In His Presence There is Fullness of Joy….

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” – Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

While I was sitting at work the presence of God descended upon me filling me with joy and peace. As I’m basking in Him I don’t want it to stop, in fact I want it to intensify. It’s as if every trouble has vanished, every trial has ceased, and every issue has evaporated. Pure bliss. There is nowhere else I’d rather be than in His presence. A few weeks ago I heard a 10 minute portion of a message by Bill Johnson entitled “Healing Out Of Intimacy”



I don’t know much about Brother Johnson’s ministry, but this sermon snippet really impacted me. He likened the Holy Spirit to a dove. Doves are very sensitive birds. Imagine I have a dove on my shoulder and don’t want it to fly away, how am I going to walk around the room keeping it on my shoulder? Carefully. Every step that I take will have the dove in mind. Every movement, every action, every word, every step must have the dove (the Holy Spirit) in mind.

Do we truly live our lives directed by the Holy Spirit, having Him in mind? Do we acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways and allow Him to direct our path? Or do we do what we feel is right, what we want to do, what is leading us? I’ve had to examine myself this morning. How many decisions have I made without the leading of the Holy Ghost! And how many of my decisions have grieved the Holy Spirit? Too many…

In order to live a life pleasing to God, it must be one of complete trust and faith in God as our Pilot directing our every move. Our confidence must be in God, not in man and certainly not in ourselves.

“Cease to trust in [weak, frail, and dying] man, whose breath is in his nostrils [for so short a time]; in what sense can he be counted as having intrinsic worth?” – Isaiah 2:22 (AMP)

Having Joy is a choice. It’s available. It’s a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It’s our source of strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a command to rejoice, or in other words renew our joy through praise (Philippians 4:4). Joy is our sustainer through difficult times (2 Corinthians 8:2). Joy is a byproduct of having the Holy Ghost and dwelling in His presence (Romans 14:17). Joy is received through faith (2 Corinthians 1:24). The Joy of the LORD is our final destination if we are found faithful / full of faith (Matthew 25:21).

Experiencing the Joy of God is as experiencing a taste of heaven on earth. We all have the opportunity to experience unending joy, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in as we guard the presence of God, count it as precious, and endure this life in obedience to the leadings of the Spirit. There is no limit to the joy He will pour out on those He deems faithful. Choose to walk in Joy today, rejoice in the LORD and dwell in His presence, by any means necessary.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” – Romans 15:13 (KJV)

Amen.