Nothing defeats the enemy more than JOY! I wanted to start this blog with a sentence that could stick with you throughout the day. Nothing defeats the enemy more than joy. Simple, yet profound thought. Why? Because it is a choice to either hand him over your joy, or refuse to let him take it from you. Each and ever day, from the moment you step out of bed, the enemy wants to steal something from you....your joy. He knows that with the joy you receive from having Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are a dangerous weapon to him and everything he is trying to accomplish. However, the moment he can rob you from that joy he has rendered you ineffective to your calling today. He may only get 1 day or even 1 hour of from you, but that is 1 day or 1 hour that might be worth holding onto, and walking in your joy may have been the most important thing to do.
It truly is a choice to decide to let him rob you of your joy. And in today's world we have HUGE misconception between joy and happiness. It seems like everywhere you turn anymore you are seeing people tell others "oh, just do what makes you happy". Do you know how dangerous of statement that is? Even the idea of living in that kind of carelessness is scary. And sadly enough it has become they way of thinking for an entire generation. The idea of consequences, or structure, or boundaries, or even living wise has almost gone out the window. This ideology of "if it feels good, do it" has swept over our nation in ways that are shocking if you step back and really take a look. And now not only do we have kids that are thinking this way, but we have an entire generation of parents who are promoting this thinking. And that is even more scary. We have parents who are saying things like "oh I don't want my child to miss out on things in life" or "I just want him or her to be happy" or "I just need to let them do what they want and find their own way in life"....WHAT? What happen to the generation of parents who were set out to make sure their kids learn good strong morals and values. Raising kids who understood the respect for boundaries and why they were so important. And teaching our kids the consequences of chasing happiness? What may "seem" to make you happy today could come with great consequences tomorrow...remember that!
So what is the difference between joy and happiness...aren't they the same thing? I found it interesting when looked up the world's definition for both because what I found is that the word happiness was found in the definition of the word joy.....but the word joy was not found in the definition of the word happy. What is my point in that? That when you have joy, happiness will be found. But when you only have happiness...you may not really have joy. Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). And in Romans 15:13 it says "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". Joy is something you are filled with, something God gives you. It is not situational or based on circumstances. It is something that He puts in you and it must be taken out of you in order to lose it. Happiness however, happiness is completely situational and circumstantial. You may be happy in the moment, and the second you get bad news or your circumstances change...it can be gone in an instant. But joy... joy and peace from God can carry you through many tough times....trust me, I know.
God's Word is full of scriptures about the joy of The Lord. Being filled with joy. How no one can take the joy that comes from God away from you. Joy and peace are things that only God can sustain in you. And when you find true joy in God, happiness will be a by product of that. Don't be fooled by the world into thinking you have to chase after the things that make you happy. As soon as one thing "makes you happy", you will find yourself chasing something else because that kind of happiness can only last so long. But if you allow God to lead you down the path He has designed for you, then the joy that you find in that will be in you and be seen by others.
God, thank You that You are the source of our joy. You can fill us with an everlasting joy that is renewed by You daily. Please help those who are deceived into believing that doing what makes them happy is the way to go. And may Your truth break up the lies and open the eyes, ears and hearts of those how have been chasing after the happiness that this world has to offer. In Jesus name, Amen
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