There are times when we say that the joy of our faith has disappeared. The problem is that we do not know how to recover from this, and we think to ourselves, ‘I once was like this…’ and remain in this life of dry faith.
The reason joy arises when we first believe is because the Holy Spirit puts a seal in us. In other words, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and we experience joy. We were spiritually dead until we received Jesus. In fact, we don’t even know that fact until we accept Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to us. Until then, we simply live our lives by filling the emptiness with the desires of the flesh and pleasures of the world.
But the emptiness in life is not filled with these things. God creates the environment so that we can recieve Jesus and for the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts. Although there are differences in the degree depending on a person’s emotion or condition, most of them experience joy in their hearts due to the change in their status as children of God.
However, the grace of the first love does not last forever. At some point, this joy slowly fades away. The Bible clearly points out the cause. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other…” (Galatians 5:17). In other words, it is because we are living according to the desires of the flesh and against the Holy Spirit. The desires of the flesh are sexual immorality, impurity, discord, fits of rage, envy, hatred, etc. (Galatians 5:19-21). In the end, when the desires of the flesh, and not the Holy Spirit, dominate life, the joy of faith will disappear, and the Word will become inaudible, worship will become a duty, and gratitude and joy will become complaints instead, and hatred and anger will fill the heart.
When we tolerate and leave these things to continue, the desires of the flesh will go against the Holy Spirit and the channels of grace will be blocked. The “rivers of living water”, which Jesus said would overflow from within them (John 7:38), which may have started as a flow will become a trickle and ultimately become dry.
How can we restore the joy of faith again? The Holy Spirit, the comforter, wants to help and restore our faith. What is needed at that time is to obey the ‘signs’ of the Holy Spirit who lead us, and not be against it. And we must find out what sins and desires of the flesh are against the Holy Spirit in our lives, repent and pray earnestly to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit again.
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수정교회 번역팀 2022.05.21 20:42
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There are times when we say that the joy of our faith has disappeared. The problem is that we do not know how to recover from this, and we think to ourselves, ‘I once was like this…’ and remain in this life of dry faith.
The reason joy arises when we first believe is because the Holy Spirit puts a seal in us. In other words, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and we experience joy. We were spiritually dead until we received Jesus. In fact, we don’t even know that fact until we accept Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to us. Until then, we simply live our lives by filling the emptiness with the desires of the flesh and pleasures of the world.
But the emptiness in life is not filled with these things. God creates the environment so that we can recieve Jesus and for the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts. Although there are differences in the degree depending on a person’s emotion or condition, most of them experience joy in their hearts due to the change in their status as children of God.
However, the grace of the first love does not last forever. At some point, this joy slowly fades away. The Bible clearly points out the cause. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other…” (Galatians 5:17). In other words, it is because we are living according to the desires of the flesh and against the Holy Spirit. The desires of the flesh are sexual immorality, impurity, discord, fits of rage, envy, hatred, etc. (Galatians 5:19-21). In the end, when the desires of the flesh, and not the Holy Spirit, dominate life, the joy of faith will disappear, and the Word will become inaudible, worship will become a duty, and gratitude and joy will become complaints instead, and hatred and anger will fill the heart.
When we tolerate and leave these things to continue, the desires of the flesh will go against the Holy Spirit and the channels of grace will be blocked. The “rivers of living water”, which Jesus said would overflow from within them (John 7:38), which may have started as a flow will become a trickle and ultimately become dry.
How can we restore the joy of faith again? The Holy Spirit, the comforter, wants to help and restore our faith. What is needed at that time is to obey the ‘signs’ of the Holy Spirit who lead us, and not be against it. And we must find out what sins and desires of the flesh are against the Holy Spirit in our lives, repent and pray earnestly to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit again.