Category: Joy

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Discipleship Getting Help Jesus's Communication Joy Kingdom of God Prayer

Weary? A Slightly Surprising Answer

Rest in Christ

28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30; https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11&version=NRSV

When you are weary, rest and relief is available. It may be a little different than expected, though; Jesus is often surprising.

I’ll get right to it, no fooling around and being careful and slow. Here it is: he will give us rest. Especially as we add to ourselves some of his qualities. Such as being gentle and humble of heart.

When we are learning from Jesus and allowing him to take our (heavy) yoke, not only is he stronger than we, he is also being gentle and humble of heart.

Which means we are not being proud, when we ask him like this. Not being proud, when we are being gentle and humble of heart.

I don’t know about you, but when I am weary and find rest, by hindsight is is easy for me to be clear: while I was weary I had been being proud. Carrying a heavy burden and being proud about it.

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Conversation with God Freedom Healing Joy Ministry Worship

What Does it Mean?

What does it mean when someone has been healed or set free and you see them light up? Is it just gladness for their improvement? Gladness, yes. Being lit up? Might it mean more?

What does it mean when they have Holy Spirit? In biblical terms, in the Greek, they have experienced sozo. Which can mean that they have been healed, set free, even saved. Does that mean all of these or only one of these things? I wonder….

Maybe they just have Holy Spirit on them, helping them heal or be set free. Could be. Like the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, they have Holy Spirit on them just for a bit? Or in them? I wonder…and I do not know, yet.

So I will watch. If after being set free and being healed, they stay lit up with Holy Spirit evident in their lives over a period of time, there is a greater chance that they have Holy Spirit in them and not just on them for a brief time. Meaning it is more likely that they have been saved. I wonder, as I watch for such things, what will I discover and see before me that is obvious? I do not know, and I wonder.

I do know this for a certainty. God is more merciful than we are. God loves more and better than we do. And I do know this: God’s theology is wider, more inclusive and more generous than the theology of we human beings.

And so, I wonder. I will ask our Lord. I will listen. And I will watch people who have received ministry with wonderful success. I will see Fruit of Holy Spirit, or not. I will see obvious evidence of Holy Spirit in them, or not.

And I do not know what will become obvious.

Even if it’s only some ministered to who have such evidence of Holy Spirit, and not all or even most, I will rejoice.

And if I cannot identify any with certainty and confidence that they have Holy Spirit…what will I do? I will rejoice!

For our Lord has saved many of us. Has ministered to many of us. And Jesus is still Immanuel, God with us. And he is coming! Hallelujah!

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Conversation with God Discipleship Hearing God Holy Spirit Joy Learning Ministry Miracles

Rest and Dream

Rest and dream. Be inspired. Like Jesus.

Artwork by Greg Olson

Pause. Just rest and watch the sky.

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Glory Joy Kingdom of God

Find Your Joy

You want to know how to find joy.

You search, you have searched a lot.

You try things out; you have tried many things.

And when you find joy it has been fleeting, temporary.

What you want, what your heart needs – is an ongoing joy that does not stop.

You get this in heaven, because you are always in the Presence of God.

You have this now, because you have Jesus in you already; you are in the Presence of God already.

17for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17, NASB with Strongs. Emphasis is mine.)

You have Jesus – fully human, and fully God. In you. In your heart.

When you remember and notice this, what do you experience deep on the inside of you?

Yes – what do you experience?

Let me put this into words for you; and you see if I get this right.

What you notice is Jesus in you. Take a moment to notice and experience this deeply.

Christ in you, your hope of Glory.  That’s God radiating.

27to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mysteryamong the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (NASB with Strongs at Bible Hub.)

Hope is the anchor you hold on to. It’s not just God’s Glory in heaven – as wonderful a hope to hold on to as this is.

It’s in you. Now! Christ in you, your hope of Glory.

Strong’s Concordance — doxa: opinion (always good in N.T.), hence praise, honor, glory Original Word: δόξα, ης, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: doxa
Phonetic Spelling: (dox’-ah)
Definition: opinion (always good in NT), praise, honor, glory
Usage: honor, renown; glory, an especially divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, splendor. (https://biblehub.com/greek/1391.htm) (Emphasis is mine.)

“The unspoken manifestation of God, splendor“

Wow. That’s the Glory of Jesus. Jesus is in you. There is Glory in you.

Now let’s experience this somewhat differently, adding richness to your experience.

Your joy is already present. Has been. Is always here. If you look deeply with silent attention, you can notice and experience this more consciously. More on purpose.

Your joy is already present, is in you, for you to attend to, notice and… dare I say it? Enjoy!

Hiding in plain sight, it was. Already available to you.

So…what to do now? Attend to your joy deeply and with silent attention. Rejoice! Yes, that’s it. Rejoice!

You have found your joy. It’s always in you, always with you. Attend silently and deeply. Notice….

You have found your joy.

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Conversation with God Joy Prayer

Do You Seek Joy?

The day began with thick clouds and fog but as the sun rose they parted to reveal the peaks of the Continetal Divide. It was an absolutely glorious spring morning in Moraine Park.

You want more joy—most of us do!

What you seek, look for, and are alert for – you will find more of.

Old survival habits have conditioned us to look for danger, problems and difficulties. It is good to be alert for such.

AND when we look for reasons for joy, we can have more joy. Today!

This is an important reason so much prayer begins with praise and thanksgiving. Done sincerely, joy increases. Give thanks for a few things in your life, now – and notice what you experience!

So pray for joy. Pray for more joy! Receive more joy by faith – habitually.

Praying for joy and experiencing joy is a valuable part of the normal Christian life. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”, Philippians 4:4, NASB.

And – there are practical benefits to joy: when full of joy, it is easier to hear God. Easier to have a two-way conversation: prayer!

When you are full of joy, it is easier to experience the Presence of God.

When you are full of joy, it is easier to experience being full of Holy Spirit.

And when you are full of joy, Holy Spirit and you can powerfully change the surrounding atmosphere. You can transform the atmosphere so others can experience more of the Presence of God, be more easily full of Holy Spirit, more easily hear God and pray well. Miracles happen more often in such an atmosphere.

Follow Holy Spirit, and experience more of the Fruit of the Spirit. Including joy! Experience more of the Kingdom of God, and experience more righteousness, joy and peace.

Practice joy! One of the more important spiritual disciplines – and this can transform your life. You can be contagious with joy and help transform the lives of people in your sphere of influence. Your ministry is often more powerful and effective when done joyfully.

So pray for joy. Pray for more joy! Receive more joy by faith – habitually.

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Church Life Conversation with God Discipleship Joy Learning

The Discovery Cycle

Why does joy come so easily in the morning? Because it’s a fresh day, a fresh start. New discoveries are waiting to be made.

In Christian gatherings, new discoveries are made from time to time. New to the people who are present. Then the discoveries are explored.

This is a time of increasing attendance, with more people eager to learn what’s next. To explore and practice what is being learned about.

The Jesus Movement, re-discovery of Holy Spirit, practicing Spiritual Gifts, growing in the use and application of Spiritual Gifts. Prophecy that encourages and edifies and speaks with the passion of a full heart holding back nothing. There have been many more, and thee will be yet more, I promise.

Each individual can go through such cycles. Entire groups can experience such cycles together.

After a while, what was new to you becomes taken for granted – in a healthy way, it’s becoming a part of your life, now.

You may even become a bit bored. Try not to get stuck or bitter because learning is going so well and freshness is waning.

Not to worry. God has you covered. New discoveries are coming again.

The cycle is always refreshing itself, the cycle of discovery and learning goes on…for eternity!

You get to know who God is more and better. You get to learn your own identity more deeply and in new ways. You get to exercise and learn new gifts, grow more familiar gifts into greater maturity and skill.

Learning and discovery cycles go on…they come, and the newness seems to go. Another one is coming soon. I wonder what this one will be like?

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Conversation with God Joy

Joy is Easy in the Morning

Look at the light of the sunrise. Look at and notice the color and quality of the light. Is not joy easy when you do this, breathing deeply and being glad to be alive?

A fresh day. A new start.

Remember what it was like when you were new to having answered the call from Jesus? Can you see and experience how mornings can be an echo of that? How morning rising resonated with New Life? The more you are willing to notice this – the more joy you will experience.

How much wonder can you be full of? Wondering what will happen today…what you will experience, what today will be like?

When you give thanks for your day and the day to come, your joy will only increase. You can even give thanks right now. Name three to five things you can be thankful for. The more it is an effort, the more joy you will feel after having done this.

Pray – talk to God about what you are thankful for. Now listen to what he has to say to you. You connect to God more closely, and you have more joy. The closer you connect to God, the more easily will joy come to you and stay with you.

You can have joy in the morning. Joy is easy in the morning!

This is easy. It’s kind of fun! It sure is better than being joyless!

You can have joy in the morning. Joy is easy in the morning!

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Fire Holy Spirit Joy Shaking

Fear not because of Shaking or Fire

Life is good! Fear not because of shaking or fire.

These are times of great shaking. That which can be shaken and removed, will be shaken and removed. That which can be cleansed or refined by fire, will be cleansed and refined.

Times of shaking and fire such as are now happening are hard, and scary, too. It is hard and scary, and will be for a while. Then it change comes. So persist. And there is another side to what is happening, too easy to miss when times are hard and scary. We are getting a foretaste of something wonderful.

In fact, we are already in getting a taste of heaven on earth. A foretaste, if you will:

  • God is already with us and in us; we are his people.
  • We have been being prepared as his Bride, and
  • When we experience God in us, with us or near us, even now, we have no suffering – even where there has been pain. Our Lord fills us with joy.
  • He has baptised us with refining fire, and we are, even now, being shaken. So it’s important to know what to do.
  • As usual, when we have heard God and do as he says, we and our works survive cleansing and refining – fire and shaking.

We can and will survive cleansing and shaking as we do as Holy Spirit says to us. We are already God’s people, and Immanuel is with us, Holy Spirit is in us, and when we follow Holy Spirit, we have Fruit of the Spirit – including love and joy. We experience love and joy!

Life is good! Fear not because of shaking or fire.

Let me show you, and make the case for this being true.

~ ~ ~

First, what is coming, and what I believe we already have access to a foretaste of:

All Things Made New

21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said [b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (NKJV, Revelation 21: 1-5.)

What glorious and wonderful promises God makes to us! He will make all things new and dwell with us and we will be his people. New Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride for her husband”. He will be our God. No more pain….

How are all things made new? What happens first? I don’t really know, but here’s what makes sense to me. First, not everything lasts or survives.

What lasts? That which survives fire or shaking.

There are many biblical examples of fire for refining mentioned in scripture. And the baptism by Jesus mentioned in Luke 3:16-17 promises not only Holy Spirit, but also fire for cleansing.

16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” NKJV, Luke 3:16-17.

The effects of such fire reminds me of shaking, where things that can be shaken will be shaken. What survives shaking lasts, as seen in Hebrews 12: 25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I [k]shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. (NKJV)

What survives fire and shaking?

We who listen to and do as God says! You and your works are much more likely to survive shaking and cleansing, even survive refining – when we have heard God and do as he says. (If this isn’t clear, review Hebrews 12 above, the first verse, verse 25.)

These are times of great shaking. That which can be shaken and removed, will be shaken and removed. That which can be cleansed or refined by fire, will be cleansed and refined.

I think we are already in process to get a taste of this. A foretaste, if you will:

  • God is already with us and in us; we are his people.
  • We have been being prepared as his Bride, and
  • When we experience God in us, with us or near us, even now, we have no suffering. Our Lord fills us with joy.
  • He has baptised us with refining fire, and we are, even now, being shaken.
  • As usual, when we have heard God and do as he says, we and our works survive cleansing and refining – fire and shaking.

We can and will survive cleansing and shaking as we do what Holy Spirit says to us. We are already God’s people, and Immanuel is with us, Holy Spirit is in us, and when we follow Holy Spirit we have fruit of the Spirit including love and joy.

Life is good! Fear not because of shaking or fire.

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Hearing God Holy Spirit Joy

Letting Happiness Reign

Yesterday an excellent friend and ministry partner, Debi Mealey Pitcairn Flory, http://www.monentswithnettie.com/, reminded me I had not let happiness loose in her sight very much, lately. She was especially glad to see me letting loose with fun and happiness while we talked.

I didn’t recognize it then, but she was resonating with and saying what Holy Spirit was saying…. A very important thing.

Then, this morning, all of my three large dogs came to see me, very excited. Usually this means we should go out where I can watch them play – like children on a merry-go-round, they love to be watched when playing. It’s somehow very important.

I did something better, because in my mind’s eye I could clearly see D’s face and hear what she said to me yesterday. So I moved from computer and desk where the dogs cannot have good access to me to a nearby small couch. Now all three doggies can crowd around.

So I sang to them, using their names; telling them how good they are – all things they love. We played. Touched, tagged, and rubbed up against each other. I sometimes grabbed necks and kissed faces – right between the eyes.

They danced with happiness, and I let joy reign.

Later, while walking around (I recently stopped using aids to walk unless tired) I danced for the dogs! (I’d been doing what I call “chair dancing” for a while to Renaissance Dance and other delightful dance music, but I had not stood to dance in years.) Today I danced, standing. The dogs love it when I stand and dance. Go figure! <grinning>

All because of an excellent reminder from a brilliant friend!

How might you be a grand friend to someone today? How might you let happiness reign and rule for a while, magnificently, in your life?

What does Holy Spirit have to say to a friend of yours that you can agree with and say out loud? (You can ask and find out. A fine thing for you to be doing!)

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Getting Help Holy Spirit Joy

Bootstrap as Holy Spirit

I have a friend, Debi Mealey Pitcairn Flory, http://www.monentswithnettie.com/, who just inspired me with a previously unknown Name for Holy Spirit.

Like some wounded people, I thought I was doing stuff by myself, for myself. I believed no one else was helping me.

She had pulled herself up by her bootstrap many times. As I have done, though I did not use the word “bootstrap”. We each thought we were doing things by ourselves, for ourselves, and were caught in the illusion that we had been alone, doing what needed to be done.

I have made a wonderful discovery. My friend pulled back the curtain on this issue for me. Opened the curtain to show what I had never noticed before.

When I had thought I was doing stuff for myself because I had to and no one else was there to help me, Bootstrap was already there – has always been here. Helping me – Bootstrap is a Helper, not a “Do it for you-er”. Bootstrap, Holy Spirit, was always already present and helping.

I have discovered I was never alone. Holy Spirit has always been here, helping, including helping me to do things – even when I thought I was alone.

Holy Spirit was always here, sent by Jesus – to help guide and comfort me. To help.

Father sent Jesus, and is with me and for me, cheering me on like any wonderful father, as I keep on trying. Certain that I can do all the wonderful things I am made to grow into and do. I can do it! I can do it! He is cheering me on, always. He knew from before the beginning and has always had excellent plans for me.

A big thanks to my friend, Debi Mealey Pitcairn Flory, http://www.monentswithnettie.com/, for uncovering this mystery. And to Bootstrap, who has helped make all this possible.