Be Joyful Always

"Be joyful always". 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Lord I pray that you would lead, guide and direct me as I take on this adventure. Give me the words that I need to make clear and concise points and the anointing of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for calling me to do this bible study on a subject that is dear to my heart and the very fruit of Your spirit upon me.

Amen

Verse 17: "pray continually".

I decided to listen to my Father in Heaven and write this bible study on joy. For the most part, I am a very joyful person. I am absolutely amazed at all of the blessings which the Lord has bestowed upon my life not only when I was living outside of His will, but as I continue to grow inside of His will. I think of so may instances in my past and present where God could have and should have just given up on me, but being that He is the all-knowing and omnipotent Creator Father that He is and all the promises that He has made to me and His other children in His holy, inspired and divine Word, that is not His nature. That alone brings me to overflowing with joy.

Being joyful always is not such an easy task. That's why there's that little tag on the end about praying continually. People ask me all the time why I am so happy. I am usually a smiling, giggly, overflowing, and bubbly woman. I even have the nickname "Bubbles" at work because of my personality. I have so many people compliment me on what seems like to be an unending smile tacked up cheek to cheek by two deep dimples. When I am asked, I always throw in that I give all credit to God for my "happiness". 

I do not label myself "happy". To some who do not understand, hopefully by the time God finishes with me and this bible study you will understand. Yes, the joy that God puts into my heart gives me a FEELING of happiness, but happiness is fleeting. Even in my darkest times when I am crying, depressed, self-loathing and despicable; somehow God manages to throw a ray of hope at me through His words, prayer, or the words of those who love me in Christ. 

As a person of joy, I have my struggles. I am human. I have my flaws, and I have my moments where my sin nature takes over, and it takes days if not weeks of commune with God to get rid of my "nasties" to where I can feel like truthfully smiling towards Heaven again. There are two ploys of the enemy that circulate my psyche at all times that most people except my closest friends and family do not know about. Those two ploys are anxiety and bi-polar depression. I am thankful for the skilled blessed mind of my doctor that I am able to control the symptoms of these ploys so that I can fully function and focus on what I would like to consider the things that are not of this world.. you know.. Jesus and His will. 

This is where joy becomes relevant in my life. Notice that I said that the ploys of the enemy CIRCULATE my psyche. For those who need a definition think soul, mind, breath, and life. I'm not speaking of Sister Thelma down the street that claims to know your future for twenty bucks. (I had to put that in there, because I know my daddy, who I take WELL after would somehow make a silly joke out of the word psyche. LOL) When you give your all to God, He builds a fortress around the parts of your life that you ALLOW Him to access. I have allowed Him to build a fortress around my heart as far as the anxiety and depression are concerned. With this fortress of His words, love, strength and encouragement, I am able to cope when Satan attacks my emotions and my chemical makeup. 

One thing you have to understand is that medication has NOTHING on the spiritual realm. I can take my little pills in the morning and at night, and while they do help me cope with stress and focus on importance and not pettiness. The lies of the enemy are still strong enough sometimes to penetrate that barrier that modern medicine has supplied. That's where the King of my fortress takes over. As long as I focus on my King and pray, my joy is restored. Of course it's not an instant "just like that" snap of the fingers type of restoration at all times. 

Obtaining and retaining joy after the enemy tries to steal it from you sometimes takes alot of time studying the Word and praying and, as I like to label it in my personal journals "Re-evaluation". I try to re-evaluate myself and where I stand with my relationship with Christ every time I have an emotional break down or do or say something that really isn't becoming of the character that God had intended for me to display. During this time of re-evaluation I ask for forgiveness where it is needed and set goals on how to not stumble in that area of my life again. When it is an emotional breakdown I face, I evaluate what caused the breakdown in the first place, pray about it, and try to set my goals on how to recognize those things that trigger my emotions and hand them over to the King of my heart's fortress.