April's Thoughts

 40 Days of JOY - 🙌🙌 Day 11 🙌🙌 Sometimes it's from the pit of despair that I cry out to God - Sometimes it's from the business and distractions of the day - Whatever the case it becomes a daily request of my God to restore me -  And re-restore me to that place of Joy & Trust in who He is . . . It is so easy to lose -  But just a prayer away to a Loving God to get back Call on Him - He is waiting . . . Dear Heavenly Father, May You this Day . . . "Restore to me the JOY of Your Salvation  And grant me a willing spirit to Support me" Amen Psalm 51:12

 40 Days of JOY  - 🙌🙌 Day 10 🙌🙌 I love this verse. ❤ While I have been focusing on all that We Should do to show JOY   or what would come NATURALLY to those experiencing true JOY.  . . I love this description of God - and how this love and JOY are reciprocated  . . . God is so enamored with us that He Rejoices over us with Singing.  God sings because He is full of JOY Himself.   He is the one "living JOY out loud" - when He thinks of us! I often wonder what the Angels see & hear when God is celebrating us.  Let your joyful imagination run wild . . . And see if that doesn't put a smile on your face 😁🥰🤣😍

 40 Days of Joy - 🙌🙌 Day 9 🙌🙌 This simple song 🎶🎶  was running through my head -  so I thought I would look it up. Psalm 118 is a delightful Psalm with all sorts of familiar goodies packed in it like "it is better to trust in God than man" or  that description of Jesus (of salvation) as "the cornerstone ". It is a Psalm describing Salvation and in the middle of it the writer plops this gem . . . Psalm 118:24 "This is the Day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" This is God's day,  not the devil's day,  not the "is this going to work" day,   No one else made this day,     no one else is in charge  -  We can trust Him Start off this day right  And show our trust in Him -  By rejoicing in this day  Not dreading it.  😊😊

40 Days of JOY 🙌🙌 Day 8 🙌🙌 I was looking for something that described Joy.    It didn't take long - again the plethora of descriptions of JOY in Scripture amazed me. So many times JOY was described with shouts, singing, drums, other instruments and dancing. Anything that was noisy and full of energy. Joy is lived out loud! As I mentioned before, I originally felt like this Joy thing was not just some religious, theological, boring term . . . This was something that was happy, bubbly - Fun!   And now - after some research - I know Yeah that's the way God sees it too. Let's have some fun enjoying the Joy God gives us. Let's make some noise! 🤣 Psalm 98:4-8 "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, break forth into joyous song and sing Praises. Make music to the Lord with harp and the sound of singing. With trumpets and the Blast of a Ram's horn - shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the world and all that dwe...

40 Days of JOY 🥰 - Day 7 - 🥰 Another hard - but cool - truth about Joy  Another misconception  . . . We are supposed to count it all Joy - when we're going through the bad stuff???  (And all kinds of bad stuff applies - internal, emotional, external, health, finances, relationships - this covers it all) As you read the "fine print" in the Word - you find out its not the moment of pain that you are rejoicing in - it's what this moment means for you future. . .  Patience, Endurance, even creating the Perfect you -  the you - you always wanted to be. This is a "Stick out your tongue" at Satan moment.  This is a "laugh in his face" moment. That moment when you realize everything Satan is throwing at you is only going to get you to your goal faster. "What he means for evil, God will work for your good." James 1:2-4 "Count it all JOY, my brothers, whenever you face VARIOUS TRIALS.  For you know that these trials produce strength, steadfa...

40 Days of Joy - 🙌🙌Day 6🙌🙌 Where does this JOY come from? Does it come from a joke? Does it come from that precarious point where everything just happened to work out perfectly? Does joy come from a drink or a substance that makes us think everything funny? No - as unlikely as it might seem to most people - that bubbling over joyous spirit comes from . . .  His Word!  The Bible - its Truths - its Wisdom - is the source of our Joy . . .  "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving Joy to the Heart.   The Commandments of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." Psalm 19:8

40 Days of Joy - 🙌🙌 Day 5. 🙌🙌 In this quest for Joy - I have been overwhelmed with the amount of Joy that is found in Scripture.   I also think that this Joy is not just  some kind of religious term -  But something that is truly Happy and bubbling and hilarious  -  God fills us with this kind of joy and it bubbles up and can't help but overflow to people and circumstances around us . . . "May the God of hope fill you with all Joy & Peace as you trust in Him So that you may overflow with hope  By the Power of the Holy Spirit. " Romans 15:13