As we see in this passage, there is a special joy that comes only from sowing and reaping. That is why the Lord tells us He "prizes" a cheerful giver.
Continual, overflowing joy is supposed to be the identifying characteristic of the one who makes a lifestyle of giving. That joy is not only a blessing, it is also a powerful weapon for spiritual warfare.
A number of years ago, the Lord gave me a message for the Body of Christ. After I began to preach it, people heard it and responded to it so well that it was recorded on cassette and video tape and published in book form.
It has been the most popular and most widely appreciated message I have ever presented.
The title of that message is simple: "If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy, He Can't Keep Your Goods." The message you are reading right now is sort of a sequel to that one. I suppose this one could be entitled, "Joy II."
The emphasis of this message is as simple as its title: we must have the joy of the Lord if we are to have and keep the blessings of God. Especially in times of economic crisis, such as those we are now facing on a worldwide scale.
Nehemiah 8:10 declares: "...the joy of the Lord is your strength." Without the strength of joy, many believers will fail in the hard times which lie ahead.
Right now, 20 percent of the Body of Christ is carrying 80 percent of the load of the Church.
Twenty percent of God's people are doing most of the giving, while the other eighty percent are doing very little or nothing at all. That situation must change, because when hard times descend upon us, only those who have prepared themselves will overcome.
Only they will know how to win over adversity and how to come through hardship victoriously—by sowing in time of famine. The only survivors of Satan's attacks will be those whose strength comes from and rests upon a deep, abiding joy in the Lord.
As giving becomes a lifestyle, greater peace, quietness, confidence, assurance and joy will be yours.
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