The Key to Happiness

We have all seen the book titles: the ten keys to happiness, finding a career that gives you joy, that if you love what you do you will never have to work a day in your life. We have seen countless TV shows, movies, read the latest bestselling books, been inspired by talk shows and interviews, yet it seems like we will never be fully happy, that our jobs still feel like work, that something is still missing.

That was me not so long ago; searching for the happiness I believed could be possible. I knew something more was out there, that there was more joy, happiness, peace to be found. The problem was I couldn’t find it. It didn’t appear in a career path, it didn’t appear in education, it didn’t appear in the things of this world. What I was looking for, what I was earnestly searching for was a relationship with Jesus.  When my love and passion for the Lord ignited I realize the relationship with Him was what I was missing.

The key to an unlimited supply of happiness, the way to receive joy that surpasses all understanding, the true way to get pure peace in your life is found through one relationship, through one name, Jesus.

When you have a true, genuine relationship with the one that created you, you are positioned in the best way to receive the greatest benefits: special favor, abundant blessings and unconditional love.  When you grow each and every day in this intimate relationship you begin to not only see how awesome your God is, but you begin to understand why you were created, what purpose you serve and you begin to see God in every single thing. When the details of your day matter, when you are doing the things you were designed to do, when the Lord holds you each and every day you cannot help but be happy, you cannot help but be successful.

If you are feeling that your life is going fine, but something seems missing, if you feel incomplete, if you feel like there is more out there, I cannot encourage you enough to look at your relationship with Jesus.

I personally searched tirelessly to find the happiness I have today, the happiness that can only come through a personal relationship with the Lord.  Jesus is the way to true and complete happiness, and the good news is He is available at anytime!

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Warrior Anthem

I am a mighty child of God, I am a strong warrior, I follow the path of righteousness which is full of strength, power and determination, I rise above, I conquer, I have a hedge around me,  I defeat my enemy because my God gets the victory.  I have the greatest protection, the best army, the most skilled counselor. I can’t be stopped.   If I fall, I rise again by saying my God’s name. I have the highest favor, an abundance of blessings, and a table formed around my enemies.  God has made me a warrior and my strength is because of His strength. I am strong, I am bold, I am courageous and I fear no enemy because Jesus made my way.  When I am in trouble, I persevere by saying His name. My God has made a way for me even when there seems to be no way.  I am a mighty child of God; I am a strong warrior, not because of me, but because of the one that came before me, Jesus.

Psalm 23:3  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Psalm 27:1   The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;   your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa

Trust Him

When times are uncertain we try to rationalize, explain, evaluate our odds. Trying to figure out what is right or come up with our own strategic plan. When unsteady times approach us, our mind plays all the available outcomes. What decision should I make? What should we do? What is the answer? Will it work out? Will it be okay? We rationalize over and over again what possible chance the event will unfold to our benefit, what we can say, what we can do to make the most out of our situation.  We spend hours unfolding, refolding the events; doing a play by play of what happened or what might happen.

Don’t let the world or the enemy steal those precious hours from you.  Instead focus on the Lord and trust Him. Trusting in Him means we let go of our ways, our management strategies, our tactics, our ideas and rely on the Lord’s ability, strength, and promise to us. 

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 
Psalm 18:30

After all, the Lord has a plan for us. It is a plan in which He designed, but these plans always include us needing God.  He also designed us to need Him.  When these uncertain times approach us, and they will, remember God can be found at the center of it all. Turn your control over to Him and simply trust Him.

The LORD will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:11

You are fearfully and wonderfully made

(Psalm 139:14)

Melissa

God knows you, He created you...

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

Psalm 139: 1-6

People are the most valuable asset we have, not only is everyone created by our Father, but each one of us has been designed with special gifts, special talents and a special purpose.  If you think there is nothing special about you, you are denying the goodness of God’s creation. You see God knows you, inside and out, what you like, how you will react, what choices you will make.  He knows you because He made you.

If you are stuck and do not know your strengths or how to be used to spread Gods Glory then simply ask Him. Just like asking your Father for advice, seek God, He will tell you about your future and give you a vision.

It’s important to keep God first, to ask Him how you should spread His word, to ask how He wants to use you as a tool to reach others. If you have family members, friends or co-workers who are not in touch with God, pray and ask God to give you wisdom; you see God knows them better than we do and He alone knows what they will respond to.

To tap into your strengths and Gods plan for you, you must go to God directly. Talk to Him, tell Him your concerns, your ideas and then listen for guidance from the Lord. Each one of us has a plan and a future and God is more than happy to reveal it to us in His way and His time, all we have to do is pray.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)

Coincidences or Miracles…are you looking to God to see what He will do or past God to explain what happened?

Each day we are given an opportunity to either serve God or to look past Him. Sure we hear a lot of bad in the world, but what about the good: a new job, a marriage being restored or a healing that occurred?  Think for a minute if you give God the glory for the good or do you consider it ironic, a coincidence or a matter of circumstance?

John 5:44

How can you believe since you accept glory from one another

but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

As a Christian when your focus is on God your perspective dramatically changes.  Things that might have at one time seemed coincidental now take a miracle platform. You see, God works in each and everything we do, every person we interact with, and is there in each situation we encounter.  If you are a follower of God, a child of the Father, you are given favor, blessings and protection.  Just like a father watches his child, God watches over you.

Psalm 5:12

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;

you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Good things are bound to happen to you, it is God’s doing, He is there. The next time something good comes your way give Him the Glory, for His goodness is what granted you that gift.


You are fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14)
Melissa