House of Hope Online

November 19, 2023

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With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, I feel like the word of the Lord for today is to rejoice and give thanks.  As we will see in today’s scriptures, we are encouraged by the word of God to rejoice always because of who we are – children born again into the grace of our Almighty Lord and Savior Jesus!  Just think a minute about what Jesus has saved us from, and we should have no lack of reasons to be thankful and joyful.

I realize we all go through dry seasons when it is difficult to be joyful.  And I know that some have difficulty with the holidays.  My heart goes out to all who will grieve during the coming season, but I hope to encourage you all today with the scriptures, with the very word of God, who is One with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Let us start in 1^st Thessalonians.

1^st Thessalonians 5:

 16 ¶ Rejoice always;

 17 pray without ceasing;

 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Paul has a straightforward message for us here.  Rejoice and pray always, and in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Get that – it is God’s will for us to give thanks in every circumstance!  We are going to see in the scriptures today that when it is hard to rejoice because of personal sorrow, your willingness to rejoice nevertheless is powerful because it constitutes tremendous worship warfare.  Know that the devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy your joy not just during the holiday season but always.  When you rejoice in the face of difficulties, you war in the Spirit and, according to Psalms 100, you are entering into the presence of the Lord.

Psalms 100:

 1 ¶ (A Psalm for Thanksgiving.) Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

 3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; [We are] His people and the sheep of His pasture.

 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, [And] His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

 5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations. (NASB)

I quote this passage of scripture often because it is so important to us in our spiritual walk.  If we want to be led of the Lord, and have the fullness of His joy, we must enter His presence.  Verse 4 teaches us that thanksgiving is a perquisite to enter His gates, and that praise must be on our lips if we wish to enter His inner courts, where He dwells and where He dispenses wisdom, joy, and peace.  You can attend the most Spirit-filled church on earth, but if you walk in without a thankful heart and without praise, you will not enter His presence.

Many of us suffer with worries over real life things, and this becomes a hindrance to us when we try to enter the presence of the Lord, which is the very place we need to frequent to end the worry.  The prophet Habakkuk addresses this very issue and defines worship warfare in Habakkuk 3.

Habakkuk 3:

 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, [Though] the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls,

 18 Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

 19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ [feet,] And makes me walk on my high places.

Remember the economy of that day was agricultural, so Habakkuk is describing what for us would be financial distress, i.e., the inability to buy food or clothes, or pay the bills.  Verse 18 is powerful – it says despite the stress, I will exult in the Lord and rejoice in the God of my salvation, who is Jesus, the One who saved me through graceful forgiveness.  The spiritual warfare is described in verse 19 – the Lord God is my strength to see me through any difficulty.  The Hebrew word for “strength” in verse 19 means the force of an army (therefore spiritual warfare) and its definition includes wealth, virtue, valor, and mighty ability, which are all the things we need to deal with stress or sorrow.

Verse 19 also says He gives us the grace of hinds’ feet and lifts us to high places out of the low points of our lives, our sadness, our difficulties.  The reference to hinds’ feet means the feet of a graceful doe.  If you have ever watched deer travel, they are able to adapt easily to difficult terrain, and can lift themselves to higher ground without a struggle.  The Lords helps us to adapt to a change in circumstances and lifts our spirits.

The Apostle Paul gives plenty of encouragement to rejoice by keeping our eye on the prize, which is the glory yet to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:

 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

If you are discouraged by the evil or sadness in our world, please remember there is glory to be revealed to us.  We have spent time in recent podcasts discussing the glory of the Lord’s Rapture and Second Coming.  And Paul tells us in 1^st Thessalonians 4 that we should be a hopeful and comforted people as a result of this coming glory, especially if we are grieving over those who have died.

1^st Thessalonians 4:

 13 ¶ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of [the] archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul is describing a great day for us when the Lord Jesus reunites with us and reunites us with loved ones who have gone before us.  This is part of the glory that is to be revealed to us from Romans 8.  Our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory that the Lord has in store for us.  Therefore, we should rejoice and thank the Lord, even during difficult seasons.

Paul continues to encourage us in his letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 1:

 6 [For I am] confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

I love that verse.  The Lord who began a good work in us when we submitted our hearts to Him will continue to perfect that work in us until the day He comes.  We need not sweat missing the Rapture, so long as we keep our hearts turned toward Jesus and have a heart that cries out: “Come Lord, come!”

In Philippians 4, Paul encourages us to rejoice always and to have a forbearing spirit toward all.

Philippians 4:

 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

 5 Let your forbearing [spirit] be known to all men. The Lord is near.

 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In verse 4, Paul emphasizes the importance of rejoicing always!  If we rejoice always, we will undoubtedly spend some time rejoicing during trials, which constitutes worship warfare, which in turn strengthens us according to the promise in Habakkuk 3:19.  That warfare will also give us a forbearing or forgiving spirit toward others.  It will also remove anxiety and replace it with a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

I experienced that peace when I worked for Enron as the company filed for bankruptcy.  My co-workers were in despair, and while I was not thrilled that the fig tree of Enron no longer blossomed and the vine no longer yielded fruit, the Lord gave me a peace that I did not understand.  It was a peace that surpassed my comprehension.  I had people ask me how I could be so calm, and all I could say was the Lord had given me peace and this peace came before He opened the next opportunity for me.  That peace guarded my heart and mind so that I could forgive those who perpetrated the evil that robbed me of the fig tree.  As I look back on it today, I realize what looked like a disaster to the world, for me was a blessing, it was my Habakkuk 3:19 strengthening and the delivery of my hinds’ feet which allowed me to adapt and move up to a higher place.  A few months later, I was able to start my own consulting business, which was a higher place.7

Paul moves on in Philippians 4 to instruct us to keep our minds focused on what is true and honorable, and good.  Today it is easy to focus on the darkness all around us, and this robs us of peace and joy in our spirit.

Philippians 4:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.

Paul also urges us to be content in all circumstances.

Philippians 4:

 11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Verse 11 is profound: we must learn to be content in difficult circumstances.  It is not natural or intuitive. And verse 13 is again emblematic of the spiritual strength promised in Habakkuk 3:19. It is an inner strength that comes only from the Lord. 

Finally, Paul speaks of the comforting promise in Philippians 4:19 that the Lord will supply all our needs.

Philippians 4:

 19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 20 ¶ Now to our God and Father [be] the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 19 is so powerful!  It is something we must get into our spirit.  God not only will supply all our needs, but He will do so according to His riches in glory in Jesus.  We do not have a concept of how great the riches of His glory are.  His glory is yet to be revealed to us, and all we know is that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to that glory.  He will supply us using His riches in glory that compares to the glory of the Second Coming.  Riches in glory is what He is promising us if we are in Jesus.  If we are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit enables us to be content in our circumstances and to trust that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.

And so, for all these reasons, let us rejoice in Him and give thanks during this holiday season and always.

Let us pray.

Father God, we rejoice in You always and in everything we give thanks.  Even when the fig tree loses its bloom, and there be no fruit on the vines, yet we will exalt in You and rejoice in Jesus.  Thank You for the strength of worship warfare and for the hinds’ feet to take us to higher places.  Enable us by the Holy Spirit to be content in all circumstances, knowing You will supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory, which is yet to be revealed to us.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.