One of God's profound Kingdom principles is understanding the weapons of our warfare. I have found that joy--yes joy--is one of our most powerful and offensive weapons.

Why? What makes it so powerful? Simply, the enemy has no context for it.

Satan understands obedience; he understands when we obey God. His demonic followers obey him. They obey him out of fear, manipulation, pride, arrogance... but they obey. From his vantage point, obedience is control. Obedience, in his camp, is bondage and leads to death, but he understands it.

Following God, in joy, puts the enemy in a tailspin. When we express joy in the midst of uncertainty, disappointment, or attack, we literally bring confusion into his camp. Because satan does not have a context for joy, his plans get jumbled and scattered.

Just like when the children of Israel blew trumpets and hit pitchers, and the enemy turned inward and began destroying himself, so joy brings destruction to his plans in our lives today.

Joy is the highest, most effective kind of warfare.

Joy is an overcoming force that breaks the mindsets and strongholds of bondage. Joy literally brings freedom!Joy annihilates the enemy's plans and takes ground for the Kingdom of God.

Since the enemy has no counter attack that overcomes the life flow of joy, his biggest strategy is to keep us far from it—to keep us focused on what isn’t working. May we, instead, focus on Who is working all things after the counsel of His will... for our good!

To access joy we must filter all our thoughts through the mind of Christ, and we see things from His perspective. We must remember that the ways of God, and the ways of the enemy, are mutually exclusive. We cannot think like God, and the enemy at the same time.

Whose way will you choose?

You cannot be full of self-pity and joy at the same time...
   or bitterness and joy...
   or disappointment and joy...
   or comparison and joy...
   or fear, hopelessness, doubt, anxiety and joy.

Satan tempts us to take our eyes off the goodness and power of God so that we cower... and forget our inheritance. Let us, instead, focus the Almighty One and believe, and we will be filled with "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 5:8)!