Our minds may tell us that, for us to be happy, we must have a certain food or drink, watch our favorite television shows, be with a certain person or travel to distant places. But when we are controlled by our physical desires, we often lose the joy of living as a spiritual being. God has given us the capacity to receive happiness through His Spirit. The human spirit can learn to respond to the Holy Spirit! The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit came to be our comforter. We can learn to receive His comfort.

Many activities are not harmful in themselves but become harmful when they control us. If life’s circumstances deprive us of something that other people enjoy, are we therefore bound to be unhappy? Certainly not! God has given us the ability to always rejoice and be glad. What we need is to learn how to receive His gifts.

Jesus said that He came to give us life, and that we might have more abundant life. This abundant life is controlled by the His Spirit, not by our circumstances. The more that I allow Him to control my thoughts the better I feel.

Jesus put it this way, Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you (I John 2:15). This verse needs to be lifted out of the abstract and brought into our everyday living. Love not (those things withheld from you) for they are part of this world.

We should not say to ourselves, “I’m not unhappy,” when, in fact, we are unhappy. Our statement would be rejecting what we know to be fact, and that accomplishes very little. What we need to learn is how to step in to our rightful inheritance in Christ. We can repeat to ourselves one hundred or more times a day, The joy of the Lord is working in me! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:18). Leap for joy: for behold your reward is great (Luke 6:23). Be glad with exceeding joy (I Peter 4:13). My soul shall be joyful in my God (Isaiah 61:10). Let them that love Thy name be joyful (Psalm 5:11).

The list of scriptural references to joy goes on and on. I’m gradually learning to step into God’s promise of joy – His promise to everyone who will believe Him.

For now, we live and move and have our being in Him (see Acts 17:28). Because of Jesus, Earth is a place for God’s children to rejoice. As we learn to willingly and gladly become a part of God’s plan for this Earth, His spirit fulfills His mission here on earth. He comforts us with a joy that those without Christ do not have or understand.  (Reprint from February 1990)