Joy is the life inheritance of every Christian. Joy is an eternal fountain flowing from the throne of God that never runs dry. Joy is available as a life-source to all who believe and follow Jesus. Even as I write these words, I know that some of you that are listening to this podcast are not presently experiencing the joy that you know you are destined for. Why is it that so many women experience depression, discouragement and despair?According to the National Institute of Mental Health,
One in four women will experience severe depression at some point in life.
Depression affects twice as many women as men, regardless of racial and ethnic background or income.
Depression is the number one cause of disability in women.
In general, married women experience depression more than single women do, and depression is common among young mothers who stay at home full-time with small children.
Only about one-fifth of all women who suffer from depression seek treatment.
God wants to break into these statistics of women’s experience with the power of His love and the fruit of His joy. Today, believe Him to deliver you from any pit of despair and to fill you with a full measure of His joy.
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The Psalmist was in a difficult situation where he needed rescuing. He declared that God was his “only safe haven.” He said, “I will go to the altar of God, to God — the source of all my joy” (Psalm 43:4a NLT). Most of us get in trouble whenever we make the source of joy anything other than God. We are looking for the next thing that will make us happy: the new job, the new husband, the new baby, the new house… Whenever you begin to look to someone or something to fill your heart other than God you will be disappointed which can lead to discouragement and depression.
Samuel Gordon says it well, “Joy is distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its spring deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, no matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy.”
Jesus is the well-spring of joy that is always flowing. His fountain of joy never stops flowing from Himself, as the eternal source of joy
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Do you every feel like there is so much activity in your home that you are going to go crazy?
It only takes one little baby to change the way your house sounds. If you have a house full of children, you no longer have a quiet home. Did you know that you don’t have to have absolute quiet to walk in the absolute peace that God offers. There is a peace in your spirit that can be maintained when everything around you is filled with activity.
Peace is an inward stability when everything around you is falling apart. Like joy it is a deep seated assurance. Peace is a calm in the midst of the storms of life. You may be the only one who can bring peace in a situation, because you personally know the Prince of Peace. Jesus came waling on the water. He spoke to the wind and the waves and brought cosmos out of chaos. Out of your spirit He can bring the stability to bring calm in the midst of life.
Put your trust fully in the God of the universe and He will keep you in perfect peace!
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NKJV.
What is the foundation of your home?
If love is the foundation of our home, then we are building on the eternal, endless love of God. God is love. If you walk in His love you will have a real experience with a personal God. You will be intimate with the God of the univese who ants you to prosper and be in health.
Joy is being sensitive to the spirit of God and obeying HIm. Joy will come to your heart when you listen to His spirit. If you listen to the Spirit, He will help you parent your children. I remember one time I was frustrated with my son Ezequiel and in a very stern voice I said “Enough!” Then I began to tell him all the things He was doing wrong. I walked away from that conversation, and in my spirit I simply heard God say to me “enough.” At that point, I could rationalize and congratulate myself on correcting my child. But how sensitive to the spirit are you. I remember taking my journal out and siting and listening to God. If He was saying “enough” to me… I needed to understand. As I sat and listened to His voice, God spoke to my heart. He showed me about how I had been too hard on my son. He showed me that my face and my voice were harsh and critical. I asked for His forgiveness, but I also asked for my sons forgiveness.
If you are sensitive to the Spirit, He will show you the way which will always be in agreement with His word. If we are trying to figure it out by ourselves, we will be relying on our own understanding. But if the foundation of our home is love, God will fill us with love and with joy and that will make a difference in how we parent. Now, if you know me, I believe in discipling my children (because God’s word instructs us to). But when you discipline it must be born out of love in order for there to be lasting fruit in the life of your child.
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“Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV.
Do you have a tendency to look at the negative more than the positive?
Love is the most positive force on the earth. Because God is love. When you have been energized by Gods love you will be energized with His joy! Look beyond the circumstances of your day and be filled with His joy. too many christians become situation focused rather than God focused. Remember, what you meditate on, you will magnify in your life. So meditate on God and you will not only develop the fruit of love in your life, you will be filled with His joy!
If you stay focused on the negative things in your life, the enemy will steal your capacity for joy. If you focus on what you don’t have, you will not be in tune with the Spirit of God which is a spirit of life that brings abundance. Be mindful throughout your day to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Be sensitive to what Jesus is doing… even in your home. Be sensitive to what Jesus is doing in your children. To walk in the Spirit requires you to develop a sensitive ear to the spirit. If you walk sensitively and in step with the Spirit, you will walk in joy.
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Have you ever wondered how to walk in God’s presence.
A starting place of walking in God’s presence is to walk in His love.The essence of God is the fruit of love. His love is the very foundation of the character of what we are called to live out as moms. You and I need to embrace that we are loved by God, start loving ourselves and stop doing self-destructive behaviors. God is the One who does it in us and will do it through us… So He is the one who will get all the glory.
The love He first showed us is this: God loved you and protected you because that is who God is. Receive the value of His love as the gift of His presence inside of you. God will begin to bless you so that you can be a blessing to others.
Begin to love other unconditionally. God will test your metal by giving you situations with seemingly unlovable people and He will say, “love them as I have loved you.”
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If you are like most of us, you don’t really “feel” like you are anointed early in the morning, or late at night. To be anointed is not just to have oil poured over you, it is to be consecrated or set apart for a specific task. If you have received Jesus Christ as your savior and surrendered to his Lordship in your life, then you have been anointed or set apart. God will be with you and lead you as you call on Him.
We have to get rid of the religiosity to realize that Jesus was a man, anointed by God. He had feelings. He would have feared going to the cross. He was only able to do what God had for Him to do, by obeying His father, trusting His father, and following His father. He was able to take away the sins of the world, because He was the lamb of God. He fulfilled His purpose by trusting in His father in heaven.
So what about you? What is your purpose? Your purpose is to listen to your father in heaven, obey your father in Heaven, be anointed by Him and confidently do the work that He has set before you to do. Yes, that may include grocery shopping and changing diapers. His ways include all of life. The good news this does not need to be done in our own strength, but it is in the strength of the One who calls us and gives us His purpose.
“After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” Acts 14:21-22 NLT.
Does life every feel really hard?
When life seems hard to me I like to get some perspective from those that have gone before me. When I was frustrated with a hard situation as a child, my mom would say “This too shall pass.” I always hated that phrase. It seemed like she wasn’t being compassionate for the crises of my moment.
But really, compare your life situation to the life of the Apostle Paul. Who was beaten, left for dead, tortured, left out on the open seas, ship wrecked, imprisoned. Yet through all of this He kept His faith while preaching the gospel and then returning to churches and strengthening their faith. He would remind those that he preached to that they must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.
So today, is your life really that hard? Or have you been seduced by modern culture to think that you need every comfort and convenience to be happy. Realize that going through the hard things in life, help you learn life lessons that actually help you to become more like God. For Jesus Himself, suffered and died on the cross for you, because of the eternal joy of your salvation.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT.
Have you every found yourself being anything but patient and kind with your kids?
If you are lacking patience and kindness in your life, you are not walking in true love. True love IS patient and kind. It is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. True love does not demand its own way.
In fact true love is not irritable. It does not make an excuse for your attitude once a month. True love doesn’t keep a record of wrong. It doesn’t get happy when others suffer, it wants truth to win every time. True love never gives up, never loses faith, and is always hopeful.
If you desire to endure through every one of life circumstances in your life, embrace the fullness of true love. For true love never fails.
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” Ephesians 4:17-24 NLT.
Do you ever find yourself confused?
If you are a Christian, you do not need to walk around hopelessly confused. Your mind does not need to be dark or your heart hard. You have been set apart from those who live in the world and have no sense of shame. They lust for pleasure.
Isn’t it great, that you can walk in daily Freedom – because of what Jesus did for you on the cross! You have learned that truth comes from Jesus. So throw off any of your old habits and ways of living life before you were a Christian. Everything in your past was corrupted by lust and deception. Now, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and your attitudes. Put on your new nature. You have been created to be like God, truly righteous and holy because of Him!
