We have been made in God’s image and if we have emotions, then we know God has emotion! Sometime it is hard to understand that when we don’t see Him, but only read His Word.  The above Greek definition of the word rejoice has much more to say about the meaning of the word than what appears in the translations.  When I see the youth bouncing up and down during some of their joyful worship songs, I remember that scripture and smile.

Below are some examples of when the Lord spoke to me through JOY. 

THE LUGGAGE COURSE – You Gotta Be Kidding Me
 

Many years ago I traveled extensively, and by the time I was married I never wanted to travel again. I was ready to be a stay-at-home wife and raise a family. Sometime later, with an empty nest looming and the call of future ministry in my heart, I began to again feel the desire to reach outside the limits of my own little boundaries.

The idea of traveling anywhere was rather ridiculous. Neither my husband nor I really had the health or the money to travel. And for me to spend our hard-to-come-by finances on luggage and unnecessary paraphernalia was not practical. I decided this desire must be some kind of a strange intercession, rather like eating pickles and ice cream!

Never-the-less, I started my long reaching master plan to accumulate the perfectly organized travel paraphernalia. After I had saved some BD and Christmas money, I bought a wonderful 5 piece set of luggage with wheels and lots of zipper compartments that fit my wishes.  I was content. Into the "dream" closet it went, and it sat there waiting to try out its wings.

Suddenly, this year I found myself taking some short trips and was excited with the chance to use this wonderful stuff. By this time, I had also collected tiny non-leak bottles for everything you can think of and a backup plan for all possible contingencies on the road that one might want. Is this obsessing or what? I don’t know, but it was fun and I do love to organize.

So, this summer I take a friend to surgery out of town. I was dismayed when I packed our station-wagon…. We decided we would camp out in the motel for a few days and let her rest and so we brought everything we could think of. After my shock of stuffing the car, the ridiculousness of it finally caused me to break down in laughter…. "Warning, 2 wild women, on their way to surgery, armed with 11 bed pillows, 4 blankets, 1 cooler, CD’s, tapes, books, lap top, and I won't tell you how much more!!!!!!!!!!! Wayne had given me a BD balloon to take with me, and there was literally no room for it except between my friend’s feet.

Now, she has to have a second surgery and so once again I am contemplating what to take and how to pack this cool luggage. Three days stuck in a motel and going nowhere? Back into the car it all goes.

Then somehow, with the help of the motel’s rolling cart, I manage to get all our stuff up to the room in 3 trips. There we find the refrigerator broken with water on the floor, and when the lady comes to fix the fridge, she asks, "Are you the ones who called about the ghosts in the room?" To make things worse, My friend had hoped to negotiate for the usual hospital rate but it was denied her which cost her more than she wanted to pay.

We survived all the elements and it was now time to leave for the final appointment after surgery. After our stuff was mostly packed and in the car, suddenly my friend announces that her wallet is missing from her purse. She thinks she left it in our room during surgery. We unpacked everything that is left, and then I tromped down to the car and unpacked all of that luggage. No wallet.

We arrive at the docs quite tired and harried and he sets up an unexpected appointment for the next day. ANOTHER NIGHT??????? I just packed, unpacked and repacked the car!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me???

We were not about to go back to that motel, not now, not ever. So, I am standing in the parking lot of the new motel and I am thoroughly done in, washed out and exasperated. I decide that I am wearing the same clothes tomorrow, I am not going to eat dinner from the cooler, and I am not going to haul all that stuff again! I am unpacking my stuff in the parking lot and retrieving only the bare necessities! One trip, that’s it.

Of course, by the time it comes out of the luggage and is stuffed in plastic bags and pillow cases, it is a gaping mess and hanging off the cart in all directions. I managed to get the one load into the lobby, things are draping off the sides and dragging onto the floor.

… So, I am standing there in this nice motel lobby among perfectly dressed people coming and going with their lap tops hanging over their groomed shoulders, and their cute little luggage on wheels. As I am thinking about my cool luggage set abandoned in the car, I see these people in all directions and think it is disgusting. I am standing at the elevator and hoping that no one will notice when I try to shove this pile of pillows and plastic sacks through the door. Just as I am thinking I can get by unnoticed, the manager comes by and cracks, "Oh you are moving in!"

On the way up in the elevator, I announce… "Well Lord if this is a test on our preparation for future ministry trips, I have just flunked the course!" I am thinking about this, and manage to get the whole rack down to the end of the hall. We get the door open and I am pushing the trolley through the door. One push, two push, three push. The stuff that is hanging off in all directions is not budging. Ok, one more time. One BIG PUSH. Bonanza, the cart bursts through the door and everything on it falls off in one big heap, literally one step through the door. Major traffic jam. I could not get in or out!

I look at this pile of rubble and can not hold the tension another moment. I laugh and laugh and laugh. I am holding my stomach, I am almost crying, then I am laughing belly laughs with no sound. I am trying not to disturb the guests. Have you ever tried to laugh without any noise? It makes the hilarity worse. All I could think of was that I managed to get through the door before collapsing. Somewhere, I knew there was a Word from the Lord here!

So what is the moral of this story? An hour later I have taken a well needed nap while my friend reads Bobby Conner’s Shepherd’s Rod 2004. Here is what she reads to me, trying to keep a straight face: "…I believe this is a now word for leadership. Is your luggage stowed? We should not be hauling around needless luggage… the invitation from heaven is found in Rev 4:1-5, "Come up here." Each of us are offered a time to advance higher. Let this be the year for each of us to personally go higher with the Lord than ever before…." 

[ http://www.bobbyconner.org/ ]

WORD TO PONDER: HOW’S YOUR LUGGAGE COURSE?

Dear one, I AM watching you from heaven’s portholes and see all your hopes and dreams. I have seen the accumulation of your years and all that you hold dear. I have heard your yearnings and am intimately acquainted with all your ways.

Beloved, you are prepared to walk through the door of your new beginnings. Everything in your life has prepared you for this time. Because of My grace, you have what it takes to get you through your door. You may feel like your life is falling apart and hanging out all over. Just trust Me, that no matter how harried your condition is when you go through that door, your joy shall burst forth after all the years of restraint.

However, in order to continue through to your destiny, you must let go of the excess baggage. I want you to travel lightly so that your journey will be free and unhindered. I yearn for your joy to remain as you pursue your places in Me. This will require some paring down of what you carry, some rearranging and some decisions about your priorities. It may require some surgery to your body, soul or spirit to drop the weight that so easily besets you and run the race with great grace. So consider well the door that stands before you and enter in with joy.

Heb 12:1-2a NLT

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS - BREAK THROUGH TO PURE JOY AND PEACE

I am absolutely convinced that one of the strongest weapons we have against hurling curses, is the Lord's peace. When the Lord was teaching me about that, I had a vision where I was surrounded in a clear bubble and an intimidator stood in front of me face to face. I knew his intention and all I did was just look at him right in the eyeballs. I didn't budge; I was so totally surrounded in the Lord's peace that everything in me was still. Then I watched him hurl his best shot. It bounced off the bubble. He did that just once, then realized something and walked away.

I have been knocked out of my resting place and been begging the Lord to help me return. When I strive, and when I lose my peace, that is an open door to the enemy and a closed door to hearing the Lord more intimately. We are not supposed to sweat. So I had a supernatural experience last night after spending the entire day in bed seeking the Lord. I have not laughed like that for years and years and He poured out a hilarious stream of laughter that would not stop. Afterwards, I was radiating His peace tangibly in every cell of my body. I was SO blessed. Due to a situation I had to deal with last week, I had so many angry curses of men and witchcraft flying at me, it was uncountable. I was in the midst of a bee's nest for sure. I felt that this supernatural joy was His blessing in replacement for all the curses.

2 Sam 16:12 KJV

It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

RHEMA 10/23/05 JOY BOMB! HURLED THROUGH THE AIR AND RUNNING WITH PASSION!

HEARD; I will go with her. To keep her from falling. That is my assignment. She’s strong, she doesn’t know that. Wired for faith. It’s a lot to think about. Who you are and how it relates. Help you find yourself. What you need is an answer. Come see.

VISION: I saw a catapult hurling/ flying somebody through the air.

HEARD: Over the hurdle. She’s My daughter, my what faith.

HEARD: Heaven help us!!!!

PIX: I saw the action of clicking on the email list RiverMail.

HILARITY: I was hit with such hilarious laughter, that I could not contain it or stop it. The Holy Spirit hit me so hard, I haven't laughed like that in years. Wayne came running in to make sure I was OK. Now I am so smitten, I can hardly type. Pastor's prayer last week about the Lord releasing joy in the prayer room has hit me totally unexpectedly and out of the blue.

This is what happened. First the action of seeing someone take a flying leap from a catapult is funny all its own, but then when I heard 'heaven help us' with seeing the vision of clicking on Rivermail, it was just too much. The moderator had to stop the list, due to time and expense. I had been thinking about seeing if I could help in some way.  I guess the Lord heard my thoughts!!! Then it hit me strongly.

PIX: I suddenly saw Heidi Baker going out to the dump and bringing in more kids to feed.

She can not help herself, she just keeps gathering them. They keep saying we can't do this! And she just keeps believing God will take care of them and supply. And it hit me strongly that I had been given the same STRONG PASSION to go out and collect them and delegate people to help, and feed them. It hit me so funny, I started bowling over with laughter. There is nothing in the world like being held back all your life.  Then waiting for the time to run in full faith. Thus releasing all the build up, pent up passion that you have to take everything that you can, while there is still time. It is such an awesome anointing and it is so hilarious because people just think you are a mad woman and crazy. But it is God, running in tennis shoes!!! He has a desire to take care of His kids and to feed them!!!! Heidi is the perfect sold out lover who just wants to collect kids for Jesus and feed them and be Mom. I have seen Heidi so totally inebriated by His Spirit, and now it hit me.

I have not had such deep joy in years and years. I can not remember laughing so hard for so long. When I finally stopped and was just laying there in a total stupor, I could tangibly feel His Spirit coursing through my whole body. Then I was just plastered in blissful peace with a stupid grin on my face. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO blessed. Me thinks I popped my cork with all the pain and stress in this house, and God broke through in a miraculous way.

This afternoon I was trying to catch up on typing all my rhema. It was such an overloaded job since I was so behind. I was flipping to a scripture and one of my feathers fell out. As I was putting it back, I heard the Lord say, "Tickle". Now I realize what His intentions were!! He wanted to tickle me with His feathers!! That reminds me of an old Word to Ponder He gave me.

WORD TO PONDER:  TICKLE TIME

I delight in playing with My children. Oh the joy of just enjoying their laughter and their smiles! How good it is to dwell in their midst. How good it is to enjoy what they enjoy, to laugh with them! I love it when you enjoy life and enjoy My Presence. Thank you. You are My true treasure.

"For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." (Isaiah 62:5)

Today, (5/17/2002) Wayne drove through the McDonalds to get me an ice cream cone. Then we went on to Winco and I ate my cone in the car and rested while he shopped. When he came out, instead of turning right to go home, he turned left and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I want to go back to McDonalds.” I thought this extraordinarily funny, as I was eating my cone in front of him and thought perhaps he could not stand it so he wanted to go get his own. He doesn’t like ice cream that much, so I was laughing and teasing him about it. But he told me very seriously that he had wanted one previously and knew he could not take it into Winco, so he decided to wait. I told him that I could have certainly waited if he had told me this. But, I was still laughing. Somehow it struck me very funny that we were going back there a second time.

I asked him, “Doesn’t it embarrass you to go through the drive through line again?” He was very serious and said, “No, not at all.” And I laughed and said, “Well I would be embarrassed!” I teasingly said, “I suppose you could always tell him your wife is pregnant if he asks!” By this time, I thought it was hilarious and was holding my tummy laughing.

So we drive through and he orders. When we get to the pull up window, the guy says, “Hey, didn’t I just see you here?” And I am holding back my laughter until that point and I shriek in laughter, it is so funny to me!!! And my serious husband says, “Hey when your wife is PG, who knows?” That blew me away in peels of laughter and the poor fellow says, “Hey buddy, I know how it is.”

As we drive away, Wayne is laughing so hard and bright red. I am laughing so hard. I said, “Why did you tell him that?!”

“Because I was embarrassed!!!!” {More uncontrollable laugher.} Then he said, “Well it IS true, you are pregnant with the Word of the Lord!” And we belly laughed all the way home and I wondered if we were driving safely. I was still chuckling a half an hour later over this whole thing. It must have been the Lord because it was so out of character for both of us to act this way in public. We were totally out of control laughing so hard.

WORD TO PONDER: WHAT, PREGNANT AGAIN? 5/17/2002

“What! Am I pregnant again?” you ask. “Just how many children am I going to have?” Well, My love, as often as you consecrate your heart and life to Me, I consummate our love and union and give you another child. You ask how many children, and I say, “How about as many as the sands of the sea?”

Yes, I hear your laughter, and I understand. Go ahead and laugh, for I am birthing great joy in your life and you shall laugh at the marvelous works I will do in your midst, and you shall also laugh that the enemy will be unable to stand against My work. Your joy shall be made full; ripe, plump and overflowing. Nothing shall stand against you in that day. So let the promise of joy begin and laugh all the way through your pregnancies.

“Then the LORD did exactly what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant, and she gave a son to Abraham in his old age. It all happened at the time God had said it would. And Abraham named his son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was one hundred years old at the time. And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter! All who hear about this will laugh with me. For who would have dreamed that I would ever have a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!" (Gen 21:1-7 NLT)