and victory, in spite of the circumstances we face in our lives. Accord-ingly, we find that the apostle Paul, though a prisoner, was exultantly happy, and calls us to be full of joy and to rejoice always.
As we carefully read and review Philippians, we find that there is a connection between rejoicing and the power of the mind. In chapter 2 of Philippians Paul tells us to “have the mind of Christ”; and as he is about to close, he says in chapter 4, “Finally brethren, think on these things.”
It appears that the power to think is the antibody, the antidote to anything that can happen in one’s life.
There is no question that when Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I will say, rejoice!”he is not asking us to rejoice at certain times or in certain circumstances, he is commanding us to rejoice at all times. He detaches rejoicing from our circumstances as he sends out a carte blanche statement, an imperative command, “Rejoice and again I will say rejoice.”Without knowing what situations we will face and without conducting a survey, Paul sees us (with his spiritual eyes) hesitating and contemplating how to rejoice in negative situations. It is clear that he
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feels the need to repeat himself because of our hesitation. Essentially, he is saying, “Just in case you didn’t hear me the first time, I will say it again—I want you to always give God an expression of jubilee. Rejoice and again I will say rejoice.”
Paul says it again and again because we need to hear it again and again. We need to know that the joy of the Lord is so powerful; it can abound even in the worst situations. It is imperative for you to under-stand that it does not matter what you have, or what is happening in your life, you must know within your heart that you are special and that God indwells your mind through His Spirit.
Since you are connected to God through His Spirit you can rejoice as you look through the eyes of faith to see that God has planned for you to praise, to worship, and to thank Him for His faithfulness, no matter how devastating the circumstances, because “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). The joy that comes from the Lord is what gives you ability and strength to overcome trials and to realize victories, and to refuse to yield to what the flesh wants to do even when we’re faced with discouraging circumstances. The Holy Spirit tells us that our circumstances are not to dictate our attitudes; rather, our praise claims that God is above the situation, and rejoicing becomes a lifelong occupation.
What does it mean to “rejoice always”? The word rejoice is an imper-ative, a command that comes from the word joy, a fruit of the Spirit. To rejoice is the central core of why we were created. God created us to give Him glory, and we are expected to always have joy as we give Him praise. Richard Baxter said, “May the Living God make these, our car-nal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, that loving Him, and delighting in Him, may be the work of our lives.”1
Yes, Christians are commanded to rejoice under all circumstances, and obedience is possible because true joy is in the Lord. As believers, we can be inwardly joyful when everything around us is dreary. This means that you are to rejoice even when the doctor tells you that the di-agnostic report reveals cancer in your body. Why? You rejoice and praise God for the healing process that is taking place in your body.
You rejoice and praise God for overcoming the chemotherapy and radi-ation. You rejoice and praise God for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurse, orderly, medication, and everything that will be used for your treatment and complete healing. You rejoice and praise God because you have been transformed by the renewing of your mind, and you now have the mind of Christ. You look past the suffering to victory in healing, and you boldly declare, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”(Phil. 4:12-13).
Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson. Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him. So when we encounter situations in which there seems to be no reason for happiness, we can always rejoice and delight in the Lord.
Similarly, in Second Corinthians 6:10, Paul encouraged us to be joyful: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”Rejoicing is to be a constant discipline for those who are in Christ because we are aware that Jesus gives peace to those who trust Him and ask for His help. Moreover, true faith never says, “I cannot.”We have the freedom to rejoice always. More im-portantly, we rejoice always because God has delivered us from the cor-ruption and death in sin, and we have the promise that the Lord Jesus is coming soon.
Habakkuk also reminds us that when the circumstances of life present a negative picture of failure and loss, or when the natural re-action is grief or complaint, this is the time to put faith in God and in His Word.
Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fall, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
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Thus when you ask, “How can I rejoice when life seems to be crushed by persecution, failures, negative experiences, or horrific cir-cumstances?” You can rejoice and praise God at the same time you are fighting the sinful nature of the flesh with the will of the spirit because the Spirit of Christ, the Living Water, is constantly flowing through your transformed and renewed mind. You can praise God that you have the victory over the devil because you have been released and you now have the mind of Christ.
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NDNOTE1. Cited in Inspirational Christian Quotes by the Puritans and Other Great Reformed Theologians, accessed 18 September 2005;
available from: http://www.eternallifeministries.org/
quotes.htm# Promises%20of%20God.
Who are you? It is what you think about yourself that gives signifi-cance to who you are. What you think about yourself can elevate or de-cline your position. When you understand the equation of the thinking process, you will know that you are your thoughts, and your thoughts are somewhere within you. Thus, self-knowledge becomes significant to overall knowledge; and it is in the mind where you store what you think about yourself.
The question then is: Can someone be thinking of praising God, while at the same time, not thinking of joy and rejoicing? It does not seem possible, because when you deal with the concept of the mind, you cannot be separated from what you think, and you cannot think separately from yourself. Moreover, it is significant to understand that the mind is attached to the source, which is the power of God; while at the same time, the mind is also connected to the flesh—the body, and the body is connected to your environment, issues, and circumstances.