Jesus Is Your HealerNäide

The Power of Joy

Today, I want to encourage you about joy — the power of joy. You may be thinking, What does joy and healing have to do with each other? Joy and healing have a lot to do with each other because, like healing, joy has to do with your attitude and expectations. It is important to remain steadfast in the joy of the Lord, even when your circumstances are daunting!

I want to start with an amazing scripture in Philippians 4. Keep in mind that this was written by the Apostle Paul while he was suffering in prison to a degree we could never imagine. Scholars say Paul was standing in sewage and death was all around him. People were constantly dying — this prison was an absolutely despicable place to be in. Paul wrote Philippians while held captive in that prison with its horrible conditions.

In the four chapters of the book of Philippians, Paul wrote the words “joy,” “joyful,” and “rejoicing” 16 times when he was being held in a place that could be described as anything but joyful. He said in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" You might think, Wow — what an incredible attitude to have in such horrific circumstances! When I read this verse, I think to myself, How on Earth could he have rejoiced in a place like that? Which then leads me to think, Why is joy so powerful, and what does it have to do with healing? We can see that the Bible says in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine….” So when you have a merry heart, a joyful heart, it’s like actual medicine to your body!

I know a man who is a brain surgeon, and during his years of working with people who have terminal illness, he discovered that if these people laugh, if they have a spirit of joy, it actually has a healing effect on their illness. In fact, in the hospital where he practices, they show humorous films and television shows to patients who are critically ill. They move these people — people who have been told that they are terminally ill — into these rooms to make them laugh because laughter is medicine!

Just think about what sicknesses and diseases that probably surrounded Paul while he was held in that horrible, filthy prison. We can’t know for sure, but we do know that this place was simply filthy. And yet we never read about the Apostle Paul getting sick during his captivity here. Sickness and disease were everywhere, but it did not touch him. Even when Paul eventually died, he didn’t die a sick man — he died a victor. Why? Because Paul had the power of joy. Joy is on the inside of your spirit. You may say, “Well, I don’t feel joyful.” But joy doesn’t have anything to do with your feelings. Joy has to do with what God has deposited on the inside of your spirit, and it’s in there right now.

As you’re reading this, you could make the decision to start smiling right now and just see what happens. I have done this many times when I’m tempted to complain, or I’m tired, or to give in to whatever the moods of flesh was tempting me with. When I felt these temptations creep in, I would go into the bathroom, look in the mirror, smile and say, “Denise, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice!” Or, I would say, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” And do you know what that did? Every time I put on a smile and rejoiced, my mood changed because I was putting on joy. I recognized the power of joy in my own spirit.

You may think, Well, that sounds very practical. That’s because it is practical! The Bible tells us many times to put on joy, so just put on joy like you put on your clothes. Simply decide to put on joy, to smile, to lift your head, and be cheerful everywhere you go! Decide to put on joy and see what happens and what you can give to other through your joyful attitude. Joy is such a powerful thing! As I mentioned before, joy fights against sickness and disease, and the Bible even tells us that joy is like medicine (see Proverbs 17:22). When the Bible says that joy is like medicine, it isn’t just saying it to fill up space or sound good, it’s the truth. The Bible is the truth for your life. It’s the truth for my life. That is why I want you learn about this incredible power that’s accessible to you!

You have a powerhouse on the inside of you! Joy is inside you, and when you express that joy, it is powerful!

Practical Application:

1. Read Philippians 4:4.
2. The Bible tells us that the Apostle Paul rejoiced even in the midst of some of the most daunting circumstances. How does this affect how much you think you should choose to rejoice?
3. Why is joy such a powerhouse in your life?