Dr. Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, was imprisoned by the Nazis in World War II because he was a Jew. His wife, his children, and his parents were all killed in the Holocaust.

The Gestapo stripped him of his clothes. He stood totally naked before them. As they cut off his wedding band, Viktor said to himself, “You can take away my wife, you can take away my children, you can strip me of my clothes and my freedom, but there is one thing no person can ever take away from me—and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me!”

Even under the most difficult of circumstances-
Joy is a choice which transforms our tragedies into triumph! Let’s face it, not everything goes our way. Things don’t always work out as we planned.

Some days are disasters. Other days are worse than them! Happiness comes easily when things go our way. Joy is different. It’s deeper.

It is a delight in the Lord! Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! Happiness is external and subject to what happens. Joy is an inside glory in which we opt to rejoice regardless of the circumstances.

Don’t confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is a buoyant emotion that results from the momentary plateaus of well-being.

Joy is bedrock peace! Joy is a confidence that operates irrespective of our moods. Joy is the certainty that all is well, however we feel. Joy is a divine
dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances simply because we have chosen to respond in a positive manner.

Paul is saying in Philippians 4:4 that joy is not something that happens to me; But rather
something I deliberately and consciously choose. Circumstances seldom generate lasting smiles and laughter.

But- Joy comes to those who determine to choose it in the Lord in spite of their circumstances.

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

(PR)

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“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it” (Numbers 12:1-9).

As the leader of the masses out of Egypt-
Moses endured far more criticism than he deserved.

In Numbers 14, we read how God sent a whole bunch of people to die in the desert because of their incessant complaining.

When Moses’ own family picked up the sour song, God came to Moses’ defense.
To Miriam and Aaron, He said, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, Moses? So the anger of the Lord burned against them” (Numbers 12:8).

In other words-
“Just who do you think you are criticizing Moses like that?”

Notice God’s deep feelings.
He didn’t wait for their explanations.
And they didn’t wait long for the consequences.
God just said, “Enough!”

He hates it when we dwell on the perceived faults of another with no view to their good.
You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to feel God’s heat in this true account.
He considers criticism a sin and He won’t tolerate it.

Obviously, we want to soften that judgment and call criticism a weakness or a bad habit or poor people skills.
While criticism is all that, it’s also a whole lot more.

If you have a critical attitude toward someone-
– you are hindering your fellowship with God!

He hears that bitter spirit come out in your words and wants nothing to do with it.
Makes you wonder, if your spiritual life feels like a wilderness right now – dry, cheerless, and joyless – maybe it’s because you’ve allowed a critical attitude to creep in.

It’s a choice that not only injures your horizontal relationship with others, but also your vertical relationship with God.
It’s your choice!

When He says, “Don’t!” what He really means is, “Don’t hurt yourself!”
When God says, “Don’t criticize,” it’s not because He wants to deprive us of some satisfactory experience.
He is actually saying, “That goes against the nature of who I have made you to be.”

Fish were made to swim.
Birds were made to fly.
People were made to live in fellowship with God.

When we criticize others, we break that fellowship with God.
We hinder our own joy, and our life becomes like a wilderness.

(PR)

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“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Joy!
It’s not a happy feeling you’re supposed to have now and then when things are going well.
It’s much more than that.

Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.
Look again at Nehemiah 8:10 and I’ll show you why.

If you were to diagram that scripture and remove the phrase, “of the Lord,”
-you would find what it’s truly saying is this:

Joy is strength!
The two are interchangeable.
That’s what makes joy so crucial.

You can’t live a life of faith without being strong in the Lord–
And when God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!

Joy is not just a state of mind.
It is not a fleeting emotion.

Joy is a very real force!
And the devil doesn’t have anything that can stand up against it.

Just as fear has to yield to faith-
– discouragement has to yield to joy.

Since joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit-
– you already have it residing within you.

But you must develop it, confess it, and live by it if you want to enjoy its power.
Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy.

You can be strong in the Lord.
You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit within you and come out on top.

Rejoice!

(PR)

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“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it” (Numbers 12:1-9).

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The post Joy is a Choice appeared first on My Manna.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22. 

Ruut Veenhoven, a Dutch researcher, carefully reviewed and analyzed 30 separate studies on the relationship between joy and health. 

Joyful people, Veenhoven concluded from his studies-
– are less likely to fall sick, and joy, he discovered, actually adds more years to a person’s life. 

Numerous health studies have proven that joy-
– boosts the immune system, 
– lowers stress hormones, 
– decreases pain, 
– relaxes the muscles and 
– prevents heart disease. 

The human system, in its fallen state-
– is certain to regress under the stress and strain of life.

Our physical frame cannot hold up if our mental, emotional and spiritual states of being are dampened. 
Nothing strengthens our emotions and mental state like the spiritual force of joy. 

The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10. 

The joy of the Lord is not-
– an ephemeral emotion that is dependent on the availability of the fine material things of life. 

The joy of the Lord is-
– that boundless energy the Holy Spirit works through our human spirit,
– welling up into eternal gladness. 

This joy is a wellspring of life-
– giving strength to every part of our being, 
– and keeping us in sound health. 

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is in us indeed, quickening our mortal bodies to the glory of God.
So, we have a spiritual force of joy this world knows nothing of, and it is our strength and continual source of good health. 

A cheerful spirit and gladness of heart in the natural produces tremendous health effects; how much more the spiritual force of joy we possess by the Spirit. 

We can trust the joy of the Lord to sustain our health-
– just as we can trust it to give us strength and raise us up from sickness. 

The Bible records that the Lord gave the Israelites great joy-
– after they had made a commitment to obedience and adherence to the Word of God. Nehemiah 12. 

We can activate and preserve the joy of the Lord-
– by an attitude of continuous praise and singing, 
– and also by studying and adhering to the Word of God. 

This will be health to our flesh and life to our bones. 

“Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10.

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“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

The post Joy is Strength appeared first on My Manna.

“He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength…
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah.40:29-31.

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