Rediscovering your joy

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

Fear not, for I am with you;

    be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Depression drains you mentally, spiritually, and physically. Even energetic people who were once full of hope and drive can have trouble getting out of bed when suffering with depression. While overcoming depression isn’t quick or easy, it’s not impossible. These are steps you can take to rediscover yourself and start living again.

1. Say what God says about you. Find Scriptures that you can repeat throughout the day. Say them out loud. Write positive affirmations from God’s Word on paper and post them throughout your home in places you will look often.

2. Set the stage. Keep background music on in your home that sets the stage for a peace-filled and positive atmosphere.

3. Get outside. Make sure you’re seeing daylight for at least 30 minutes a day either through sunlight or a light made for imitating the effects of sunlight.

4. Look ahead. Let go of regret and stop looking at your past. Write down a list of dreams you have for your future.

5. Exercise. Getting in 30 minutes of cardio activity at least three times a week means those “runner’s high” endorphins get released regularly and help you work through and release stress.

6. Sleep. Turn your lights down and try to go to bed at the same time every night. Remember, a tired body and a quiet mind are the requirements for quality sleep. Turn the television off and engage in calming, quiet activities like reading, taking a warm bath, etc.

7. Socialize. Spend face time, not Facebook time, with close friends and family. Have some fun! Keep it simple and go to dinner, a movie, a sporting event, or just grab a cup of coffee together.

Pay attention to those times when you tend to dwell on the negatives in your life—both real or imagined—and stop them. It takes work and persistence, but you can tell yourself to stop rehearsing the negatives.

Dear Lord, help us to not dwell on the negative things in our life. Help us to take the steps we need to over come the down times in our life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Protecting your joy

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Happiness is more than your choice; it’s your weapon! Nehemiah 8:10b says, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” It’s so easy to sabotage a good day with high expectations and confused priorities, but we have to make the choice to rejoice. Here are two ways we commonly set ourselves up to lose our joy:

1. Putting things first

Enjoying things is good and it’s God’s plan, but whenever we start looking to things to give us purpose, happiness, or identity, it ultimately leaves us feeling broken and empty.

2. Putting people’s approval first

Choosing the approval of people over God is a guaranteed formula for losing your joy. Seeking people’s approval won’t bring joy—it will entrap you! In fact, anything you seek more than you seek Him and His kingdom will eventually steal your happiness. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Keep your eyes on God, and your happiness will no longer be based on your circumstances!

Dear Lord, we pray that we will keep our eyes on You in all things. Help us to protect the joy that You give us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Contagious Joy

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

There is a connection between what you believe and your joy! Choose to believe what God and His Word say to you and about you. Meditating on your failures, mistakes and what someone did or said will make you negative and zap the strength out of you. What you meditate on becomes a belief. Therefore, you must guard yourself from wrong thinking and wrong believing.

Think happy thoughts! Sing happy songs! Hum a tune. Do something positive. Create. Do things that inspire you to be your best. Laugh. Spend time in God’s Word and worship Him in joy and freedom. Life is in Christ! Out of a personal relationship with God, you can believe good things about who you are in Him, and you can rejoice!

It takes effort to make yourself believe good things when others are negative, but you will have what you believe.

Don’t let the enemy steal your joy with regrets, dread of what you have to do, legalism, ruts, worry, anxiety, mental reasoning, negativity, manipulative people, unbelief or over commitments! Believe what God says, and serve the Lord with gladness. He is better than anything anyone can do or say against Him!

Joy is contagious! People should see you smile and know that there is something different about you! This hope you have in Him will not leave you disappointed! Get your happy on!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would not focus on the negativity but instead look at the joy. Help our hearts be full of joy so that those around us will see You in us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Simplify

Colossians 2:5 (ESV)

For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Order is a powerful way to advance your life. Busyness is not necessarily the same as advancement. We can be busy working at the wrong things (like watching too much TV), but it’s not going to advance our lives. Not only do we need to choose the highest priorities, but we also need to be productive at bringing order to those areas.

When Adam and Eve sinned, disorder and chaos came into the world, and everyone born into sin was born with a natural tendency to buck order. You know what I am talking about–the tendency to overeat, to leave a mess behind, to be slothful in business, to allow the weeds to take over!

We don’t need to buck God’s order; we need to buck the world’s system of calling evil good and good evil, which produces chaos in life. Order comes through discipline. I know that’s not a popular word, but discipline is the road to freedom!

If we are disciplined in our finances today, we will have more opportunities tomorrow. If we put it away now, our house will be easier to keep clean. If we have the discipline to make the tougher choices today, we can celebrate victories tomorrow. Many people want to have success but they are unwilling to do what it takes to get there.

Organize your life. Clean your house. Simplify your lifestyle so that you can maintain it with order. Properly align your relationships, finances and family. Order will bring blessing!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would organize our life so that we will have the blessings that it will bring us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Time for rest

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

We have to learn to be still and know God, or there is no time to dream dreams, think of how to create them, and be present in the moment. We need perspective! It refreshes our spirits, souls, and bodies when we rest in God’s presence. It’s always hard for me to put the to-do list aside and listen, but it’s so rewarding!

One of the biggest keys to keeping your joy is to establish and protect your day off every single week. No “quick” email breaks, business calls, or meetings—as hard as that may sound. God created you for a day of rest.

When Satan realized he couldn’t tempt Jesus, the Bible says he left him to wait for an opportune time. Satan is always looking for an opportunity to tempt us—and he usually strikes when we’re worn out. When we don’t take time to rest, we set ourselves up for temptation!

Often the biggest areas where we miss it are the easiest and simplest ones to do. That’s because we expect them to fall into place naturally, but practicing the habit of rest every week takes effort. We have to be intentional about unplugging from the stress of our day-to-day and finding rest in God’s presence.

Practice self-love and you’ll reap the benefits of a happier, healthier you, as well as happier, healthier relationships!

Dear Lord, help us to take the time to rest. Help us to learn to put things on hold and just stop and talk and listen to You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

God is LOVE

"I love Star Wars."

"I love tacos."

"I love listening to praise music."

We often use the word "love" to describe the affection we feel toward a finished work ingenuity or cleverness. We see something that is well-made and call it “good.” In this way, we are like God, who marveled at his creation in the beginning:

Genesis 1:1, 10

“In the beginning, God created…and God saw that it was good.”

But God’s love doesn’t stop there. He responds to the enjoyment of something beautiful by surging forward to create yet more marvelous and satisfying things in an unending cycle.

God's love is an active force, alive and on its feet, producing new and appealing compositions. His love prompts him to produce works of art and write poems; specifically, us.

The word "poem" comes into English directly from the Greek poiema.

Ephesians 2:10

“You are God's workmanship (poiema)…”

We are God's crafted poems. We are composed in the ardor of his passion, the passion that renews and sustains all things.

Psalm 139:13

“You formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb.”

The word "knit" calls to mind the image of a grandmother smiling to herself as she stitches together a scarf for someone she loves, humming a gentle tune as she works. That is the spirit of our origin story: affection, care, intentionality.

When we see a person freshly in love, we may say that she is “glowing.” This is what is meant in the Blessing of Aaron, “The Lord make his face to shine upon you” (Numbers 6:25).

Another person newly in love might find himself possessed by the inexplicable urge to sing, just as God sings songs over us: “He will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

We were created in love, by love, since God is himself is the very essence and epitome of love.

1 John 4:8

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:12

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

John is saying that even though God is invisible, he can be seen most clearly through the love Christians show for one another. He's saying that the love of God radiates through us and finds its fullest, truest expression when we give and receive love; it is then "perfected in us."

In fact, the night before Jesus died, he made a point about love. He could have said so many other things. He could have commented on when communion should be taken, the proper age for baptism, or worship styles. Instead he speaks of love.

John 13:35

“By this all people will know you are my disciples, that you love one another.”

The calling of our own lives is to imitate God by pressing into the very force that brought us into being, returning love back to God and extending it outward to one another.

In other words, the essence of Christianity is this:

God is love. Love writes poems. You are God’s poems. Now go and love.

Dear Lord, fill us with your loving-kindness so that it overflows to those that You bring into our life. Help others see Your love in us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Creating Change

James 1:5 (ESV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

The best day to start creating the life you want is today!

So how do you get there? How do you move from where you are to where you want to go? These two steps are a great place to start:

1. Seek God’s advice about your situation.

In addition to reading God’s Word, you can pray for mentors, knowledge, and divine strategy on how to live your best life. Matthew 7:7 (NIV) says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Sometimes getting the answers we’re looking for simply starts with asking the questions!

2. Implement daily practical steps.

If you keep doing what you did yesterday, you’re going to keep getting yesterday’s results. Seize the moment and commit to the changes you need to make to thrive! It takes time and effort, but you’ll thank yourself three months from now.

Dear Lord, help us to create the life that You have for each of us. Help us to not live in the past put look to the future You have for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.