A MERRY HEART

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

Jesus Christ is life, and every good thing He created is part of that life.  We get so caught up in doing and accomplishing, in working and keeping our commitments, that if we are not careful, we will come to the end of our life and suddenly wake up and realize that we never really lived.  Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy life and to live it to the full, til it oveflows.

We have a choice in life.  We can grumble our way through our troubles, or we can sing our way through our troubles with a merry heart.  Either way, we have to go through troubles, so why not take the joy of the Lord as our strength and be filled with energy and vitality.

In John 15 Jesus talks about abiding in Him.  In verse 11 He says,  "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."  Jesus Christ wants us to have a merry heart.  He wants us to put a smile on our face so everybody around us can feel happy and secure.

Don't spend your life waiting for things to change before you can become happy.  Learn to be happy now.

A CONFIDENT HEART

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Psalm 27:3

Not only must our heart be fixed and steadfast, it must also be confident.  I have discovered that staying confident is a key to being positive in my mind and overall life.

Lucifer is constantly trying to introduce thoughts into my head to make me lose my confidence.  Teh mind is the battlefield, and the devil lies to everyone through wrong thinking.  The one thing that he's trying to steal all the time is our confidence.

The devil doesn't want us to have confidence in prayer.  He doesn't want us to believe we can hear from our Father in Heaven.  He discourages us concerning the call of God on our life.  He wants us to go around feeling like a failure.

We need to confidently declare what the scriptures say about us, such as, "I am a divine son or daughter of Heavenly Father.  I can do all things through Jesus Christ; who strengthens me.  I am of divine worth."  This means that we have Heavenly Father and the Lord on our side.  They will help us along the way.  They will speak truth to us.

We need to get up every morning prepared to keep the adversary beneath our feet.

A STEADFAST HEART

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise."

Psalm 57:7

To have a fixed heart means to have our mind made up so tha we are not going to change it.  If we are going to experience any kind of victory andd be positive in our lives, we must be determined.  If we are going to see the fulfillment of Heavenly Father's will, walk in or follow the leading of the Holy Ghost, or accompolish anything worthwhile in this life, we must set our face like flint.

And we must understand that the adversary is not going to roll out a red carpet for us just because we decide to get saved and serve our Father in Heaven.  He is going to oppose us at every turn.

The problem is that because of the mentality of our society, we are always looking for something easy.  We have to be determined to do the will of God, to stay positive and happy, and to walk in His peace.  His will won't just happen in our life.  We are partners with Him, and we must do our part.  Part of what hwe have to do is never give up!