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While the world wants us to be happy, God wants us to have joy. You may not think that there is a difference between the two but when we consider their sources, then we know they are not the same. While happiness is an emotional state of feeling pleasure over something, we can have joy even when there is nothing making us happy.
True joy comes from the Lord, and it is everlasting. As long as you have accepted Jesus Christ, you will have joy in your heart that is not determined by your circumstances. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God, and as long as we are connected to Him, we have this fruit in our hearts. “But the fruit of the Spirit if love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” (Galatians 5:22). God’s desire is that we will continue to manifest His joy at all times in our lives.
Joy is Found in the Presence of the Lord, and when we seek Him daily, we continually have joy in our hearts. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” God longs to fill you with His joy which makes your heart glad and gives you something to smile about each day. When we sing or praise God joyfully, we bring Him glory.
Joy leaves us feeling cheerful, and it is good for our overall health. Proverbs 17:22 says that a heart full of cheer is good medicine and a crushed spirit dries up the bones. When we don’t have joy in our hearts, it affects our health and wellbeing. Many times we look for things to make us happy when we are feeling down, but this is only short lived. External things can never match the joy that comes from the Lord. They only leave us on a high, which is temporary, and we have to look for the next thing that will give us another high.
Our hearts rejoice in the Lord because He is a loving Father to us and blesses us with His presence each day. God never lets us down and we can put our trust in Him because He is faithful, and His love for us keeps us rejoicing always.
As Christians, we are to have joy all the time regardless of what we are going though in life. We don’t always know what lies around the corner but we can rejoice knowing that God always has our back. Whether we are going through good or bad times, the joy in our hearts will carry us through.
The Scriptures have a lot of inspiration on how to remain joyful through any circumstance we encounter in life. God gave us His Word to be our guiding light and a source of encouragement for when things don’t go right in our lives.
1) To remain joyful, read and meditate on the Word of God because it will fill you with the joy of the Lord. God’s promises will lift your spirits and fill your heart and mind with the light of God.
“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
2) When you go through a trying time that brings sorrow into your life, remember that when all is said and done, you will rejoice because God will come through for you. He will never leave or forsake you, and that is enough to encourage your heart and help you hold on till the end.
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5
3) If you are struggling in your faith and you have lost your passion for the Lord, you can ask God to restore your joy. Salvation is something we can celebrate always because God redeemed us from the dominion of the kingdom of darkness and brought us to His Kingdom. Life’s issues can make you lose your zeal for the things of God and leave you struggling to pray or read the Bible. But God is always there to meet you at your point of need.
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12
4) God wants us to rejoice in Him all the time because He is our hope, joy and salvation. He watches over us every day and sustains our lives. As our provider He ensures that we never lack and we have everything to live a content life in Him. We rejoice in God because He has given us life that is everlasting and we will spend eternity with Him.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
5) We can have joy in our hearts knowing that not even troubles can destroy us or separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Trials, persecutions, troubles, infirmities, among others only serve to make our faith stronger and help us develop an enduring spirit. God helps us grow and mature from the trials we encounter and we ought to rejoice.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3
6) When you feel like your joy is on the lower side of the scale, praise God through words, songs or reciting the Psalms. Your spirits will lift and you will feel the negativity leave your soul. By praising God, you invite Him to change the atmosphere in your heart and mind to one of great joy.
“My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered.” Psalm 71:23
Conclusion
As you meditate on Bible verses on joy, you will see that it is possible to remain joyful every day. Avoid anything that steals your joy and focus on the things that build it. That way, you will always rejoice, and your joy will carry you through any situation you face.
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