Tag: joy

Consider it Pure Joy

James 1:2-3 NIV, “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Joy may not always be our first response when faced with trials. Instead it may be fear, worry, confusion, or anger, just to name a few. Trials cause us discomfort, and tend to alter our lives in someway, and of course that is not something we are eager to embrace.

However, because we have Jesus, we don’t have to walk through our trials alone. He is always by our side. His presence with us is the reason we can, “consider it pure joy” when faced with trials. God’s Word assures us, that as our faith is tested, we learn to trust Him more and develop perseverance.

Photo by: Pixabay

Maintaining our faith in Jesus, and not giving up in the midst of trouble, puts us in a position to experience the joy of the Lord. Everything that occurs in our lives may not be good, but God has promised to work all things out for our good when we love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Whatever trials you may be facing today, take heart and know that God is with you. I pray His joy and love will fill your heart, and that praise to Him would continually be on your lips, as you keep hoping and trusting in His holy Name.

Knowing Jesus Brings Joy

Psalm 94:19 NIV, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

When we are overwhelmed by the anxieties of the world, “The joy of the Lord is truly our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)!” Even though the circumstances we face may seem uncertain, we can have joy knowing our circumstances are not beyond the reach of God. His sovereignty covers even the situations that seem the most hopeless. In Him there is always hope.

It’s easy to walk by faith when things are in order. However it’s the days where life doesn’t make sense, the days when chaos is happening all around us, or the days when tragedy strikes in our families, that we have to stand firm on the promises of God and keep walking by faith. Faith doesn’t have to make sense in the natural, because we serve a supernatural God. His love and power far exceed anything we could ever begin to imagine, yet He has chosen to know us.

The joy of the Lord puts a smile on our face and a song in our heart. His joy brings us light when everything else seems dark. What a joy it is to know, His goodness and mercy are following you and me!

I pray that the joy of the Lord will fill your heart and soul today. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

When you choose JESUS, you choose JOY.

Photo by: Bekka Mongeau

Jesus, Our Daily Bread

John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

I hadn’t heard this song Breathe by Michael Smith in years, but I woke up this morning with it on my mind. Truly Jesus is the air that we breathe. As Christians, His Holy Presence living inside of us is everything. He is the bread of life. In Him we are filled completely. He is the One who can take away our emptiness and replace it with joy. His words give us life and hope.

Praying you have a very blessed day!

I hope you enjoy this song:

Breathe by Michael Smith

Hope That Never Disappoints

Psalm 25:4 NIV, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.”

This verse is a great encouragement for those times where we may feel discouraged. It tells us to keep hoping in the name of Jesus, because when our hope is in Him, we will not be put to shame.

No matter how we may feel or how our circumstances may look, God has not forgotten us. We don’t always understand how He is working or why He allows certain things to happen, but He is sovereign. Even when people are attempting to steal our joy, we can place our hope in Him because He is the giver of joy!

Of course putting our hope in Jesus is not the popular thing to do, but it is the right thing to do. We live in a world where people are putting their hope in themselves, their achievements, their wealth, their looks and even other people.

Things and people can be here today and gone tomorrow. But Jesus is our solid foundation. He is eternal and His words will remain forever. When we place our hope in Him, He has promised that we will never be put to shame.

Isaiah 40:8 NIV, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

His Goodness and Mercy

Psalm 23:6 KJB, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

This verse is a regular prayer of thanksgiving for me. I find myself telling God often that I’m thankful for His goodness and mercy that follow me all the days of my life. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for His goodness and His mercy. The fact that He is good, and has mercy on us is a big part of the reason we are even still here today.

His goodness and mercy is an extension of His great love for us. Remembering how good and merciful God is, is a humbling thought. Because He is so good and merciful to us, we can extend the same thing to other people.

What a joy it is to know that the Lord’s goodness and mercy is following us everyday. What an honor and a privilege it is to worship the Lord and dwell in His house forever.

The Barnabas Award – 1

I thank you to my sister in Christ Lisa for nominating me for The Barnabas Award!! This is my first time receiving this award and I’m super excited! 🎉🎉🎉🎉.

Lisa, I always enjoy reading your posts because they motivate and encourage me to not give up on my quest to know Jesus better. You help me to keep growing in my faith through your writings.

It’s amazing that you’re an ordained minister! Thanks for the work you and your husband do in the body of Christ. May God continue to bless you, and your family with more of Himself and His many abundant blessings. 💕

Check out Lisa’s Blog at:

WordPress13730Faith2Faith

This award is meant to encourage those who receive it.

You have been chosen for this recognition because of the encouragement and inspiration you bring to your readers.

The way this works:

😊Thank the person who nominated you, and share their blog.

😊Think of five bloggers that encourage and inspire you and nominate them.

😊List five things about yourself.

😊Lastly, ask your nominees five questions. Why five? Because it is the number that signifies grace.

5 Things About Dawn ❤️

1. I visited South Korea on a military assignment.

2. I’ve lived in Florida for almost 4 years.

3. My dream job is to work in counseling.

4. My favorite vegetable is brussel sprouts.

5. I got to see Mars and Jupiter in the night sky with help from NASA (they told me when and where to look in an email lol.)

🙏🏼 These are the questions to me:

1. What do you do when trials come your way? I pray, read the Bible, listen to online sermons and talk to those closest to me.

2. Who is your favorite author? Joyce Meyer

3. In what or where do you find joy? True lasting joy is a gift from God. He’s the One that allows me to have joy regardless of my circumstances. So my greatest joy is found in knowing Him. One of the ways He blesses me to experience joy is through writing.

4. Where is your favorite place to write? I don’t have a favorite place. I write in many different places. Whenever inspiration comes to me, I start writing things down.

5. What is your favorite writing genre?Christianity

There is no pressure to participate, but I’m looking forward to reading your answers if you choose too. Thanks for the inspiration I receive from your blogs. 😊

I nominate the following:

Gleanings from the Master

Laura Bon

Bukola Orry

Trophy of Grace

HHHigh

Questions for nominees:

1. What is something you are most thankful for?

2. What is an important lesson you have learned in life?

3. What is your favorite place to write?

4. What do you do when trials come your way?

5. What do you like most about writing?

I Will Exalt You My God

Psalm 145:1 NLT, “I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever.”

No matter what is going on in our lives we can look up to our God and give Him praise. He is our Strong Rock, He will never fail us. He is our Great Hope, He will never disappoint us. He is our Faithful Father, He will never abandon us.

His love for us will endure forever.

He is our Peace when we are anxious. He is our Strength when we are weak. He is our Joy when we are discouraged. He is our Fullness when we feel empty…

In His presence is fullness of joy, and eternal pleasures forever more. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Let us praise His name forever and ever.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

%d bloggers like this: