The one thing that old enemy always wants to take from you and me more than anything we have is our joy. Amen. He always wants us to be sad, he wants us to be depressed, he wants us to look behind us, he wants us to focus on our failures. He never, ever—and I mean ever—wants us to be happy. He never wants us to smile, to have a good day, to have a good anything. He wants us to live defeated, depressed, dried-up lives, never thriving, never being content, never being thankful, just murmuring and complaining.

And in turn, what does this do to us? When we choose to live that way, it leads us to being unhappy, and in turn, it leads to stealing our joy. Amen. And why does the enemy want our joy? Well, because the Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Amen. Because laughter, our laughter, the word says, is good like a medicine (Proverbs 17:22-24). Amen!

But as well, there is no better witness for Christ than when we are happy and joyful people for the Lord. Amen. There is something about it that draws people to us. It causes us to be salt and light in the midst of the dark world we live in (Matthew 5:13-16). Amen. Others will want to know what we have, why we have this hope and joy that shines out from our lives despite what may be happening in our lives. For you see, our joy has nothing to do with this life that we live. It has nothing to do with money, with our jobs, with our friends, even with our families. The joy we have comes from Jesus and only Him. Amen. And that is what makes the difference.

But when we let that enemy take away from us the gift of joy that comes from our Father, it just steals our day, it steals our peace, it just takes everything. And isn’t that like that old devil? He starts out small with his little dirty paws, so to speak, and the next thing you know, he has snuck in there and stolen more than we could even imagine. So my heart and my prayer are this: to us all, let him who stole steal no more from our lives (Ephesians 4:28). And may everything that has been stolen from us be returned and restored ten times over. Amen!

So this morning, let us be like David when he arose and went to Ziklag and took back everything the enemy had stolen (1 Samuel 30:1-31). Amen. I love the song that says this: “I went to the enemy’s camp, and I took back what he stole from me. I took back what he stole from me. I went to the enemy’s camp and I took back what he stole from me. He’s under my feet, he’s under my feet, he’s under my feet. Satan is under my feet. Hallelujah!!”

So never forget that the devil is a thief, and he wants to steal everything from us. But the one thing that he wants more than anything, guys, is our joy. So keep your joy. Amen. It is your witness, it is your strength, it is your health, it is your everything that makes you happy, and it comes from our Father. So keep your joy. And if you feel you’re losing it somewhere, or you have lost it somehow along the way, my prayer is that you find your place with Jesus. Because the word says that in the Lord’s presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Amen. And at His right hand there are pleasures evermore. Hallelujah.

So pray for wisdom because God has made us wiser than the enemy (Psalm 119:98). We all know his tactics and the things that he uses on us. So let us cast them off, don’t pick them up, and keep our eyes fixed and focused on our Father who is in heaven. For life is way too short to live it unhappy. So be happy, be free, and be full to the overflow with joy. For it is in His name, Jesus’ name, that I ask and pray. Amen and Amen. Be blessed today, my dear sweet friends, and remember, wherever you go and whatever you do, be a light for our Father. Much love to you all, Mandi