MAY 7, 2012

Choose Joy!

By Jesus, speaking in prophecy

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My joy is your strength. What is more, My joy is freely available to you, and you’re entitled to have it, feel it, live it. But many of you are hindered from having My joy simply because you don’t think you feel very happy or have very much to be happy about.

The key to having My joy in your hearts is to remember that this is My joy, not yours. Having My joy in your heart doesn’t mean that you’re happy with everything in your life exactly the way it is; it means that I’m happy and have promised to extend that happiness and joy over you so that it can envelop you. It’s from My heart, given to you when you ask for it and make room for it.

What makes Me happy is very different from what you think makes you happy. My joy isn’t based on fleeting things that come and go, or circumstances. My joy is based on the happy future, what will come to be, what potential there is in each situation, and what potential there is in you. My joy is based on the eternal things, on loving and reveling in all the words of heaven, the joy of My creations, the joy of love, and all the other true, eternal joys that money can’t buy.

Learn to find your joy in these things too, because that’s where My joy lies. If you want My joy, ask for it, and ask Me to help you to see the things that are worth smiling about. If you think about how you feel, well, you may not feel very joyful, because there are all kinds of obstacles and worries and condemnation and guilt trips and stress and many other joy-killers that can rob you of that special strength that comes from My joy.

But when you’re feeling any or all of these negative emotions, look up and reach up to Me, where My joy is. My joy enables you to be happy even if things aren’t perfect in your earthly situation, because I see beyond today. If I can be happy despite your weaknesses and whatever messes you’ve made, can’t you be happy too? If I can be happy for you, because I know that things will turn out all right in the future, and that I have strength available for you in the present, can’t you also avail yourself of that joy if I give it to you?

Yes, you can. I want you to be happy even if things aren’t perfect yet, or if all the physical circumstances around you aren’t lined up to perfection. You can be happy if you rejoice with My joy. My joy allows you to be happy and praiseful even when you are surrounded by many cares, because it comes from the highest heavens, way, way beyond any of these earthly problems.

There is so much joy to be found with Me, so much happiness, so much love in heaven, so many successes and triumphs in your future, and so many blessings and wonderful things to be found in your present. There really is so much to be happy about. You can be happy even despite the seemingly unhappy things, because there is a world of joy beyond yours, yet not out of your reach.

I’m your bridge, your door to that world. Through Me and claiming My joy—which you are entitled to through being My child—you can gain access to that happier world, no matter what’s going on here. You can be happy anyhow—not just with smiles through your tears, but with peals of heavenly laughter ringing in your voice!

To have My joy you must accept My love, and accept that I want to free you from the things that weigh on you and make you sad, and that I want to make you happy and joyful and free in Me! And the first step to receiving My joy is to choose to not focus on the negatives.

Refuse to let stress, negativity, comparing, condemnation, or whatever is haunting you, have any further sway over your life, heart, and emotions.

You have to make an effort to enter into My joy.

There will be obstacles, many physical and emotional reasons why you think it’s illogical and impossible for you to be happy, but don’t focus on those things. Focus on Me! Focus on the fact that you love Me and that the love we share together enables you to partake of My joy, peace, happiness, faith, love, heavenly perspective, and all the joys of heaven. My love sets you free from the need to feel condemned, or discouraged, or stressed, or any of those joy-killers, because My love loves you anyway!

My love loves you when you’re bad, or late, or behind, or sinful, or unloving, or disappointing. My love never stops loving you, and most important, never stops reminding you that victory is right around the corner, because it is. Even when things are looking pretty bleak, I know the best is yet to come, and that you’re going to come through for Me in the end.

To have My joy, it’s vital to keep the eternal vision, not letting the little things that happen here and now have so much of an influence on your happiness and peace. In the eternal perspective, all is well! So look forward with faith, and that will make your present much better too.

You sometimes feel that you can’t be joyful unless all the problems are gone, and as long as something is weighing on you, it steals away your joy and makes you feel that you can’t have fun or be free or even just feel good about living and being alive. The minute something negative crops up, it pokes a pin in your joy balloon.

But My joy is based on so much more than that. I’m happy during the rainstorms of life because I know that above the clouds the sun is still shining. I can see that and know that for a fact, but you can’t unless you tap into My perspective. I say, “Hey, you don’t have to sit there getting rained on. Come fly with Me and I’ll take you above the clouds to where it isn’t raining anymore, to where it’s sunny and happy and joyful and free.”

So you must resist the negatives. You have to fight condemnation and depression. You have to fight to stay free from stress. You have to fight to see things the way I do rather than comparing negatively. And you have to reach for My joy, and act as if you have it. Proceed by faith by doing all the things that you would associate with being joyful. Enjoy yourself! Smile! Praise Me! Love others! Have a great time serving Me and act like you’re free, and you will become so.

My joy is even more real and genuine than all the negative you’re striving so hard to push from your mind. They’re alternate realities, two different ways to look at life, and you can flip the switch fully to the one and make it so that the other hardly exists. If you choose to live in the realm of happiness and freedom, then none of that other stuff can touch you. But conversely, if you decide to dwell in the dens of gloom, then My happiness can seem so far away as to be almost a fantasy. Either reality can consume your mind if you let it.

Start looking for the things in each day that I bring along to make you happy, to give you pleasure or enjoyment or satisfaction or contentment. There are big things too, but focus first on the small things. I want to see you enjoying these gifts of My love guilt-free. I want to see you take pleasure in every blessing that I’ve given you. But I also want to teach you a more permanent joy, a more lasting happiness that isn’t dependent merely on earthly things.

The happiness I bring is faith-based; it sees beyond the moment and revels in the eternal nature of My love for you. It’s the essence of the concept: “If we know that God loves us, we know that everything is going to be okay.” And then I take it a step further to add that if you know that I love you and everything’s going to be okay, then there is nothing to hold you back from having the time of your life seeing what I have in store for you, how I’m going to bring victory, and how I’m going to make you so happy.

My joy is also activated through praise. When you burst out in praise to Me and lift up your heart to Me, it shows Me that you’ve claimed My joy and are living in it, whether you feel like you have or not.

You can be happy; you’re allowed to be. You’re allowed to enjoy life. You’re allowed to live joyfully. You’re allowed to be hopeful for the future even if you’ve made a mess of the present. You’re allowed to believe that I love you even if you think you’ve disappointed Me. You’re allowed to give and share large portions of love, because you’re never going to run out. You’re allowed to have fun and let yourself relax, because these things are good and healthy, and I love to see you do them. And very important, you’re allowed to never, ever have to listen to the Devil again and let him tell you how no-good and worthless you are! You never have to listen to that message of doom and gloom again.

My joy is a state of mind—something that you can consciously choose to put on and accept from Me. It’s not something you’ll necessarily wake up in the morning with. It’s not even going to be something you’re always going to feel like doing. You might feel sad, and if you’re sitting around waiting for My joy to strike you like a lightning bolt, it’s not going to happen.

It’s like faith in that way. Faith doesn’t just hit you; you have to build your faith by reading My Word and making an effort to believe. Then you step out and put your faith into action even if you’re not sure you feel it. You know it’s there because you’ve spent time with Me in My Word, and you’re putting Me to the test.

It’s the same with My promises of joy; My joy is here for you! You can receive it anytime and keep it with you for the rest of your life. That’s how I hope you live always. But don’t go by feelings, because in that land My joy is often obscured. Look to Me, and I will set you free.

Originally published July 2006. Updated and republished May 2012.
Read by Simon Peterson.

copyright@The Family International