Susan Dies: 0:38

Welcome to another episode of The One Yes At A Time podcast. I'm Keidra... here with my friend Susan. Yes. I'm so excited because we.. Uh huh... get to talk about joy today. And you embody joy. Well, I hope it exudes through the microphone.. because joy is one of those things that I think we all, as believers, should absolutely carry and present to the world. Yes. So I think a lot of times when people think about joy, they think about it, from the perspective of happiness. They think joy and happiness are one in the same. They're not synonyms. That's right. They're, they're completely different. How do you see the difference in the two? They are.

Susan Dies : 1:13

Before we jump into that, I want to just say something just because when this comes out, it's coming out during this Christmas season. Yeah. And we were talking about how we just got through Thanksgiving... in a few weeks we're gonna be celebrating Christmas. Everything's festive and bright. It's supposed to be the happiest time of the year.. It's supposed to be... right? Yeah. And yet we know that's not true for everyone. And so instead of being filled with joy, some people are instead filled with a sense of emptiness or maybe even a sense of sadness. It Can be a real struggle. And so the timing of this podcast,'Say Yes to Choosing Joy' is perfect, and I really hope it's gonna be helpful and insightful. I think the biggest difference is happiness is what happens to you.. Mm-hmm... and so it's external. Yes. And joy is something that happens on the inside of you.. That's so good... and so it's internal.

Keidra Hobley: 2:03

Yeah. And it's funny you say it that way because the root word for happy.. Mm-hmm... is the same root word for happenstance. Okay. So our happiness is based on happenstance. Your circumstances. That's right. It's circumstantial. So when you say what happens outside, that's what generates happiness.. Right... versus what happens on the inside. So our happiness is based on circumstance.. Right... but our joy is based on Christ. Yes. Like that's the difference. Right. And so happiness is temporary, because our circumstances can change in a moment. Right. But God is the same today, tomorrow.. Amen... and forever. So joy is eternal. Yes, it is. We can never lose it. That that is, that is it? That is it.

Susan Dies: 2:46

I was thinking though that joy and happiness, they do overlap. I mean, there is definitely a joy component in happiness. Yeah. When we're happy we do feel joy in our heart, but as you said, happiness is rooted in things that are constantly changing.

Keidra Hobley: 3:01

Mm-hmm. Yeah. When you said that, I think about things like, I just got a new job. I'm really happy. Yeah. And now this.. And then you lose that job and.. Right... and now I'm not happy anymore. I just got married. I'm so happy. We just had a fight. I'm not happy anymore. And so I think because of the fact that we base so much of our identity on things that make us happy.. Mm-hmm... when those things that make us happy no longer make us happy.. Mm-hmm... we lose who we are. You know? Can you see that? Because I had a fight doesn't mean that I no longer need to be in relationship with that person. Right. But when you have joy you see past the circumstance. Right. And so I think that is important for us to realize that the difference between being happy and having joy is that joy will work through the hard times. Mm. Happiness wants to quit. That's so good.

Susan Dies: 3:50

Yeah. Joy, because it's not rooted in feelings necessarily.. Mm-hmm... it is a feeling, but it's not rooted in the feelings.. Yeah... and it's not rooted in the circumstance... so you can not feel happy.. Yes... and still have joy.

Keidra Hobley: 4:04

That's the key. Mm-hmm. That is critical. That's critical. Yeah. And so we're we're not talking about being fake, or pretending, or just plastering a smile on your face to look like you have joy. Right? Right. We're talking about something that's genuine. So I'm glad you mentioned that you can be joyful and maybe not be happy.. Right... because sad things happen... and we're gonna get disappointed... and we may bawl our eyes out but we do it knowing that when we sow in tears, we reap in joy. So there's still joy even in the midst of the tears. Right. But no, the Bible says'those who sow in tears will reap in joy'. So your tears, you can let'em flow freer, because you realize they're seed. Tears are seed for joy.

Susan Dies : 4:49

I love that. Yeah. I've never really thought about that.

Keidra Hobley: 4:51

But that's what the word says, right? It's what the word says. Those who sow in tears reap in joy. What do we sow? We sow seed, right? So that means they're seed. Mm-hmm. And if I'm sowing my tears as seed, I'm gonna reap a harvest of joy. So let'em flow. So we can be sad.. Mm-hmm... and still have joy. As a matter of fact, I can be sad, sow my tears, and have even more joy. So, the devil can't win if we really understand the word and where joy comes from. Right. Yeah.

Susan Dies: 5:21

When you hear the phrase'choose joy'... what does that mean to you personally?

Keidra Hobley: 5:25

That means that I have a say in whether or not I show up joyful or not. Hmm. I get to choose. You get to choose. Mm-hmm. I get to choose whether or not I'm gonna stay stuck in a state of sadness. Right. I'm gonna feel what I feel and then I'm going to choose to come out of that.

Susan Dies: 5:43

I like that. Yeah. I think the first thing that comes to my mind is that joy isn't something we can will ourselves to feel. Yeah. We can't just say,'Today I'm gonna choose joy'... and all of a sudden I feel joyful. Mm-hmm. But choosing joy puts us on that path.. Yes.... to experiencing God in a way that we experience that joy again because joy is a fruit of the spirit. Yes, it is. It's not worldly joy, it's the joy that God gives us.. Yes... that we cannot get any other way. And so to choose joy is to choose to focus my heart and my mind on Jesus.. Yes... instead of whatever it is that's causing me to feel that lack of joy, because we can't be thinking about both things at the same time. And then, like you just said, to choose not to let our circumstances or our feelings dictate.. Mm-hmm... how our day is gonna be. Right. Because, you know, I think a lot of times we can get up on the wrong side of the bed.. Mm-hmm... and we can choose to stay in that mood.. Yeah... for the rest of the day. Or we can choose to do some things to get us out of that. Right? Yes. We have a choice. We do have a choice, as you said.

Keidra Hobley: 6:44

And we can choose to get back in bed and get up on the other side. Right, right. Like I would literally do something like that just for a visual image for myself.

Susan Dies: 6:53

I can see you doing that. I can see you doing that. Can you think of a time in your life though, when even as a believer, joy did not come naturally to you and you had to intentionally choose it?

Keidra Hobley: 7:04

Yeah, sometimes we are, asked to do things that we just don't wanna do. That's me. But when you're a servant. When you are a servant leader, when you're here to be like Christ, when you're here to give for others, it doesn't matter if you want to or not. That's right. And so in those kinds of circumstances, for me, I choose joy. I choose to not just do it, not just serve in that capacity, but I choose to serve with joy.. Right... in those times, even though it's not something that I would've preferred to do. Yeah, it's not something I enjoy, but I could do it... in joy.

Susan Dies: 7:39

Does it make sense? Oh, I like that. Yeah. That's a good play on words. Yeah, I like words. Thanks. You were talking about the'want to'.. Yes... I think the want to comes once we choose to have that servant heart That's so good. Like I wanna do it in joy... then the Holy Spirit gives us that joy. That's so good. And so I think that's good... to know that when we make any choice to be obedient to God.. Mm-hmm.. He blesses us with whatever it is that we need to do that thing. That's so good. that's so good. I was thinking about, so I'm gonna get real here. Sometimes when you're teaching, it seems like you got it all together.. Mm-hmm... a lot of times. But For a lot of years, David and I we looked like the perfect little family. Yep. and so it's not really my favorite thing to talk about, but for many years, even though we were both Christians, we didn't have a happy marriage. Mm. And we struggled a lot. We both came into marriage with a lot of baggage that we had never unpacked. Yeah. To be really honest, we both came into marriage with a lot of pride, and selfishness And so instead of being mature and humble enough to ask God to show us where we needed to change, we would point the finger of blame at each other, and point out all the things that we thought the other person.. Yeah... needed to change. And so there wasn't a lot of joy. Thankfully we had many other things in our lives that brought us joy. We had, family, we had friends, we had children. There were many things, but we just didn't have that joy in our marriage. And so for a period of time. In my marriage I had to choose joy every day, actually for a number of years. And thank God he Redeems all things.. Yeah... if you stay with it long enough. That's my plug for marriage today. Stay with it. That's so good. if he can, do that for David, and I he can do it for anybody if you're willing to stay But just to say that, whether it's the big things or the small things, we have to choose joy. Whether it's to wake up and do something with a good attitude. Yeah. Or whether it's to deal with difficult relationships. Mm-hmm. It's worth it in the end.

Keidra Hobley: 9:30

Yeah. That's so good. I think one of the things that's important, in marriage or any other scenario in life is at the root of joy is contentment. That's right. I think it's Habakkuk 3:17-18 that says, Though the fig tree may blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, though the labor of the olive tree may fail and the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls.. Come on. It doesn't get any worse than all of this. Right. But the end.. Nothing's going right. Yeah. But the end of the verse says, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Mm-hmm. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Right. I think that is the ultimate. It's no more vivid than that. We have to choose joy. That's right. When we choose to be content, no matter the circumstances, I think that's when we are choosing joy.

Susan Dies: 10:24

Yeah. When we got to that place... if Susan never changes... Yeah... if David never changes... Lord change me. Yeah. Let me be content right where I am. I knew in my heart that God was still in control.. Yes... and by the grace of God, somehow some way we were gonna make it.. Make it through that. And so, and, and we have. That's so good. And I, I think about Romans 15:13, it's a verse that is so full of joy and speaks to this very thing. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. Here's the condition. Okay... as you trust in him. Mm-hmm... so that you may overflow... with hope.. There it is. By the power of the Holy Spirit. Yeah. And so in that, as I was waiting for the joy and the peace, what kept me rooted was the hope.. Yes... That's so good. And that came from the Spirit.

Keidra Hobley: 11:11

That's so good. By the power of the Holy Spirit.

Susan Dies: 11:13

That's right. And that's what we're talking about in this season. Yes. Whether it's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, all the things we're gonna talk about.. Yeah... we cannot do it.. without the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Keidra Hobley: 11:22

That's so good.

Susan Dies: 11:23

That's so good. That's right. He is our source.

Keidra Hobley: 11:26

I wanna read this one verse also about contentment. Philippians 4:11-12."I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it's with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or with little."

Susan Dies: 11:48

I think you're giving your testimony.

Keidra Hobley: 11:49

I think I am. I mean, I'm just saying. I think I am and the fact I'm a living witness that you can still have joy.. That's right... no matter what, when you choose to be content.

Susan Dies: 12:01

That's right. I think it's also important to point out that the absence of feelings of happiness does not mean the absence of joy. That's right. That joy and uncertainty, and joy and difficulty, and joy and sorrow can coexist. Yes. And we see that when we look at the cross. Hebrews 12:2 says it this way,"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." So Jesus wasn't feeling happy when he went to the cross. Yeah. Wasn't feeling happy when he hung on the cross, but he did know that God the Father was in control and that there was a greater purpose in his pain. And even though the circumstances from a human standpoint looked hopeless, Jesus knew that he was enduring the cross to bring joy to the world, uh, and really joy to the heart of anyone willing to put their trust in him. So I think this is the most clear example of how even in the worst of the worst of the worst situations, when our hearts are breaking in a million pieces, the ability for us to experience joy even in the pain is not just possible... it is God's promise to us.. Yeah... in Jesus. And I think that's really what our listeners need to know... but what does it look like in everyday life for us to choose joy? What are some practical things?

Keidra Hobley: 13:20

For me, I just like to have fun. Okay? And so I find my joy in choosing to have fun no matter what the situation is. Uhhuh. And so I think for me it is finding the good in everything. Like even in what the world may see is bad. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna be intentional about finding the good in it. I'm gonna find the God in it.

Susan Dies: 13:42

Yeah. Let me ask you this question then,'cause this is one of the verses that I've been thinking about. James 1:2,"Consider it pure joy.. Mm-hmm... my brothers and sisters when you encounter trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Yeah. So it's not the trials that bring us joy, but the fact that through our trials we're gonna become stronger. Yeah. That our faith in God is gonna grow and that he's gonna sustain us in our circumstances. Mm-hmm. What do you think about that? Because I love it. I love it. That's what you're talking about. That's exactly what I'm talking about. Yeah. Because I'll look at a circumstance like that and I will just laugh. I, I mean, literally, like,'Devil, you thought you had me'. And I literally, these are words I say often.'Ooh, you tried it. Mm, devil you tried it.' And I'm saying it with the biggest smile because I know, I know the end of the story. If we live just in the circumstance, we'll get stuck. Mm-hmm. But if You see the circumstance with the end of the story in mind.. Mm-hmm... you can rejoice. That's where the joy comes from. That's right. And when we remember that our life is just this tiny little dash in between two dates on the timeline of eternity. Yeah. The Bible says that we're a vapor, like we're here today and we're gone tomorrow and nobody wants to think about that. Yeah. But when you can see your life in light of eternity.. Yes... it's so much easier to deal with the trials when we can look at it from that perspective. Mm-hmm. So good. I was actually having this conversation with Brooke the other day. A lot of times we're gonna do a podcast I will just ask her the question. What does it look like to choose joy? You know, that younger generation is really very practical. Mm-hmm. And so we made a list together. Okay, good. So we're gonna talk about some of these. The first thing she mentioned that had not even crossed my mind was'If you wanna choose joy, you gotta rest.. Ooh... because sometimes it's the busyness of life.. that steals our joy.' So if we would just do what God told us to do and rest, we would be in such a better disposition to be able to choose joy. Mm. Wow. What do you think about that?

Keidra Hobley: 15:37

I'm just like, can we just Selah right there for just a minute? Because.. Thank you, Brooke. I feel so convicted. Uhhuh because that, but that's real. That's real. That's right. Because a lot of times we are stressed even before a circumstance comes up.

Susan Dies: 15:51

That's right. Yeah. So what about praise? Mm-hmm. I remember years ago talking with my friend Kathy Cubley. She's one of the people that God placed in my life decades ago that I can literally tell anything to. And no matter what it is, she is gonna find a way to make me laugh, but also to encourage me in the Lord. And I remember her asking me one time,'Have you lost your joy?... Because when you've lost your joy, what you need to do is praise the Lord. You're not gonna feel like it. Yeah. But that's the time you need to praise, because if Satan can get us to that place that we no longer feel like praising God.. Mm-hmm... he has effectively stolen our joy.. Yeah. And John 10:10 says that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and that's the first thing he goes after.. Yeah... is our joy. Because if he can steal our joy, it's gonna affect every relationship around us. Wow. Thoughts on that?

Keidra Hobley: 16:41

I'm just curious what made her ask you that question? What was it that prompted that?

Susan Dies: 16:45

She was one of my go-to people.. Okay... in that difficult time in my marriage. You have to be careful when you're struggling with anything. Go to your godly friends. That's so good. Go to the ones that make you laugh. Mm-hmm. That help you see the lighter side of something. Yeah. Go to people who will encourage you and point you back to Jesus. That's so good. Because she would always say,"Well, you're not getting a divorce. Yes. So if you're gonna stay married, you wanna be happily married. Yes. So what can you contribute that can turn this thing around?" That's so good. And so she always had a way of doing that. I always left with joy because she always reminded me.. Yeah... that Jesus was my joy. I can't lose that. So good. What about being grateful? Yes. When we choose to be grateful and find good in even the smallest things, even on the hardest days.. Yeah... that gratitude, puts the focus on God.. Mm-hmm... and on his goodness. Mm. That leads me to the next one... godly friends. We need that godly community, people who will pray with us, pray for us and remind us to choose joy. That's so good. And of course, you mentioned earlier serving. Yes. If we're gonna choose joy, sometimes the best way is get outside the four walls of your house.. Uhhuh, and go find someone you can serve. When we get in our heads.. Mm-hmm... and we stay in our home, the world becomes really small. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It becomes all about us. But I found if I'll just get out and go serve someone.. Encourage another person. Yeah. Meet a need of another person. Mm-hmm. And just to realize everybody's got something going on. Yeah. And maybe we're the one that needs to show them what it looks like to choose joy. That's so good. That's so good. Brooke mentioned one last thing. Okay. And I thought this was good. Stop complaining. Well, amen. Yeah. Let me say that again'cause I think my voice cut out. Satan doesn't want me to to say that clearly. Stop complaining.. Yes... because we cannot effectively choose joy if everything coming out of our mouth is a complaint about what's not right in our lives. There's so much power in our words. Proverbs 18:21 says,"The power of life and death.. Mm-hmm... is in the tongue. So the words we speak are either life or death. They're encouragement or discouragement. Mm-hmm. They either build us up or they're tearing us down. And so, our words sometimes can be the very difference between the lack of joy in our heart.. Mm-hmm... and a heart filled with joy. That's so good. And you know, so I'm not saying we can't share or verbalize struggles with someone who's safe to do so with. But if every time I see you, I'm still telling you the same story. The same story. Yeah. And I still haven't even put into practice whatever godly wisdom that you gave me to start with. Yeah. We need to stop. That's good. You know, we need to stop. Mm-hmm. Because that Satan loves it. Yes. He loves it when he can get us to do that.. That's so good... negative talk. And then the last one I thought of, solitude. Mm-hmm. You know? Mm-hmm. Sometimes we just need to get alone with the Lord. We need to turn our phones off. Yes. We need to disconnect from everything that we perceive as bringing stress into our lives and we just need to get quiet. We need to get still.. Yeah... before the Lord, and let him fill us back up. That's so good. Sometimes we're just so busy pouring out, pouring out, pouring out, and that can shift our perspective as well. And so I think we need that time.

Keidra Hobley: 19:51

I love that. I love that so much. I think the prodigal son could have used this list. Mm. Because I, I think.. That's good... he lacked joy. He ended up where he ended up because of the fact.. Mm-hmm... that he was not content.

Susan Dies: 20:03

Looking for it somewhere else.

Keidra Hobley: 20:04

Looking for it somewhere else. And as you were saying this, I'm jotting them down. I'm like, man, if he would've just been grateful Hmm. If he would've chosen to serve someone else.. Hmm... with all the riches he already had. If he would've just stopped complaining? Like if you go down the list of what you just said, he would've had a totally different experience because he would've maintained his joy where he was, with what he had, because he would've been content. I love this list.

Susan Dies: 20:31

That's so good. Yeah. That's so good. You know, I think as believers though, we can sometimes think that because we're supposed to be filled with joy.. Mm-hmm... because we have all these promises from God... that we can't be honest on days that we're struggling.. Mm... because we don't want people to think that we don't have it all together. Yeah. Or we don't have faith, or that we're not trusting God. What do you see as the danger in that kind of thinking?

Keidra Hobley: 20:53

I think you get stuck in denial. Hmm. We are to cast all our cares on the Lord, but you can't cast a care that you won't acknowledge. Right. And so I think it's important for us to be honest with ourself, honest with God, and then at the end of the day, still choose joy. Yeah. When we choose joy, it doesn't mean that we lie about our situation, our feelings, or our circumstance. Mm-hmm. We're honest about those things. And in the midst of those things, we're still choosing joy.

Susan Dies: 21:18

The thing that just came to my mind is isolation. Yeah. Sometimes when things start going wrong in our life we don't want other people to know.. But Satan loves to get us isolated. Yes. Because that's when he can really get into our heads. Yeah. That's why we need christian community. Absolutely. It's why we need Christian friendships and why it's so important that we are connected in a church, in a body of believers. No, you don't have to go to church to be saved. Mm-hmm. But... we need each other. That's right. God did not create us to be in isolation. He created us to be in relationship and that goes double for times when life is hard. Mm-hmm.

Keidra Hobley: 21:52

You mentioned the enemy likes to get us in isolation. Mm-hmm. And at the same time, on your list of how we can choose joy is solitude. So what's the difference between isolation and solitude?

Susan Dies: 22:05

Yeah, that's a good question. They are different. Solitude is you and God. Okay. That's good. So it's not you and anybody else.. Ah... but it's you and God. Okay. Isolation is you and you... and your own pity party. Ah, got it. A party of one. That's so good. And so it's really about where are our thoughts? Mm-hmm. You know? Do our thoughts turn to God,"Lord, fill me up".. Mm-hmm... or do we stay home and dwell on whatever it is that we have going on and feel sorry for ourselves.. Yeah, that's good... and think, I really can't be honest about this with anyone else, and I'm all by myself. Yeah. You're not by yourself. Yeah. So isolation and solitude are not the same. Very good. That's a good question though. So, how can we encourage someone to choose joy without minimizing suffering? Mm-hmm. You can't just say, choose joy. Right.

Keidra Hobley: 22:51

Yeah. I think we acknowledge the hurt. Mm-hmm. I think we acknowledge the pain. Like even you bringing this up, my heart is going out to those who have lost loved ones. This may be their first Christmas without them. Mm-hmm. And we cannot just approach a person and say, choose joy. No. I hurt for you. Mm-hmm. My heart aches with you. Right. We acknowledge that. We do what we can to help bring an ease in those situations. Let people know that they're seen and known and loved. Mm-hmm. I think it's important that we not just try to sweep that under the rug. It's real. Right. And at the same time, I would bring a big dose of laughter, you know? Amen. And so I think it's important to not minimize the hurt, the pain, the sorrow. At the same time, give someone a helping hand to not stay stuck there.

Susan Dies: 23:43

Right. You know, honestly, as I've thought about that, I mean, this is a pretty deep question. There's so much anxiety and fear and depression and grief and mental illness in our world, and if we've not walked through it, it's hard to fathom what that person is going through. Mm-hmm. But what would you say to someone who says,'I just feel numb. Mm. It's not just that I lack joy. Mm-hmm. I mean, I really feel nothing. Mm-hmm. I love Jesus and I know that he's promised to give us joy. I just don't understand. Mm. What would you say to encourage that person?

Keidra Hobley: 24:16

I probably would pinch'em. I know. Bless your heart Susan. She's looking at me. Depending on who it is. Oh, oh, because they're numb. They're feeling numb. That's the way my brain works. Uhhuh. Depending on who it was, I wouldn't do that to everybody, but someone who I was close to. You would probably pinch me. I would probably pinch'em. Like, did you feel that yet? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, so you're not numb. So don't allow the enemy to allow you to believe that you're numb. I, I understand what you're saying.. Right... but you're not numb. You just have to remember what it's like to feel. Okay. And I would go to the word... Nehemiah 8:10,"The joy of the Lord is your strength." You're feeling weak because you don't have joy.

Susan Dies: 24:56

Mm-hmm. To me, when someone says,'I feel numb,' basically they're shutting off their emotions. Mm-hmm. And so if you are to the place, you've had to shut down your emotions you, shut out the good and the bad. Yes. You shut out the things that are hurting you, but you've also shut out the things that could help you. Mm-hmm. If that makes sense. It does. And so I think it's important that if someone has gotten to that point, there's no shame.. Mm-hmm... if you need to consider seeking some compassionate, professional Christian counseling, because it could be that there's something they have not yet dealt with, and until they do, they may not feel worthy.. Mm-hmm... of God's love or his goodness. They may not feel comfortable in God's presence. And, Psalm 16:11 says it's in the presence of God.. Yes... that we have fullness of joy. Yes. Sometimes when we're going through a lot of things I ask people, have you been praying about that? Yeah. Have you continued to just sit still before the Lord? Have you opened up the word? And they're so bothered or upset by whatever it is that they're struggling with, that they've shut that out too. Yeah. And that's the danger, because there's fullness of joy... in the presence of God. That's it. And so sometimes, it could be as simple as getting back to the basics. Mm-hmm. We get so busy. It's part of the reason why I get it really early. I'm an early morning person. I know not everybody is. Yeah. You gotta find your time. But for me personally, it is the sweetest time of the day... to just get up and spend literally a couple of hours, in his presence. It fills me. That's so good. So good. Any other thoughts?

Keidra Hobley: 26:31

No. In the presence of God is the fullness of joy. So if you wanna be full of joy, you've gotta get in the presence of God. Yeah. And one of the easiest ways to do that is to get in the word.

Susan Dies: 26:39

Tara Leigh Cobble, who does the Bible Recap... at the end of her recap, every day she says He's where the joy is.' Ah. And I love that. That's her.. That's so good... tagline. Alright, well, we're out of time today, but we hope that you've enjoyed today's podcast and that you'll join us again in a couple of weeks for our next episode. In the meantime, we'd love for you to take a minute to scroll down and leave us a text or maybe head over to our website, one yes@atime.net and leave us a comment or a review because we would love to hear from you. In the meantime, keep choosing joy... and let the God of hope fill you with joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Susan Dies : 27:17

Father, we thank you so much that in your presence there is fullness of joy, dear Lord. So we just pray, dear God, that you would help us to continuously run back into your presence, dear Lord. We thank you for all of the promises that are connected to what it is that you have told us in your word, that we can have joy by your spirit. Amen. And we thank you for that. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.