Emotions can't Steal my Joy

God usually uses my current situations to teach me things. Lately, I’ve been allowing my emotions to steal my joy. You may be thinking, well that would make sense because if you’re sad or mad or whatever you obviously aren’t going to be happy. However, happiness and joy are not the same things. Happiness is temporary, fleeting, and dependent on my circumstances. Joy comes from the Lord. It is long lasting, fulfilling, and completely independent of what’s going on in my life. Even so, it can be stolen from you if you don’t have your guard up.

Psalm 30:5 says that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Joy is coming to us. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Joy is a promise from the Lord. If you learn to speak it over yourself, joy will not only come in the morning, but joy will come in the mourning. Your circumstances have no control over you receiving God’s joy. Even in your deepest mourning or hardest day, God’s joy can still find you.

I go to Church of the Highlands, and my pastor has declared 2019 as the “Year of Great Joy.” So, it is only natural that the enemy is starting my year off by trying to steal it from me. He has been trying to manipulate my emotions to keep me distracted from what God is using me for, but now that I’ve recognized his plan, it is a whole new ball game.

Tonight, we had First Wednesday, and I was in worship singing “What a Beautiful Name.” Now, full disclosure, I have grown so tired of singing that song simply because we sing it a lot, but God has taught me that when a song gets old, I need to really zone in on the lyrics and what the message is. It’s a good thing that I did because we got to the bridge where it says “What a powerful name it is. Nothing can stand against … You have no rival, You have no equal” and God began revealing to me that EVERYTHING bows to his name. EVERYTHING. That includes my emotions.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Thoughts, however, are not the only thing that this verse/ command is limited to. When Satan begins to whisper things in my ear to manipulate me, I can call every emotion captive to the Word of God and obedience of Christ.

Freedom and Joy are two things God offers us freely, all we have to do is accept. I know, easier said than done, but once you give God control of every aspect of your life and every aspect of yourself, it becomes so much more natural.