Today we are going to take a posture of peace by always rejoicing even when we don't always
want to rejoice. Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you
in everything. Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.
Yesterday I shared 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 16 through 18 that says,
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you
in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4-4 reiterates this truth. It says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again
I will say rejoice. So just to clarify, when are we supposed to rejoice? Always. What are we
supposed to be rejoicing about? The Lord. And I probably could just end the episode here today
and tie it off, but Paul had more to say. He said, Again I will say rejoice. Now honestly,
sometimes I wonder if Paul repeated himself here because he was anticipating all of my excuses.
You know, my excuses for not rejoicing always haven't just been circumstantial. I used to
let my natural personality dictate my worship. Specifically the worship expression of rejoicing.
I excused myself from rejoicing so many times by saying things like, well I'm an introvert,
or I'm just a very practical person. Like I'm not really emotional. I'm not really an overly
joyful or expressive person. But worship is designed to take you out of this natural world
and make you aware of your kingdom reality. What about you? Do you come to God guarded?
Or do you struggle to rejoice? Maybe not just always, but anytime. Have you ever tried to
excuse yourself out of fully engaging in worship by telling God, this is not how you made me?
The Lord says in worship, I'm making you like me. In worship, you are engaging with who he is,
his thoughts, his perspective, his nature, and he is the most joyful being ever.
Joy is in your kingdom DNA. Lean into this truth today. You always have something to rejoice about
who the Lord is. If the world has told you otherwise, if you have told yourself otherwise,
it's time to embrace that truth. It's time to know that truth. Knowing, experiencing the truth
will set you free. So I had to stop making excuses. I had to put rejoicing always into practice by
starting to rejoice. And here's what I'm learning. Rejoicing is expressed in every part of your
being. It is spiritual, it is mental, it is emotional, and it is physical. So when I rejoice,
I am aligning all of me with the truth and it is transforming me. What started out as me making a
joyful noise in the car by myself, you know, in the safety of isolation has developed into lots
of laughter and joy in my home and it's starting to overflow into my relationships and my encounters
with other people. I have been strengthened. I find myself less bothered, less frustrated,
less intimidated. And rejoicing is becoming less of a practice and more of a lifestyle.
And I don't feel violated like I thought I would be. In fact, I feel more myself than ever before.
And of course I do, because what God says is the truest thing about me. What God says
is the truest thing about you. I've just decided I want to be aligned with the truth always, so I am
always rejoicing. The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3. In Hebrew, it is
shalom, shalom, meaning complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who
you are in Jesus because of Jesus. You are a living testimony of Jesus's ultimate win.
With every step you take today, you're putting Jesus's victory on display and Satan's defeat
on replay.