Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Proverbs 15:13 (AMP)
A heart full of joy and goodness makes a cheerful face, but when a heart is full of sadness the spirit is crushed.
Your demeanor, and your countenance reflects your heart. When your HEART is full of the JOY anointing, your FACE will reflect the anointing in your HEART. When your heart is sad, depressed, discouraged and without hope, your face will reflect that!
The JOY anointing is accessed through FAITH… faith does three things, it ACCESSES the joy anointing, then it IMPARTS it, then it MANIFESTS it!
1 Peter 1:8 (AMPC) says, “Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.” Another way of translating this is, “FAITH accesses, imparts, and then manifests inexpressible, glorious, triumphant, heavenly JOY”.
How do I use my faith to access, impart and manifest the JOY anointing? Two ways… firstly declare, “by FAITH, I receive the joy anointing in my heart right now, heavenly joy anointing, flood my heart right now, in Jesus Name!” Next, put on a joy demeanor and countenance by grace, through FAITH! What is a joy demeanor? Firstly, a joy demeanor is a smiling, laughing, cheerful face, secondly, a joy demeanor is an ‘atmosphere’… an atmosphere that is flooded with excitement, joy and expectation of triumph. Making the declaration is the easy part, putting on a joy demeanor by smiling, laughing, and putting on a cheerful face, and then releasing an excited, expectant, triumphant, joyful atmosphere is more of a challenge! Your flesh will tell you, “you are being FAKE”, but you have to reply to the accusation of your flesh… “I am not being FAKE, I am doing what I am doing by FAITH… this if FAITH, not FAKE!”
Maintaining a joy-filled demeanor is not for babies in Christ, it is for mature believers. A baby in Christ is still dominated by the flesh… their faith is only at the level of their salvation… grace generates joy in them, but it is all by grace, not through the exercising of their faith. As that believer starts maturing in the Lord, the Lord start requiring that believer to start living BY FAITH. It is still by grace, but now things require FAITH. So, this teaching is for those of you who are mature in the Lord!
As mature believers we cannot go around wearing our flesh driven feelings on our sleeves, doing so is a hindrance to us personally as well as to others. It gives place to the devil to kill, steal and destroy! When people see us, or encounter us, we have to represent JESUS to them… representing Jesus starts with our demeanor, our countenance and the atmosphere we are walking in. People will never get past a serious, defeated, mad, sad face, and a heavy atmosphere, to receive what Jesus has to give them through you.
When others encounter you, they need to encounter Jesus, and the when you encounter JESUS, you encounter His joy, His love, His grace and His peace… all of this radiates through His countenance as well as through the atmosphere around Him.
Start ‘practicing’ by maintaining a joy-filled demeanor around those closest to you… your spouse, your family, and your closest friends, (FYI, You can even walk in it in the morning before your first cup of coffee, lol)… then take it to the next level and maintain a joy-filled demeanor at all times, even in front of your enemies!
The JOY ANOINTING will release continual miracles wherever you go!
In His amazing love, Nick
