Once I remember when I was feeling weighted down with the care and responsibilities that I had, and God spoke something to my heart. He directed my attention to a Scripture which Jesus spoke to His disciples, “…Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:31 KJV).
Jesus and the disciples had been ministering to people, and He realized that as they had “given out of themselves,” they needed to be refilled.
God spoke to me, “Sharon, come apart before you come apart.” I realized I needed some quality time alone with Him to be built back up, refreshed, restored, and refilled.
Sometimes we’ll be able to take time away with our husbands, but there will be those times when we can’t take the time away. This was one of the times in my life I knew that I had to draw in to that quiet place in my house with Him.
Oh, the sweetness of His presence when we pour our heart feelings out to Him, cry and laugh and listen to Him speak to our hearts those words of comfort and encouragement.
Your time with God is your source of strength in life. The Word of God also says, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10, KJV).
I remember the day in my devotion time I was feeling discouraged because of a trial we were going through.
I had been carrying the care of the ministry to the point that I had begun having a physical problem. The Lord showed me that even though I would cast the care on Him at the beginning of my day, later on in the evening when I would be still, I would begin meditating on the care again. This worry caused me to have a slight heart problem.
In my heart He spoke to me to dance before Him, but I just didn’t feel like it. He also spoke to my heart that David, the Psalmist, once had to encourage himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). So I began to sing, “The joy of the Lord is my strength” and dance there in my house unto Him.
I felt the release within, and He spoke Psalm 40:3 (KJV) to me that He had put a new song in my heart. “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.”
Within a couple of weeks, I realized I was healed of my physical problem. You see, carrying the weight of cares can affect your physical body. When you give place to care, fear, unforgiveness, or other such tricks of Satan, you open yourself up for other problems.
It took a process of time to actually walk through the trial, but I had a peace within that God was perfecting the things that concerned us (Psalm 138:8). He did!
God began to give me songs as I read the Scriptures. I found that I could rejoice and again rejoice (Phil. 3:1, 4:4). Paul had to rejoice continually in the midst of prison situations and trials, and God always delivered him.
It has been said that if we let go of our joy, we let go of our strength. Many times it will be a sacrifice of joy when you begin to rejoice, because you might not feel like it. David, the Psalmist, says to offer up the sacrifice of joy (Psalm 27:6).
You’ll sense the grace of God rising up within you to overcome when you rejoice, and His joy will be your strength.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Sharon Daugherty is the Founding Pastor of Victory in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which she, along with her late husband, Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, established in 1981. Together the Daughertys established Victory Christian School, Victory Bible College, Victory World Missions Training Center, and the Tulsa Dream Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which provides food, clothing, medical, educational, and recreational services to the community.
Sharon transitioned the position of Lead Pastor to her son, Paul Daugherty, in 2014. Through the years Sharon has been a worship pastor, songwriter, and continues to teach at Victory Bible College. She and her son have hosted Victory in Jesus, a daily broadcast transmitted via satellite to more than 200 nations. She is the author of several books including "Known by Your Fruit", "Avoiding Deception", and "What Guys See that Girls Don't or Do They?"
Sharon is a graduate of Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree. She also attended Christ For the Nations Bible Institute in Dallas, Texas. She serves on the Board of Victory, the Tulsa Dream Center, Oral Roberts University Theology Department, and is the Oklahoma State Director for Christians United for Israel. Sharon is the mother of four children and eight grandchildren. All four of Sharon's children serve in ministry in various locations in the United States.