The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength

Yesterday I got a letter from the council about my rebate for my council tax and rent. I have to make a claim with universal credits so I can receive it. Well that was me starting to fret, this morning I went online to do it but I'm not sure if I hav done it right so I could feel the stress evels going up. So I got down on my knees and prayed to God to help me with strength through with the transition of me moving. After praying I went downstairs to make a cup of tea and when I was down there I read my perpetual calenders 

 So these messages put a smile on my face. Why do I get all stressed out when I look back and see what God has done for me in the past. It's normal to feel this way it's something I don't like doing. But then I read today Word from UCB and I laughed out loud. God was like if you don't believe those messages here is another one.

Unconditional Joy

'Our relationship is with...Jesus ..so that we can completely filled with joy'. 1 John 1:3-4 GWT

When joy is absent from your life, power is also missing (see Nehemiah 8:10). Your happiness shouldn't be based on what's happening around you, but on your relationship with Jesus. John says, 'We can be completely filled with joy' (1 John 1:4 GWT).

Pastor Reimar Schultze notes: 'John did not say this when all was well, but when...everything had turned to shambles. (1) All his fellow apostles had been murdered. (2) Rome had destroyed the temple [so]...not one stone was left upon another. Flavius Josephus, an eyewitness wrote, "The multitude of those that...perished exceeded all the destructions men or God ever brought upon the world." (3) Many Jews and Christians became refugees. Average life expectancy was about forty years and 25 per cent of the people in Rome were slaves. (4) John himself lived as a condemned criminal on the Isle of Patmos. He had no earthly comforts; no assurance of living another day. When the cup of misery was full, God commissioned [him] to show the world the absolute power and triumph of Christianity over everything...[John's] writings, in reference to our daily walk, put a capstone on all that Heaven intended to reveal in the Word: if we have apostolic fellowship, our joy will be full. You do not need pleasant circumstances for this to happen.'

The psalmist said it best: 'In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore' (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).

Oh how I love 😍 the synchronicity of today's messae. My symbol is the humming bird and my scripture on my bookmarker with the hummingbird is Psalm 46:10..... "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. And the symbolic meaning of the humming bird is "JOY" 😂😂

Then I found this link about Psalm 46:10 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-verse-be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god.html

Here is an extract from it which ties in with today's message 

Common Misunderstandings of Psalm 46:10

Instead of interpreting “be still” as a gentle suggestion, the meaning in this psalm lends itself more to: “cease striving” or “stop” and more specifically in this context “stop fighting,” which is directed toward the enemies of the people of God. The people of God should interpret the command for themselves to read more like: ‘snap out of it,’ ‘wake up,’ ‘stop fearing’—acknowledge who your God is—be in awe! However, it is good to note that there’s nothing wrong with the words in the translation “be still;” those words are not incorrect, it is simply helpful to note the context of the phrase. Verse 10 has something to say to both the enemies of God and the people of God, but it is the people of God the psalm is written to. Verse 1 starts, “God is our refuge and strength” (emphasis added). The Psalms are for God’s people.