Don’t Wait Until You Feel Happy

"The secret of joy is not to wait until you feel happy, but to rise, by an act of faith, out of the depression which is dragging you down and begin to praise God as an act of choice. This is the meaning of such passages as these: Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4). I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice (Philippians 1:18). Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (James 1:2). In all these cases there is an evident struggle with sadness and then the triumphs of faith and praise.

This is what is meant-at least in part-by the sacrifice of praise. A sacrifice is that which costs us something. And when a man or woman has some cherished grudge or wrong and is harbouring it, nursing it, dwelling on it, and quite determined to enjoy a miserable time in selfish grumbling, it costs us no little sacrifice to throw off the morbid spell, to rise out of the mood of self-commiseration in wholesome and holy determination and say, I will rejoice in the Lord (Habakkuk 3:18); I will count it all joy (James 1:2)."

A.B.Simpson - Days of Heaven on Earth

 

Yesterday, I came across this little devotional by A. B. Simpson. What a blessing, and also a rebuke to my sometimes unjoyful heart.

We are all so guilty at times of choosing misery over happiness. Why is that? I think it is because we choose to pay more attention to our circumstances than to God. And for some reason, we seem to enjoy playing the victim and we wallow in our misery and sorrow because maybe it’s easier than making the choice to praise God. Or maybe we just want attention and sympathy from those around us. Whatever the reason, it’s just an excuse.  

If we are continually fixing our eyes on our pain, our trouble, and our disappointments, it will drain us. We will find ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually drained of all life.

We can’t wait until we feel happy, to be happy. Feelings are not to be relied upon. They are so fickle. We have to rise, in an act of faith, out of our pits of despair, trusting in God, waiting on Him, rejoicing during the trial, determined to choose joy whether we feel it or not. We choose to rejoice because of what we know of God.

He is righteous. He is holy. He is the giver of all good things. We are not alone. God is with us. He loves us unconditionally. We have eternal security. He will bring us through. He will use our experiences to mature us, if we respond correctly to his workings in our lives.

I love these verses in Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 KJV - Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

I love that the writer sees that things are not going as expected. All looks miserable. And yet, he chooses to rejoice. He makes a determined choice to joy in the God of his salvation.

Nobody wants to be miserable all of the time. Everyone has a desire to be happy and to experience joy and peace. And the way to get that peace, is through gratitude to God.

A very well-known passage in Philippians exhorts us to pray with thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6-7 KJV - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It tells us to not be anxious but give thanks. And the result of this is peace - peace that passeth all understanding! God never promises that he will take away all pain and suffering, but he does promise peace. (John 16:33) If we have a personal relationship with the Lord, we can experience this peace. The troubles may remain, but calm can overwhelm our soul.

And there is no way we can rejoice always, if we are not thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18 KJV - Rejoice evermore. ... In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Thankfulness focuses our attention on God rather than our circumstances, and when we show continual gratitude to God, we can rejoice. Not because our troubles are over, but because he brings peace to our hearts.

It all begins with a choice. A choice to be happy. A choice to climb up out of the darkness and take the hand God is holding out to us, hold fast to his promises and believe that he can and that he will carry our burdens.

We never have to worry that our problems are too big for him. Nothing is impossible with God and that includes whatever we’re dealing with right now. If he wants to calm the storm, he is powerful enough to do it. But if he chooses to keep the storm raging and calm your heart, he can do that too.

What an awesome God!

We are instructed in the Word of God to offer a sacrifice of praise.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Yes, sometimes praise is a sacrifice. We don’t feel like it, but we choose to offer up worship and praise to God. It costs us. We have to push aside our fears and our anxieties and sacrifice the feelings of dread and sadness we harbour and choose to put on a cloak of thankfulness and raise our hearts in worship to the only one worthy of our praise.

And did you notice that the verse says, continually? Yes. That’s even harder to do. Praise continually. Despite the circumstances. It’s a sacrifice, but it’s such a blessing when God sees our hearts and knows we are making a sacrifice and choosing him. We don’t feel joy, but he sees our determination, and he floods our souls with peace and the feelings soon follow. Pretty soon, we actually feel joyful.

Do you know what I mean by ‘the feelings soon follow’? Personally, I have found, that when I am tired, and the last thing I want to do is go out on a Wednesday night to the weekly prayer meeting, and I make a determined choice to go despite my ‘feelings’, that God works a small miracle.

As I pray with other believers, I am encouraged. I am fed by the Word of God preached and I begin to be thankful for all the blessings others share. Often my problems pale into insignificance as I hear others ask prayer for loved ones in dire circumstances, facing insurmountable obstacles. And by the end of the night, I am so glad I made the effort to go, and I am left with a feeling of joy and gladness and thankfulness to the Lord.

My feelings weren’t coming along for the ride at the beginning, but by the end, that ‘joy’ feeling had hopped on board.

Now, I know feelings aren’t everything, but it’s such an encouragement to my heart that God can turn our frowns into smiles when we choose to rejoice.

Those verses in Habakkuk show determination. “I will rejoice. I will joy.” A choice.

Philippians 1:18 KJV - What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Psalm 9:2 KJV - I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalm 31:7 KJV - I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

So many verses in the Bible give us examples of people choosing to rejoice. It’s not always easy, but when we stop and think about all of God’s blessings that he pours into our lives, we shouldn’t be able to contain our joy.

Our joy and our praise and our worship should overflow from a heart of thankfulness. If we took the time to count our blessings, name them one by one, maybe we would be ashamed at all the times we spend in despondency when we have so much to thank God for.

Make a choice.

Choose joy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Are You Listening To?

 

Just last week I received an email from a Christian lady I don’t know, asking for advice on dealing with depression and anxiety. She is struggling with everyday life and as I have been there, and lived through the same pain she is dealing with, she wrote in anticipation that I could give her words of comfort and encouragement and some practical ideas to help her cope with the overwhelm she is feeling.

Whenever I am asked for advice on this subject, I feel so inadequate. I feel like I’m not the right person for the job, but then I hear God whispering to my heart, the words He gave to Moses so very long ago, found in the book of Exodus 4:12 - Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

I am also reminded of the prayer I prayed during my time of trial. I asked the Lord to firstly, help me make it through the trial, and secondly, to use me to help others when, and not if, I came out on the other side. I wanted to be able to share the lessons I had learned and the Bible verses that had helped me.

And the Lord has answered that prayer so many times. What a blessing to be able to use a trial for His glory and for the benefit of others. We don’t always understand why God has us go through things, but He always has a plan.

Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In praying over what I would say to this lady, I came across some old notes I had jotted down. “It’s not what you go through that determines where you end up, it’s who you listen to.” Let me say that one more time, just in case you weren’t paying attention.

“It’s not what you go through that determines where you end up, it’s who you listen to.”

It’s not what, it’s who!

Who are you listening to? Is it God? Is it yourself? Is it the devil’s lies? Or is it others around you?

It makes a difference, you know. Who we listen to makes all the difference.

Two people can go through similar trials and one person ends up bitter and the other ends up better. And the difference comes about because of who they are listening to as they face the difficult circumstance in their life.

When I was struggling with depression and anxiety, I began to listen to the devil’s lies about me. They went something like this:

You are a failure. As a wife, a mother and as a Christian! You’ve let God down. Why would God want anything to do with someone as miserable as you? You’re not even saved. How can you be, in your present state?

And on and on the lies went. To the point where I doubted my own identity in Christ.

Now, we know that Satan is the father of lies. He is the accuser of the brethren. He is our adversary. He is a slanderer. He is a tempter. He will do anything possible to destroy us and to destroy our faith in God.

But although these lies were ringing loud in my ears, as I dug into the Word of God, and cried aloud to the Lord, the truths of God began to overpower the lies, and who I was in Christ began to be the louder voice. God’s voice began to shout over the top of the devil!

I am chosen and precious

I am a joint-heir with Christ

I am a new creation

I am God’s workmanship

I am a sheep of His pasture

I am light

I am salt

I am part of the true vine

I am a lively stone

I am a friend of God

I am a citizen of heaven

I am a child of God

When we begin to listen to the wrong voices, we will become overwhelmed. We will struggle to keep on. Life will become too hard to live.

But oh, the joy, when we listen to the voice of God.

Our friends can be a comfort to us in times of trouble, but sometimes they can become miserable comforters, like Job’s friends. They started out well. They sat for 7 days, without speaking, just being there for him, but when they did open their mouths, they were no help at all. Job had to rely on what he knew of God. He let God’s voice become the louder voice.

And we have to do the same. Yes, we need friends and family around us, and we need their words of comfort and encouragement. But the voice that should drown out all other voices, should be the Lord’s.

Who are you listening to?

So many times, we ask the Lord to speak to us? We ask for a word from him. But God is always speaking to us. He has given us His Word. I’m sorry to sound insensitive, but sometimes we just need to shut up and listen!

We need to stop listening to the wrong voices, quiet our hearts and listen for God’s voice. He has already spoken and is still speaking to us today. Stop and listen!

When I am in a difficult situation, and a bible verse comes to my mind and strengthens me, it is God speaking to me. When I read my bible and I am comforted by the promises I find there, God is speaking to me. Listen. He is speaking.

I want to be like the child Samuel, when the Lord called to him and he answered, “Speak, for thy servant heareth.”

I want to hear the voice of the Lord. I want my ears to be tuned to His words. I want to listen to all He has to say. I want to become deaf to the lies of the devil and the unhelpful words of others. I want the voice I hear and the voice I listen to and respond to, to be the Lord’s voice.

It’s not what you go through that determines where you end up. What you are going through right now may be hard. It may seem there is no end in sight. You may feel you’re in the dark and the tunnel stretches out endlessly before you. The way before you may not be clear and life may seem hopeless, but who you listen to makes all the difference.

Let God’s words speak to your heart. Read God’s Word daily and let it soak into your soul. Listen to Godly music. Listen to Godly men and women expound the Words of scripture and learn the lessons they are trying to teach. Get together and pray with a friend. Fellowship regularly with other like-minded Christians that will edify you and rebuke you in love, if necessary. Memorize bible verses and meditate on them, day and night. Let those sleepless nights become times of praise and worship to the Lord. Cry out to Him and give Him all the glory for His goodness to you.

Who are you listening to?

Listen to the voice of God.

Listen. Listen. Listen.

And then step out in obedience and confidence…

Philippians 1:6 KJV - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

 

 

 

A Rosella Bush Stood in the Way

 

I wanted to share another little story of God’s goodness and protection with you. The Lord has been giving me a lot of short little object lessons of late that just need sharing and I hope what you read will encourage your hearts, despite their brief and simple message.

On the weekend, Dave and I took a few hours off to do a little exploring off road. We had driven around for a few hours, through the long grass, up and down hills, through wash outs, over rocks and through dry creek beds, stopping along the way to fossick around a little and explore old camps and mine sites.

As the daylight was fading, we began to head back towards the highway, endeavouring to take a different track, hoping we could find a short cut back to the main road.

As we drove, we came upon a large plain with long grass where the track disappeared, but trusting Dave’s experience and judgement in these things, I rode in contentment, happy to keep taking photos along the way.

Up ahead, off to the side of the non-existent track, I spied a bright splash of brilliant red in the sunlight. It was a beautiful Rosella bush, with its red fruit in long stems, pointing towards the sky.

Asking Dave to pull over so I could photograph it and pick some Rosellas to take home, I stepped out and as I did, I noticed that the ground ahead and underfoot was a little boggy. We hadn’t encountered any wet ground in all our exploring that day, but after walking on ahead to scout the land, Dave realised we could have found ourselves in a very difficult situation had we kept on in the direction we were heading. We were out of phone reception and in a very remote place.

I’m telling you all this, not just for a storytelling of adventure, but as an awesome display of God’s protection.

I saw this little Rosella bush as a direct sign from God. A warning as it were. Maybe like in Balaam’s case, when the angel of the Lord stood in the way, blocking the path ahead. (Numbers 22:22)

God put that plant there, to catch my eye, so that we would stop and would be alerted to the danger that lay ahead. It was the only Rosella bush in sight across that vast plain.

God works in mysterious and marvellous ways, and it is not beneath him to use a part of his creation in order to get our attention.

Do you ever stop to think about all those times when God’s protecting hand is upon your life? What about those days where everything seems to go ‘wrong’ and you’re late for work? What was God protecting you from? Maybe an accident on the road ahead. Or sometimes, he is just clearing a way for you.

Just this morning as I made a delivery in the truck, I had some issues in getting the freight moved around in the back of the truck and I was so frustrated at the effort I was having to put into it, making me late for other deliveries. But, in the time it took for me to get things sorted and unloaded, God cleared the way ahead of me so that I didn’t have to reverse out of the drive, into a busy car park, and instead I was able to drive straight forward in safety.

So, what do we do with these small moments and reminders of God’s protection? We stop and thank him! We raise our hearts in praise and worship to a God who cares about each little detail in our lives.

God cares about his children so much that he orchestrates little moments that give us pause, that draw our attention to something that he wants us to see.

That Rosella bush in your way could be a warning of something ahead.

Stop and look for the lesson to be learned when God pulls you up. Sometimes he uses a picture of beauty, like my lovely Rosella, and sometimes a moment of frustration, but whatever God chooses to use, make it a point to praise. There’s something to be thankful for in each and every situation and difficult circumstance.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

God wants us to give thanks in everything. Not just after everything, but in everything. During the trial. In Hebrews we read about offering a sacrifice of praise.

Hebrews 13:15 KJV - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Did you know that sometimes our praise is a sacrifice? We don’t FEEL like praising. We don’t FEEL like rejoicing. At these times, it’s a sacrifice to give praise to God. But we decide to forget about how we feel, and we praise him anyway, trusting God and knowing that he will be glorified and honoured by our praise. It has nothing to do with feelings, and all to do with faith!

During difficult times, it takes personal sacrifice to praise God. It is an act of our will to humbly submit to God’s will and trust his heart, even though we can’t follow his hand. Real praise comes from a worshipful heart that worships even through the difficult times.

Our praise is to be offered continually. Not just as some kind of ‘reward’ we give to God for his goodness to us.

A sacrifice is costly and takes effort and on those days we struggle to ‘feel’ the joyfulness inside, we need to offer a sacrifice of praise to God regardless of how we feel but because we know God is in control and He is worthy of all our praise.

Learn to thank God during the good and the bad times. IN everything. Continually. Let your lips bubble over with thankfulness and gratitude to an almighty God. Honour him, humble yourself and watch your faith grow!

Learn from those that have gone before, like Paul and Silas, who praised God despite the circumstance they found themselves in.

Acts 16:25 KJV - And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

God will throw things in our way that stops us in our tracks. It may be pleasant, or it may be difficult, but whatever it is, stop, look for the lesson, and make it a point to praise!

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...................And Then, a Little Bird Sang

 

Well, here I sit again, after a very long and tiring 2 days, complete with more transport dramas and unpredictable moments.

But I just feel like these are the times the Lord starts the wheels of my mind turning, drawing my thoughts to Him and His goodness.

As I was driving today, I had so many thoughts and things I wanted to write down and share, but no time to actually do it. I did manage to grab a scrap of paper and scribble some hastily written lines, with the steering wheel as my desk, as I sat waiting for a roadworks stop light to turn green. But it wasn’t even close to enough time to write what was rattling round my brain. (Unfortunately, I had forgotten my little voice recorder)

So, all day my heart has been bursting with a blessing that needs sharing. I want to share with you something beautiful.

Struggling to sort all the freight in the freezing cold room this morning, I stepped outside to sit on the tailgate of my truck as I waited for Dave to finish a phone call.

I closed my eyes to breathe a short Nehemiah prayer unto the Lord. I needed the strength that only God could give and the peace that only He could infuse into my soul. As I sat for a few seconds, basking in the beautiful sunlight, warming me from head to toe, I prayed for the Lord’s direction. I prayed that He would give Dave wisdom for the days troubles and help to calm his already stressed body and brain. I prayed for patience and love and peace for me, and the ability to respond correctly and obey submissively.

And as I sat, a little bird began to sing. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear his glorious song. This little bird was singing his song of praise to the Lord. And he was singing a peace into my heart. While the chaos reigned, the little bird sang.

What an amazing display of God’s goodness! I saw it as a touch from God. I felt like God was reminding me that He was near. He was reminding me of His comforting presence.

And it didn’t end there. Throughout the rest of the day, when I should have been flustered and harried at being late for deliveries, due to the morning’s dramas, and the endless stream of caravans and roadworks along the highway, I felt peace. I looked into the sky and God had thought it perfectly suited to place my favourite shaped clouds in the sky. (Does anyone else have a favourite type of cloud?)

Not only did he put the clouds in the sky, but He turned up the saturation on the colours all over! The reds were redder, the greens greener, the blues bluer and so on.

I turned on one of my favourite podcasts and it just so happened (although I know it wasn’t a coincidence), that the lesson was on gratitude and having a grateful heart. Making sure to thank God each and every day for the little things as well as the big. And making it a point to be grateful, in the midst of a trial, knowing and trusting God, having faith that He already knows the end of our story and we need not fear.

And as I drove down the dirt road, gazing at the beautiful creation all around me, I listened to music that soothed my soul and brought such a calm that I felt as though I could have driven for ever.

And all because a little bird sang. A little bird, given his voice by God in heaven above, sang a song of worship to his creator and in doing so, calmed my anxious mind and soothed my fretful, and burdened heart.

That little bird was no accident. I believe that emphatically. God sent that little bird on a mission. He sent him to me at that exact moment in time. Right at the time I breathed a prayer up to heaven, God sent a song.

Listen for those little birds in your life. Those heavenly whispers. That still small voice that speaks to your heart.

Rise up in worship, and praise God for those little reminders of His love.

Psalm 103:1-2

 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psalm 104:12  - By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

Psalm 150:6

 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dark Has a Purpose

Well, what a day it has been! We’ve had another day of upheaval due to a truck breakdown and my whole days plans were once again thrown into disarray. One drama after another, with circumstances threatening to derail my peace of mind. I wasn’t sure whether I was coming, going or staying. But you know what? Even in the midst of all the chaos that was swirling around me, there was peace. Peace in the midst of the storm. Peace that only God can bring. Peace that was beyond my control. Peace that passed all my understanding.

I want to let you in on a little secret. The reason I was able to be calm in the chaos was because of time spent in the dark.

As most of you know, I spent a period of time a couple of years ago, in the dark. I went through what I felt was a fiery furnace, a very dark tunnel, with no light at the end. A sinkhole of immense depth. And yet, despite the darkness, the Lord was there with me all the time. He was right there beside me, waiting on me to call on Him. Drawing me to Him.

The time I spent in my pit of dark despair, was preparing me for days just like this.

Let me be honest with you here. Up until a couple of years ago, I did not react well to change. I didn’t like my routine being messed with. I didn’t like my schedule being thrown out of kilter. If I planned my day a certain way and something came along that threatened to derail it, I was not a happy camper. I resisted with every fiber of my being. I fought against it. I wanted my plans to stay in the order I had them.

But God, in all His wisdom, has ways of tossing our days into what we see as chaos, and reordering them into His perfect plan. God has worked an amazing change in my life over the years and has helped to loosen my tightly clenched fist, opening my fingers, one by one, until my palms were facing up, hands raised, in surrender, desiring what He saw was best.

During the difficult times in my life, God has shown me repeatedly, through His Word, that He is faithful and His ways are perfect. He has taught me how to handle the stresses that come into my life. He has taught me how to respond to change. He is teaching me how to respond and not react to the chaos that so often surrounds me on a daily basis due to the demands of a very unpredictable work situation.

And no, it hasn’t been easy. And no, I’m not perfect and I haven’t got it all figured out yet and some days I still react instead of respond, but God has continually shown me that although the purifying work of the Lord may hurt and though it may lead through some very dark valleys, He can and will help me to grow and mature and come forth as gold.

Do you remember the days before mobile phones and the ability to print photos out minutes after you take them? Do you remember the process you had to go through just to get a printed copy of a photo you took with your unwieldy camera, loaded with a cannister of film?

You had to take the photo, hoping and praying that it was in focus and composed properly, as there was no LCD screen to check, and then, once the film roll was all used up, you had to send it off to a film lab to be put through process after process before you could finally view your wonderful or not so wonderful photograph.

But do you know one of the most important steps in that tedious process? Yes. The darkroom. The darkroom was a very important step in the developing of the photograph. If at any time, during the darkroom part of the process, light was let into the room, then the photo would be ruined. The darkroom was crucial in the making of the finished product.

And so it is with us. The darkroom is used for developing. Our dark times are used for developing. God allows these times in our lives to develop us, to mature us, to make us more like Him. He wants us to grow and to learn through the trials He brings in our lives. He wants us to draw closer to Him and dig into His Word and hold fast to the promises we find there. He draws our attention to verses of scripture that will help us walk through our dark days. He brings people into our path that will encourage us with Godly counsel. He opens our eyes to the beauty of His creation and fills our ears with worshipful music to sooth our aching souls.

I sometimes don’t know why it is, at the end of an absolutely exhausting day, I feel like sitting down and writing instead of putting my feet up with an icy, cold drink. I suppose it’s God’s whispers to my heart, encouraging me to share what has been in my thoughts throughout the day. What I have to say may not be profound or deep, but I often feel that He just wants me to share, honestly, from the heart, in the hopes that those reading will be able to lift their tired eyes, raise their heads, that were bowed in despair, and open their hearts to what He has for them.

Time spent in the dark need not be wasted time. Time in the dark can be a time of growth and spiritual renewal. Seeds of doubt can be replaced with seeds of confidence.  Confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He has promised.

He will be with you in the fire. In the flood. Through the dark and stormy days.

Isaiah 43:2 KJV - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

 

 

Jillian Holmes- 3.6.21