A Jolt of JoySample
King David knew the importance of telling his soul to bless the Lord! Your soul is the birthplace of your feelings, emotions and desires and, unfortunately, your soul doesn't always "feel" like blessing the Lord. There will be moments in your life when your soul feels like whining and will demand its right to be heard. At those moments, you must treat your soul just like you treat an out-of-control 2 year old! You must command your soul, like David did, to bless the Lord! Your spirit should be the part of your inner man that calls the shots in life. Unfortunately, in our 21st Century, psycho-babble world, we have majored on the soul and minored on the spirit. You would never be able to walk by faith and not by sight if you allowed your soul to be in charge. Our souls are driven by our circumstances but our spirits are led by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. Do not allow your soul to boss your spirit around no matter how loud it becomes! Your soul says pitiful things like this: "The music is too loud. I will just sit here and criticize." "I am too tired to lift my hands in worship." "I can't afford to put anything in the offering plate this week." "I'm too tired to go to Bible Study. I have a headache. It's probably a tumor." When your spirit talks, however, it sounds a whole lot like the Word of God! "I love being a cheerful giver!" "I refuse to worry ... I am going to trust the Lord to supply!" "I am so thankful that this church worships enthusiastically!" Flex your spiritual muscles and allow your spirit to to guard and control the responses of your soul to life.
Scripture
About this Plan
The Bible tells us that "in His presence is fullness of joy" and that "the joy of the Lord is our strength". Joy isn't simply another emotion; it is a fruit of the Spirit and one of the best weapons in your arsenal to fight against discouragement, depression, and defeat. Learn what the Bible has to say about joy, and strengthening yourself to become a defiantly joyful Christian.
More