I Choose...

JOY! Today I choose JOY! Nehemiah 8:10b For the joy of the Lord is your strength. When you are searching for something that is lost, you spends hours, days, weeks, months, years searching. Once it is found you rejoice! Celebrate! Go overboard in joyous exultation! We accept the truth that what was lost is now found and we move forward in life. We don't question if it was truly found, we embrace it.

Often we search for answers in the Word of God and when we receive the answer, we just think on those things. We ponder, we reflect, we consider. We don't post it on social media and collect thousands of LIKES, hold a celebration, break out the fancy clothes, stay up all night sharing with others what we "found" in the Word.

Think about it.

We pray for strength and when we read in Nehemiah that the JOY of the Lord is YOUR strength, it doesn't do anything for us! We as a society would read it and say "oh that's nice" or "well that is great for some people, but it's not for me".

When we read such a text in the Word, it SHOULD prompt us to begin to DIG into the Word even more and discover what JOY is and how to share it with others! Knowing that the Joy and strength go hand in hand can be quite encouraging!

In a message I heard online, James MacDonald says, "Don't forfeit your joy! The joyful mind resolves conflict".

Philippians 4:-7 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.

Another example is a scripture I read this week that jumped off the page and into my soul....

Psalm 66:20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! 

Whoa! Doesn't that excited you just a little? Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever felt that God doesn't hear your prayers, or doesn't love you? His Word is TRUTH, you can't believe some of it and dismiss the rest a lie. So take that truth and put it in your heart and realize that you can CHOOSE JOY! Why? Because no matter how we may feel, he has not removed his steadfast love from us! Just like the Planetshakers song 

Nothing Is Impossible

says "I'm not going live by what I feel, because deep down I know that you are here with me,"

Staying in the Word of God will help you remember that truth deep down when the enemy attacks you in dark areas of your life. You can shine the light of the Word on him. Remember earlier this week I wrote about the armor of God? Know that the Sword of the Spirit (The Bible) is the only weapon we have to use, all the other pieces of the armor work as a protection, the sword is for both, protection and battle! Know the Word! Study it, dwell on it. Walk in it! Share it! 

I challenge you to open the Word this week and as you discover treasures in the Word, take time to celebrate it! Say it out loud! Read it to a friend, you never know how it will impact someone else who is seeking similar answers to life's difficult questions. Some people in your immediate circle are fighting such a spiritual battle right now that they can't even pray, can't open the Word, can't even see a glimmer of Hope. You can offer that peace that they are seeking- through the Word. Don't be afraid to share what the Lord is doing in your life. 

So today, I choose Joy. I put it on. What did you choose today?

Sincerely,

Staci