This is the day the Lord has made, We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 119.24. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice Philippians 4.4 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord . Psalm 150.6 Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100.2 There are hundreds of verses in the bible where God commands us to express positive emotion. What God commands, He has given you the grace to do it. That means as a follower of Christ, you have the ability to change your emotional state on demand at any given moment. It takes seconds to change your doom and gloom to joy and gladness. The old saints used to say, "When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all he has done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah, I praise God for saving me.
Whether good or bad you have an opportunity to praise God. Rejoicing in the midst of a negative situation, exposes your circumstances to God's presence. This is liberating because God you don’t have to rely on circumstances to be joyful. While you are waiting for change, you can praise God in the midst and rejoice while you wait. God inhabits the praises of His people. Psalms 22.3 Dwell in His presence and you will experience fullness of joy. Psalms 16.11 Joy is a fruit of the spirit, therefore it is available to access 24/7. Yes, joy is a gift from God. “This joy that I have the world did not give it and the world cannot take it away.” Cherish it, delight in it. Use it to prosper your soul and edify your well-being. A merry heart does good like medicine... Proverbs 17.22.
Ways to maintain joy in your life:
Be intentional. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1Thessalonians 5.18. You thank God in every circumstance, not for ever circumstance. Look for opportunities to praise him. Smile and be thankful for His goodness to you. No matter what the problem, joy is always accessible within you.
Make it a habit. Train yourself to be triggered to praise God. Shout and do a little dance when something aggravates. I remember when I was a child, my father would go into prayer and praising God whenever my sister and I have crossed the line with him. We knew he was extremely upset when he would tightly close his eyes. hold his head in both hands and call on Jesus. "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you ,Jesus" He would say. Dad trained himself to turn to the Lord.
Laugh. There is joy in laughter. It is an expression of Joy. Psalm 126.2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing, then said they among the heathen, the Lord has done great things for them. Call to Action:
Take a moment right now and ponder on the goodness of God. Smile and remember God loves you.
Do a little dance. Move with Joy. Psalm 140.3. Let them praise his name in the dance...
Write five blessings you have in your life. Praise God for His goodness
Rejoice always. Be intentional about it. Find every opportunity to be joyful. Joy is a choice.