‘Protect your happiness from the devil’
Published:Thursday | December 13, 2018 | 12:00 AMShanna-Kaye Monteith
There is always a potent word available for those who attend fasting services at the Greater Bethlehem Temple Apostolic church in Yallahs, St Thomas, each Wednesday. This week was no different.
Engaging the saints in a power-talk on the importance of maintaining joy, a young woman, who was addressed as Sister Williams, encouraged others to protect their happiness from the devil.
"The enemy doesn't come to steal our Holy Ghost because he can't use it. What he wants is our joy because he know that is where our strength lies.
"Without joy, we have no desire to worship, none to seek God nor none to fast and pray. Once he steals our joy, then he steals everything," she said.
Speaking on instances when the devil will show up, the young sister noted that whenever a message is preached and is well received by the congregation who may find some level of comfort in it, then it is expected that the adversary will launch an attack.
"When we take offence to what is preached, then the devil doesn't need to attack us because we already did his work for him. But whenever The Word comes and makes us happy, that's the time the he comes after us. Once it makes you full of joy that's when he shows up because he wants to take the joy away from you," she said, adding that the godly joy aggravates the devil.
Sister Williams encouraged the congregation that the only way to maintain the joy of the Lord, and by extension strength in Him, is through fasting and prayer.
Robbing us of our Peace
According to her: "It's the only way we can see when he's coming and prevent him from robbing us of our peace.
"Many times we go to church on a Sunday, have a good time and leave the service blessed, but by Monday morning (you) feel down and upset and you wonder how comes. If you had gone on fasting or spent time in prayer, then the devil would have had no space to show up and steal your blessing that you received the day before."
In closing the young woman of God encouraged others who were seeking after the spirit of God to do so with happiness as she referenced Isaiah 12:3 which states 'Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."