anymore you will
not remember that failure anymore you will not remember that shame anymore because joy is coming
hallelujah hallelujah so expectation brings joy when you expect that that thing that you are doing
it's going to bring something tangible it brings joy number two joy after restoration another level
of joy is joy after you get restored he said i will restore unto you the years now the locals have
eaten the canker worms and the palm worms have eaten when god restores you you enter into another
level of joy hallelujah you enter when you have been waiting and waiting and waiting and nothing
is happening then god oh my god in his own wisdom in his own timing because he said he has time for
he may he has time for everything there is a season and a timing for everything and when the
time of restoration come somebody that is your doorway for joy hallelujah i want us to look at
the word of god in psalm 126 verse 2 hallelujah psalm 126 verse 2. my god let's read it together
Then was our mouth, oh, filled with laughter.
And our tongue was singing.
Then said they among the hidden, the Lord had done great things for them.
Oh, the Lord has done great things for them.
Hallelujah.
When that season comes, somebody, the joy of restoration.
Mama, mama, mama.
Your mouth will be filled with what?
Laughter.
Have God ever done something for you?
you're not even telling anybody but when they see you just as my secretary saw that bitterness in my
face the same way they will see the joy in your face oh somebody hallelujah oh somebody hallelujah this month this month may you go around and just be like this
oh somebody laugh laugh just give me a smile oh smiling is a deliverance for the children of god
ah smiling is a deliverance for the children of god hallelujah when restoration come you smile
hallelujah when disappointment will bring you sadness but i'm here to declare to you that joy
is coming that this month you will smile everywhere you go oh may you show up on the job and you have
a smile oh may you show up in the workplace and you have a smile in that business you have a smile
because joy is coming hallelujah number another third level of joy joy regardless of circumstances
Write it down
Joy
Regardless of circumstances
Joy
Regardless of circumstances
And you know I was asking the Lord
Who demonstrated that kind of joy
Let's look at Acts chapter 16
Verse 22 to 25
Acts chapter 16
Joy and since we need to push
Because you know that's another level of faith
You know where you can smile
minister george and everything is going wrong one day jesus was on his boat with his disciples
they said they got to a place and the wind began to blow they were in a storm and jesus began to
lay there and fall asleep he says can your house be on fire and you go to bed and sleep jesus can
you lose your car and go to bed and sleep my god mama mama can you receive a bad news and go to bed
and fall asleep hallelujah mama mama joy regardless of circumstances my god
habakkuk chapter 3 verse 18 what does he say mama mama let's let's jump before we come back to the
uh chapter 6 let's go to habakkuk chapter 3 verse 18. since it's a level of fatal because faith is
the substance of what things were hopeful and the evidence of what no sin do you know you can get up
in the morning and you can look at your bank account we can't pay we can't pay we can't pay
we can't pay and can you can you smile jesus just as david and his servants they wanted to stone him
to death but david encouraged himself in the lord because david knew that if he were so sometimes
when you're a leader when everybody's sad you can't be sad with them you gotta smile hallelujah
because listen right now well you are in the home with your family there's no food and the children
come home and you are saying oh we are no there's no food you start crying what happens to the
children oh my god that you have opened the door for do you know that we hope something we open
the door for demons to come in and take over and therefore sadness have taken over the whole house
but you the mother when the children come oh there's no food hey hi guess what you want to do
today do you know that they don't forget about that hungry hallelujah oh you guys want water to
drink what do you guys want my god but immediately you open the door you start saying hey today i
don't know what we're going to eat nobody to talk to me what have you done we have opened an atmosphere
of sadness in our home do you know sometimes the trust and the tribulation we all do it we open an
atmosphere do you know we cannot open an atmosphere of sadness my god why now if you are coming to
church you have a problem you have something that you want god to do for you we can come here and
sing god you will not even listen to all the praise and worship from bolivia and you that you
say today they didn't do well because you were sad but if you have joy oh it doesn't matter how
the music goes you are already dancing in your spirit oh somebody hallelujah hallelujah my mama
because the joy of the lord is what it's your strength oh somebody hallelujah now look at
how about i say yet i will rejoice in the lord i will joy in the god of my salvation since that you
know i i tell you that i've come to a place i say if i'm i'm dead how am i what am i what do
everything that i'm looking for if i'm dead what would it be worth anything so you better rejoice
yes hallelujah that situation if you think about it out for 10 years and you die with that thing
what did you get nothing so i'd rather let that thing go and open the door and let god bring me
good things oh somebody hallelujah hallelujah so in us chapter 16 verse 22 to 25 let's go there
hallelujah sometimes we got to praise him while we are waiting do you know that somebody sometimes
we got to praise him what things have not changed sometimes we got to praise him what we don't even
know where he's taking us have you ever been to that place before you don't know where he's going
you don't know you know but you ask you operate in joy it will take you to the next level you know
sometimes i listen to pastor mary and i listen to mama sophie and the master mary and will tell me
when she went to all the things she went to when she was divorced and she said i used to stay with
mama sophie and she said when i'll come home she'll stay in living come home she said i'll just
come in oh sometimes let me tell what some of the things you said and i'll just be like my god
how could you push forward but today once you stay there and keep compressing in enjoy are the
children not finished are they not married and in in yeah oh somebody hallelujah so since let me tell
you something if you allow yourself to die you will never see the future that god has for you
somebody say I will not die
but I will live
to declare
the goodness of the Lord
oh somebody rise up and say I will not die
oh I will live
I will live
somebody my God I will not die
oh if you sit down
listen if you sit down you make
marriage kill you you will die
if you sit down you let your children kill you
you do what you will die
if you sit down and let your coworkers
some people there oh even their coworkers are killing them
you know that but it says when you die it's done oh somebody hallelujah
somebody are you hearing me when you die it's done nobody's working you up
are you when was the last time you see somebody working somebody from the dead
when you die is gone so somebody what somebody say why i live i will praise the lord i will walk in
joy i will praise the lord i will praise the lord i will dance
oh sometimes you yourself take your shower when you get up things are not going your way put some
music on begin to dance ah my god dancer you don't even know what you are doing
oh hallelujah
you should see me on the way to philadelphia
you are dancing to that place because if you don't disappointment will kill you yes oh shame
will kill you yes oh let me tell all of us we are studying everybody has a prayer point you do you
that everybody has something that they want the lord to do for them hallelujah we are all here
do you think everybody you think you are do you know that sometimes what the enemy does it
magnify that problem oh yes make it as if you are the only one that has a problem
but everybody here has a prayer point yes hallelujah everybody has a prayer point it's
it's our attitude towards that prayer point that is the problem so the joy of the lord is my strength
whatever it is i know joy will come in the morning hallelujah oh let's read all this together and
then we go he says and the multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates rent
off their clothes and commanded to do one to beat them this is paul since we we christians these
days we are not going through anything no this is people that trying to preach the message of the
the gospel they asked them to beat them let's go to the next verse uh-huh uh-huh and when they
had laid many stripes upon them they cast them into prison charging the jailer to keep them safely
who have they received such a child stretch them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in
the stuff anytime i read i say i'm already in the prison why do you need to tie my leg too
i'm already in there hallelujah uh-huh and oh somebody and what oh and at midnight
paul and silas prayed and some praises unto god and the prisoners heard them so since in your trial
and tribulation can you sing my god can you sing somebody oh you don't even know what is going on
but can you shout and sing oh you don't even know how you are going to pay your bills that's
what but can you shout and say hallelujah you don't know what the situation is going to be
but god is saying what praise be anyhow oh i will praise you when i'm going through trials i will
praise you when i'm going through this appointment i will praise you when i'm going through failure
because the joy of the lord is my strength hallelujah but let's go to the next verse
mama mama verse 26 let's go next verse
and suddenly you see that there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison
were shaking and immediately all the doors were opened and everybody's balance was loose
so if you can operate enjoying you actually break the shackles of the earth but if you walk in
sadness sorrow and disappointment and say sometimes it's everything that we think in our mind do you
know that sometimes i i think terry came in this boy she came back there she said apostle you know
sometimes the things we are thinking in our mind for people that's not even what they are thinking
that this would be thinking stinking thinking oh she walked this way so i think she has a problem
with me that's not what the person is even thinking of sometimes people are coming in service have
their own problem thinking of the out they might not even have a problem their mind it's all
something else oh they didn't greet me oh they didn't there they did they did oh look how they
chose this person they didn't choose me no no no no sometimes things fall on people do you know
that it's all about god god picks who he wants to do and how he wants to do it nothing listen
you know that we can we can now that we have the website pastor is telling uh uh david apostle
give you uh scriptures for the service it can change in the morning it's true so it has not all
of us it's nothing to do with anything sometimes people are just living their lives sometimes
people are going through their own trust and tribulation sometimes people are facing something
hallelujah turn to your neighbor and say it's not about you everything is not about you
hallelujah but if we can just learn to praise him hallelujah we can just learn to operate in
the joy of the lord hallelujah because joy is the fruit of the spirit hallelujah so somebody say i
will praise him while i'm waiting i will praise him when the answer comes i will praise him after
the victory let's rise up and say this i will praise him while i'm waiting i will praise him
when the answer comes and i will praise him after the victory so i i don't know about somebody
listening to me hallelujah i don't know what you are waiting for sometimes you know sometimes we
can be in haste you have noticed that we don't even enjoy life oh yes you know that because we
want everything to happen in a moment and in an hour and anything that comes our way we are upset
with everybody because we don't want the people are not aligning to everything you know like even
recently the thing that is bothering a lot of pastors is people not coming to church but me i'm
the only one that i'm sleeping on hallelujah because i've come to realize that it's their
relationship with them and their god not me and god hey hallelujah because if you listen if you
let it bother you everything will bother you and that but you have to push yourself to a place of
faith he says i will build my church and the guest he didn't say i will be you will build the church
he said i will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it so a man of
god called me that's true i'm driving i'm getting busy for wedding i'm busy and he's crying you know
it's only two members they are only left with two i said you better wipe your tears
you better wipe your tears the church is not yours if you think the church is yours when you come in
and they don't come you cry but if you see the churches goes i said i've been through your stage
already he said that's what god told me to call you i said go eat your food and go to bed
as the members are eating their own food for you to eat yours and go to bed
say sometimes if you let things bother you it will but everything will bother you hallelujah
because listen everything you know god had to teach me say to your neighbor anything that has
to do with somebody else i don't have that power do you see that's why a lot of people end up in
pastors end up in witchcraft let me go and do this let me go and do that do you know that
because you want that thing to happen now if you don't see this member coming you want to do
ah for them to come listen all those things you don't take care you'll be in witchcraft
god gave us authority over things living things do you know that he said i've given you dominion
over the what the fish in the sea the fowl in the air i've given you dominion over the plants
so you speak lights let lights be but one thing he did not give us authority over people
okay so now when you are past and you don't get to that revelation and you have to come
to that place of revelation you will be a better pastor hallelujah and then some pastors say hey
even the people that are are blessed the other ones now come you know
it's that is their relationship with them and their god your duty as the shepherd is to pray
for them hallelujah when you are walking and you hear their name do what pray for them and you leave
the rest of it to the lord hallelujah you know the you know another pastor said ah right now how
How are we going to handle their finances?
How are they built?
They supply all our needs
according to His riches
in glory by Christ Jesus.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Amen!
Do you know we have a scripture for everything we're going through?
Hallelujah!
And because if it's of the Lord,
what did the word of God say?
It was done.
If right now we are in this beautiful building
and if one day
I know God will always
pay the building but if one day i come in i'm not able to pay who is holding me i just call you
people and say i'll put it on sale i move on hey no wahala no tea hallelujah hallelujah
it's saying something oh somebody can we be free right now oh can somebody be free right now
if you don't think you see something that's the thing that we are thinking about
my god you don't take it you would take medicine and die and if you die the people will be there
do you know that everybody will be living but when do can you come to a place of loving yourself
again love yourself too hallelujah love oh somebody love yourself too hallelujah
oh somebody i remove the garment of pain i remove the garment of stress
and I put on the garment of joy
oh the joy of the Lord is my strength
oh somebody can you dance around a little bit for me
just dance around, just dance around, just dance around, just dance around
just dance around, hallelujah, oh dance around
my God, hallelujah, let me tell
something, I remember those days, I'm like hey, when we become rich
what are we eating today what are you eating today what are we eating today what are we eating
today what are we we can do what are we eating until i get to the door then i'm standing there
and i said if i put that gallery in the put some water on the gallery put it in the microwave and
heated up that's you and my soup and i'm done but when we were when we didn't have anything
we thought we would be ah you see how we burn ourselves about many things
i remember when i first got my first rm picture and i put it in the mirror and i said jesus
sister i have come today today sometimes i will be asking oh was it paid period this week
they'll say yes i was paid this week i don't even remember we got paid since we bother ourselves
about so many things but can we be free right now oh somebody do you know this is therapy for all of
us can we be free right now i let it go everything that is holding me back somebody lift up your two
hands i let it go oh i release it i let it go everything that is making me cry i let it go
anything that is making me disappointed i let it go anything that is bringing me shame and
reproach and disappointment i let it go and father my god i pick up the joy because the joy of the
lord is my strength in the name of the father the son and that of the holy spirit and so father i
just stand before your throne i come on behalf of the people of grace international because sometimes
father we can have many trials and tribulations sometimes our minds will be going fire and going
all over the place father my god thinking of things that are not necessary for our joy so
father i just come pleading on our behalf now father any sadness in any area of our life now
father just as you said is the fruit the joy is a food now father you will lift it up and plant
joy in our hearts in the name of jesus father thank you oh god and the joy of the lord is our
strength the father today the supernatural strength of god will rest upon us in the dimension beyond
our own imagination and the father everything that you have given us on the earth to do the
father the mandate and the purpose and the plans and assignments father my god that you secure us
and you father empower us to be able to fulfill it in the name of jesus father my god the things
that we are not able to do anything about it father we leave all of it in your hands and father
we say we surrender everything everything father my god we surrender it unto you god and we say
father do your own thing in the mighty name of jesus father we thank you that you work everything
together for our good to your glory to your honor and to your praise in jesus name amen amen oh