Hello! Thank you for this! 🙂
 
John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
 
Since God gave His Son, Jesus to die for us, if we have accepted Him and continue to accept Him daily (because salvation is daily), then the joy we receive is heavenly and spiritual, which is Christ Himself. That one Christmas song that goes “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King…!” totally speaks to me. Jesus was that Joy, it’s not a worldly joy at all, He was from Heaven and He came down to be that joy for us. God’s Love is also Jesus and if anyone truly accepts the Father’s gift which is Grace (Jesus) everyday and I mean every day, then Joy is with you every day. It’s a matter of remembering, acknowledging, and believing. We’ve got to practice His presence. That’s where prayer comes in. Keep praying, never stop praying. Praying should not feel like an obligation because it’s your chance to reconnect with God. You cannot reconnect with God without focusing in on His Son first. Whenever I feel far away from God, sooner or later I realize that I have not really been talking to Jesus. I may catch myself sometimes returning to prayer like it’s an obligation, but eventually the more I practice His presence throughout the day, the more grateful I become for the opportunity to pray. The more you pray in Jesus’ name the more natural it becomes talking to God, verbally or mindfully. Your relationship with Jesus leads you to your oneness with God. That’s how you will stay connected to Joy.
 
Make sure that when you pray, you touch on 4 subjects….ACTS – ADORATION, CONFESSION, THANKSGIVING, SUPPLICATION. You don’t necessarily have to do it in that order or always have to repent sin, but always put importance on praise and thanks, and also by ending with requests, it emphasizes on humility and surrender. In remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, it should always stop us in our tracks and just be in awe. Joy is within you the more often you continually accept Jesus and all He’s done for you. I look at it like this…I accept God’s Love for me. His Love is Jesus, and as I accept Jesus, I am also accepting Joy, Peace, Wisdom, Strength, Energy, Confidence, Freedom. I have everything I need to succeed in God’s will. Tonight I’m praying that God will overwhelm you with joy! 😀
 
1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
 
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Nehemiah 8:10  This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
 
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
 
Ephesians 3:16-18 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
 
By His Grace, Sheela (Via godfirstgodalways)