"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).
Did you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful always? God wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, it’s evidence of your faith and trust that God is going to bring you through.
Understand that God’s supernatural joy is His strength. He wants you to have joy so that you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, "Joel, I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh that much." I realize God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. I read where the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What’s happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress, and more responsibilities, little by little, to steal our joy.
Make the decision today to get your joy back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and look to God Who will see you through. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in strength and victory all the days of your life.
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, I humbly receive Your Word today. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy and strength. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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