Choosing joy

The words that was once spoken over my life sometime back was that I would have “joy, joy more abundant”. Believe me, I am still praying for that to be a reality! Joy comes from knowing that God is always in control. I’m not sure about you but I think you can tell when people try/pretend  to be happy from those who have genuine joy. The reason I use ‘try’ or ‘pretend’ is because some try out of their own will to be happy to cover their unhappiness, some want to give people the idea that their lives are perfect (I guess it is so that people might want to be like them or it covers the emptiness they feel on the inside), while there are others who do it to please other people. I can relate to this cause I have tried to mask my insecurities and loneliness with a smile. But there was always a glimmer of sadness if you looked closer. It is probably why I can spot a person who battles this (most of the time). The lack of joy in my life stemmed from many deep rooted issues. It was like a spiral moving downwards. It was one of my toughest battles but through healing especially in the area of insecurity, I now know and experience the joy of the Lord. Christ helped (still helps) my overwhelmed heart by being my source of strength to overcome.

One of the things I was led to do in my healing in a particular season in my life was to study the word ‘joy’ using the Word of God. No resources other than the concordance. I spoke the Words I read from the Bible out loud. A few verses that will help you:

Phil 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

(note: this is a choice)

1 Thes 5: 16 – Rejoice always

(that’s all the verse says! Only those two words!)

Psalms 30:11 – You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

Psalms 30:5- For His anger is but for a moment,
His favour is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

Psalms 16:11 – You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Isaiah 61:3 – “To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

As I began dealing, I knew I was not battling against flesh and blood but against powers, mights and dominions that are contrary to God. It was a choice to allow the Lord to ‘put off my sackcloth and cloth me with gladness’. I had to put on the ‘garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’. To praise God even when I did not feel like it cause praising and worshipping God is a weapon against the evil one. It would not seem in the natural realm to work but it so does! If you do not take my word, trust in His Word. So when you walk out the door everyday, begin by praising and worshipping Him for all that He is and then choosing to put on joy. Again, you make the choice to put on joy and He will do the work. The time it takes for you to know that true joy will be based on your obedience (from the heart) to His voice as He works with you.

Be blessed and be a blessing x