The Narrow Way

We often think of joy as something soft.
Something sweet.
Something that comes when life is finally good.

But in the kingdom, joy is warfare.
Joy is what you pick up before the battle ends.
Joy is what you carry when nothing looks like victory yet.
Because the enemy doesn’t just want to steal your peace
he wants to shut down your joy.

Why?
Because Nehemiah 8:10 says,
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

No joy?
No strength.

But you’ve been learning…
how to smile with tears in your eyes.
How to laugh even after loss.
How to worship when the wounds still ache.

That’s not fake.
That’s fierce.

Joy doesn’t mean you’re ignoring the pain.
It means you’re refusing to let it define you.
Joy is not denial—
it’s defiance.

It’s what Jesus carried on the cross.
“For the joy set before Him, He endured…” (Hebrews 12:2)
He didn’t feel joy, He saw it.
And He let it pull Him through the suffering.

That’s your call too.
To walk with joy that doesn’t quit.
To sing when you’d rather shut down.
To celebrate when it would be easier to stay numb.
To dance like deliverance is already on the calendar.

Because it is.

This joy isn’t surface-level.
It’s sealed by the Spirit.
And no circumstance can cancel what God planted in you.

So protect your joy.
Guard it like gold.
And carry it into every room like a flame that cannot be put out.

You’re not just surviving anymore.
You’re burning.
And joy is your fire.