Psalm 118:1-29 1O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. 2Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 3Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 4Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. 5I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. 6The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? 7The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 8It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. 10All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. 11They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 12They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 13Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me. 14The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 15The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.** 16The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. 17I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. 18The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 19Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: 20This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. 21I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. 22The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. 26Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD. 27God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 28Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 29O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:15-16 (CJB) The sound of rejoicing and victory is heard in the tents of the righteous: “ADONAI’s right hand struck powerfully! 16ADONAI’s right hand is raised in triumph! ADONAI’s right hand struck powerfully!”
Psalm 118:15 (NIV) 15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
Job 8:20-22 20Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: 21Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. 22They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Job 8:20-22 (AMP) 20Behold, as surely as God will never uphold wrongdoers, He will never cast away a blameless man. 21He will yet fill your mouth with laughter [Job] and your lips with joyful shouting. 22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tents of the wicked shall be no more.
Psalm 47:1 (AMP) 1O CLAP your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy!
Psalm 30:11 (AMP) 11You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
Isaiah 40:9 9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
1 Samuel 4:5-9 5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, Whatmeaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 7And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 8Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 9Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
Psalm 47:1 1O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. 2For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
Isaiah 12:6 5Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee
Psalm 5:11 (AMP) 11But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.
Joshua 6:1-21 20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Luke 1:43 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Psalm 20:4-5 4Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
Luke 2:10-11 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Psalm 33:1-3 1Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. 2Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. 3Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
Psalm 63:6-8 6When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:7 (NAS) 7For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
Psalm 98:7-8 7Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 8Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
Christ Knocking at the Door
March 30, 1958 · Middletown, Ohio
51 …Don’t you just love to worship? The messages sometime are so cutting with the Word. But then, you know, after we’ve all been corrected and stand guiltless in the presence of the Father, resting upon the grace of the Lord Jesus, I just love to raise my hands and worship Him. Don’t you like to do that? How many believes in that, raise up your hands? Oh, my, just worship Him in song.
The Patmos Vision
December 4, 1960 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
268 Do you love Him? You know, after the message is cutting and everything, I like to hear the people get into the hymns and go to worshipping and singing in the Spirit. There’s nothing more prettier than good ol’ singing. That’s right. I love good old-fashioned pentecostal singing; not them overtrained voices that holds till they’re squeaking and turn blue in the face, and don’t know what they’re singing. I like somebody that maybe couldn’t carry a tune in a basket but yet he’s got a Pentecostal Blessing, now he’s singing about it. Oh, how—how glorious those melodious songs of the cross! Oh, my!
The Restoration of the Bride Tree
April 22, 1962 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
213 So this little ol’ palmerworm begin to eat that fruit of joy out. “Now, looky here. You people make too much noise. I tell you, all this crying, this saying ‘amen,’ and this shouting, that’s nonsense. There’s nothing to that.” See? First thing you know, you set in a big morgue, you know, set there, all of them dead. Some of these embalming fluids of so-called Doctrine, of creeds pumped into their veins where the Spirit of God ought to be running, where the old church creed pumped in there. No wonder they’re icy cold and dead. Spiritual thermometer, ninety below zero. Yeah. Somebody say, “amen,” everybody stretch their neck around like some kind of a goose or something, want to know what said that. It’s a shame. When, the Spirit of God ought to be joy, peace, love. But this little old bug started eating on it. He eat* all the joy away.**
I am an Heir of Joy
Possessing All Things
May 6, 1962 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
95 I’m an heir of Divine healing. I’m an heir of joy, got a right to be happy. “So what makes you so happy?” I got a right to be. “How do you know?” Because I’m an heir to it. Amen! Whew! Now I feel religious. Yes. I’m an heir to the happiness. I’m an heir to joy. I’m an heir to peace. I’m an heir to Eternal Life. I’m an heir to the Holy Spirit. Amen. I’m an heir to every evidence It’s got. Amen. I’m an heir to the authority of God. Amen. “Who made you that?” Not me; He did. Every one of you is an heir to the same thing.
The Ephesian Church Age
An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages · Chapter 3
Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” To understand this you must realize that the Spirit is not speaking to the original saints of Ephesus alone. This message is to the entire age which lasted about 120 years. Its message, then, is to all the generations in that span. Now history keeps repeating itself. In the generations ofIsrael** we see revival in one generation, only to see the fires fading in the next.** In the third generation, embers may be glowing slightly, but in the fourth there may be no vestige whatsoever of that original flame. Then God lights the fire again, and the same process is repeated. It is simply the manifestation of the truth that God has no grandchildren. Salvation is not passed on by natural birth any more than is there any truth to apostolic succession. It isn’t in the Word. You start out with truly born-again believers, and when the next generation comes along they are no longer just plain Christians, but they have taken a denominational name and are now Baptists, Methodists, etcetera. That is exactly what they are, too. They are not Christians. You have to be born of the will of God, not the will of man, to be saved. But these folks are all coming together now by the will of man. I don’t say that some of them aren’t right with God. Not for a minute do I say that, but the original fire has died down. They are not the same any more.
The fervent desire to please God, the passion to know His Word, the cry for reaching out in the Spirit, all begins to fade and instead of that church being on fire with the fire of God it has cooled off and become a bit formal. That is what was happening back there to the Ephesians. They were getting a bit formal. The abandonment to God was dying out and the people weren’t too careful about what God thought of them as they began to be careful about what the world thought of them. That second generation coming on was just like Israel. They demanded a king to be like the other nations. When they did that, they rejected God. But they did it anyway. That is the history of the church. When it thinks more of conforming to the world instead of conforming to God, it isn’t long until you see them stop doing things they used to do, and start doing things they wouldn’t do initially. They change their manner of dress, their attitudes and theirbehaviour**. They get lax. That is what “Ephesus” means: relaxed — drifting.**
That cycle of revival and death has never failed. All you have to do is recall this last move of God in the Spirit when men and women dressed like Christians, went to church, prayed all night, took to street corners and weren’t ashamed of the manifestations of the Spirit. They left their old dead churches and worshipped in homes or old store buildings. They had reality. But it wasn’t too long a time until they began to get enough money to build fine new churches. They put in a choir instead of singing unto God for themselves. They put gowns on the choir. They organized a movement and ran it by man. They soon began to read books that weren’t fit to read. They let down the bars and goats came in and took over**. The cry of joy was gone. The freedom of the Spirit was gone. Oh, they kept on with a form; but the fire had died down and the blackness of ashes is about all that is left.**
Joy Shoes
The Lamb’s Book of Life
June 3, 1956 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
158Now, believer, have you got your joy shoes on?
Slaves of Joy
All the Days of Our Life
June 12, 1959 · Chicago, Illinois
30 …But we who are bondslaves to Jesus Christ, we are slaves of joy. I’m so glad that I got shackles on me, that shackles me away from the things of the world, that I could become a slave to Jesus Christ, to serve Him in love. And you, my brethren and sisters, who are like precious faith, who’s been borned of the Holy Ghost, that’s had the Blood of Jesus Christ to sanctify and cleanse you from all the filth of the world, that die daily to the flesh, crucify it, putting it away, and becoming a slave to your own body to serve God, we look for a City* to come. Blessed be the Lord.**
Conducting Myself with Joy
The Smyrnean Age
An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages · Chapter 4
And how shall I prove my love to Him? By believing what He said, and by conducting myself with joy amidst the trials that He in His wisdom allows to come to pass.
Psalm 5:11 (AMP) 11But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.
Joshua 6:20 20So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
John 15:4-5 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:4-5 (AMP) 4Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. 5I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
**John 15:7-8 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:7-8 (AMP) 7If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
JOHN 15:10-11 10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 15:10-11 (AMP) 10If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love. 11I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing.
2 Chronicles 7:10 (NKJV) On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
Psalm 105:43 43And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Philippians 4:4 (KJV) 4Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4 (CJB) 4Rejoice in union with the Lord always! I will say it again: rejoice!
Nehemiah 8:10 10Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Why?
January 25, 1961 · Beaumont, Texas
41 …But because that we do it, that’s the reason we’re cursed. That’s the reason God’s put this thing upon the church, this cold and dampness. We’re going to other places for pleasure, instead of coming to the house of the Lord for pleasure. The house of the Lord is the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is the joy of His people. He wants you to come to church, and worship Him, and be happy, and satisfied, giving praise, and honor, and glory, and wisdom, and might, and power to God. He wants you to do that.
The Ephesian Age
An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages · Chapter 3
Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” To understand this you must realize that the Spirit is not speaking to the original saints of Ephesus alone. This message is to the entire age which lasted about 120 years. Its message, then, is to all the generations in that span. Now history keeps repeating itself. In the generations ofIsrael** we see revival in one generation, only to see the fires fading in the next.** In the third generation, embers may be glowing slightly, but in the fourth there may be no vestige whatsoever of that original flame. Then God lights the fire again, and the same process is repeated. It is simply the manifestation of the truth that God has no grandchildren. Salvation is not passed on by natural birth any more than is there any truth to apostolic succession. It isn’t in the Word. You start out with truly born-again believers, and when the next generation comes along they are no longer just plain Christians, but they have taken a denominational name and are now Baptists, Methodists, etcetera. That is exactly what they are, too. They are not Christians. You have to be born of the will of God, not the will of man, to be saved. But these folks are all coming together now by the will of man. I don’t say that some of them aren’t right with God. Not for a minute do I say that, but the original fire has died down. They are not the same any more.
The fervent desire to please God, the passion to know His Word, the cry for reaching out in the Spirit, all begins to fade and instead of that church being on fire with the fire of God it has cooled off and become a bit formal. That is what was happening back there to the Ephesians. They were getting a bit formal. The abandonment to God was dying out and the people weren’t too careful about what God thought of them as they began to be careful about what the world thought of them. That second generation coming on was just like Israel. They demanded a king to be like the other nations. When they did that, they rejected God. But they did it anyway. That is the history of the church. When it thinks more of conforming to the world instead of conforming to God, it isn’t long until you see them stop doing things they used to do, and start doing things they wouldn’t do initially. They change their manner of dress, their attitudes and theirbehaviour**. They get lax. That is what “Ephesus” means: relaxed — drifting.**
That cycle of revival and death has never failed. All you have to do is recall this last move of God in the Spirit when men and women dressed like Christians, went to church, prayed all night, took to street corners and weren’t ashamed of the manifestations of the Spirit. They left their old dead churches and worshipped in homes or old store buildings. They had reality. But it wasn’t too long a time until they began to get enough money to build fine new churches. They put in a choir instead of singing unto God for themselves. They put gowns on the choir. They organized a movement and ran it by man. They soon began to read books that weren’t fit to read. They let down the bars and goats came in and took over**. The cry of joy was gone. The freedom of the Spirit was gone. Oh, they kept on with a form; but the fire had died down and the blackness of ashes is about all that is left.
Planting the Vine and Where to Plant It
September 20, 1959 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
59 **People don’t believe in shouting. The thing of it is, they haven’t got spiritual joy. **And the joys of the waters of Life can flow through. That’s a whole lot is the matter with the Branham Tabernacle, because that unbelief, the cares of the world had bound the people until it cannot produce spiritual growth.
60 That’s what’s the matter with our nation. That’s the matter with our churches. They have no joy. And the joy of the Lord has departed. As was written one time in the Scripture, the Hebrew word of Ichabod, which means, “The Presence of the Lord hath departed.” That’s over our churches, because that we left off of the original foundation, and placed ourselves into creeds and denomination, and permitted the things of the world to dry up our experience with God
Possessing All Things
May 6, 1962 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
95 I’m an heir of Divine healing. I’m an heir of joy, got a right to be happy. “So what makes you so happy?” I got a right to be. “How do you know?” Because I’m an heir to it. Amen! Whew! Now I feel religious. Yes. I’m an heir to the happiness. I’m an heir to joy. I’m an heir to peace. I’m an heir to Eternal Life. I’m an heir to the Holy Spirit. Amen. I’m an heir to every evidence It’s got. Amen. I’m an heir to the authority of God. Amen. “Who made you that?” Not me; He did. Every one of you is an heir to the same thing.
Psalm 27:6 6And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore* will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy**; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
Psalm 5:11 11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them EVER shout for joy, because thou defendest* them**: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Psalm 35:27 27Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 66:5 5**Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
Isaiah 66:5 (AMP) 5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out for My name’s sake, have said, Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy! But it is they who shall be put to shame.
Revelation 21:2 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The Ephesian Age
An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages · Chapter 3
The heavenly bride, the Lamb’s wife, is “the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth.” She embraces in herself all the true excellence that is found among men.
“Seven golden candlesticks.” In Exodus 25:31, it says, “And thou shalt make a candlestick of PURE gold: of BEATEN work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.” The true church of Jesus Christ, the bride, is likened to PURE gold. Her righteousness is HIS righteousness. Her attributes are HIS own glorious attributes. Her identity is found in Him. What He is, she is to reflect. What He has, she is to manifest. There is no fault in her. She is all glorious within and without. From beginning to ending she is the work of her Lord, and all His works are perfect. In fact* in her is summed up and manifested the eternal wisdom and purpose of God.** How can one fathom it? How can one understand it? Though we cannot do that, we can accept it by faith, for God hath spoken it.
The Lamb’s Book of Life
June 3, 1956 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
158 Now, believer, have you got your joy shoes on?
Isaiah 61:3 3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Psalm 51:12 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; **and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Isaiah 12:2-3 2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Zephaniah 3:17 17The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
John 17:13-20 13And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
All the Days of Our Life
June 12, 1959 · Chicago, Illinois
30 …But we who are bondslaves to Jesus Christ, we are slaves of joy. I’m so glad that I got shackles on me, that shackles me away from the things of the world, that I could become a slave to Jesus Christ, to serve Him in love. And you, my brethren and sisters, who are like precious faith, who’s been borned of the Holy Ghost, that’s had the Blood of Jesus Christ to sanctify and cleanse you from all the filth of the world, that die daily to the flesh, crucify it, putting it away, and becoming a slave to your own body to serve God, we look for a City to come. Blessed be the Lord.
Possessing All Things
May 6, 1962 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
100 “Brother Branham, I wish I had joy.” You can have it. You’re just letting Satan rob you from the privileges that Christ died for. I’m an heir to it. It’s all mine. Everything He died for, belongs to me, belongs to you. We’re His children, we’re heirs of it, everything that He died for.