Joy of Value

 

    Do you know the value of your mind?  You can't think about one thing and another at the same time.  One thought will dominate.  This means you can resist unwanted thoughts and keep them from having root in your mind.  Anything that is not productive should be blocked out.  The only way you can do that is to exchange them for positive thoughts.  It works vise versa too.  You can feed your negative thoughts and loose your positive ones.

      The conscience mind is never inactive.  When you are awake your mind is engaged in some sort of thoughts: positive or negative.  Your thoughts will either bring you joy or bring fear into your mind.  God commands us not to fear, so He is commanding us to take control of our thoughts.  

    When negative or unproductive thoughts come to mind, don't try to ignore them.  Instead transfer your attention to something else completely.  You have far greater control over your thinking by empowering your thoughts over hyper fixating on things that are wrong.

    If people in your life are feeding your negativity, then do not listen.  Do not allow them to get in your head or you are giving other people power over your life.  God is the only one who has the authority to rule your mind.  Set boundaries and if they do not respect your boundaries, then remove them from your close proximity.  If you do not do this, then you will never succeed mentally.

    If you focus your mind on God's Word, then it can shut out temptations.  Committing scripture to memory is way to replace negative thoughts with powerful thoughts.  God's Word is not dormant.  If you think about it, then it is working for your good in your life.  He gives your life vibrance through emotional control  that comes through mental control.  Train your mind to think productively.  The joy comes from having control because that brings you closer to God.

Psalm 16:9-11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 13:44-46, John 8:31-32, 14:27-29, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:4-9, 2 Timothy 1:5-7, & Hebrews 4:12-13

Joy of Emotional Strength

 

    Feelings change according to what we focus on.  You feel what you are thinking.  If you want to feel good, then look at what you are thinking about in a positive way.  It will be healthy and constructive.  Focus on what is good instead of bad and your health will do better.  Intentionally down play what is dissatisfactory in your life and it will loose it's power over your emotions.

    Your perspective comes from what you focus on: good or bad, blesses or cursed, gratitude or discontent.  Life does not have to be good for you to find joy. let reason direct your emotions to make wise decisions in life.  Maximize your joy by minimizing your negative emotions.  

    Suppressing emotions will not work.  At the same time expressing all of them will not help.  What other options are out there?  You choose to grow emotionally strong.  Your choices will lead to actions.  You think of a strategic plan and you put it into motion.

    Negative emotions are like a fire that need to be contained.  You can't feed the fire and you can't ignore the fire.  You extinguish them with positive emotions through constructive thinking.  Acknowledge your negative emotions, so you can address and deal with the emotional pain.  God wants you emotionally and physically healthy, so find that harmony to be able to be intune with Him.

    Emotional pain is an indicator that something is wrong and needs to be fixed or healed.  Do not ignore it or it will only get worse making harder to deal with down the road.  Evaluate to see if any critical needs are going unmet.  What needs to be maintained?  Sometime if you just eat or get a little sleep things can get better.  

    Challenge the validity of your negative emotions.  Emotions are not always based on truth.  Check in to make sure that the truth is fueling your emotions and not assumptions or ideology.  If you do not control your emotions, then your emotions will control you.  Allow God to be your compass on what is validated to address or what to overlook and redirect.  God is the ruler of your life, not your emotions.

Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 23, 46:1-3, 73:21-26, Isaiah 40:28-31, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 3:14-19, Philippians 4:10-14, & James 1:2-4

Joy of Emotional Preparedness

 

    Negative emotions happen.  You can't avoid them, pretend they are not there, or gloss over them.  You have to face emotions with logic.  It takes practice to find what to be grateful for when you are upset, but if you want a joy filled life you have to learn.

    To gain control over your negative emotions, you have to find the source that feeds them.  There are temporary sources of release, but they are temporary.  You want to starve the source, so that your negativity does not control you.

    To have complete control over your emotions you find what you dwell on.  Is it negative or positive?  Does it bring you closer to God or further away?  Does it make your life work or does it deplete your life?  Take note on what you swell on and if it is not leading you to the life you want, then you need to change it.

    You do not want to be a passenger to your emotions or you will never be on solid ground.  They will whip you around like a dingy in a storm in the middle of the ocean.  This is your life.  Do not be passive.  The secret is to be prepared for anything.  If you focus on God and His promises, then you don't have to be swept away in the moment.

    Do not use amplifying words like always, never, no one, and every.. or it will enhance your extreme feelings.  They distort reality toward a downward spiral.  Do not allow your feelings to dictate what the truth really is.  If you allow your negative feelings to have control, they will blind you from the truth.  Negative feelings are often distorted, so you will never find the complete truth there.  

    Do not presume to know what other people are thinking.  Your physical response to these kind of thoughts lead to responses from other people and make things worse for you not better.  Exaggeration should be avoided.  It will turn something small or simple into something bigger than it ever should have been.  It only leads to unnecessary drama.

    Do not be an identifier.  An identifier turns something unrelated into having personal meaning.  They take things personally even if it had nothing to do with them.  It makes them the victim when there was no victim.  It is good to ask questions before you allow your feelings to take over.  

    Forecasters see the negative future and worst case scenarios before anything even gets started.  The cynic will find something wrong in any situation.  They focus on the only negative and allow it to highlight over all the good.  Their mental radar is set to find only the bad to justify their view point.  They make themselves miserable along with those around them.

    The blamer points their finger at someone else over taking personal responsibility.  This is immobilizing and steals your joy because it is an emotional dirty bomb.  Then there is the justifier who are entitled.  Entitlement leads to discontentment and emotional outburst.  They lose sight of joy because they advocate for themselves over God.  

    Just because you are not happy does not mean that you have been done wrong.  Be prepared for negative influences, thoughts, and emotions.  You can get a hold of them before they take control.  Look at your thought process and focus.  Turn them over to God and focus on His truth and His promises.

Deuteronomy 16:13-15, 1 Samuel 18:6-9, Nehemiah 8:10-17, Philippians 1:3-26, 4:1-5, & 2 Timothy 1:3-4

Joy of Truth

 

    Feelings are indicators in our lives, but they are not facts.  Feelings can make us believe all sort of things, but they can lie to you.  Facts are the truth.  It can be hard not to believe that difficult feelings are not the truth.

    God's truth is the truth that you can trust.  It never changes.  It is what you can test everything against to discern truth in your life and feelings.  His truth will keep you from falling for deception.  Feelings give you data, but you have to sort through it.  Normally they are triggered by a piece of information, not the entire story.  You need to fact check your feelings to God's Word.

    Feelings are important.  They belong to you and are real.  However, they do not define you unless you give them that power.  You have to take control of your feelings or they will become the decision maker in your life and lead it askew.  Feelings are emotionally driven, not factual.  Your heart will lead you astray if you do not use your mind to direct it.

    Allowing your feelings to be the decision maker will lead to regret.  Everyone has blind spots, but you can find yours and work on them.  Investigate and use what you learn to redirect your strong feelings.  Allow your mind to be the controller instead of emotions.  Truth does not change, only your perspective can.  That shift can change you emotions.

    You have the power to improve your life.  You can allow your emotions to spiral up or down.  You can take responsibility over your life by seeking the truth so you can improve your mind and emotions to work together.  You have the power to neutralize negative emotions.  Filter your feelings through God's promises.  The truth will let your joy overflow.

John 15:9-17, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, Philippians 1:18-20, 1 John 1:1-4, & 3 John 1:2-4

Joy Profile

 

    Joy comes from gratitude.  It is a practice driven by conviction and discipline.  Gratitude is essential for spiritual growth, creativity, and joy.  You channel your energy to what is present and working in life instead of what is absent or ineffective.  

    We all have areas where we can upgrade our attitude, but it starts with looking at where we are ingrates.  If you want true gratitude, then you need to be connected with God.  That means investing yourself in prayer and reading God's Word.  Being right with God is humbling as you see how much He does for you.  It opens your eyes to all that life has to offer.

    Another aspect of the joy profile is being able to be content in the silence.  Life bombards you with noise.  It is hard to find true silence, but it can make some people very uncomfortable.  Silence gives you the ability to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit more clearly.  It removes distractions and can make things more clear.  Silence can be a gift.

    To find joy means spending little time in media and social media.  Binge watching, scrolling, and over-reading reminds you of the negatives, what-ifs, and all the things you wish you had that you don't.  Spending some time here will help you know how to pray for the world, but keep it short.  Don't loose hours in it.  You are very unlikely to find much wisdom in the media.

    Joy is given to the humble.  Entitlement can't find joy because they are too busy taking what they believe they deserve.  No one owes you anything.  God doesn't owe you anything.  He gave you life and all that you have.  Who are you to demand more?  Entitlement steals the joy of the gifts that God does give you.  The humble are grateful for all that they have and thrilled over the personalized gifts.

    Expect the best or that things will workout for the best sets you up for joy.  Doom and gloom negative thinking drives away joy and the people that would bring it to you.  Negative thinking leads to worry, anxiety, and gloom.  Positive thinking drives you to look for ways God is blessing you.  It pushes you to get outside of your comfort zone to find more joy.  You will either concentrate on the blessings or the worry.  You can't do both at the same time.  

    If you want joy don't always go searching for more.  Pray and focus on where you need to put your attention.  Then be content with what you know in other areas.  You will be exhausted and torn if you continuously try to go multiple directions.  Society flares discontent driving people to always feel like they need more.  Instead be content with your finances and learn to live within them.  Be grateful for your family.  God made you who you are and it is enough.  Your house is needs to be clean, but also looked lived in.  

    Last item on the joy profiles is that their is enough for everyone.  You do not have to rush to be the first or take more than what you need.  Be in the moment and take it all in.  Do nor allow fear to drive your life.  If you loose, take it as a win because you always have something to learn from it.  Set boundaries with yourself and other people to maintain your joy in life.  Organize your life so you can have continuous gratitude that leads to joy.

Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 16:9-11, Isaiah 61:10-11, Romans 14:14-19, 15:7-13, Galatians 5:11-23, Philippians 4:4-7, &  James 1:2-4

Joy in the Present

 

    The mind is powerful.  It is a blessing from God.  It comes with the gift of free will.  You get to make choices in every aspect of life in how you will deal or think about things.  The power of your mind is available for you to use if you want it.

    You have the choice to maximize, misuse, or ignore your God given potential over your thoughts.  The kind of life you live comes down to your thoughts.  They will expand or dwindle your world.  You will reap what you sow in your mind. 

    It takes practice to ignore all the negative and look for what is good or right in the world.  If you want a joyful life, then you have to invest into seeing the world like Jesus.  You have to seek God's purpose for your life and keep your thoughts on things of God.

    All you have is right now.  The past is over and the future is not promised.  What is good around your right now?  Thinking about painful or gloomy memories will only steal away your present joy.  Worrying about the future will not let you see what is good right now.  You do not have to live life in fear.  Focus on hope and don't let go.  If you believe that everything will work out for the best, then you can see more clearly God working behind the scenes.  Faith can get your through anything.

    How you choose to think will directly affect how you will live.  If you focus on vile and unclean thoughts, then you will have a sick life.  If you focus on things above, then you will have a blessed life.  Your persistent thoughts will lead to action whether good or bad.  That is why you have to take control over your powerful mind.  Do not allow negativity, cynicism, self-defeating, or pity control your thoughts.

    Your mind can't straddle the fence.  It will focus on the positive or the negative.  It can't do both at the same time.  That is why you have to discipline your mind like a workout routine.  When you do, praying for specific things will become easier.  You can focus on what you really want.  

    If you pray for rain, then you will be looking for rain and prepare for it to come.  Your thoughts will direct your prayers.  Be deliberate with how you pray.  The more you pray, the more joy you can have in your life.  Use your mind wisely, so you can appreciate the blessings you have right now.

Psalm 16:9-11, 118:22-29, Proverbs 4:23-27, 23:6-9, Habakkuk 3:17-19, Matthew 6:31-34, John 15:9-17, Romans 15:7-13, 2 Corinthians 9:6-9, 10:3-6, Galatians 6:7-10, Philippians 4:4-5, & James 1:5-8

Joy of Curiosity

 

    Curiosity is a wonderful gift.  It comes with free will and having a minds that is beautifully complex.  It leads to an attitude of intellect and adventure.  The mindset holds incalculable value.  It will make you stand out.  It can bring you peace and joy that can't be rattled.  

    When you nurture curiosity with holy thought patterns and prayer you will be tested and found pure.  This purity produces joy.  You are willing to go on any adventure that God leads you toward.  You do not hold back.  You are faithful.  

    Curiosity inspires growth.  God loves a curious mind.  It means He can show that person joy in all sort of ways.  Curiosity is a choice that you can make every day that can lead to emotional and spiritual health because joy is thrilling.  Joy brings delight into life.  Curiosity cultivates your mind to influence other people to want to have a relationship with God.

    Christians can have a really good time.  You can have a good time without sinning or bringing problems into your life.  Shed away anything that is unholy and people will see a difference.  They will want to have the same kind of fun and joy you have.  The results speak for themselves.  

    Ask questions.  Seek wisdom.  Never stop learning.  It will keep your world large.  There is no excuse for allowing yourself to get bored.  You can always find a way to stimulate your mind and soul.  This mindset is irresistible to the world.  A joy filled person is attractive.  

    When you become a Christian your becomes your birthright.  Just because you have an intellectually curious mind and are a Christian it does not mean that life will be perfect or even great.  It does mean that you trust God and His plan for your life.  You will not allow circumstance or people to steal your joy.  Keep it simple and do not overcomplicate life, then you can hold onto your joy.  You only have one life, rejoice in it.  

Psalm 90:13-17, Proverbs 25:2-3, Romans 15:7-13, Ephesians 3:20-21, 4:31-32, Philippians 4:4-14, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18