Joy is in the Lord

04/19/2025

 

On Feb 7, 2025 6 days after my 40thbday this year I was in deep prayer with the Lord not knowing I was about to go into deep lamenting and travailing and agonizing pain asking the Lord how do I overcome this thing that I have dealt with for over 20 years, now? This thing that I was warnedabout, and had a way of an escape multiple times. And now that I’ve been deeply rooted in the Lord, it was a deep piercing and standing out like a thorn in my flesh as Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 12:7.

 

 In this scripture Paul asks the Lord 3 times to remove this thorn out of his flesh.

Just imagine being in the world all this time doing you as the world calls it, and now that you’re walking with Christ you find that this thorn is still lingering because of past decisions. I know someone here can relate! But not just any kind of pain, I’m talking about a pain that involves 1 of the 9 fruits of the spirit called long sufferingfound in Galatians 5:22. How many of us know about suffering long? I most definitely do. And so, I asked the Lord on this day, HOW DO I OVERCOME THIS THING, because not one tear I have shed no fasting, prayer, or walking in obedience would remove this thing!! I mean NOTHING!!! And just as I asked this question, I also felt a for sure peace, you know the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding, and I began to wipe my tears, and I sat up grabbed my Bible and the Holy Spirit took me to the book of James 1:4 and spoke clear as day:

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing,

After reading that I just had to read what came before that, which is verse 2 and 3 saying

2 My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. 3 knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

And the revelation came to me: that at some point in every one of our lives we have all wanted what we wanted when we want it, right.

But then there is God! A God that is all powerful, and knows all things and knows that patience is what many of us need in order to be made perfect and in whole not wanting anything. That no matter what we want, need, or desire that we count it all joy when we fall into situations like this because in it we are made whole.

And so as time went on, I continued to hold on to this scripture but asking the Lord to go deeper into revelation for me. And on April 6, the Lord took me to the book of Philippians, which is considered to be one of the happiest books in the Bible although Paul was imprisoned while writing this epistle to the Philippians. And the most profound scripture stood out to mefound in

Philippians 4:11-12: Not that I speak in respect of want for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased meaning to be HUMBLE and I know how to abound meaning to have PLENTY: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

 

And that’s when it hit me, that when we walk in obedience it will most times call for us to learn how to be content in a thorn in the flesh kind of situation, just like when Paul was in prison. Paul was imprisoned out of obedience but yet he had to learn how to be content whether it be to be humbled or to have plenty. At some point in our walk, we will have moments where we suffer for the sake of Christ, and in this we must learn what it means to be content without complaining even if the Lord chooses not to remove the thorn in flesh even after you’ve cried your last tear, prayed or fasted or continue to walk in obedience. Just know that we are reminded in

2 Corinthians 12:9, that His grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in our weakness.

So again, count it all joy when you go through the trials of life and allow patience to have it’s perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing