"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10, NIV).
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11, NIV).
"He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps" (Psalm 40:2, NKJV).
If you are a melancholy believer, or one who seems glum, sullen, or dejected, in the pits, in a depressed funk, despondent, or have the doldrums, and don't know how to snap out of it you are a bad advertisement for Christianity, if you're really happy and full of joy, tell your face! There may be periods of depression when one wallows in self-pity, has a pity party, or withdraws, (even Elijah got depressed), but one must learn how to bounce out of it. Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to "rejoice in the Lord always." " Nehemiah says "... [The] joy of the LORD is your strength." There are some key elements to finding joy amidst the hard times--and He does make us experience hardship: "You have fed them of the bowl of tears, You have given them tears to drink in great measure" (Psalm 80:5, NKJV).
This is to develop our character to mold it after Christ's image, which cannot mature without adversity, hardship, discipline, trials, and even temptation--but remember Christ was honest enough to warn us and they are inevitable as a "coming of age" spiritually. Christ didn't exempt Himself from trouble, and our "crosses" pale in comparison to His. If you don't know why you are suffering or you think you don't deserve it, be like Job and throw a spiritual fit and cry out to God with your case and complaint. It's okay to throw a spiritual temper tantrum or fit! Some people are just more vulnerable to getting the blues or even depression, but this doesn't need to define who you are.
There is a methodology or method to the madness, for rebounding from depression, when it is time to seek the Lord and His presence--there is a time and season for every purpose under the sun. God is in the business of sharing His joy! When we sin and grieve the Spirit it can show and spread like wildfire. Every believer has been called to do God's work and if he knows his calling, he can find joy in doing the Lord's will and in being in the Lord's will. There's always joy in doing God's work with a smile and finding fulfillment in that. When you live for something bigger than yourself you will have a different perspective on life. Real living begins when we commence serving others and get our eyes off ourselves. We shouldn't just exist, but live! Work for something in life that will outlast it. If you know how God uses you and what your spiritual gift is, you are on the way to finding joy in the Lord and knowing how to spread it as a messenger of the good news with a positive testimony.
When we are in a depressed funk, or "downcast" as Psalm 42 and 43 call it, God seems to be MIA and we need to seek the face of God. We are to seek the Lord and His face or presence. The whole business of the Christian life is to seek God, not just when we feel down. Even Job wondered about the whereabouts of God: "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him" (cf. Job 23:3). God is never far from each one of us according to Acts 17:27. He may be no further than the mention of His name! Did He not promise: "... Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20, ESV). Remember that where ever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Jesus promises to be among them (cf. Matt. 18:20). The Holy Spirit dwells in us to be our Comforter and Enabler to live in His power and to overcome trials and the enemy. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks His lost sheep and brings them to green pastures and to give them rest.
It is a joy to see God at work in others and to share in the blessings by association. This is an encouragement for us to do the Lord's will and to be profitably engaged in spreading the Word. There is vicarious joy, just like parents relive their childhoods through their children. Remember, we are all on the same team and we must know the real enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7). We learn to "rejoice with those who rejoice" (cf. Romans 12:15).
We really must learn to find joy despite our circumstances and to be strong in our faith, for the Lord must test our faith: "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10, ESV). God wants to see if it is genuine and will stand the test of time, and isn't a facade, sham, or masquerade--only sincere, even if imperfect, faith will do. Learn to rise to the occasion and above your circumstances: Experience is not what happens to you, but what happens in you! Paul was in prison and rejoiced in the Lord with such testimony with Silas that the jailer got converted in Acts 16.
Joy is contagious and a great testimony, and that is more motive to seek it to be a light and river of life to others, who need to be encouraged. This is so that we acknowledge joy in the Lord, not in circumstances, which can change. Joy is something on the inside that is not dependent on happenings like happiness is. Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in (cf. Philippians 4:13).
When you know God is with you, everything becomes bearable and that is one of Christ's names: "God with us." Also, it is written in Isaiah 43:2 (ESV): "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ...." We are to seek the Lord and His presence "as a deer pants for flowing water, so my soul pants for [God]" (Psalm 42:1, ESV). Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, says that "true holiness consists of doing God's will with a smile." That is, if we are happy, we should tell our faces! Soli Deo Gloria!
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11, NIV).
"He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps" (Psalm 40:2, NKJV).
If you are a melancholy believer, or one who seems glum, sullen, or dejected, in the pits, in a depressed funk, despondent, or have the doldrums, and don't know how to snap out of it you are a bad advertisement for Christianity, if you're really happy and full of joy, tell your face! There may be periods of depression when one wallows in self-pity, has a pity party, or withdraws, (even Elijah got depressed), but one must learn how to bounce out of it. Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to "rejoice in the Lord always." " Nehemiah says "... [The] joy of the LORD is your strength." There are some key elements to finding joy amidst the hard times--and He does make us experience hardship: "You have fed them of the bowl of tears, You have given them tears to drink in great measure" (Psalm 80:5, NKJV).
This is to develop our character to mold it after Christ's image, which cannot mature without adversity, hardship, discipline, trials, and even temptation--but remember Christ was honest enough to warn us and they are inevitable as a "coming of age" spiritually. Christ didn't exempt Himself from trouble, and our "crosses" pale in comparison to His. If you don't know why you are suffering or you think you don't deserve it, be like Job and throw a spiritual fit and cry out to God with your case and complaint. It's okay to throw a spiritual temper tantrum or fit! Some people are just more vulnerable to getting the blues or even depression, but this doesn't need to define who you are.
There is a methodology or method to the madness, for rebounding from depression, when it is time to seek the Lord and His presence--there is a time and season for every purpose under the sun. God is in the business of sharing His joy! When we sin and grieve the Spirit it can show and spread like wildfire. Every believer has been called to do God's work and if he knows his calling, he can find joy in doing the Lord's will and in being in the Lord's will. There's always joy in doing God's work with a smile and finding fulfillment in that. When you live for something bigger than yourself you will have a different perspective on life. Real living begins when we commence serving others and get our eyes off ourselves. We shouldn't just exist, but live! Work for something in life that will outlast it. If you know how God uses you and what your spiritual gift is, you are on the way to finding joy in the Lord and knowing how to spread it as a messenger of the good news with a positive testimony.
When we are in a depressed funk, or "downcast" as Psalm 42 and 43 call it, God seems to be MIA and we need to seek the face of God. We are to seek the Lord and His face or presence. The whole business of the Christian life is to seek God, not just when we feel down. Even Job wondered about the whereabouts of God: "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him" (cf. Job 23:3). God is never far from each one of us according to Acts 17:27. He may be no further than the mention of His name! Did He not promise: "... Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20, ESV). Remember that where ever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Jesus promises to be among them (cf. Matt. 18:20). The Holy Spirit dwells in us to be our Comforter and Enabler to live in His power and to overcome trials and the enemy. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks His lost sheep and brings them to green pastures and to give them rest.
It is a joy to see God at work in others and to share in the blessings by association. This is an encouragement for us to do the Lord's will and to be profitably engaged in spreading the Word. There is vicarious joy, just like parents relive their childhoods through their children. Remember, we are all on the same team and we must know the real enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7). We learn to "rejoice with those who rejoice" (cf. Romans 12:15).
We really must learn to find joy despite our circumstances and to be strong in our faith, for the Lord must test our faith: "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10, ESV). God wants to see if it is genuine and will stand the test of time, and isn't a facade, sham, or masquerade--only sincere, even if imperfect, faith will do. Learn to rise to the occasion and above your circumstances: Experience is not what happens to you, but what happens in you! Paul was in prison and rejoiced in the Lord with such testimony with Silas that the jailer got converted in Acts 16.
Joy is contagious and a great testimony, and that is more motive to seek it to be a light and river of life to others, who need to be encouraged. This is so that we acknowledge joy in the Lord, not in circumstances, which can change. Joy is something on the inside that is not dependent on happenings like happiness is. Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in (cf. Philippians 4:13).
When you know God is with you, everything becomes bearable and that is one of Christ's names: "God with us." Also, it is written in Isaiah 43:2 (ESV): "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ...." We are to seek the Lord and His presence "as a deer pants for flowing water, so my soul pants for [God]" (Psalm 42:1, ESV). Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, says that "true holiness consists of doing God's will with a smile." That is, if we are happy, we should tell our faces! Soli Deo Gloria!
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