Don't Let Anything Steal Your Joy by Rev. Christie Bature: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Authority of the Believer

When God gave the command to dominate and rule, he gave it to man in creation, not man in gender. He was speaking to both male and female. When God arithmetically divided man into two, he did not reduce the power for either. Both carry the full weight of divine authority.

There are places where your authority in Christ is enough. You do not have to call the name. But wherever you do call the name, everything will scatter. Because a Christian with a closed mouth will have a closed destiny.

Fear and courage can coexist. The disciples feared but followed. When Jesus asked that man "Do you believe?" the man said "I believe, help my unbelief." They can coexist and God honors them. Do not let the enemy tell you that because you are feeling anxious, God is not working.

Guarding Joy in Difficult Seasons

In Revelation 6:6, among the chaos of the horsemen, the command came: do not touch the oil and do not touch the wine. The wine represents joy. And joy is your dipper.

Isaiah 12:3 says with joy you draw water from the well of salvation. The well is full. Healing is there. Promotion is there. Everything is available. But without a dipper, you cannot access any of it. If you let anything touch your joy, you lose your access key.

Joy is not based on what has happened. Joy is based on the revelation that God will cause all things to work together for good. Adrenaline will pump when danger comes. But you can bring oxytocin against it, the peace that passes understanding, and your heart will be calm.

The Revelation That Reverses

God is a God who can reverse a pronouncement. When they said a child would not grow normally, would not keep up, would not thrive, that the diagnosis was terminal, God proved them wrong every time. A god that cannot reverse a pronouncement is not worth worshipping.

When doctors told that a daughter would not live to 10, that she had a particularly bad strain of the illness, the family refused to build their life around the diagnosis. Instead, they took the medicine out each morning and declared: "Baby, see what the doctor says I should give you. But hear the word of the Lord. By his stripes, you are healed." The daughter passed 10, completed a first-class degree in under three years, and received her healing at 28, nearly two decades after the death sentence was issued.

God does not always remove the problem. Sometimes he causes you to thrive in the middle of it, just to slap the enemy up and down.

Holding Fast to the Promise

Hebrews 6:18-19 speaks of taking hold of the hope set before us, by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. This hope is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.

Philippians 4:8 gives the strategy for maintaining that anchor: whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, think on these things. You have to police what you allow yourself to think on.

Write down the promises of God that apply to your situation. They become the anchor that keeps you steady when the storms come. You cannot afford to let the enemy control your mental space.

The Stability of the Spoken Word

Faith comes by hearing. Your own voice can speak and your own ears will hear and faith will rise in your heart. When the enemy starts talking, open your mouth and make your voice louder. Shout the word over his voice. If you do not shout, the enemy will outshout you.

The story of Job is not in the Bible by accident. God is showing you that once the enemy knows he cannot hold you in one area, he will quickly look for another outlet. You have to be on your guard. Recognize him and do not panic.

Daily Reset

You must have a daily reset so yesterday's burdens do not mess with today's victory. Yesterday's battles must not encroach on today's fight.

One way to go deeper is to do what children do. When a child does not want to hear something, they block it out entirely. Do that to the enemy. When he starts speaking, shut him out. Your voice must be louder than his.

The Seed That Contends

Giving is not a product of coercion. It is a product of revelation.

When confronted with a potential generational pattern of early death, the Spirit said: "Righteous or not, if you do not do anything about it, the pattern will continue." The instruction was to take a heavy seed and place it on the altar quietly, telling no one. Then, on the morning of the birthday that matched the deaths of two sisters, when the enemy came with his countdown, the answer was: "The Bible says my seed will contend with the enemies at the gate. My seed is what will answer you, not me."

One month later, the landmark birthday passed. The generational pattern broke.

Father, we receive the anchor of your word in our souls. Where the enemy has tried to steal joy, let your promise come alive. Let the seed we have planted contend at every gate. We declare that every pronouncement made against our destiny is reversed by the one who reverses the irreversible. In Jesus' name, amen.

Every pronouncement made against you is cancelled. The diagnosis of termination over your life is overturned. You will live and not die. What doctors said was impossible, God is making possible. The well of salvation is yours. Draw from it with joy.