Several years ago, Trina and I took our children to Disney World in Florida. It was such a creative and exciting place for children with a lot of rides and entertainment. It was also quite an expensive trip for our family. I thought it was funny when I saw a mother scolding and correcting her little boy. The little boy had been whining, grouchy, and complaining. The mother grabbed him firmly by the arm and said, “I brought you here to have a good time, and you are going to have a good time.”
The mother commanded him to stop complaining and whining and get happy right away. She went on to explain to the boy why he was commanded to have fun. She said, “I paid too much for this trip for you to be grouchy and complaining. It has taken us too long to get here for you to ruin it with your whining.” The little boy promptly dried his tears, stopped whining, and enjoyed the rest of the trip. I laughed because I understood exactly how that mother felt.
Now I can imagine our Father God having a similar problem with some of His children. I can hear Him saying, “I brought you here to have a good time-now you are going to have a good time! I paid too much for your freedom for you to be bound… I paid too much for your joy for you to be depressed… I paid too much for your peace for you to be confused… I paid too much for your forgiveness for you to be condemned… I paid too much for your righteousness for you to be guilty or ashamed… I paid too much for your healing for you to stay sick… I paid too much for your success for you to fail!!!”
The price of our freedom was the precious blood of Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our blessing. He paid too high a price for our blessing for us to be cursed. We are blessed in Christ. God is speaking to us saying, “I brought you here to have fun… NOW YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN!!! It is time to enjoy our victory in Christ! It is time to enjoy our redemption!
1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “…yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” The Amplified Bible says it this way, “…you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.” Faith is activated by rejoicing. Believing is accompanied by joy. Here the Apostle Peter speaks of some kind of wild, ecstatic, triumphant, heavenly joy…not some day when we get to heaven, but right now. Unspeakable joy is a container of the glory of God. The glory and the abundance of God are manifested in an atmosphere of rejoicing.
God brought you here to have fun-now you are going to have fun! God brought us here to have victory-now we are going to have victory-not some day… NOW!!! “This is the day the Lord hat made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118: 24). “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). We are commanded to rejoice. It is not an option. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Smith Wiggelsworth said, “Faith laughs at impossibilities.” Take some time now and laugh by faith at your impossibilities. Ha… Ha… Ha!! “With joy you draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). You can make a withdrawal from your salvation account with joy. The wells of salvation are reservoirs of healing and blessing. Joy is your bucket to draw out your blessing. If you have great joy, you have a great bucket to draw much salvation.
“Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). He did not say that it was a “joy” to have multiple troubles. He said to “count” it joy. Look at your problems and “count.” “ONE JOY.” “TWO JOY.” “THREE JOY.” Then laugh at the devil. What Satan meant for evil, God is turning for your good. God paid too high a price for your victory for you to be defeated. Ha! Ha! Ha!
One translation says to count it “MAXIMUM JOY” (Berkeley). I like that! Turn your joy up to “Maximum Joy.” Smile, then Laugh, then jump, then shout, then dance. Turn it up and things will turn around. Turn your joy up. Believers… rejoice! Joy unspeakable is full of glory. The glory of God is in joy. There is no penalty for excessive celebration in the kingdom of God. God brought you here to have dominion-now you are going to have dominion! God brought you here to have a good time, now you are going to have a GOOD TIME!
Mark Hankins is the pastor of Christian Worship Center and founder of In Christ International Bible School in Alexandria, Louisiana. He travels extensively throughout the United States and overseas preaching the Gospel with the power of God for people today in revivals, seminars, and camp meetings. Pastor Hankins also has a television ministry called “Spirit of Faith”, a daily radio program “Taking Your Place In Christ”, and has authored several books.
Pastor Hankins has a video and a two-tape series related to this article called, “Maximum Joy.”
Please contact: Mark Hankins Ministries at 318-448-4500 for more information.
Written By: Pastor Mark Hankins
