Count It All Joy

Circa Sept. 19, 2018

Hey fam! Prayerfully we are all pushing through and having a prosperous week! Let's get back to business. This post means a lot to me because it's a message from the Lord that truly sits deep in my heart. I've been pressed to share because I feel like I am not the only one who needed this as a reminder. One of my favorite passages comes from the book of James. When I originally read this, it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It's funny because I had read the same scriptures once before but it wasn't until one special day, in that moment, that something deeper resonated. Let's dive in.

James 1: 2-4 KJV reads:

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

How beautiful is that? In those few verses we are told how to act, why we should act that way and also the outcome of the situation when we act that way. Alright alright, I don't want to lose you so I'm going to break it down a bit.

Vs. 2 - "Count it all joy"

Now y'all, don't look at me crazy. I pulled this straight from the Word. It is telling us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Which to some, might sound insane. How are we supposed to be joyful in our moments of weakness? How are we supposed to smile when we are in physical pain, or when our heart is broken, or when we lose a loved one? In those dark times it is more than difficult for our flesh to want to rejoice, but this verse is telling our spirit man to do such thing. Human nature makes us want to question God when we find ourselves in less than ideal situations. But in the spiritual realm, we are either being taught a lesson, molded, purged or purified - or all of the above! The good times are opportunities to rejoice and thank the Lord for all of his many blessings and the bad times are even more reason to rejoice and thank God for the miracles that He is working behind the scenes. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit which means it has to be practiced daily, in the best and worst of times. You ever heard the saying that diamonds are made under pressure? Bingo. This is the how.

Vs. 3 - "The trying of your faith worketh patience"

This is deep. This verse is basically saying that when your faith is tested, it almost forces you to exercise patience. Faith AND patience are also fruits of the Spirit. So in these various trials and tribulations you may find yourself in, your faith in the Lord is being validated. Will you prevail? Do you trust Jesus with your whole heart? He wants to know if you will find refuge and peace in Him or if you will run to things of the earth for "comfort". Choose wisely, because Satan is the ruler of the earth. He doesn't provide happy endings. I honestly wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I long for everyone to be saved and live an eternal life. But in order to do so, you have to be willing and faithful - and have a lot of patience.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This additional scripture is SO important, because a lukewarm Christian is highly frowned upon. A solid and unwavering faith is what pleases the Lord. If you have any doubts or hesitations, well, I advise you to pray and meditate on His word. The Lord will then reveal himself to you. After being deeply rooted in Christ, scripture then says patience is produced. And God knows that's something we could ALL strive to practice everyday. This is the why.

Vs. 4 - "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing"

Honestly. Mic drop. Like, wow. If that doesn't bring a Hallelujah to your lips I'm not sure what will. This, my friends, is the outcome. First we were taught to count everything as joy, the good and the not so good. Then we saw that because our faith is tested, it forces us to practice extreme patience to eventually understand why we had to go through the storms that we did. But the follow up brings a praise to my lips every time. If we really just let patience have her perfect work, we would be perfect and entire, lacking absolutely nothing. That is a promise. So basically if we uphold our end of the bargain, our Father will uphold his. And all that He is offering is all I want to be apart of.

Wrapping up here, but I want y'all to know that I'm not just preaching but I'm practicing. These last few months have been crazy. Literally my entire world in Virginia had been turned upside down, did a funky little dance, then plopped back down in Michigan. But thank the Lord because He always has bigger plans. It's coming. I can already sense the victory. But even through my darkest storm of any season, I never let a smile leave my lips nor do I stop a praise from coming out of my mouth. I love my Father, and I owe everything to him. I continuously thank Him for everything he's done and everything he's doing, even if I can't see the entire blueprint just yet. I am thankful, grateful and blessed. I pray you all are, too.

With all my love,

Kristin Nicole Robertson