My Friends, we have so many things that we want every day, and yet, so many of us don’t have those things. Why is it that so many of us are not Happy or Joyful?

Is it because we like being Unhappy and Grumpy? You would be surprised to know, there are many that prefer to be Unhappy and to be Grumpy. How is this useful to you or anyone else? Yes, there are times when we need to be serious, yet, why can we not be joyful at the same time? Let’s see here, what was that saying, “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?” (as in the movie Mary Poppins.) The point is, life is better when there is happiness and joy in it!

It’s like waking up one morning and you feel great! You come bounding out of that bed with vigor and vitality, ready for the day! So when this happens to you, is there sadness on your face, despair in your heart? Of course not! You wake up feeling like you could do anything possible…right? What does the Holy Word of God tell us?

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

The Lord God is telling us to seek HIM. It’s right there in Black and white, so why do so many people fail in this pursuit of happiness and Joy? Here another passage of Scripture, that explains exactly that:

James 4:3-4 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

I had Total Left knee Replacement surgery 2 1/2 months ago, and yes, indeed it hurt! Yet, at the same time, I was joyful unto the Lord for a new knee that would no longer cause me pain. I can remember, I would walk around for about 15 minutes, and then I would need to find a chair; otherwise, some very bad pain. After surgery, I knew I would experience pain, but that pain would be short-lived. That pain would be temporary at best, so now I have no more knee pain; I can walk and not be weary. Praise the Lord!

So, what is the problem? Why are so many people having trouble, having pain and suffering? What does the passage of Scripture above say?! Did they ask the Lord to begin with? Or have they Asked Amiss?” What?! How does one ask amiss? Let’s begin with the most obvious; do you belong to Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If not, then you need to fix this! And then we come to another tough one; Do you have unforgiven Sin in your life? And that is just the very first 2 hurdles that must be jumped, but they are critical hurdles!

If you belong to Jesus Christ, you have every reason to be happy! Your home is in Heaven with HIM. This life is temporary, short lived at best…right? Since you are here right now, would you prefer to be happy? Then you must choose that happiness over despair! Point being, you need to ask for happiness and Joy in your Life. In other words, don’t ask amiss! You need to have asked the Lord God to forgive you of all your Sin. Then you need to “Seek HIS Joy in your life”! Remember, you don’t ask, you won’t receive, but you must ask in a correct manner.

I have enjoyed going to parks before where you hear music playing, children running all about and playing. There is Joy and happiness there, am I not correct? This happiness and Joy is infectious, and I have watched people become happy once again. Old folks sitting there remember when they were young and playing, and a smile crosses their face. No one sits there and remembers when they Ate dirt for food and mud for drink and were beat every day! Am I correct? You know I am!

If you want to be happy and filled with Joy in your Life…Then ASK FOR IT! Ask the Lord in Prayer to bring Joy and Happiness into your life, but first you must be in the correct condition before you go before the Lord God. Then make your petition known to the Lord. HE already knows what you want, but like any good Father, HE wants to hear you ask for it. HE wants to talk with you, HE wants a relationship with you, HE loves to spend time with you, and it is HIS Joy to make you happy! So, what are you waiting for!? Right?

With Jesus Christ in your Life, there is nothing to fear, nothing to be sad or unhappy about! Again, this life is short; why would you want it to be anything but happy? Am I making sense here? In my mind, we already have enough grief to go around, enough unhappiness to be had, but…is that how you want your life to be? If you don’t ask, you will never receive; and if you choose to not seek, you will never find. That is in the Holy Word of God! Go ahead and make it happen right now! What do you have to lose? No one likes being sad and unhappy.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

All Passages of Scripture come from the King James Version of the Bible.

All Emphasis is mine

twobears44@gmail.com

That last Article was very difficult because it was about my Grandson, but also because I was on so much pain Medication as well. The Medication made it difficult to think; it just looped-me-out! So, I am now about a Month and a Half out of surgery. My knee hurts a very small amount; thus, I need less and less Medication. Thank you, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for that! I spent many a night in Prayer for the pain; and most of all, I needed some real sleep. The Lord met me every step of the way; thus, I Praise and Glorify HIM with every breath I take!

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

How odd is it that, if we Pray for others and meet their needs, HE meets us for our Needs?! In my head, that rings so true! Yet, how many people never Pray for anyone else, yet never fail to Pray for themselves? Obviously, something is then missing. Please note the verse above says, “The Effectual” and then “Fervent” Prayer. So, what does that mean? To pray just for yourself? Does that not make the Prayer one-sided, to not pray for others? Believe it or not, I pray that every article I write touches someone in some way. After reading the Holy Word of God, does everyone understand how to Pray? By no means is Prayer to be just for ourselves. How selfish is that?! Would the Lord God answer such a Prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer is about many things and many people; therefore, if we use that as a Template for our Prayers, we MUST Pray for others as well. How is it that so many people fail to recognize that, in Prayer, we are standing before the God and Creator of absolutely everything and asking HIM in a Petition. We must learn that, when we Pray, we are “Talking with the Great I AM…God!” To be heard by God, we must first Pray for HIS Forgiveness of our Sin; therefore, we are clean. You then have the ear of our Lord and Savior. Make it short and concise – in other words – straight to the point! The Lord God already knows every single need we could ever have, but HE wants to hear you. Is that not what every relationship needs?

In other words, if you have a Friend over, you don’t just sit there looking at each other; you talk. In a way, that is Intimacy with your Friend. Am I not correct?

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Is there ever a time when the Lord does not hear our Prayers? Absolutely, if there is unrepented Sin in our Life, or, if say, we foolishly mock a Prayer. This is why I sort of specified the Relationship we have with the Lord as we Pray and ask HIM. For anything.

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Selfishness will not be acceptable before the Lord. And trust me, my Friends, the Lord does indeed know your Heart at every moment. In other words, the Condition of our Hearts, in conjunction with HIM, is paramount…if we wish our Prayer be heard and answered. Does this make sense to you? Why do you think the Lord gave us the Lord’s Prayer as an example? Therefore, for our Prayers to be Heard and answered, we must first have an “acceptable Relationship” with the Lord God! What does the Lord’s Prayer begin with…? Our Father! Ahh! An existing Relationship… right? Look at the Passage of Scripture above. “My strength and My Redeemer!” Does this make sense to you now? If there is NO Relationship, you’re doing nothing but talking to yourself. “To be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord.”

I already know that when I Pray to my Lord and Savior, I must do so in a manner that is acceptable to HIM. Because I must be free of Sin, it means I must go before HIM and ask that HE cleanse me of my Sin with HIS Blood from the Cross. I must belong to HIM, one of HIS Children; is that not a Relationship?

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Ah! A new concept for talking with the Lord God – continually Speaking with HIM. We need to be focused on HIM in everything we do every day. You quickly realize you can’t do anything without HIM. HE gives us the next Breath of air and the next Heartbeat; so, if that is the case, how should we look at doing anything? Through and IN HIM. As I have stated before, the Pain Medication had me so very fogged-out, I couldn’t think; I couldn’t put a single sentence together. Still, HE Heard my Prayers. I spent a great deal of time with HIM in Prayer. The same thing should go for you as well. Put your Trust and Faith in HIM.

My Friends, it got so bad – my thinking – that I do not remember a lot of things that happened. Now, that’s some potent medication. I do know this, however: HE was with me at every step, in every way possible, and HE was Healing my Body and my mind. Thank you, Lord! I Praise and Glorify YOU, Lord!

Is it not obvious, one must have a continual Relationship with the Lord? HE already knows your every need. HE enjoys hearing you ask for it, to be talking with HIM. That, my Friends, is the entire reason HE created all of us… to Have a Relationship with us! So that HE could Bless each and every one of us, and we could Love HIM in return. Why is this so difficult for us to understand? If you truly get to thinking about it, it should be as easy as falling down.

I LOVE the idea that I can go before the Lord God…the Creator of absolutely everything…and talk with HIM. I must guess, it would more difficult to Hear HIM answer us…right? And if you get to thinking about it, it is even more work to NOT have a Relationship with HIM.

And people are always wondering why they have such a hard time just living from one day to the next. The table of events is stacked against you; this life is about having a Relationship with the Lord God! Let me ask you this: Will Satan have a relationship with you? Yeah…RIGHT! Satan wants to use you and then dispose of you…like yesterday’s trash! And he is going to laugh at you the entire time, with every mistake you make. IS that what you truly want?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

All Passages of Scripture come from the King James Version of the Bible.

All Emphasis is mine

twobears44@gmail.com