What do you do when the joy seemed to have left you?
"Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10 NLT
To tell you honestly, I am not the happiest person you'll ever meet. Sure, I laugh easily. But real joy that springs from an unfathomable depth of the soul is something that is foreign to me. When I went through depression previously, I asked God when will I ever be happy? Was it a state that will have to take precedence over my entire life?
By the grace of God, He has proven me that no amount of validation from other people, no vice nor material things can ever satiate my need to find happiness. As I continue to walk with Him and grow in knowledge of Him, I have had the discernment to identify the temporary and mediocre "happiness" that the world offers, and the lasting joy that only Jesus can provide.
"... we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
As I write this, the enemy continues to bombard me with doubts and suspicions that could lead me into a downward spiral towards self-pity, that is if I allow it. But 2 Cor 10:5 says, "... we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
There will always be that temptation to feel sad to the point of forgetting everything that the Lord has promised you. But I remember what Charles Stanley said,"... Once temptation hits, you have a decision to let it go, or let it consume you. " John 16:22 says," Noone will take away your joy. "
I have faith and am convinced that Jesus knows every thought and feeling that I have now, and even those that I am about to have. Being aware of this and the harsh reality of life, but having the assurance that He has already overcome it, (John 16:33), how can I not fully claim the joy that only God can provide?
"I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."