Choosing joy over sadness

Is it really possible to choose joy over sadness?  I thought those feelings just happened to me.  I didn’t think I had any control over it.  In the Bible, the concept of joy is serious business. It's not a superficial warm and fuzzy kind of feeling. It's a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and it can help the believer overcome all kinds of adversity. Nehemiah 8:10 says “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  This indicate that when we lose our joy, we can become victims of despair and even sickness. Proverbs 17:22 (TLB) says, "A cheerful heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick." Have you ever gotten sick after something happened to disappoint or depress you? I have. Next time you're ill, ask yourself if you've been struggling with negative emotions.

     Proverbs 15:15 (TLB) says, "When a man is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong; when he is cheerful, everything seems right!" Ever notice how your moods can affect your whole outlook on life? When you're feeling down, it can seem like nothing's going right, and everyone around you irritates you. But if you're feeling particularly cheerful one day, almost nothing bothers you. When you're filled with the joy of the Lord, you feel strong, capable, and ready for anything. That's why a joy-filled believer is hard for the devil to handle. If the enemy can steal your joy, he can rob you of almost anything, including your health.

     That does it!  I’m doing anything in my power to be joy filled.  With God’s help I can and will.