I’ve come to realize, in my adult life, that we control how our day starts and finishes. We decide if it will be a good day or a bad day, by the way we allow folks to change our mood. Now, I am not talking about the things that can happen, unexpectedly, that can cause a shift in our attitude but I am referring to folks and the things they may do or say. It’s easy to blame the bed when we say, “I got up on the wrong side of the bed,” because our attitude makes us unapproachable. But, like I’ve said times before, it isn’t the bed’s fault because for the most part you get up on the same side every morning because you’ve grown accustom to sleeping on just that side. So, in actuality, it’s all you. Just because you didn’t sleep well on last night because your spouse was snoring, doesn’t mean you come into work making others miserable. Just because you had to work a little late and now you’re rushing with a case of road rage, doesn’t mean you should come home hollering at the kids. You’ve got to decide that no matter what happens you can’t let folks steal your joy. Why not, you ask? Because they world didn’t give it to you and the bible teaches us that the joy of the Lord is our strength and once that joy is gone, we become weak vessels. Once you’ve become weak you’ve opened yourself up for more attacks by the enemies, but this time they are easy because your guard is down so it won’t take much to break you.
Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Hope is defined as to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment. Now, we all know what overflow means, right? If not, think about leaving the water on in a sink that has a stopper in it. Eventually, the sink will overflow with water and it’ll begin leaking onto the floor. So, if you fill yourself with the Joy of the Lord, then you should be overflowing with expectancy for great things. Let me repeat this, because somebody missed it. If you fill yourself with the Joy of the Lord, then you should be overflowing with expectancy for great things. Yea, I know that folks said you probably wouldn’t amount too much, but your expectancy level should be so high that even the devil in hell can’t reach it, so that when they see you now successful and living all you have to do is nod your head and leave them in disbelief. See, no matter what you deal with and no matter what the devil throws at you, if are you filled with the Joy that the Lord, it might shake you but it surely won’t break you. Do you remember the game, at the fair, that you had to throw a ball at to knock down the pins but each time you did, they would rock over but then stand back up? Well, if you are filled to your capacity with the Joy of the Lord, you’ll be the same way each time life throws you a curve ball. Yea, you may bend, wobble, tilt to the side and may even fall; but you get back up because 2 Corinthians 4:9 says “We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”
I know that you’ve been crying because your “boo” left, but baby that just means God has something greater in store for you and if he or she left, then they weren’t the one anyway. Proverbs 10:28 says “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” Again, the word says the hope of the righteous, which says the expectancy of God’s people brings joy. If you expect love, then you receive love. If you expect trust then you get trust. If you expect patience, then you get patience. If you are single and dating and you’ve already made your list of expectations in what you’re looking for, then usually you set out to find just that but if you have no expectations, you’ll fall for the first person that comes your way. See, if you expect more then you won’t settle for less. When you plant a seed, you expect it to grow and when God plants a seed of life into you, he expects it to grow. Sometimes it takes more nourishment, food, water, sun and weeding for some more than others, but that doesn’t change God’s expectancy of us. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God has already destined us for great things before we were even born, so he expects a lot from us. I know that you don’t always feel like going when folk need help, but go on. I know that you are down to your last $20 and somebody just called asking for $10, but give it. Hebrews 13:16 says “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” When we help others for the right reasons, it allows us to be blessed. If you give or help because you want recognition from folk, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. But when you help and give with a cheerful heart because God gave it to you, then you open yourself up to be blessed more abundantly for it states in Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” If you give me a teaspoon full of love, you can’t expect a tablespoon back. You get back what you give. When you see somebody begging on the street, you are supposed to help no matter what they are using the money for or if they actually need it because if they choose to take from others, for the wrong reason, then they will have the same amount taken from them. If you don’t believe me, read the above scripture again. Proverbs 19:17 says “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD–and he will repay you!” It didn’t say help, when they look like they really need it and it surely doesn’t say help them when it’s convenient for you but it says if you help.
When you decide to be joyful because the Lord has been good to you, then you become stronger and in your strength you can stand, fight and conquer your enemies when they rise against you. When you decide to be joyful because the Lord keeps making a way for you, then you are renewed with a greater reward. When you decide to be joyful just because you are a child of the King, then you allow yourself to smile when you should be crying, walk when you should be crawling, live when you should be dead, give when you should be broke, loving when you should be hating and helping when you should be hindering. When you fill yourself with the Joy of the Lord, you won’t sweat the small stuff because they won’t matter. The Joy of the Lord makes you strong enough to handle battle yet humble enough to win without bragging.
Lakisha, the Author 