Weekly_Devotions

If your heart has been touched, feel free to email me at: Jina@preparingyourheart.com Thank you

For this thought:

I’m not living in denial….I’m living in "The Nile" Isaiah 65:1 ~ The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name." Prepare Your Heart for this Thought: Have you ever had people become irritated with you because you're to joyful? One person actually told me that they didn’t think they could stand me if I was any happier. Other people think I'm just blowing a smoke screen to make the grass look greener then it actually is. The truth is I don’t go around laughing all the time but I do choose joy over fear, joy over sadness, joy over hate and joy over unforgivness. Some people think I'm living in denial of reality, that I don’t live in the real world. The "real" world is a matter of perception. I live in the same horrific, sinful world that everyone else does but I choose to let the joy of the Lord be my strength. I have real hurts, real disappointments and real concerns but I choose to not let those feelings dictate the way today will turn out. I choose to let the word of God dictate my day. God said in Isaiah 65 that he was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. He said he was ready to be found, but no one was looking for him. He is saying to people everyday "Here I am!" but some people will not calling on his name. I'm not one of those people. I do choose to ask him to respond when I need help and I do choose to find him in my everyday walk of life. Just because I choose to call on his name does not mean that I don’t live in the "real" world. I'm not living in denial…. I'm living in "the Nile"……. Just as God provided a basket of safety for Moses when he was unable to protect himself, God has weaved a basket of love and protection around me. I'm going down the river of life protected and guided by the hand of God. (Moses story can be found in Exdous chapter 2) He already has a plan; all I need to do is stay in the basket and allow his hand to guide me. I can relax because God is in control. That doesn’t mean that when the waters of life get rough I won't feel afraid but what it does mean is that I can combat that fear with faith as I hold on tighter to the hand that guides me. Choosing joy over fear is not denial its wisdom. Choosing joy over depression is not denial its life changing. Choosing joy over hate and unforgivness is not denial its freedom. Everyone has the same chance to choose joy in any situation but the problem is if you choose the "worlds" joy. The world's joy is a fake joy. It’s a joy that covers up emotions, but God's joy is a joy that unravels emotions you never knew you had. Emotions that explode from within your soul and bring peace to your broken heart, emotions that calm a spiteful spirit and evoke a spirit of true love. The joy that God gives is a joy the world cannot explain because it can not contain the mysteries of heaven. This joy is equally available to all. God is the giver of life and he abundantly blesses all who seek his favor. All you have to do is ask and believe and a river of life will begin to flow from within you that you cannot explain and the world cannot contain. The world didn’t give it to you and the world cannot take it away. You can give up your joy by giving into fear, hate, sadness and unforgivness but that would be your choice. If you're not happy in life, don’t blame God. He has given you everything you need to live a happy, well balanced, joyful life. Your life is your choice. Today is your day of choice. Will you ask God to respond to your pain? Will you call upon his name to save you? Will you hear his voice speaking to you today through his written word?

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