Joy and Peace | Two in One

Well, it's certainly been a long time since I have written anything. I have spiritually gone from one extreme to the other time and time again in just a short span of about two and a half weeks. I am not expert on the subject I had in mind to discuss, but I have recently gathered that we as people learn from our own experiences. So, perhaps if I share this with you I to can take away from this and apply it to my life.

I crave joy. I long for that mantel of pure joy, where laughter comes easily. I long for that ability to just scream from the top of my lungs from the excitement and joy that bubbles up from the depths of our beings to praise God. Instead I am a reserved quiet person that I believe is quenching the person God designed. If I crave them, was I not created for that? John 16: 24 states this "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." My joy isn't full. Yet, over and over it is given to us the option of child like behavior to simply ask. I the other night was discussing with one of my dear friends the simplicity of the kingdom. That to obtain anything we need simply to ask Father, and it shall be given. So then why is it so difficult to obtain joy? The kingdom of heaven is the opposite of what our world makes things. In heaven the first shall come last, reference Matthew 19:30. So in our nature it is that joy comes first then we rejoice. Should it not be then that we rejoice in Him and the joy shall be given? I think so. Bill Johnson said it to, and I respect what he has to say. I right now in my life am honestly at the lowest point I have ever been. From the outside looking in it looks positively horrid, and until this morning the inside looked just as horrid. As I searched myself I found only anger, bitterness, hate, and malice. Today. I choose to begin to rejoice in what is happening around me, through me, in me, and with that will come a break through in myself. I will be given the peace and joy of the Lord. My spirit will be gentle, what was destroyed by circumstance will be built back up, and I will be made whole again. I think that I will made more then what I was before Satan had a chance to take a whack at me. Because with all this knowledge and wisdom I obtain, I have the opportunity to take the upgrade and become more like Christ. So simple, so beautiful.

So if it is simple to obtain joy through the asking and rejoicing in our spirits shouldn't be easy to gain peace. Absolutely. Joy and peace go hand in hand.

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

I want both of those, but more importantly the outcome is hope and to live life you need hope. I have/had very little, it will build back up. The more I proclaim it the more likely it is to come to pass. Holy Spirit lives within me, therefore if he abounds in hope so do I. I am not quite sure how much sense this is making, but it's so important. If we have no hope there is no way to shift our perspective and we allow now room for God to soften our hearts. Realty is realty. We can't change it but what I can change is my perspective. Honesty from friends, ourselves, and Holy spirit will keeps us accountable to the issues of our character. And if we do not have joy and peace then there is something terrible wrong with our character, especially if we call ourselves Christians.

So leave with this... that if you ask it shall be given, that if we first rejoice no matter the circumstance joy will hold fast to us and our peace shall be steady in the storm. Our hope will not waver and I will remain whole in his spirit. I think that having written about it has solidified it in my own spirit. And with a sound mind I can now apply this in my life so that I can rise about my circumstance and allow his spirit to do the work that is needed. Because I know in my life that if it is to mean anything then how I handle each situation is going to affect someone else and if they see God in me then my work has been done.