Community

Heb.10:²⁵ (ERV) “We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.”

Losing one’s joy is usually the beginning of backsliding. The first thing the enemy attacks is joy. Almost all the cases of backsliding amongst people that I know started with loss of joy. So when the enemy is attacking your joy, you should know that he is not really after your joy, he is after your life. If you allow anything to steal your joy, it will lead to backsliding.

One of the ways to protect your joy is by staying in the community of believers, in fellowship. The Bible says, “Do not forsake the fellowship of the brethren”. There are people that are carrying overflowing joy and when you come in contact with them, you just feel like loads are being lifted off you, burdens are being lifted, and you are filled with joy. Community is so powerful! In fact one of the quickest ways the enemy destroys people is to pull them out of community. The only reason the enemy will suggest isolation to you is because his objective is to steal your joy, destroy you and kill you.

Heb. 10:²⁵ “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near”. Do you think that God does not know that you can pray alone? He knows you can and He encourages you to have a personal walk with Him but He also clearly says in His Word that fellowship [meeting together, church] is equally important. The church is like a bonfire made up of many different logs aflame. If you were to remove one log from that fire, the solo log will keep burning but it is just a matter of time before that log burns out and stays out. The fire can only be rekindled when it is plugged back into community. And even at that, it will take a while before it will catch fire again.

Prayer: Father, joy like a river flows from You. Today I commit to walk with You, abide in Your Presence and walk in Your perfect plan for me so that my life will overflow with joy and healing, lifting everyone that I come in contact with, in Jesus Name. Amen!