Oh Happy, Happy. Joy, Joy.

Do you know people who are genuinely joyful or happy all the time? I know a couple and since I am honest with those of you who read my little blog, I am not one of them. I can be pessimistic, glass half empty, poor me kind of person. I can honestly say that has become less, the more I walk with the LORD, but I'm not completely "fixed", which I feel is what we think is supposed to happen at the time we are saved.

meme by audiolover23

In the current state of the world happiness and joy seem to be in short supply, and sometimes we can wake up with a little less on one day than in another. In my quiet time with the LORD this morning, He began speaking to me in this place of being less joyful. What did He say? "I am the joy of your salvation". Although I have the degree saying I know the Bible, I really don't. I spend a lot of time digging through concordances, commentaries, and other translations to find what some of the simplest Scriptures truly mean. First, I decided to go to a specific Passage and second, dissect it as much as I could so I would be able to digest it rather than regurgitate it. "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:12 NIV. Seems pretty self-explanatory I know but I really wanted to spend some time with God and have Him tell me what this should mean to me, and I wanted to share.

RESTORE: To return, turn back. My salvation is permanent and so is the joy it brings. There are no circumstances that can remove me from God's family. I know some of you may say, "what about backsliding?" or "what if I don't go to church anymore, stopped praying, stopped believing?" Then I would say, was your "Yes" to Jesus' conditional? Being lukewarm is not a good thing - but that's a convo for another day. What I must do is turn around/repent/look back to God rather than go on ahead without Him. Jesus has restored me and so I need to return to that place with Him because if I have no joy then I have left ABBA's side.

JOY: I think many of us equate joy and happiness is the same thing. IT ISN'T. Happiness is temporary, joy is permanent and goes deeper than circumstance, environment, or possessions. It's rejoicing of my salvation and Christ's sacrifice, so I am no longer at enmity with God.

YOUR SALVATION: Iam delivered, rescued, saved...The sacrifice of Christ has saved me from certain death and eternal suffering.

GRANT: (sustain/uphold): I can lean on and take hold of that salvation. I am secure, nothing can remove me, only myself. God doesn't say "I love you" one day and "I will only love you if..." on another. When my mortal body is no more, I am secure in my salvation of being with my God.

SPIRIT (Ru wach): Literal breath. God's Spirit is within me, His Holy Spirit dwells with my Spirit. God is the breath in my body and because of that I rejoice for the salvation I have.

SUSTAIN: I can lean on my salvation if nothing else and the joy of the moment I decided to give my life to Christ. Go back to that moment and remember where I was and where I am today. I can lean on Him and on the Promise my salvation brings.

I feel like this is such an elementary "lesson", yet I wanted to share because my joy did rise after reading and dissecting. This just tells me I have not been spending the time with the LORD as I should. Which I know is true and He doesn't condemn me for it, He just simply reminds me and hopefully it's a reminder for you. I don't know where you are at today, but joy is not where I have been lately. Let His love wash over you, remind yourself of your salvation and where you were compared where you are now.

WARRIOR ON!