How did Jesus know that we would all need the Holy Spirit in our lives? The Bible tells us that Jesus had to leave His disciples to go back to the Father. He said in John 16:7 that “. . . it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
God is perfect and full of love, and He will send His Spirit to every believer so that our lives may be fruitful and full of blessings. The Holy Spirit helps us become closer to God through our faith, worship, and actions. He wants us to experience what it means to be truly joyful when we are connected to our Savior and how Jesus truly can change people.
A life without God is a life that is meaningless. When we have true freedom in Him and dwell on this fact, our hearts overflow with joy. This joy is a joy like no other, because while this world can give us temporary treasures and satisfaction, we will find no other lasting joy than with the God of the universe, who died for us.
Photo by Shelbi Fisher
True joy in Christ is one of the strongest things that remain in our hearts even though we may be depressed. Having the fruits of the Spirit constantly dwelling in us means that God has opened up the ability to truly see life for what it is. God is the ultimate Artist of the universe, and if we fully allow Him to teach us how precious everything is, we will be immersed in His joy. Yes, the truth is that when we experience the fruits of the Spirit, we experience God Himself and what He desires for us. Truly trusting our Savior allows us to be at peace despite anything that may happen, and this peace brings full joy.
Kait Mathews, a student at Greenville University, says “We can’t be truly immersed in God’s joy until we fully trust Him to provide for us. We must surrender our own desire to fulfill His to walk the righteous path joyfully.”
Sometimes we will have the temptation to willingly give up our joy because of the problems in the world. If we give up the joy God has freely given to us, we must realize that it is a choice we make on our own. God would never want us to decide to be burdened by anything He has already overcome. There may be moments when we will suffer for a long time because of a difficult situation or our own emotions, but even then we must continue pursuing God’s joy. It is still there in our hearts even if we feel anything but happiness in the moment because the Holy Spirit remains in us despite anything we go through or the messes we cause. Jesus has said in John 16:22 “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” The term “no one” in this context is quite extraordinary. God Himself has said that our joy will not be robbed when we are immersed in His presence. Think of it this way: even if everything else fails and everyone in this world ends up leaving, God never does. He keeps running after us, loving us the same, and surrounds us. We don’t deserve any part of God, but since He has given Himself to us, we can dwell on the fact that He has also given us His unending and pure joy.
Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Source: flower-wallpaper.org
Explained very well!
You filled my heart with encouragement. I felt as though you were speaking directly to me. Praise God 🙂