Happy New Year!!!
JESUS JOY
I am not going to blog or write about my expectations for 2020. Yes, even my daughters were shocked.
I have my goals and what I want out of 2020, but I am choosing to move silently, allowing GOD to direct my path. Anything God has for me, I am ready to receive.
However, our prayer focus for this morning was perfect, and God placed it upon my heart to share my journey to JESUS JOY.
If you have not read my post over the past 4 years or my blog, I lost my late husband in October of 2016. I suffered from depression, suicidal thoughts, feelings of worthlessness, I was an understandable mess. But God was not having it, and honestly, neither was I!
I have moved forward with my life and I have so much JOY and genuine happiness in my life!
I had to dig deep to find the Joy that God had placed in me when he formed me before I was placed in my mother’s womb. It was JESUS JOY
It is something that has carried me for the past 3 years going in my 4th year.
Year 1 Restoration
Year 2 Renewal
Year 3 Rejuvenation
Year 4 Discovery.
(I will write about these at a later date)
Joy, true JESUS JOY is rooted deep within our soul, and only Jesus can give us that pure Joy!
NO ONE can be truly happy without JESUS JOY.
I can tell you, I am a living witness… it is a facade, it is fake happiness.
The Lord saved me from my dark place, and I am not the person I was three years ago. HIS JOY was, and is definitely my strength!
Happiness in a surface emotion, but the true JESUS JOY that comes from the LORD is deeper.
It requires something from us…
It requires us to take some action…
It requires us to have something…
It requires us to be somewhere
What does it require?
It requires us to have something… FAITH
My faith is a foundation on which I have always stood, so holding on to my faith was not hard. I just needed to be reminded of and remind myself that God is still with me no matter what! Faith is something that does not just happen faith some after you have been through some things, and we have sought God, and he has been there. Faith is not in the CHURCH faith is IN GOD and only GOD!
It requires us to take some action… pray, petition, and or (if needed) seek therapy
We have to want Joy in our lives. I know for me I did not want to feel depressed, I knew that deep down I did not want to commit suicide, but I also knew that I had to do something about the thoughts that were tormenting my mind. I had to pray, and others were praying for me. I mention the prayer focus above that comes from a prayer line where we get together Monday through Friday morning to pray for each other, our community, and this country. The saints on that prayer line and others prayed me out of the darkness, and God let me to therapy. Believe me, both were desperately needed.
It requires something from us… total surrender
We cannot give something over to God and keep picking it up. Ether, we give it to him and let it go, or we keep worrying about it.
Worrying will prevent you from having JESUS JOY.
It requires us to be somewhere… In a position to receive
JESUS JOY just won’t come and perch its self on you. It requires you to be in a position to receive it. After you have kept the faith, prayed, and given over whatever is keeping you from God’s Joy, then you are in a position to receive true JESUS JOY. It will not be easy because the enemy will try to convince us that happiness and Joy are the same things. THEY ARE NOT! He will try to convince us that we do not need JESUS JOY.
I believe we were created and born with Jesus Joy, but life circumstances will cause us to suppress it. Think about a child they are joyful. Think about a baby’s belly laugh; it will bring a smile to our face and warmth to our heart. They are experiencing pure and true JESUS JOY. It is the strength that sustains us.
I am the poster child for choosing Joy regardless of my circumstances. I refuse to give the enemy any joy, kudos, or accolades over my life. God has been way too good for me to allow this to happen.
If I am declaring and promoting anything publicly for 2020, I am declaring that I continue I choose and promote that I still choose to have JESUS JOY over anything.
When you think about Jesus Joy, it’s clear and straightforward…
The Joy of the Lord is your strength.
(Nehemiah 8:10)
Blessing in the Storm 