Living A Joyful Life

Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation. – Habakkuk 3:17–18 TLB. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Joy is the secret of strength, wisdom, favour and the Anointing.

Joy is a feeling of great happiness or pleasure especially of an elevated or spiritual kind.

Living in joy is very critical to fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. Being joyful is medicinal. This is because People go up when they cheer up and go down when they feel down. The above Scripture could also be rendered this way: ‘Although nothing is working around me, yet I will rejoice and as I rejoice, the Lord will make me walk on my high places.’

Joy is a lifter; it lifts us above earthly limits to our high places in God. The flight you take to the high places of the earth is called JOY. For instance, it was joy that took Nehemiah from being a mere captive to becoming an officer in the King’s Palace. Joy also took David and Joseph to the palace. You see, when you are weighed down, you remain down. Anything that weighs you down has planned to keep you down. You can’t fly high as long as you feel low because weight is the enemy of flight. The fact is, the heavier your weight, the more impossible your flight.

I encourage you to kill everything called depression. The word ‘depression’ also means a sunken or hollow place that is below a horizontal plane (like a valley). Elevation is the opposite of depression. A life of depression therefore keeps people in the valley while a life of excitement on the other hand takes people to the mountain top. Depression keeps you in the pit, while excitement takes you to the top; it is a matter of choice.

So, you must make up your mind today to kill everything that is fighting your joy because joy is the secret of strength, wisdom, favour and the Anointing. Joy, therefore, connects you with all that is needed for your successful journey to the top because without strength, wisdom, favour and Anointing, it is impossible to rise to any height in life. And joy gives you all of them.

What then do we do in order to experience the joy of the Lord? To experience joy, do the following:
1. Cast all your cares upon the Lord.
2. Don’t focus on where you are; focus on where you are going. 
3. Don’t focus on past losses, focus on future possibilities. 
4. Don’t focus on what you don’t have; focus on what you have.

ASSIGNMENT(S): 1. Study and meditate on Philippians 4:4.

PRAYER: Lord, I shall continually rejoice in You no matter what, in Jesus’ Name.

DAILY READING: Judge 2:10–3:31, Luke 22:14–34, Psalms 92:1–93:5, Proverbs 14:1–2

QUOTE: Joy opens doors to all that your eyes can see and more. Culled from 22 LAWS OF LIFE by Dr Paul Enenche.

Extract From: Seeds of Destiny, 24/04/2015