Pray for joy until you see it. Expect to believe don’t wallow in doubt. There are no excuses. Be released and set free in your mind. Settle this once and for all that you are going to do His will. Determine to see Him in everything and everywhere. Rejoice all the time and in every situation. This means redefining your circumstance. Train yourself to see everything from His perspective. Joy should be a permanent state. It is not an optional extra, it is your default.
Transformational thinking will become the norm the more you practice. You see His power at work. That power has been given to you and is being released through you. It isn’t a matter of copying someone else. It is you making contact with the living God. It isn’t about principles, rules or laws, it is about His presence, it is a relationship. You will be staggered when you see how He sees you! It is so mind-bendingly different. So much so that to believe it will mean that you never look at yourself in the same way again.
Jesus was tempted in the desert after He fasted. Although the devil used the written word Jesus responded with ‘every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’. It isn’t about being able to quote scripture. It is what He is saying to you by His Holy Spirit. He so often speaks through scripture but only He can make those words come alive. Be aware of this, the enemy uses scripture to destroy. But when God speaks His words are light and life. It is what makes you come alive. Scripture is not ‘pick and mix’. The devil did that for his own ends, don’t be tempted to do the same. Every word He has spoken to you or over is being tested, it is being refined (as in a fire). It is this test that drives His word deeper into your core. It is strengthening you. It is becoming you.
It is like a seed that is sown in the ground. It needs good soil to grow. You are responsible for making that soil good. Do you allow that ‘seed word’ to grow or do you allow the lies to rob that seed of the nutrients it needs. Good soil is when you are thinking His thoughts. Create a place that has the best conditions. If you do not water and nurture the seed it will not germinate and the seed will not grow into the plant it is meant to be. The purpose of the plant is to replicate itself beyond its own life span.
During the germination period the seed is hidden. For you that period requires faith and perseverance. When the seed germinates it pushes through the soil. This is another illustration of the resistance that is experienced when you believe the word of God. It is a normal and necessary part of the process so don’t be surprised. What was once hidden is now visible.
A seed doesn’t just produce one plant. Multitudes of plants come from that one seed. Allowing that seed to grow, germinate and bear fruit is your responsibility. You have to make sure that you do all that you have been given to do. You have been entrusted to keep it safe and sound. What He has said about you here and now and what He has said about your future and your destiny should be stored up in your heart ready for a harvest. Allow the process to come to completion. You can nurture that word so that it grows most productively. Feed yourself from the word of God and listen to the Holy Spirit and allow the seed (His word in you) to germinate.
It is not about doing for doings sake. Do as you are prompted and directed. When He speaks to you respond to that word. Be attentive, look around and ask Him what does He see. Listen to what you hear from Him, be ready to respond and quick to act. Do nothing from an emotional response no matter how great the need. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you as you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. Being led by your emotions is so very unreliable and likely to get you sidetracked. His words lead to freedom.