Overseer of God’s Remnant Assembly Akintayo Emmanuel Reveals How to Be Joyful

Despite a seemingly endless list of motivations and incentives, the fundamental desire of all people regardless of where they have been or where they are headed is to be joyful. And yet despite this lifelong mission, the fact remains that for many folk’s, joyfulness is the exception rather than the norm. In fact, when we come across someone who seems truly joyful, instead of yearning to follow their lead, we tend to become suspicious, skeptical, cynical, dismissive, and envious (e.g. “if he had the same problems as me, then he wouldn’t be joyful or “what right does she have to be so joyful?”).

However, according to Dr. Akintayo Emmanuel, the Overseer of God’s Remnant Assembly, being joyful is not a complex or difficult undertaking, or something that only a blessed few can experience while the rest of us grind our way through life. Rather, joyfulness is fundamentally and inherently rooted in us, and as such our task is to make it manifest in our day-to-day lives.

What’s more, there is no need to hunt for some esoteric mystical recipe for joyfulness, or undergo years of comprehensive mind training. Anyone can find the instructions they need to live a joyful life — and spark joyfulness in others — by always having God’s abiding presence because in His presence there is fullness of Joy. Three passages in particular point the way forward towards happiness and joy, and away from anxiety and despair: Ecclesiastes 3:12, 2 Corinthians 12:10, and Psalm 37:4.

Ecclesiastes 3:12: “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.”

“Many people are under the mistaken impression that God does not want them — or anyone else for that matter — to be joyful, and that existence is essentially about struggle and toil. But that is not true. God wants us to be joyful, and to make others happy through our attitudes and efforts.”

2 Corinthians 12:10: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“Some people think that joyfulness means never having to deal with setbacks and challenges that range from everyday annoyances to significant life-altering tragedies. God’s everlasting joyfulness is like the sun, which is always shining upon us. Yes, the skies can get cloudy, dark and daunting at times. But behind that scene is the sun. Even when we cannot see it, we know it is there, and this knowledge fills us with reassurance and the strength to endure and make the best of whatever comes our way.”

Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

“We have all pursued many different paths to joyfulness, only to experience disappointment instead of delight. The lesson we must learn from this is that joyfulness doesn’t essentially come from what we achieve, but from who we are. When we are completely established in God and do everything for His glory and benefit instead of ours, then a joyful life is the natural and unmistakable byproduct.”