3 Ways To Beat The Blues and Refresh Your Joy
/Does your joy-o-meter seem to plummet to an all new low with the latest headline, heartache or health concern? Do you find that since the paycheck is stretched, so is your peace? Are you having trouble beating the blues?
Your world might not be turning out the way you expected, but joy can still be a part of every moment of your day. God has a solution for every problem we face in His word if we pause and ask for His perspective!
When you get into the rut of joyless living, remember these 3 ways to beat the blues and refresh your joy in the Lord!
3 Ways To Beat The Blues and Refresh Your Joy
1) Keep your eyes on the big picture.
From headlines to the frontlines it seems the worst of humanity speaks loud. Just for fun-sies, let’s add a nice dollop of stretched finances, rocky relationships, or chronic health problems to the mix and see how the smiles fade. The enemy taps his finger on your shoulder and whispers his little lies that make you want to stay curled up in bed with your cat and a bag of potato chips. Not cool.
God wants your life to display joy even in the middle of hard things. Are you keeping your eyes on the things of this world or do you have your gazed fixed on things above?
The only thing the world can offer you is temporary, illusive happiness and not true joy. The headlines change, the cat dies and the bag of chips eventually empties out, right? Where did your contentment go? Where is your source of joy?
True joy can only come from a deep relationship with the Lord and He has big plans for you.
It is really easy to drill down and fixate on what is happening in the here and now and forget the importance of eternal things.
Sometimes that is ok pay attention to problems and find solutions, but when it consumes you it will damage you. Having an eternal perspective will keep your heart from drilling down into hopelessness and damaging you and those you love.
One of my favorite old hymns reminds me to keep an eternal perspective.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”- Helen Howarth Lemmel.
He will either walk with you through it or walk you around it. Either way, He is holding your hand and He is in it for the long haul. He is not leaving you and He wants you to trust His big picture as you look full in His wonderful face.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
2) Keep your heart meditating on truth.
There is an old saying that whatever you feed will grow, and whatever you starve will die. That is true when it comes to issues of the heart. Whatever you let your heart feast on is what will take over your heart. Sister, let TRUTH invade your heart!
The enemy of your soul squeals with delight when your heart dwells on lies. Lies are the fuel that will burn up your joy! Don’t give the enemy more more inch of your beautiful heart, sister! Are you letting your heart feast on lies from the enemy or truths from God’s word?
Starve the lies of the enemy by keeping your heart meditating on what is noble, right and true.
Joy is a fruit of the spirit’s work in your life, so pull up a chair to His table and fill your plate with truth! The more your heart meditates on truth, the more room joy will have to flourish in your heart and life. Taste it! Consume it! Make Truth a daily part of your diet.
Joy grows wild in the fertile ground of God’s word!
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.” Philippians 4:8
3) Keep your mind focused on His promises.
Oh, the enemy loves it when your mind gets distracted and distorted. He knows if he can fill your head with doubts, disbelief and dismay, he can keep you on his hamster wheel of joylessness and get beat up by the blues.
When you feel overwhelmed by life circumstances it is crucial to keep your mind anchored and focused on His unchanging promises. When the waves break over you, hang on to what you know is true about your Heavenly Father.
His unfailing, ever-faithful, always present promises are like a warm blanket for your blue heart. His promises spread abundant joy and peace as they sink into your mind through memorization and prayer.
“By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” 2 Peter 1:4
“And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lordyour God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.” Joshua 23:14
As you keep your eyes on the big picture, your heart meditating on truth and your mind focused on His promises, things change! While your circumstances may not change, your perspective will.
Your prayer life will grow stronger. You will begin to see the protective, loving hand of your Good God in bad situations. You will see a heart of gratitude begin to grow where there once was a heart of grumbling.
You will see the mind of Christ where there used to be a mind filled with shallow, self-centered thoughts. Now, doesn’t that bring a smile to your face and joy to your soul?
My friend, JOY looks good on you!
Refreshing Your Joy Devotional
Take one month to target those blues and take back your joy with Refreshing Your Joy-31 Days of Praying Scripture by Emily Saxe and Sheryl Aeschliman! This delightful devotional comes with 31 beautifully designed scripture cards to keep your eyes on things above and remind your soul of His beautiful promises.
It’s a perfect tool to help you beat back those blues! Packed full with scripture and daily prayer, Refreshing Your Joy will help guide you into deeper conversation with your Creator as well as help you hide His word in your heart.
This devotional has supplemental video teachings available through our private Facebook Group A Simple Gathering. We meet every Tuesday night at 8pm EST for live teaching and encouragement! Hope to see you there! You can also reach Emily Saxe for more encouragement over at her website To Unearth.
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