Today my topic is Joy. I know that God has created us all to have His joy and when we walk in that joy there is a marked difference in our countenance. However, so many times we are either "happy", which is based on "happenings" or we are sad. Joy is present whether we are having a good time or not. It is not based on our circumstances. Then why, might you ask, does one struggle so much with walking in Joy when things around them are in chaos? The Lord answered that question for me in the last two weeks. I was wondering why I couldn't get His joy in me. And then it happened, God showed how I was being self - focused. When you focus on you then your circumstances are all you can see and it will steal His joy from you. I began to stop looking at my circumstances and started focusing on looking for opportunities to minister to others. I wanted my joy and I wanted to please the heart of my Heavenly Father. I make jewelry and sell it and I had an open house at my aunt's house. I was very nervous as this is the side of the family that I tend to be the butt of the joke.....often. I knew that the Lord wanted me to walk out my restoration so I did this show anyway. The week before I was very anxiety filled and sought the Lord about this. He reminded me that I was being self focused. I repented of that and then He also reminded me that I was looking into the future with eyes of rejection instead Jesus' eyes. I repented of that as well. I rebuked the enemy for trying to take my focus off of Jesus and rebuked that spirit of anxiety I had felt all week. Then I received God's gracious mercy and forgiveness and I choose to walk in His Joy. Then I prayed and asked God what the sale was really all about. He told me that it really wasn't about whether I sold anything or not but that I was to walk out my restoration and look for opportunities to minister to others. God is soooooo good! I choose Joy and He gave it to me. I choose to look for opportunities to minister and He gave those to me as well. Some were just in the form of serving with out being upset about the inconvenience of the timing. My aunt has a special needs son who is in his thirties and he came out about 40 min. before my open house was to start, and asked if I could help him wrap the gifts he had just come home with for his mom, because he didn't know how to do it. I did, with joy, not worrying about the fact that my stuff wasn't completely set up or priced yet. It was fun, we laughed together and I was okay with "not looking all together" when people started showing up. It was not an inconvenience because I was looking for ways to minister. I also was able to minister to another of my cousins who has just gone through a nasty divorce and her ex is not being very nice now to their daughter. She is hurting and I was able to share the love of Jesus with her and let her know that He wants to heal her hurting heart. It was awesome to see what God could do as I focused on Him and what He wanted me to do. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and as I got out of my car I decided to choose Joy. I wanted to allow the Joy of Jesus to overflow from me to others as I was there, even if I never "spoke" to them. I decided that who ever I made eye contact with I would smile with the Joy of Jesus and let it sink into them. It was fun to give away joy but also there were some sobering moments when I saw people look away as if they didn't deserve to receive joy. How it must break the Father's heart when we turn away His forgiveness and grace. Are you FULL of Joy? Have you turned away God's Joy because you didn't feel worthy to receive it? Have you turned away His forgiveness and grace in areas in your life because of "unworthiness"? If you struggle with forgiving yourself then you are not receiving God's forgiveness. Repent of that un-forgiveness toward yourself, rebuke the enemy for trying to use condemnation on you to keep you from receiving God's love, grace, and forgiveness, receive the forgiveness of God for you, and replace it all with joy!!! God's Joy is a gift for you to receive but you must walk it out to receive the fullness of it. Receiving and gift and opening a gift are two different things. A gift is of no value or use if it hasn't been opened. Open your gift of joy, walk in it. How many people can you make smile today with just a smile from you? Let Jesus put a bounce in your step and make others wonder and even ask you "What is so different about you?" and then seize your opportunity to minister to others and tell them what Jesus has done for you!
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the Law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we [ I ] might become the righteousness of God" 2 Corinthians 5:21
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10: 22 - 23
In Nehemiah 12: 43 is says "And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away." WOW!!!!! The sound could be heard from far away! They had GREAT joy. This took place as they were dedicating the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem and just after the sanctification of the priests and the choirs singing praises and thanksgiving to the Lord. Get out your praise and worship music, dance before the throne of God, let it be heard from far away. Place walls of boundary up for the enemy (satan) to see that you are set apart for the glory of God and to do His good and pleasing will!

Father I pray a blessing to each and every person who reads this. That you would let these truths sink deep into their soul and take root and grow. I ask that you would water it with your word and bring a sparkle to each eye and a smile on each face that can not be removed. Thank you Lord for strengthening each woman, man and child that reads this and bringing them closer to knowing and experiencing your grace and love to a greater measure than ever before. In your son's name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.

I ordered and have been reading Managers of Their Chores. A key verse given is in Matt. where Jesus takes the roll of a servant and washes the feet of His disciples. I hadn't realized that He not only took on a position of humility but one that was the lowest of the low. The servant that washed the feet of guests wasn't seen just as a low class piece of dirt to others but as the scum at the bottom of the bucket of mud. They were the least of the least. WOW! Then Jesus proceeds to command His disciples to be just like Himself, just as He served them so they should serve one another.
So here I am a woman who as a child was taught and expected to do chores. And yet I hated doing them in my own home and consistently condemning myself for not taking care of my own home. I hated washing dishes, vacuumed, and heaven forbid I should have to iron. Managers of Their Chores showed me how though I was taught to do chores the fact that everyone else sat around and watched T.V. while I made dinner and cleaned up after dinner alone made me resent the very thing that the Lord wanted me to see was a blessing and service to my Lord Jesus and family. I have since repented of my attitude and now have a different out look. I am still working on our Chore Packs and I too will be wearing one. I will NOT be exempt, as my children and I learn to be servants and not self serving. We will learn to be goal oriented, but OPPORTUNITY FOCUSED.