May the God of Hope Fill You with All JOY and Peace!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Are you facing this New Year with a cheerful outlook?

            I know that some of you who are reading this are saying, “But Joyce you just don’t know what I’m going through right now.”

 And you are right…I don’t!  But God does! He knows exactly where you are and what you need.

            You may have heard me use the analogy of looking at our problems through a magnifying glass. When we do that, our problem looks really big.  But consider this….the problem hasn’t gotten any bigger….just our perception of it has!  Isn’t that what we do when we focus on our problems instead of focusing on the problem-solver….God?!

            We can choose to be weighted down by our problems…trying to handle them alone, allowing the enemy to discourage and defeat us and steal our JOY….OR we can choose to let God have control.   We don’t need a magnifying glass to see God! He has the strength and power to handle all of our problems…if we will release them! 

            Prayer:  God, we know that you have a plan for each of our lives.  Give us the strength  to rest in Your power, not to live in defeat and discouragement.  Help us to magnify You, your love, your faithfulness, your sovereign control of our life…..and fill us with your JOY!

          Romans 15:13 is the blessing I pray for you today: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”