Merry Christmas dear ones!

Although we all face tribulations, trials, distress, and frustration in life, we were not created to endure life; we were created to enjoy life.  1 Timothy 6:17 says,

• …Set your hope on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Plus, Jesus tells us in John 10:10,

• I came that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

See, we cannot control what happens on the outside, because 1 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan is the god (little “g”) of this world, but we can control what happens on the inside.

For a lot of people, happiness is based on their circumstances, but JOY is not based on what is happening around you – JOY comes from deep down within you. Galatians 5:22 says,

• But the fruit of the Spirit is…JOY!

Walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD means that there is a calm delight; you are content; you are at peace; you know God is fighting your battles for you. You have the opportunity to be upset, but instead, you choose to have a smile on your face. Why? Because you continue to thank God for all He has done for you instead of focusing on the outward circumstances.

When you live life constantly thanking God for His Word and His promises to you, you will tap into THE JOY OF THE LORD.

Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:13-14,

• Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.  But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again.  But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.

There is a well inside of you right now, a spring that is supposed to bubble up and continually flow. So you may be asking, “Why don’t we all have JOY?” It is because there is something that we have to do: Ephesians 5:18 says,

• Be ever-filled with the Holy Spirit.

Notice, you do not get filled one time and then you are done. It says, “Be EVER-FILLED…” This means, on a regular basis, we have to keep filling ourselves up. Well, how do we do it? Verse 19 tells us how. It says,

• By speaking to YOURSELVES in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks ALWAYS for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The way to have the continuous JOY OF THE LORD flowing in and through you is to keep a song of praise in your heart. All through the day, on the inside, you should be be singing. This means, in your attitude, be grateful; in your thoughts, you are always thinking about God’s goodness; cooking dinner, you are humming praises to God in your heart; driving in the car, you are saying, “This is going to be a great day.” In some way, you are always making melody in your hearts to the Lord.

So, I exhort you to think about God’s goodness all through the the day. When you do this, you are being filled back up. God will pour into you peace, strength, favor, and victory, and you will find yourself walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD.

Walking in THE JOY OF THE LORD,

Lisa Gordon

Jesus City Church