Joy Let Loose

April 24, 2017

Your Joyful Heart is a Weapon to Fight for Your Joy

We fight for joy with the weapon of a joyful heart. There’s no question we live in a world that wants to steal our joy. Cynicism, circumstance, doubt, and negative self-talk are on the prowl for the believer’s joyful heart. And the amazing thing is that the joyful heart is the very weapon needed in that fight.

A Weapon in the Battle

In February I wrote about 7 things that Scripture tells us about joy. You can see that the final three go hand in hand: 

More often than not, joy is a choice. Essentially, we can choose to be joyful. We can lay hold of it, or we can discard it and choose to be swallowed by something else. A strong dichotomy? Maybe. But I want to tell you that the weapon of a joyful heart is one that is stronger than most others. To express joy is to win.

To express joy is to win. Click To Tweet
The Song of Joy

I believe one of the chief reasons Scripture instructs and encourages us to sing is that song is a powerful weapon. It is light that pushes back the darkness that wars for our souls. Melody makes aggressive waves against evil forces. After all, what thing could confuse and infuriate the enemy more than the hopeful song of a child of God?

The believer's song is light that pushes back the darkness. Click To Tweet

Music has the power to open us up to things beyond ourselves, and to unlock places inside of us that have been hidden. Because the movement of melody and rhythm help to unearth emotions and cement lyrics in our minds and hearts in a way nothing else can. That’s why we often remember Sunday’s songs better than sermons. Their words of truth swirl around our heads with melody and arm us for defence against lies and discouragement. And as we let the song pour out of our mouths, we wield a weapon of hope against despair.

Please hear me: A joyful heart expressed in song is not just for the singer. Our celebrity culture has convinced so many that singing is only for the elite. But, singing is an absolute necessity for every believer. When you regularly pour yourself out in songs to the Lord, you will not easily give in to sin.

When you regularly pour yourself out in songs to the Lord, you will not easily give in to sin. Click To Tweet

A joyful song will strengthen you against temptation and discouragement,  self-exaltation and hopelessness.

Sing!

If you are happy, sing your  joy.

When you are suffering, sing your  need.

If you are tempted to sin, sing your  dependence.

When you have sinned, sing your  confession.

If you are weak, sing your  strength.

When you are forgiven, sing your freedom.

Unusual Warfare

We see the weapon of a joyful heart winning the battle in the story of King Jehoshaphat, found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-29. A formidable army declared war on his people, and he knew it spelled inevitable disaster. King Jehoshaphat stood before his people and praised the Lord, declaring his hope in God’s protection. And then God gave him some unusual instructions: He said that Jehoshaphat needed to put the singers at the front of his army as they went to battle. Their sole purpose was to sing praises to God and rejoice! With the song in front, God said that Jehoshaphat’s army wouldn’t even need to fight!

Jehoshaphat’s response to God in that moment was to bow low in worship. And all of his people stood and praised God with a loud shout. In that moment, their praise was the voice of their inner joy – their trust in God. And God’s unusual strategy proved victorious! The weapon of joy defeated the oncoming army. The enemy army was confused. They turned against one another and destroyed themselves! King Jehoshaphat’s victory was only attributable to facing opposition and darkness with a joyful heart in joyful song. 

Find it.  Learn it.  Sing it.  Win.

So we need to arm ourselves for battle. If hopeful song from a joyful heart is a weapon against despair and hopelessness, cynicism and self-exaltation, how do we find songs to learn and sing in our everyday lives? Hopefully your arsenal is being filled every weekend in your worship services. I want to give you a great list of songs to download or stream. I’ll help you find them. Then you can learn them, sing them, and WIN with joy!

Few writers these days war with joy as well as Rend Collective. Their essence of sung faith is celebration and hope. Their heart cry is to push back the darkness with joyful song. Check out The Art of Celebration and As Family We Go (Deluxe Edition)

Lyrics like “We cast aside our shadows, trust You with our sorrows,” will be prepare you to push back the dark with joyful hearts! I guarantee your soul will lift. 

Travis Ryan is another artist gifted to bring strong songs of hope. Check out Until My Voice Is Gone is gone to learn lyrics like: “No other hope can make our hearts courageous, No other peace can make us stand up brave;  No other Love has earned our full affection, No other God deserves our highest praise.”

There are SO many awesome songs that we can use to make the soundtrack of our lives as we bring God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. Paring down a list of recommendations is an incredible challenge! But here is a free printable of some awesome songs for war. I hope these encourage you, lift your soul, and undergird your joyful heart.

Download the PDF

What about you? What songs are your weapons of joy? Share in the comments below!

Elizabeth Joy

 

Comments

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 25, 2017

      Awesome!!

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 25, 2017

      I’ll look that one up! 😊

  1. Leave a Reply

    Dianne Hill
    April 26, 2017

    I know I’m old fashioned. But Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah is my ‘go to’ hymn of joy.

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 26, 2017

      That’s not old fashioned! Some of the older hymns are rich in joy lyrics! My favorite is “And Can It Be”.

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 26, 2017

      Yes!!! It’s in my mind a lot!!

  2. lizrigby

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    Liz Rigby
    April 26, 2017

    Wonderful! Music is the number one way I’m able to keep my mind on Him throughout the day….I can’t wait to check out the songs on this graphic! One of my favorite God-power songs is Maker of Miracles by Austin and Lindsey Adamec 🎶

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 26, 2017

      Excellent!! I love getting new suggestions. Thanks Liz!

  3. Leave a Reply

    Wanda Killam
    April 27, 2017

    Thank you ,Elizabeth Joy ,songs are definitely my weapons of joy.So so thankful ,my years singing in the choir were the best ,I had so many praise songs in my head ,and lots of times as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning ,God would fill my head with words of praise from a song .I can name so many songs that are my weapons of joy ,but I’ll just mention the two that I sing all the time lately,and God has used mightily .Faithful One and What a Beautiful Name .Thanks again .Joyfully ,Wanda

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 27, 2017

      I remember singing in that choir too! It was such a blessing. So glad to hear how you fight for joy with joy too!

  4. Leave a Reply

    Val
    April 28, 2017

    This is one of my favorite posts. I have several friends and a few family members who struggle to hold on to joy. Some days they don’t have it, or the will to seek it. I love the suggestions of how to find and pursue joy. Today, on my way to work, I thanked God for you and this wonderful forum. I’m so thankful for you.

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      April 28, 2017

      In seasons I’ve felt defeated, I’ve often prayed for the want to want something. This can be true for joy when we don’t even have the will to seek it out. It’s amazing the miracles God can do in our hearts to give us desires that line up with His heart. Thank you for your encouragement, Val!

  5. alyssaavant101515698

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    Alyssa
    July 7, 2017

    My current favorite song is Still by Hillary Scott! I can belt that sucker out!

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      July 7, 2017

      Awesome!! Thanks for the suggestion!!

  6. Jill

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    Jill
    July 8, 2017

    LOVE to sing and praise Him in joyful and less than joyful times! Many familiar but some unfamiliar songs on your list, I’ll definitely be checking out. Thanks as always for sharing your joy with us Elizabeth!

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      July 8, 2017

      So glad you found something new here. Our praise is powerful!

  7. Leave a Reply

    Lindsay
    February 15, 2018

    This is how I fight my battles
    Joy in surrender
    Fear not
    Take courage
    Jesus is willing
    I just want to worship

    • Elizabeth Joy – Worshiper of Jesus, wife and mother, joy-seeker, writer and wellness advocate. I see all of life as infused with calling to glorify the Lord and help people walk in freedom with Him. I'm a worship leader, and I love to help people pursue holistic emotional and physical wellness.

      Leave a Reply

      Elizabeth
      February 15, 2018

      Love this! Thank you for sharing, Lindsay!

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Posted in: Music, Worship