“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24
Finding the joy of Jesus will work for any believer but requires a lot of spiritual discipline and concentration. The best time to start is after you awake to begin a new day. Another option is to begin your time with God while in bed.
This is a time of prayer, bible reading and worship with Jesus. You are meeting with the Living Christ who knows you better than you know yourself. I sing some hymns to Jesus to help set the atmosphere and concentrate on Him.
Begin with praise acknowledging the attributes of Jesus. Here is a perfect example from 1 Chronicles 29:11. My suggestion is to memorize and pray this scripture every day. This defines our amazing God!
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Next ask Jesus to cover all your sins with His blood and remove any shame or condemnation over you.
There cannot be anything standing between you and Jesus that grieves the Holy Spirit. Listen to the voice of Jesus. He will navigate you through this process and reveal habits or actions that displease Him.
Be anxious for nothing!
Think about all the worries and fears that occupy your mind and one by one release them to Jesus. This will free you of stress and anxiety as long as you don’t take them back. They are in the hands of Jesus and He will deliver you with His greatness and glory.
At this point you should be free of worldly concerns and can pray and receive the joy of Jesus.
The joy of Jesus comes from heaven and does not relate to the circumstances in your life.
The goal is to have a free mind and healthy emotions so you can have a productive day functioning in a state of surrender and trusting Jesus for your every need. The Christ follower has learned to let go of the world and walk in oneness with Jesus.
Remember, you are not perfect and never will be on earth. There will be slip ups. When this happens pause from what you are doing and ask Jesus to forgive you with His blood and place what caused the slip up back on the altar with Jesus.
Pray for the mind of Jesus to be over all your thoughts and actions. This will happen by inviting the Holy Spirit who lives inside you to have authority over your life. You will be amazed at hearing the voice of Jesus off and on during the day.
If you are experiencing confusion or doubt ask Jesus for wisdom and wait upon Him.
The joy of the Lord is your strength to overcome all your troubles!
Hal Hollister Ministry 