Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psalm 16:11.
Joy is different from happiness; joy is something that can’t be taken away when God gives it to you, happiness can turn to sadness in seconds, in regard to what a person says or does. But when God gives you joy, whatever is happening around you will not steal your joy.
Whether you’re a believer or non-believer, life issues will come, Satan will bring some, and people will bring some. Your joy can’t be taken if you don’t allow your circumstances to take it. Are you enjoying your life? If not, God wants you to; He didn’t create you to be miserable and live a life of sadness. Many people live in a constant state of stress and turmoil today, but as Christians, we don’t have to live that way because God’s Spirit lives in us, and the fruit of His Spirit is Joy.
This joy is not just a fleeting “happy feeling” based on our circumstances or the things we possess; it is an unshakable stability within our inner being (spirit). God does not want you to live on an emotional rollercoaster; that’s why He places His Spirit in you to conquer the thoughts and attacks that come to your mind, making you feel sad, depressed, and stressed.
As you build your relationship with God, it does not mean your life will be a bed of roses skipping through life, but you will have someone walking with you through the difficult times. Someone that you can talk to at any time about anything. Some of the things we as women go through are because we didn’t seek God first, and because we didn’t, it brought heartache, disappointments, and relationships we should never have been in. When we seek God’s direction, He will lead and guide us throughout our lives. If we follow His directions, nothing that comes into our lives we can’t conquer when we allow God to be our representative.
Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, God will allow us to direct our lives because He created us as free-will agents. He will allow us to abort the plan He has for us if we choose to do so. God’s thoughts towards us are not to bring harm or make us feel bad about ourselves. When His Spirit leads us, He will direct us in our everyday living; for example, we can drive to work, and God will give us an unction to go another way. Later on that day, you will find out there was a terrible accident. We may want to accept a job, and God will unction whether or not we should take the position. He will do this when we allow Him to direct our lives.
Simplify your life and avoid trying to do too much. Satan works hard to complicate your life so he can steal your joy. If you want to live a simpler life, you may need to simplify it by doing less. Too often, we try to complete too many goals or tasks at once, and when we don’t complete them, we get stressed and depressed. Set your tasks and objectives within a timeframe that you can complete.
Sometimes we get overburdened when there are things we need and don’t have the means to do so. When you have something you need or want, pray and ask God to provide it; if it’s not against God’s principles, keep asking Him until you receive what you’re praying for. God will never go against a prayer that is against His godly principles. God wants you to have joy; He wants you to enjoy life and allow Him to be your Father, friend, protector, and supplier of your needs.
Unforgiveness will steal your joy, joy is restored to your life when you learn how to forgive, it does not mean you will not forget because our brain is like a computer; it stores everything we see and hear. When you truly forgive, when thinking about it or talking about it, there will be no anger or sadness. Walking in obedience to God is one of the best ways to have a joyful, blessed life. Another way to keep your joy is by being yourself; being satisfied and happy with yourself is an essential key to enjoying your life. When we try to be what other people want us to be, we are not being ourselves, and it will steal our joy.
Get out of a religious trap, feeling as though you’re only pleasing God when you’re at church, praying, or reading the Bible. When we allow God to come into our lives and invade every area of our lives, He will be pleased when we’re doing simple, everyday tasks. God is very much aware that we have obligations. The thing is not to allow ourselves to get overwhelmed with our daily lives and not have time to spend with God. Jesus died so that we can have an abundant life, encompassing every aspect of our being.