Grace Abounds Ministries

How to Walk in Joy - Part 3 In the past two articles, I began discussing how to walk in joy, focusing on being intentional about receiving joy from the Holy Spirit so that we are aware of it and can fully enjoy it. Four elements help position us to walk in joy:  Determination, Passion, Focus, and Energy. In the last article, I covered the first element, determination. Today, I will discuss Focus and Passion . Focus is the ability to concentrate one's thoughts, emotions, and actions on seeking Christ—seeking to know His will and purpose for our lives. When our hearts are fixed on receiving wisdom from above, it fosters a deep and undistracted connection with God. Paul speaks about setting our minds on Christ:  " If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. " Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJ...

How to Walk in Joy - Part 2 In today's article, I will continue sharing how to walk in joy. In the previous article, I began by discussing how to embrace joy by opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit. To do this, we need to learn how to cultivate the presence of God. The second point I want to share in this article is: Cultivating the Presence of God. What does it mean to cultivate God's presence?   It means being aware of God's presence with us and being sensitive to it as it is manifested through the Holy Spirit. Cultivating God's presence involves yearning for nothing but God. It's a state where we don't want to see, hear, or experience anything apart from what comes from the Lord. And what comes from Him includes joy . Understand this: the Lord is always with us, but we are not always aware of it. However, a person who knows how to cultivate God's presence is constantly aware of it.   Let's explore some scripture to see how important it is to cultivat...

How to Walk in Joy The moment we believe the Gospel and receive the life of Christ, we receive joy. However, having received God's joy as Christians, we don't automatically walk in it. That's why I will be sharing in this article how to walk in joy—how to stay joyful. "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit." Psalms 51:11-12. To walk in divine joy, we need to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. In the verse above, David was expressing his guilt over the taking of Bathsheba and the whole scenario that came with it when Nathan the prophet came to tell him his wrongs. He was humbled and was praying like an Old Testament saint because he had not yet received the reality of the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit often comes upon the believer for a specific assignment and at a particular time. So, David asking God not to take away Hi...