Today's tip is on the difference between happiness and joy. They are not interchangeable words. As believers, it is really important to learn the difference between them because we often struggle for no reason. Disclaimer: when you hear any tips study the word yourself to see how He is ministering to you. Happiness is an emotion that comes when something external happens; it is an emotional response to having what you want. An emotional euphoria, you love the result of something, but the thing about happiness is that it is inconsistent. If you are not experiencing happiness all the time, you can think that you don’t have the joy of the Lord, but that is not true. Joy is internal; it is not based on circumstances. It is an act of the will; the bible tells us to count it all as joy. When we are experiencing things that are not pleasurable, we must count them as joy. It sounds crazy, but joy is not dependent on your circumstance. It is the foundation, the joy of the Lord is your foundation.
Study John 15, which discusses the fullness of joy. Joy is consistent, it doesn’t always look like excitement, but it is consistent. Joy allows you to be content and solid even when everything around you is going crazy. It is about eternal hope knowing your life has more meaning than the circumstances you are dealing with. When you have joy, you can better operate in your faith, allowing you to count negative things as joy. Your negative experiences put your faith on trial. When you have the joy of the Lord, you can stand firm and rest in the fact that this too shall pass. You may not be happy every single day, and that is ok. Sometimes, suffering is a part of that walk when you are on assignment. You will have great happy times, but you will also have times of persecution, suffering, and sacrifice. You have the choice to count it as joy. Always check how God wants you to count something so that you can be steadfast. God wants you to be rooted and anchored in him, so count it all as joy. If you lack happiness, have a conversation with God and ask him to have situations that make you smile.
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