Guard Your Heart

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  When we guard our heart, there is more room for true joy.

            I’ve heard & read the verse in Proverbs 4:23 literally hundreds of times. But it seems lately it has taken on new depth and personal meaning. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

                We tend to guard things of value, don’t we?

·         Many of us have alarm systems on our homes so our house will be guarded at all times….even when we are not there.

·         We guard our children by keeping close watch on them when we take them somewhere like an amusement park or even to the playground.

·         Hotels and other large buildings put safety locks on their outside doors so that only those with proper access may enter.

·         Banks guard the money.

·         And schools have a big responsibility of guarding their students at all times. 

                Why do we guard these things, these special people?  Because they are valuable to us.

 Prison guards keep a watchful eye on the inmates because not doing so may result in danger.  So it is with our hearts!  God values our heart and he knows that if it’s not guarded, danger can occur….bad choices, ungodly decisions, even busyness that distracts us from true joy in relationship with Him.

                May our prayer be for God to help us guard our hearts against anything that leads us away from His joy.

No Regrets! Lots of Joy! :)

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Be a person of no regrets! Live life joyfully!

            Of course, we will not always be happy about our circumstances.  There will be days that seem as if everything that could go wrong, does! We can’t control other people and the way they act. But we can determine to live life by making Godly choices and acting, as well as reacting, in a joyful manner.  Life is much better when we approach it with a “no regrets” attitude and mindset. 

            John Ortberg explains:

 “There is an entire field of study in the social sciences around the psychology of regret.  One of the most striking findings is the way that regret changes over the course of our lives.  Short-term regrets most often involve wishing we had not done something.  But over time, our perspective changes.  As we grow older, we come to regret those actions that we did NOT take…the word of love we never spoke; the chance to serve we never took; the costly gift we never gave.”

            Are there open doors that you regret you never walked through? From this day forward, that can change! Don’t let the “what ifs” stop you from being obedient to God’s plan. When you walk through the door of opportunity to bless others, you will receive the biggest blessing of joy.

            Look for the open door that God has prepared for you. No regrets! Lots of JOY!  

Say "YES" to God's Open Door

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Don’t be afraid to walk through an open door with God by your side!

            Open doors can sometimes seem scary!  We don’t know what we will find on the other side.  But that really may be a good thing.  It makes us more dependent on God, seeking His wisdom with each step.  A closed door is easier and a lot less intimidating.  If it’s closed, we can just sit outside and do our own thing!  Are you a closed-door kind of person or an open-door personality? 

            Open-door people like a challenge! They say….”Ready or not, here I come! They may not always feel prepared, but they know God will go before them and take care of the details. John Ortberg says that “Feeling ready is highly overrated.  God is looking for obedience. When God brought the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he had them step into the Jordan first, THEN he parted the river.  Faith grows when God says to someone, ‘Go!’ and that person says yes.”

             What do you need to say “YES” to God about?  Is there an open door that you are afraid to walk through?  Pray for wisdom; pray for boldness; pray for guidance…and step forward toward an indescribable joy that comes from obedience.

            Don’t be afraid! Remember the verse in Psalm 94:19 that says: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy."

God's Open Door to Joy

      Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It's never the wrong direction if you are headed toward God's open door to joy!

     Do you ever feel as if you've taken a wrong turn in life...gone through the wrong door, so to speak?  God is such an awesome, forgiving God that He can use even a "wrong door" to shape a right heart (John Ortberg). God truly wants what is best for us and He can use an unwise choice to teach us, mold us, refine us and polish us into a person more like Him.

     If we realize that God is in the 'open door' business, then we will 'see' Him with new understanding. And we will approach these open doors with a different view.  Our confidence will not be so much in ourselves, but in God and His plan for our lives.  Instead of living in fear of failure, we can look for the opportunities/doors that open toward God and His very presence.

     We all have made unwise choices in our past.  But rather than sulking and beating ourselves up--
living in the shadow of the "wrong door"--we should, instead, focus our thoughts and heart on dwelling in the shelter and the shadow of the Almighty God. Psalm 91:1 says it beautifully:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." 

      Even when we choose the wrong door, God desires to redirect and show us His way to joy!