Sometimes it’s really hard to be joyful. We’re attacked from different directions and we get knocked down, and the joy we once had slowly oozes out of us. Maybe we had plans for that extra bit of money that came in and it got sucked away by an unexpected bill. Or maybe a health issue decided to pop up that truly stole our joy. It’s at times like these that we feel abandoned, and yet, it’s at times like these that we need to remember that God is greater than the attack!

What many of us forget is that joy comes from the heart, from knowing God and being in His presence. It’s not an emotional feeling; it’s a confidence that we have because we know that God is our Savior, our Friend, our Father and our King, and that He will fight all of our battles for us. Our hope is in Him and in the promises He’s given to us. Our future is eternity with Him, and it comes to all of us who love Him, trust Him, and follow Him. God’s love for us does not change nor is it threatened by our circumstances. And we need to get that message into our heart because this is the essence of our joy!

The attacks that come upon us are from the enemy who wants to destroy us. He wants us to get discouraged, lose faith in God and turn against Him. He knows our weaknesses and our personality, and he knows what buttons to push to get us upset and to cause us to doubt. His hate for God is unparalleled and he won’t stop until he’s satisfied.

• The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.—John 10:10

But the devil is not to be feared because we belong to God; we are His children and there is no comparison in power or authority between God and the devil. God is the Creator and ruler of the Universe, and the devil is a creation of God; a disgruntled and evil fallen angel whose pride and beauty caused him to rebel against God and get kicked out of Heaven. And now he wants all of humanity to join him in his anger and hatred toward our God, Yeshua.

When we take our eyes off of God and put them onto the situation at hand, doubt sets in and we tend to walk by sight and not by faith—2 Corinthians 5:7. Our peace slowly leaves and the stress of the attacks take over. Instead of the fruits of the spirit being our predominant characteristics, we quickly adapt to those of the enemy—anger, frustration, bitterness, unforgiveness, short temper, sharp words, hopelessness, thoughts and words of doubt.

This is why it’s so important that we make it a daily regime to study the Bible and pray. It’s our communication with the Lord, and when we spend time with Him our hearts are renewed in His love and His power, and our faith and trust grow. The enemy will attack us, but we will resist him and he will flee—James 4:7— because we know where our help comes from.

• My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.—Psalm 121:2

We need to recognize “attacks” and not separate ourselves from God because of our emotions and our weakness. Instead, we should draw close to God because He has already defeated the devil and He has overcome everything the world can attack us with. Jesus is our Lord and we need to always keep our eyes on Him and follow Him.

When we can separate God from the attacks that come against us, then we will truly feel the freedom that God gave us when we accepted His salvation and were born again. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God except us! We separate ourselves from Him and we lose the joy in our heart when we see the attacks as being greater than our God.

• For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38-39

Prophet Nehemiah says that our strength is IN the joy of the Lord. And although the attacks hurt and we become weak, we need to remember that when we give them to God, we are strong because He has already defeated the devil for us! God is stronger than the attack!

• These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.—John 16:33

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