Preparing for JOY...Putting Jesus Christ First!

Ladies,

Have you found your JOY this Christmas? Are you still searching for it? Is it lost in the hustle and bustle? I would like to give you three ways to keep your joy and focus on Jesus Christ this season.

1) Prayer: Spend time talking to God and learn to listen to His voice. Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Don't worry about anything, instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." and I Thessalonians 5:17 says "Never stop praying." Cultivate a mind that talks to God and then sits quietly and listens for Him to speak.

2) Praise: 1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever." In 2 Chronicles 20 we read about King Jehoshaphat of Judah who learned of 3 vast armies coming to do battle against his nation. He took this to God in prayer, the word from the Lord in vs.15 was do not be afraid, the battle belongs to the Lord and in vs.21 "Give thanks to the Lord", at the very moment they started praising God, the armies started fighting each other. God won the victory for them. They praised God and saw the victory. Give thanks to God. Our gratitude makes our theology real and practical every day. Cultivate a heart of praise and thanksgiving.

3)Practice: Count your blessings. Bring your requests to God in prayer. Praise God for His Presence and Power at work in your life. Trust God in the midst of your circumstances. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ not the obstacles. Your God is bigger than any obstacle. We serve a BIG GOD!! Philippians 4:8 says for us to "Fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Persevere in the practice of prayer, praise and practice. Put Jesus Christ first and Jesus will fill you with JOY! This would be the greatest gift you could give to Jesus Christ for His birthday, the gift of yourself and time with Him.

"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I bust out in songs of thanksgiving."
Psalm 28:7

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand."
Isaiah 41;10

In Christ Love,
Melody