When the Angel of the Lord visited the local Shepherds in Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus in Luke 2, he said: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11)
The Angel of the Lord was there to announce the birth of Christ, salvation for all who would believe the Good news of the gospel and the joy that would result from people experiencing the effects of the Gospel! The Gospel is good news, and it brings great joy! There is no greater joy than to experience the burden of sin lifted, to know your sins are forgiven to enter the arms of a loving Heavenly Father. It’s a wonderful overwhelming experience and it brings great joy to your life.
Sickness, depression, fear and anxiety leave when the Gospel is proclaimed, when Jesus shows up! Wherever Jesus is, there is great joy! He can do what no one else can do. He can transform your life to the point where there is an overflow of joy at all the wonderful things He is doing.
Acts 8:6-9 tells us “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” When Philip preached the gospel in Samaria, when the people saw the miracles and experienced the power of God there was great joy in that City.
We have just come back from a wonderful Festival of Faith and Miracles in Itapetinga, Brazil. We had people coming up to us the day afterwards to share the wonderful miracles God had done for them and their loved ones. I will never forgot seeing one lady after she had shared with us how God had healed and removed her tumor, she walked down the street joyfully witnessing to some friends the wonderful things God had done. There was great joy in the City of Itapetinga and God wants you to experience great joy!
Today you may be going through a difficult time. I’m believing the power of the Gospel to come afresh to your life and bring you the miracle you need and it will result in great joy. That God’s presence will overwhelm you and you will be overflowing with joy, that you will experience the great joy of the Gospel. Don’t be discouraged today, great joy is coming your way!
