Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
"...for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10).

Praise is an expression of your faith in God. People do a lot of things to express their feelings. Have you ever seen anybody express their anger? They do it with fingers, fists, contorted faces and words. And when people get filled up with anger, it comes out.

In fact, the quiet ones are the ones you'd better watch, because they'll be holding it in, holding it in...and that pressure builds and builds.

And when it does come out, boom! Well, they're expressing something. Have you ever noticed how you feel better sometimes after you express it? (Depending on what you did, of course)

Now, I don't know why people think that when it comes to God that they have to change being human. Human beings express. For example, you'll get a guy who will sit in church on Sunday morning, and he'll just be stoic.

I say, Lift your hands and praise God. And you'll see him sitting there. Then he goes to the Lions football game, and Barry Sanders makes somebody miss, and he gets all excited. That same guy will be on his feet slapping hands with somebody.

The problem is, he's got the wrong idea. He thinks that church is the place where you're supposed to hold everything in. God doesn't want you to hold it in. He wants you to let out. He wants you to let out the thing that got your mind straight, and that is joy. That is peace. That is victory.

And do you know how a person is when they're filled with joy? They express it. They talk it. Their face looks like it. Sometimes even their feet will get with it. When they really get filled with joy, they have to have some room to express it. They say, "Get out of the way, and give me some room so I can shout!"

Well, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Refuse to allow the devil to take your joy. Decide that you are going to have joy regardless to whatever comes against you, so you can stay strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

And you need to release a little bit of joy to let the devil know the Lord is on your side.

Scripture references: Psalm 5:11; Romans 14:17

Author Biography

Keith Butler
Web site: Keith Butler
 
Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center. He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.