Unleash Your Joy!

Have you ever been irritated by someone who was so joyous and bubbly that it made you mad?!

I can bet that you were probably having a down day. Perhaps you unconsciously wished everyone would gather round, give you a hug and say, “Ah, Poor thing!” and join in on your pity party. The last thing you wanted was to have someone who seemed to have everything together flaunt that fact in your face with their joy. Am I right?!

Now I realize things happen in life. It rains on us whether we are good or evil. (See full verse at Matthew 5:45, NIV)

Yes, we all get sprinkled on from time to time, with the rain being no respecter of persons in choosing who it’s going to fall on or leave dry. But I’m talking about just normal day to day things that come up.

Does this look like your day so far? Bummer!

What’s your first reaction when things don’t go exactly your way?

Well, if you have more down than up days, perhaps it’s time for you to decide which you really would prefer to have more of. Once you realize that you CAN choose what type of attitude you’re going to have that day, which way you will decide to look at things, the rest of the day can move in your favor. If you don’t believe me, try it and you will see!

What I would love for you is to have your own source of joy to drink from, so you can walk in it, live in it, breathe it in and have it splashing all over you. Do you know where and how to access that? Read on for some ideas…

Joy Versus Happiness

First of all, let’s talk about what JOY really is, the kind I’m talking about. It is not just a level of happiness. Happiness can be flighty and is usually tied to circumstances and what’s happening around you. Real joy runs deep and stays with you no matter what’s happening on the surface of your life.

In fact, JOY is one of the nine fruits of Spirit: Love, joy, peace… (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

God loves you so much that he wants to bring all his good fruit into your life. His delight is that you have overflowing joy, coming from a deep well of joy bubbling up in you.

In order to tap into that joy, it takes a moment of reflection, often started with gratitude for all you have in life right now. When you realize the bounty of your blessings – what you have and not what you think you’re missing – it’s natural to start thanking and praising God for all the blessings he’s given you.

From there, the joy bubbles up from that deep wellspring of life. This is why the Father instructs us to guard our hearts and minds, so we don’t stop the flow of joy and love and peace, and all the blessings he wants to pour out on us.

Are You Ready To Give Up Your Bad Moods, Sadness, or Depression? 

What you will find is that the spirit of joy replaces any lingering spirits of fear, worry, anxiety, sadness, or depression. If you are constantly battling with swinging moods, the Holy Spirit can give you the peace and joy and the love to lift your heart and mind and spirit. You can’t have both living together at the same time! So CHOOSE which spirit you will have in you steering the helm of your day!

Count your blessings no matter what’s going on around you!

The battle for your moods begins first in your mind. Tap into what you’re thinking when you’re feeling bad. Then give those negative, worrisome, self-defeating thoughts over to God, acknowledging that they are there, and maybe even for good reasons, but that you are choosing to relinquish them along with your thoughts about the future (which is what usually steals our joy in the first place, i.e., what could happen bad to us!). Choose to trust God with the future. Receive his peace about the situation or problem you’re wrestling with. Ask him to flood your soul with all the blessings he wants to pour out on you to bless your day. If you are a Christian, you already have access to the fruit of the Spirit inside you, so call it forth!

Praise and thanksgiving from a willing mind and then a willing heart, filling with the properly aligned emotions from the words and thoughts, WILL bring joy and peace and more washing over you! And as you walk through your day, continue to thank God and trust in him.

Choose to kick out the uninvited guests of those negative thoughts that filled up your mind in the first place. Recognize that they came right in and stole your joy. You can even get mad at those thoughts and give them the boot, telling them to leave and never come back!

You can’t have both living together at the same time! So CHOOSE which spirit you will have in you steering the helm of your day!

Then drink deeply from the well that will never run dry.

Prime The Pump

1. Read God’s Promises For You: What does he say about your life? The best way to keep the joy flowing both on the outside and the inside is to stay plugged into the Source of Joy through reading God’s promises for you. I’ve listed a few at the end to read and meditate on, and even memorize, as you tuck them away in your heart. They can be like insurance for the future, to pull out when you need them.
2. Say Yes to Joy! When you say yes to joy, your mind will feel free, as if you just took a broom and swept all those cobwebs out of your brain! Not only will your mind and outlook feel freer and clearer, but you will start releasing endorphins into your body, which will bring the emotions of joy and happiness in, giving you energy and strength to do the things you wanted to do much easier.
3. Open to Solutions: Another bonus is that when your mind is free of worry and negativity, the creative part of your brain will open up and bring so much more life and great ideas to you. The ironic thing is that the problem you were dwelling on that brought your spirits down can actually be more easily solved when you release it, start enjoying your day, and ask God to take over. Your mind and spirit will now have space for your Heavenly Father to pour his creative solution into your mind. He can even reveal his plans and purposes in your life as you allow more joy to flow in freely.
4. Take a Play Break! What is something you enjoy doing – that is just fun and easy for you? Something you’re passionate about? Why not take a break and just play awhile? There is great joy in playing and creating. You will be using a different part of your brain for these activities, so it helps give your problem-solving brain area some rest and relief. If arts & crafts, painting, colors, music, any of these things reinvigorate or inspire you, take some time to go at it and express yourself in a fun way for you. Even invite a friend or two to join you, if you like.  Trust him to use my joyful meditations of expression to speak transformation and honor him.
5. Break Out a Song! Singing is another activity that opens up your spirit and lifts heavy spirits. Whether or not you feel you can sing well, just put on your favorite music and sing along. Sing as if no one can hear you. Even if someone does, you’ll probably put a smile on their face just because singing makes people feel great! If that’s really not your thing, at least put on some fun happy music to listen to. Or turn on some praise music and start those feet dancing and those hands praising God! Or what about that kid’s song you learned in Sunday school: “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart! (Where?) Down in my heart! Down in my heart! I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart! Down in my heart to stay!”
6. Laugh out loud! Do you have any idea how many great chemicals are released into your bloodstream by a good round of belly-laughing? This can bring a natural high and banish any toxins in your system for quite a while.

As you do any or all of these things, you are speaking and allowing transformation into your life. Your body is getting involved and voting yes, even as your feet start dancing. You are interrupting and changing your pattern of behavior around certain thoughts and feelings. You are voting on what you wish to bring in and entertain. So let it be JOY!

One final picture for you: Jump right into JOY!

Douse yourself with God’s joy! Dunk yourself in the fountain of the Father’s love for you! Drown yourself in the joy of knowing your Creator as the Lover of Your Soul and the Giver of Life. Along with this, he’s your Waymaker. He longs to fill you with the oil of joy that the Spirit brings with laughter at nothing but the sheer joy of being in God’s presence. God is the source of living water in the well of life. This living water is found in the Fountain that will never run dry, as it never stops bubbling up and flowing over with all you need in life.

Thanks be to God! Happy dance time! 😉

God’s Love Promises for Your Joy

Joy comes in the morning. “…Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 50:5, NIV)  And Joy comes even in the midst of mourning, as you are embraced by the Comforter and know tomorrow is coming when He shall wipe away all tears.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (Psalm 19:8, NIV)

May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. (Psalm 20:15, NIV)

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. (Psalm 95:1, NIV)

…Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, NIV)

Don’t stop there! Read the next few verses of Philippians 4 for the Rest of the Story! Philippians4:4-9 below:

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

My wish for you:

May you be anointed with the oil of gladness,

As you jump in the fountain of joy,

Bubbling up out of your spirit and soul from the deepest places, like an underground cistern.

May you always be filled and satiated with the unquenchable love, joy, and peace from the Father who loves you with an unconditional love!

Your sister in Christ and Warrior for Joy – 

                       Lois JOY!