On Sunday Paul shared a prophetic word about perseverance and how sometimes as Christians we face all kinds of trials.

Paul shares:
I went out for a walk this morning and I looked up in the sky and it was just brilliant, brilliant sunshine and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was much earlier this morning and there was the moon shining in the sky, light as bright and clear as if it was in the night sky; it really does shine brightly sometimes doesn’t it! I thought about this, and I almost asked the moon what it was doing there because it was daylight and yet there it was!

I really felt God prompt me for this morning that it’s exactly where it was meant to be! That God created the universe and every star and every planet and the moon. Everything is where it was meant to be.

This morning, I really felt that, you know most of us face challenges, don’t we? Most of us have things which are going on, that aren’t easy. Some of them are emotional, family, financial, circumstantial.

Yet what does scripture say, in James 1 it says consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters. You’d be expecting to hear great things but actually he goes on to say, “whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Consider it pure joy, why? Because God wants to do things in our lives that we would be a radiant, shining light for His glory for this love that we are singing and praising Him for! The circumstances in our lives, even if we’ve caused them, even if we’ve caused them. God allows them for purpose and the purpose is that we can know His love and His glory.

Pure joy, is as we know that love and we know that support and I’m really getting the sense that some of you will be thinking, “well Paul, you can’t be joyful when you’re going through what I’m going through but when you’re looking for God’s love and His provision, there is a hope that comes. There is a hope that comes through faith, in difficult circumstances that looks past the issues we’re facing and looks for His radiant glory and provision and I'm here to tell you, to remind you that it’s here for you this morning because of His immense love for you!

Lord Jesus, this morning we are receiving that by faith, that we can come to you Jesus. You said you went to the cross for the joy set before you, you went to the cross with joy in your heart, even though it was tough, the Joy that you give us, that Joy and that purpose and that love, fill our hearts with it today Lord.

You can watch Paul share this encouragement here: