God never intended for us to go through life miserable... sad.. depressed.. bitter... or angry.

Galatians 5:22-23- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23- "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)

Galatians 5:22-23- " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message) 



JOY

A feeling of great happiness.

Delight. Joyfulness. Jubilation. Triumph. Rejoicing. Happiness. Gladness. Glee. Elation. Exuberance. 


When I think about the word JOY, I think about a deep-rooted happiness. One that doesn't waver based on circumstances or situations. Things might not be 'perfect' in our life during this moment, but our happiness comes from the fact that Jesus loves us and is in the middle of our mess. 

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God is working everything out in our lives... for our good. How can we not joyful, regardless of what is taking place around us??


I've Lost My Joy

I've been there.

I've lost my joy.

I've lost that happiness that is rooted in Jesus Christ. I've tried to fill it with so many temporary things. And you know what happens? Well, that temporary stuff makes me extremely happy. For a minute, an hour, or an evening. But when I wake up in the morning, I'm back to being that lost, broken, miserable woman that God did NOT call me to be.

Anxiety stripped a good bit of that joy from me as well. But here's what God showed me when I started complaining about that-- "YOU LET IT." Yes, those were the very words I felt come to my mind when I started saying, "I didn't want this. I didn't want to be miserable, but You let anxiety in and here I am."

God didn't allow anxiety to steal and kill my life. He allowed it because I let my mind run away from the blood of Jesus. I stopped bringing every thought under His subjection. I stopped thinking about what is pure, true, virtuous. 

I read a quote once that said, 'Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you are going to respond to life.' Joy is a decision. We can let ourselves become miserable, bitter, grumpy people. It's simple to do. It's a decision. Or, we can put on our brave boots, pull our life together, and make a different decision: I'm going to be joyful because God loves me.... because God is working everything out for my good... because God is holding me in His arms... because I'm alive and breathing.

Psalms 51:12 states, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

If you feel like you've lost your joy today, He is just a prayer away. He WANTS to restore that. David was in the same place during Psalms 51. He began this chapter by begging God to have mercy on him. He was begging for repentance. Begging to be washed clean. David was guilty of adultery and murder. He orchestrated a plan of events in order to get another man's wife. Psalms 51 is a psalm of confession. He acknowledged his sins. He sought to be purged from those sins. And He asked God to restore His joy--- 

sin has a way of stealing that from us.

When we let sin creep in, guilt, bitterness, and anger typically follow... and we let it occupy our minds and then..

Guilt overpowers joy.
Bitterness overpowers joy.
Anger overpowers joy.

And soon, we are left with a broken, sad, unhappy person.

God, restore our joy today. Restore that true happiness that is not circumstantial. We ask You to heal our souls- heal our hearts. 

What Will We Choose Today?

Henri J. M. Nouwen said, "At every moment of our life we have an opportunity to CHOOSE joy." What are we going to choose today?

Are we going to choose to be bitter about our situation? Sad? Depressed? Angry? Jealous? Our are we going to be a conscious decision to be joyful, regardless of what the circumstances look like? Joyful because we might not know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow?

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "....The joy of the Lord is your strength."

John 16:20 says, "... but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

2 Corinthians 7:14 says, "....I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation." 

1 Peter 1:8 says, ".... ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"


The Bible is full of verses discussing joy. Men of God going back and forth between serving God... falling in to temptations or facing devastating circumstances where there joy seems depleted... back to serving God and seeking forgiveness... 

They were just like us.

David sinned and felt his joy was gone.
Job lost his family and felt stripped of his true happiness.
Paul was consistently under tribulation and had to remind himself where his joy came from.

The difference is... they realized their situations, they realized they couldn't continue to wallow in their circumstances... and they started the journey back to Jesus Christ-- the fountain of our UNSPEAKABLE joy.

I Choose Joy.

God never intended for us to go through life miserable... sad.. depressed.. lonely... forgotten.. bitter... or angry.

John 10:10 says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

He came for us to have an abundant life overflowing with all of the good stuff-- love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, a humble spirit.

We can't let the thieves of bitterness, jealousy, complaining, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, depression... steal our joy.

Today, I choose joy.

"Life can be hard, choose joy anyway!"

"I find joy in every day, not because life is always good, but because God [ALWAYS] is." Our situations might not feel good at the time, but He is still good and is still trying to work that mess out for OUR good. 

And one way to help Him work on that mess... is to have joy, regardless.

What decision are we going to make today?

Are we going to pity ourselves?
Are we going to wallow in our situation?
Are we going to choose bitterness?
Are we going to continue to live life miserable?
Are we going to see only the negative part of our life?

Or

Are we going to fall on our knees and pray for God to restore our joy?
Are we going to read the Word of God until joy finds it's way back to our hearts?
Are we going to CHOOSE happiness?
Are we going to trust God?
Are we going to FIND joy in every day?

It is up to us...

not our circumstances.

It is OUR choice.

How do we want to live our lives?


Today, I choose JOY.


"Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy...." [Anne Lamott]

Jesus, today we choose to be thankful for all that You do for us. We might not understand our circumstances right now, but we thank You anyways! Thank You for dying on a cross for us. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for Your forgiveness.. for Your mercy.. for Your grace. Please restore the spirit of JOY in to our lives. We ask You to wash away our sins... all of that gunk that has built up in our hearts. Please Jesus, cleanse us so that we can draw closer to You... and while You are cleansing, we ask that You replace our sadness, our bitterness, our anger with joy, happiness, and gratitude! Help us to focus on Your goodness as opposed to the darkness. Help us to CHOOSE joy today Jesus. Help us to choose an attitude of gratitude. In Your name, Amen.

"We Love Others Best When We Love God Most."

Thank you for joining me the past few weeks on our journey of learning about the Proverbs 31 woman. I hope it has blessed your life as much as it has blessed mine. I needed to read about a good, pure wife-- I needed to study it. My heart's desire is to be the best person that I can possibly be... and Proverbs 31 seemed like a great place to start.

I read the book of Galatians last week and chapter 5 moved me. I am sure most of you have read or heard about the fruits of the spirit, but those are verses that always convict me... and push me.

Galatians 5:22-23 states, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)

Galatians 5:22-23, " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message) 


Over the next 9 days, I thought we would discuss a different fruit of the spirit of the day. 

Today is LOVE.

According to the dictionary, love is described as "tenderness, warmth, adoration, appreciation, respect, charity, delight, enjoyment." 

God has called us to be LOVING.

He wants us to love our family.
He wants us to love our friends.
He wants us to love strangers.
He wants us to love our neighbor.
He wants us to love Him.

We are Called to Love our Family.

1 Timothy 5:3-8 states, "If a widow has family members to take care of her, let them learn that religion begins at their own doorstep and that they should pay back with gratitude some of what they have received. This pleases God immensely.....  Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That’s worse than refusing to believe in the first place." (The Message)

Mother Teresa said, 'If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.'

"Love your family, spend time, be kind, and serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is not promised and today is short." [Unknown]

One of the most important things we can learn in this life is to LOVE our family. Loving them means spending time with them, being patient with them, taking care of them, respecting them, adoring them... spreading unconditional love as far as it can go.

Our parents are growing older. Spend time with them.
Our children are growing before our eyes. Spend time with them.
Our spouses get lonely. Spend time with them.

We don't want to carry around the unnecessary burden of regret for lost time.
LOVE hard today.

We are Called to Love our Friends.

Proverbs 17:17 states, "A friend loves you all the time, but a brother was born to help in times of trouble." (ERV)

I know our friends might get in some sticky situations. They may disappoint us. They may lose sight of what our friendship means... but our friends deserve our unconditional love. In fact, they probably need it.

"True friends are those rare people who come to find you in dark places and lead you back to the light." [Unknown]

This is what we are called to do. 

To be honest with our friends. To be loving towards them. To help them. To bless them. To pick them up when they can't do it themselves. We are there to help heal the broken part of them. 

God has called us to LOVE our friends. He knew they would aggravate us, frustrate us, upset us.... but He didn't command our love to be circumstantial. He commanded our love to be unconditional. Pure. True.

We are Called to Love Strangers

I read a quote once that said, "Smile at strangers. We are all in this together" and I think that sums up what God wants from us more than anything.

We are all humans. We are all struggling. We all have rough days. We all have good days. The important thing is: we are all humans. We are all in this together. We are all trying to find peace, love, goodness, joy... some of us are looking in different places, but the point is: we are all looking.

We are called to LOVE strangers. SMILE at strangers. Be KIND to strangers.

Hebrews 13:2 states, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

We never know who that person is... what demons they are battling... what happened the day before... how they feel going to bed at night.

Why would we want to make this journey any harder for someone else??

LOVE.

We are Called to Love our Neighbor

According to Mark 12:30-31, " Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’[c] These two commands are the most important.”

I read a quote on Pinterest that stated, "When Jesus said love your neighbor, He knew your neighbor would act, look, believe, and love differently than you. It's kind of the whole point." This really moved me because I believe it goes back to what we have been talking about-- love is unconditional. People do not have to fit this certain mold for us to love them- we love them because He called us to do. Plain and simple. 

I am sure some of our neighbors are going through hard times right now... and they could use that smile, good gesture, or kind word. 

1 John chapter 4 speaks about love.

"Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.... If we say we love God but hate any of our brothers or sisters in his family, we are liars. If we don’t love someone we have seen, how can we love God? We have never even seen him. God gave us this command: If we love God, we must also love each other as brothers and sisters." (ERV)

"Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy."

God called us to LOVE. He called us to have compassionate, kind, charitable hearts. To everyone.

Pinterest is my go-to for quotes (if you haven't already noticed, ;)) and I read one that I HAVE to share before moving on.

'Turn off the news and go love your neighbor.'

God, help us to follow your neighbor of LOVING EVERYONE.  You didn't care about their background... their upbringing... what they were dressed like... the situation they were in. You just loved... with every fiber of Your being. You wanted to do good... bless others... spread love. Help us to be like You, Jesus!

We are Called to Love Him! 


1 John 4:19 says, "We love because God first loved us."
Mark 12:30 states, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength."

We are called to love Him....

even when we might not understand what He's doing in our lives... even when we might be upset with Him.. even when we feel like He just might not love us in that moment. 

We are called to love Him.

Of course, we have free will. He doesn't MAKE us love Him. He WANTS us to love Him. He wants that friendship-- a relationship.

I don't know how many of you have watched 'The Shack' yet but it is an amazing movie that I DEFINITELY recommend! There is one part of the movie where Mack says to Jesus, "You know, you don't fit the religious stuff I've always heard about You" and Jesus says, "Religion. It's too much work. I don't want slaves. I want friends."

That is all He wants from us. Friendship. A loving, sweet friendship.

He is in the middle of all of our hurt. All of our fear. All of our pain. And through loving Him, we can come to heal.

Love heals.

His love heals.

Our love can heal others.

'We love others best when we love God most.'

Help us to love You most, Jesus. And help us to love others like You love them. Help us to see souls like You see them. Help us to ease burdens like You do. Help us to see the needs like You see them.

We are Called to LOVE.

"Do everything in love." (1 Corinthians 16:14)



God help love to pour out of us. Every word. Every action. Every single that we do. Let Your love radiate from us. Let love be in our smiles, in our conversations, in our work. Help us to love our families how You called us to love. Help us to love our friends how You called us to love. Help us to love strangers and our neighbors how You called us to love. And help us to love You in whatever circumstance you bring us through and to. 

Day 31: ... Is She Battling With Insecurities?

Our journey of studying the Proverbs 31 woman is coming to an end. This has been such a blessing for my soul. God has taught me so much through the past couple of weeks about the kind of woman He has called me to be.

The final verse of Proverbs 31 states, "Give her the reward she deserves. Praise her in public for what she has done." (ERV)

Proverbs 31:31- "Celebrate all she has achieved. Let all her accomplishments publicly praise her." 

While praying about this scripture last night and this morning, I feel like God was pushing my heart to write about uplifting and encouraging other women. This world can be a cold, dark, lonely world some days. There are days where we are torn down all day long. And during those days, I am sure one positive word about your character or appearance would have made you smile.

I read a quote once that stated, "Why do we, as women, bring down other women, knowing how hard life can be for a woman?" And that is the truth. Life is rough at times. As a woman- as a mother, as a wife- I know the pressures of every day. I know the balancing act that many of us face. I know the overwhelming pressure to be a certain way, act in a certain manner. And I also know how much it blesses my soul when someone shares a kind word with me. How it changes my soul and allows me to see my influence.

The command was given to praise the Proverbs 31 woman in public.

And I believe a command was given at this same time to uplift others in public as well.

How many times have we seen a woman at the store that looked beautiful in the outfit she was wearing, but we didn't say anything? How many times have we seen a woman excelling at what she was called to do, but we keep it inside? How many times have we seen loved the confidence or style of another woman, but jealousy forced us to keep it inside? When is the last time we gave a compliment to another woman?

We know how hard life can be, ladies. We know the pain.. we know how it feels to battle with insecurities. 

The woman at the store that looked beautiful in her outfit? She might struggle with body issues.

The woman who is excelling at what she was called to do? She might be on the fence about giving up and sticking with something 'comfortable.'

The woman who displays confidence and style? She may be going through a divorce and is trying to hold it together.

We never know what another woman is going through. But I do know that one compliment- one uplifting word- well, it might not change her circumstances, but it will surely give her a little boost to keep going.

We have to be so careful that we are not using our mouths to tear other women down. How many times through the day do we talk about someone else? How many times through the day do we judge a situation we know absolutely nothing about? 

How many times a day do we speak words of confidence to someone? Words of encouragement? How many times do we step out of our comfort zone to speak life? How many times do we push away the seeds of jealousy and plant seeds of encouragement?

Let us be women that praise other women in public. Let us be uplifting. Encouraging. A blessing to others. 

Day 30: The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears

The ending of Proverbs 31:30 states, "....But a woman who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised." (AMP)

Proverbs 31:30- "...but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised." (ERV)

Proverbs 31:30- "...The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." (Message)



Yesterday we talked about how temporary charm and beauty are.

Most believe that it takes about 3-6 months for someone's true colors to show- beauty and charm can only carry you through those months, after that, it is up to the goodness of our heart. What is hidden within will eventually be revealed. 

We must ensure that the quality of our heart is the most beautiful thing about us.



The Proverbs 31 woman understood that her outward appearance was necessary to care for. She made sure she was dressed nicely, always making her husband proud, BUT she also understood that this should not be our main focus. She knew that what made her a woman that 'should be praised' was fearing the Lord.

When I was growing up, I always got so confused about 'fearing the Lord.' I didn't want to be scared of Him, I wanted to love Him. That's when a man of God explained to me that there are different types of fear mentioned in the Bible.

There is the type of fear where we are terrified of something. For example, I'm scared of going in to stores alone, bees, being trapped. This is the fear that God continually asks us to let go of. 1 John 4:18 states, "Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear..." (ERV) This is the fear He wants us to pray over and remove from our lives. It takes away from life. It steals our joy.

Psalms 49:5 states, "Why should I be afraid when trouble comes? There is no need to fear when evil enemies surround me. (ERV) 

And there is also a reverential fear... a reverential awe.

Job 28:28 states, "Then he said to humans, ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom. To turn away from evil is understanding.’” (ERV)

Psalms 33:8-9 states, "Everyone on earth should fear and respect the Lord.
    All the people in the world should fear him,
9 because when he speaks, things happen.
    And if he says, “Stop!”—then it stops" (ERV)

Psalms 64:9 states, "People will see what God has done. They will tell other people about him. Then everyone will learn more about God. They will learn to fear and respect him." (ERV)


Knowing the power of God and believing it is fearing and respecting Him. Understanding His supernatural abilities, believing in His supernatural abilities, trusting in His almighty ways. These are all signs of fearing and respecting Him.



While reading about this verse, I came across a quote that literally gave me goosebumps. You all know my story. I tell it almost every single day, but I want others to know about His goodness, His faithfulness, and His ability to fix us. He changed my soul. I was the girl that struggled with fear my entire life. Even when I attended church in my youth, I still battled with the fears that overtook your life. I had no idea how to get them to stop. Of course, my relationship with God had already began to suffer by this point. And it gradually declined. Anxiety strangled me. The year 2007, I could barely leave my house. In fact, I didn't leave it for almost 3 months. Since, God has been helping me build back what the devil took from me, but it has been a process. 

But this quote. It shook me inside. It made me realize what has been missing all of these years.

"The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears." (Sinclair Ferguson)

Well, I'm going to let that sink in for a second, because it had to sink in for me too.



LOVING Him. RESPECTING Him. STANDING IN AWE of Him.... that tends to take away any other fears we have in this life!

If we are so busy focusing on WHO He is. WHAT He can do.... we won't have the time to think about the anxieties and burdens that weigh us down.

I know I am going to think about this the next time fear starts to grip me... because it still tries. I'm not 100% better and I'm finally learning that that's okay. I have a thorn in my flesh.. and I still plan on praising the Creator, even if He never takes it from me 100%. I'm just going to trust Him to get me through the fearful times. The next time I become overwhelmed with anxiety, I'm going to switch my focus to WHO He is. Find verses that praise Him. Whatever it takes to keep my mind on HIM... NOT my circumstance.

Proverbs 15:16 states, "It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be rich and have many troubles." 

Respecting and fearing Him should be our main focus in this life. He will supply all other needs. We just have to trust Him to do it.