What Is True Joy?

Always be joyful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16

What is true joy?

There are many things we ask for in prayer. Many things we might wish God would give us.

And, if joy is one of them, as it is for most of us, then we need to have faith that God will give it to us.

When we think of joy, though, it might often come to our minds according to what we see in the world.

Maybe we believe that joy comes with getting a new car, or going on a vacation to the beach. We might find joy in those things, but that is not where true joy comes from.

True joy comes from deep inside of us. God sent his son and Jesus gave his life for us. When we remember that Jesus rose again from the cross we should feel true joy. When we see someone come to Jesus and accept his gift of Salvation we should experience true joy.

The Bible tells us that when we face trails we should feel joy. That when our faith is tested we should feel joy.

So, we should seek it out in prayer. We should ask God to fill us with joy. And we should know that true joy is better than, and possibly not quite like, anything we could imagine.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

1 James 1:2-3

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Whom Shall I Fear?

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
Psalm 23:4

Every step we take, he is with us. Dark thoughts cloud my mind at times. I get caught up in what is to come and it scares me. I don’t always feel that I can trust God. But then I remind myself that no matter what comes, he will be by my side.

God isn’t going to make life here on earth perfect. He isn’t going to protect me from every bad thing. But he is going to hold me. He is going to walk me through it. And I can trust him to give me strength.

I need to take this life step by step, day by day. I need to trust in God’s plan and timing. I need to do my part, and I need to rest assured that I am doing enough. I need to know that God is with me and that I have nothing to fear. My God is a great God, and I should never be afraid.

The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? 
Psalm 27:1


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

I Will Praise Him

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

We were made to praise God. He wants our praise every day. He wants our praise during the bad times and the good.

Job never stopped praising God, not even when everything was taken from him, including his family. He continued to worship God. He trusted in him.

I want to trust in God like that. I want to praise him in all circumstances. I want to show him how grateful I am for the life he has given me.

God is worthy of our praise. He has given us life and breath. He has given us more than we deserve. He has given the promise of heaven to those who believe in him.

And I want to forever be praising God for all of the good things he has done for me. He loves me, he gave his life for me, and I want to praise him for that.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn- shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Psalm 98:4-6

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

God's Grace Makes The Difference

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Sometimes we get caught up in thinking about what God expects of us. Sometimes we feel that we are not enough. We feel like we should be doing more.

I get convinced that it’s all up to me. That I have to be good enough. That God could never love me if I’m not. And that’s not true.

God wants us to love and serve others. He wants us to live out our faith. But that does not mean that we need to become obsessed with works or the things we say or do. Forefront in our minds and hearts should always be the fact that Jesus died on the cross for us. That he did that while we were still sinners. That he loves us despite our wrongs.

When we fully feel the grace and love of God we will be more willing to do works. To show love to orphans and widows. To be kind and generous. Because God’s grace will make all of the difference in our attitudes and lives.

But we don't have to do anything to receive God's grace. He offers it as a gift. He loves us and wants to give us eternal life.

God's grace is amazing and I am grateful for it. I'm glad that I don't have to earn into Heaven because I know I would never be good enough on my own. Only Jesus's death on the cross is powerful enough to take away my sins and make me new. And I am so grateful to him for giving me the gift of grace and salvation.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.Ephesians 2:4-5


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Strengthen My Faith

The disciples and prophets through the ages faced persecution. They were tortured and killed for their faith. They were mocked and made to be outcasts. But they were doing what was right. They were following God’s plan. They were allowing him to work through them.

When I read stories of the horrible things that happened to some of the believers in the Bible I don’t know how they endured it. When Peter and John were put into jail without doing anything wrong, how did they feel? Were they angry, or was their faith so strong that they knew God would rescue them?

It is a beautiful thing to see faith so strong that fear is dead. I long to have faith like that. And yet, I feel far from it.

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
Matthew 17:20

I want to have faith like a mustard seed. I want to believe that God will be with me no matter what I face. I want to live for him in a deep and true and beautiful way. And I pray that I will grow stronger in my faith every day.

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken