Rest Joyfully In Him

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today? Have you asked God for His joy?  Are you seeking the joy through a personal relationship with him?  Knock on the door of His heart and you WILL find inexpressible joy.

 In Matthew 7: 7 we find the words of Jesus: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”   As we pray, we are given these simply guidelines to ASK, SEEK and KNOCK.  And then verse 8 gives us an unconditional promise: For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

            Doesn’t it fill you heart with JOY to know that when you ask, seek and knock, God is hearing your prayer?  These verses are promises to the Christian: He hears and answers our prayers.

NOW, He may not answer in the way we think is best or in our time frame.  Remember…. “his ways are not our ways”.  But if we trust that God is going to answer our prayers with our best interest in mind, (even if the answers is a “no”),  this fills us with peace and assurance…..blessed assurance as the old hymn says packed full of JOY!

Though we may not always understand God’s timing or His ways, we can trust that He hears our prayers.  Rest joyfully in that truth.  

Ask for Joy; Seek Joy; Knock on the Door of Joy!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Pray for an extra serving of joy as you go about your daily routine!

So often when we pray, we forget that it’s not just about talking to God; it’s just as much about LISTENING.  Sincere, genuine prayer comes from a heart that desires for God to reveal His best plan for us in all circumstances.  How can we determine what that “best” is, unless we listen to His direction?

           

            In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:7,  Jesus taught, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

            God loves us more than we will ever be able to comprehend and He’s waiting for us to come to Him with the needs and concerns that are on our heart.  “He gives us, in essence, an open door into his almighty presence,” says David Jeremiah, “and into His infinite storehouse of riches and blessings.”

            So remember to ASK, SEEK, KNOCK and the door will be opened.  That’s what prayer is all about!  Pray, and learn to listen for God’s direction toward JOY in your life!

Ask for joy; seek joy; knock on the door of joy…by drawing close to Jesus and walking in His ways.   

Joyfully Saturate Your Day with Prayer

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today? I pray that you have; and that you realize how important prayer is in your daily routine!

             God is such a creative God!  He has made all different kinds of people with different personalities, different looks, different talents, different interests.  But we all have one thing in common.  WE NEED HIM! And each of us has access to communicating with Him through prayer.  It’s up to us to develop a consistent prayer life. Sometimes even devout Christians have a hard time committing to daily time in prayer.

            Let’s not take for granted what prayer is.  It’s a two way conversation between you and God.  In prayer we are to open our hearts to Him, praising His Holy name, confessing our failures, and expressing our needs and desires to Him. Our prayers can be spoken out loud or they can be a silent….a private conversation between you and God.  And remember how the psalmists even sang their prayers?  That still not a bad idea!

            The primary purpose of prayer, according to Chuck Swindoll is connecting with God in order to transfer His will into our life.  It’s co-laboring with God to accomplish His goals.

            So, let’s saturate our day with prayer, releasing our cares and concerns to Him. What a great way to insure that JOY is a part of each and every day!

Make prayer a consistent part of your daily life and you will have joy…even in the midst of the daily challenges.