Having Joy

Okay, so, I was having a hard time finding joy in this journey home...
Funny thing how God works, after I wrote that I listened to Pastor's sermon, and in his sermon he talked about what is wrong with us when we lose our joy.

I really felt convicted about how I was reacting to my circumstances. I was letting the circumstances control my feelings, actions, emotions and attitude. When I should have been letting the Holy Spirit control me. He talked about walking worthy of the Lord, and how Paul prayed that the people would have 3 things:

1. spiritual intelligence
when you are born again you have everything you need in Jesus, and you have the handbook for your life, its called the Bible. we don't need to look for outside info~ those false teachers who try to get you "in the know", kinda like how the serpant convinced Eve that he knew how it "really was" and that she should believe him.

Spiritual intelligence is not just straight knowledge but the knowledge of what God has for us. We will never know the Will of God without the Word of God. God doesn't expect us to know everything, but He does expect us to apply what we know and understand.

2. practical obedience
knowledge and obedience go together
My Heavenly Father expects the same from me as I expect of my children, I give them the knowledge and I expect their obedience
learning and living go together, we know the things from the Word of God, but we choose not to apply it to our lives such a sad but true statement.

we should be striving to walk worthy of the Lord, the world should be able to look at us and see that we are walking with Jesus. Even if they don't know exactly how to express it, they know what they are looking at.

I want to walk worthy, I want the world to stand in awe of my Lord Jesus Christ!!

3. moral excellence
"I can walk in a way that honors the Lord..." okay, I've heard that since I was a child, so, how do I do that??
For one I have to have patience, yikes!! not something I usually pray for! but patience is enduring the difficluties in life while growing closer to my heavenly Father, (not questioning Him.)
I also have to have longsuffering, okay, such a trite thing to say, but longsuffering is really self-restraint while dealing with the people in my life, even God's people, (sometimes that takes more self restraint than we would expect).
okay, now for the one that I've been having a hard time with~ I have to have JOY!! Yep, its not about finding joy, its about having joy. I endure, I have longsuffering, and I must have joy thru it all. When I find myself complaining or feeling sorry for myself, then I know that I have lost my joy, and I am not walking worthy of the Lord. When I let circumstances control my life then I am not letting the Holy Spirit control my life, I lose my joy and I lose my closeness with my Heavenly Father.
I do NOT want to lose this closeness that I have come to enjoy so much!!
This closeness that I feel with my Heavenly Father is amazing! I have never felt this close to Him before, like He is always in the room with me, and instead of talking to myself I find myself addressing Him in everything I do. When I'm doing the dishes, when I vacume the floor, as I make supper or when I'm getting ready to turn in for the night, I find myself asking Him for wisdom in every situation or trial that I am having.

So I don't need to find joy in anything, I need to have joy in everything! I have Christ in me, therefore I already have joy! Next time I question the joy in my life, well, then I guess I will have to dig deeper and realize its not about the things around me, but its about my heart and my relationship with the Lord.

This journey that I am on has nothing to do with where I am at in this world, but its about where I am at in my spiritual walk with God. Where my heart and life are at in obedience to Him and His Word.

Yep, its quiet a journey. And I am so excited to see what HE has for my life as I walk closer to Him and dig deeper into His Word...