REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS

By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson

Philippians 4:4-5
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Another translation says; Rejoice in the Lord always, let your gentle spirit be known to all men…
The Oxford English Mini Dictionary defines “Rejoice” as feel or show great joy not only are we to feel or show great joy from the passage, but we should let our gentle spirit be made known to all men because “the Lord is at hand” or the Lord is physically near or the presence of the Lord is with us or better still, the second coming of the Lord is nearer than when we first believed.

If the Lord is coming soon then our trial and challenges would be over any time from now
Revelation 21:4 says
God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

How can we rejoice or show great joy?
• By putting a stop to all worries
Philippians 4:6-7
Psalm 46:10

• By praising and worshipping God
Psalm 150:1
Revelation 4:10-11

• By believing that there are better things in store for us
Psalm 75:6-7
Romans 8:38-39

• By thanking God for his goodness
Psalm 100:4-5
1 Thessalonians 5:18

By putting a stop to all worries
Philippians 4:6-7

Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanks giving let your requests be known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your heart and minds through Christ Jesus.
No positive returns have been received from worrying about problem. Even if you find a good solution you need the grace and mercy of God to apply the solution to get good results. It is better to pray and commit everything into God’s hands and wait patiently for Him to move or give you directions.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
There is no need to fret or worry about how to overcome your challenges. It will only increase your stress and give up a high blood pressure, eventually make you loose wait and get sick.
Wait patiently for God to move while you pray, praise, worship God and thank Him for the victory He will give you.
Rejoice for the Lord is in control.

By praising and worshipping God
Psalm 150
Is a psalm that shows you how to praise God using different instruments and different actions.
It is necessary to rejoice each day for the gift of life and for the fact that the coming of Christ is nearer than the day before.
Revelation 4:10-11
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne and worship Him that liveth forever, and cast their crowns before the throne Thou art worthy, o Lord To receive glory and honor and power for thou hast created all things, and for the pleasure they are and were created.
The presence and availability of God is something that gives a lot of joy and satisfaction.
The four and twenty elders who were always before God could not stop praising and worshipping Him.

Christians should also praise and worship God frequently and rejoice for God is always with us.

By believing there are better things in store for us
Psalm 75:6-7
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.
When faced with frustrating situations like not being able to pass our exams and moving to higher qualifications to give us success in life, we should not be discouraged.
Promotion or success cones from the God. Do your best to study, pray and leave the rest to God.
Before and after every examination pray for wisdom and direction on how to answer the question. After each paper pray and thank God for favor and success.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor poverty, nor things present, nor things to come , nor height, no depth , nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God , which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We should always rejoice for the fact that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us from the love of God . It does not matter how many trapes the evil one sets or how many affect you, the Love and provision of God is always available for his children.

By thanking God for His goodness
Psalm 100:4-5
Enter into His gate with thanks giving and in to his court with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Rejoice and thank God always no matter how challenging your circumstances may be. That is what God wants you to do. Obeying God’s commands brings prosperity peace and success (Joshua 1:8)

Reference
1. King James Bible
2. Oxford English Dictionary
3. Google.com