Remain Joyful in Jesus!

           Have you had your Joy Juice today? Remain faithful! Remain hopeful! Remain joyful!

            Mark Batterson issues a challenge in his book, Draw the Circle.  He wrote: “I believe there is a God in heaven who directs our steps, who prepares good works in advance, who causes all things to work together for the good, who fights our battles for us! And if you pray through, there will be a breakthrough! Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose patience.”

            That’s quite a mouthful and a great challenge!  Do you believe that God is in complete control of your life?  We will never know how many times He steps in and protects us and causes the enemy to fail in his attempts to side-track us from God’s best plan.  But we have the free will to make choices.  How do we know the best choices?

            Jesus tells us in John 15:7-8: “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be my disciples.” (AMP)

            “If we pray through, there will be a breakthrough,” Mark Batterson says. The difficult thing may be “remaining” in Him, remaining in our faith, remaining in our prayer life and not giving up when God doesn’t seem to be listening.  He IS listening; he hears our prayers.  Yet, in His goodness and wisdom, He wants what is not just good, but HIS best for us. 

            Remain prayerful; remain hopeful; remain joyful in JESUS!