I want to tell you about a joy that can chase away every sadness and fill your heart to overflowing. It's not a fleeting feeling based on how your day is going, but something you build day by day in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
It's your relationship with the Holy Spirit that will lead you to truly know God. And once you know Him, you'll worship Him in a way that pours out of you like a river of praise, just thinking about how amazing your Savior is. You'll understand His goodness in your life, and laughter will just bubble up.
That's when you'll realize that the happiness this world offers is based on things that fade away, but the joy Jesus puts in your soul lasts forever. God wants you to find refuge in Him, and even in the midst of tears, to find a song of worship rising within you.
When you come to Him, surrendering at His feet, you'll be filled and comforted. Even when you're going through tough times, trials, and struggles, the joy of the Lord will be your strength, and you'll be able to keep going, fulfilling the purpose God has for you.
By God’s grace, His joy will uphold you and give you what you need to face anything. As Psalm 28:7 (NIV) says, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."
Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise thee with the lyre, O God, my God.
How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in thee!My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever.I will thank thee for ever, because thou hast done it. I will proclaim thy name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;
Yea, thou dost make him most blessed for ever; thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.
But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!
Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful!
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy work; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy.
And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance,
The eyes of all look to thee, and thou givest them their food in due season.Thou openest thy hand, thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials,for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror;for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’
Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul!
to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to thee; my soul also, which thou hast rescued.
O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.The Lord has chastened me sorely, but he has not given me over to death.Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures for ever.”
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord; David the king also rejoiced greatly.
Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
But may all who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; may those who love thy salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou dost hold my right hand.Thou dost guide me with thy counsel, and afterward thou wilt receive me to glory.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brethren as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
The hope of the righteous ends in gladness, but the expectation of the wicked comes to naught.
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?
Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
O how abundant is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee, and wrought for those who take refuge in thee, in the sight of the sons of men!
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee.For thou dost bless the righteous, O Lord; thou dost cover him with favor as with a shield.
I will rejoice and be glad for thy steadfast love, because thou hast seen my affliction, thou hast taken heed of my adversities,
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’