What's the secret to joy?


"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭100:1-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For people who truly struggle with daily depression and live most of their lives in the depths of despair, it is important to understand the relationship between joy and thanksgiving. If you are a thankful person, joy cannot be so very far away. If you are a joyful person, I can guarantee that you count your blessings loudly and daily.

Thanksgiving is the password that opens the door of His presence to His people. And, when you enter into His presence, you know that you will find there: JOY! 

"Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103:1-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So today if you are struggling with sadness or disappointment in life, make a list of things for which you are thankful. Don't stop at 5 or 10 ... be lavish in your thanksgiving and make a list of 20 ... or 50 ... or 100 things for which you are grateful.

I believe that for a Christian, thanksgiving should never be reserved for merely one day of the year or only one season. Thanksgiving should be a genuine daily lifestyle. A grateful heart is the fertile growing place for the seeds of joy to spring up and blossom in abundance. 

Worry or fear can simply be defined as a lack of trust in the God Who loves you unconditionally and Who works all things together for your good. 

When you are consumed with worry, you are falsely believing that your problems are too big for even God to take care of. If you are filled with fear, you are mistakenly assuming that your sin is so great that even God cannot forgive you. 

If you are dealing with anxiety, you sadly and erroneously have convinced yourself that your life is so out of control that it is beyond God's power to bring order to your life. 

If you are a compulsive worrier, you will never experience the joy that was meant to be yours.

Worry and joy are mutually exclusive. 

Worry, in its rawest state, is a pathetic form of atheism.

How does one overcome worry, fear and anxiety?  

The Bible tells us that peace is a result of trusting God. 

Can you trust Him? 
Will you trust Him today? 
Will you declare, out loud, "Jesus, I trust You with my whole heart! I believe that nothing is impossible for You and that You have plans for good for my life!" 

When you you saturate your mind and soul with the Word of God, you will be free from the fear of evil. 

When you confess Who God is and what He is able to accomplish in your life, it is then that anxiety, worry and fear will miraculously disappear. 

And what will be left in the place of those dreadful emotions? 

You will find yourself the blessed recipient of JOY!

Further reading: 
Proverbs 1:20-33
Isaiah 24:3-4

From: @YouVersion plan 'A Jolt of Joy'. Check it out here: http://bible.com/r/3g

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