The Joy Powered Life
Goodness gracious sakes alive, friend, come on up here on this ol’ front porch and settle yourself in for a little ol’ spell because what we’re about to be chewin’ on is richer than your grandma’s Sunday fried chicken. I was watchin’ a lil’ ol’ busy chipmunk the other morning, bless his tiny, overworked heart, tryin’ to drag a pecan three times his size across my yard. He was huffin’ and puffin’ like an ol’ mule that had been plowin’ since sunrise. And right then the Lord whispered to my spirit, “Friend, that’s you tryin’ to manage emotions I never asked you to carry.” Well, that will stop you right in mid-sip of your sweet, iced tea. So, let’s lean in close because Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” and that truth stands taller than a little ol’ scarecrow in a big ol’ cornfield on a real windy day.
God made us social, relational, and emotional beings. First Thessalonians 5:23 reminds us we are spirit, soul, and body. And, friend, most of our daily drama don’t come from our spirit. It comes from our soul, that lively part of us that thinks, chooses, and feels. The mind is the thinker, Isaiah 26:3 says, “He keeps it in perfect peace.” The will is the chooser, Philippians 2:13 says, “God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure.” And the emotions, well, they’re the feelers, and Exodus 32:19 shows us how quickly feelings can flare up like a rooster who just discovered a fox in the henhouse.
Left to themselves, our emotions can act wilder than a little ol’ goat snooping around in a garden. Galatians 5:19-21 lists the whole messy barnyard of fleshly reactions. But, friend, we were never meant to be run by our feelings. We were meant to be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The Spirit steadies us, shapes us, and grows the fruit that tames the emotional stampede.
Second Timothy 1:7 reminds us that God has given us power, love, and a sound mind. That means we don’t have to be tossed around like a squirrel in a windstorm. We can submit our emotions to the Holy Spirit, and let Him cultivate something steady, strong, and holy in us.
Father, thank You for creating us with emotions and for giving us Your Spirit to guide them. Help us submit every feeling to You and walk in the strength of Your joy. Shape our hearts, steady our minds, and grow Your fruit in us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now, I tell you what, friend, as you go to step right on off this old porch and git on back into your daily routine, take this here real truth with you that Spirit controlled emotions are a whole lot sturdier than a big barn built by a carpenter who refuses take any shortcuts. They’re much sweeter than fresh honey straight from the comb and steadier than a wise old hoot owl perched on a moonlit tree branch. Let the joy of the Lord settle down deep into your soul like warm, buttered biscuits on a cold morning. And then, walk on, knowing full well that the Spirit is leading, the Father is smiling, and the strength you need is already yours.
With joy,
Gwen
