A Merry Heart Hath a Continual Feast

Devotional Scripture

Proverbs 15:15: "All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast."

Thought for the Day

Bad experiences do not have to produce a bad attitude. Some people allow circumstances, instead of the Holy Spirit, to rule them. We can choose how to react to our circumstances. A person who has the joy of the Lord can endure and overcome all adverse circumstances without losing their peace, because God's joy (which is not dependant upon outward circumstances) comes from the spirit inside a person. Some people, all the days of their lives, will experience evil days because they never have learned to overcome the devils attacks of evil, fear, worry and depression.

God's joy is like a well within us. To get it flowing, we need only prime the pump. The best way to overcome despondency and worry is to start praising God for His many blessings. Instead of focusing on negatives, we can activate our faith and joy by turning our attention to God's goodness. Many times, when I have been tempted to get depressed, I just start singing this little chorus: Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God has done! Recalling Gods blessings and thanking Him for them reminds me that He is the Almighty God with whom nothing is impossible! Praise is a wonderful way to dispel depression or fear.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Now let us notice the Scripture says to praise God in everything, not for everything. Not everything that happens to us is Gods will, but it is Gods will that we always be thankful. We should not praise God for tragedies or sickness, yet we should praise Him in the midst of every situation. Evil things do not come from God; He is not the author of sickness, sin, or sorrow. The devil, who is not omnipresent, must have armies of demons to carry out his evil work against humanity. The devil is the one who sends such things and then tries to get us to blame God for them!

When we praise God, Satan flees, because God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). Psalms is a wonderful book of songs and praises to the Lord. Psalms 29, 30, 34 and 103 are very uplifting. Meditating upon and reading psalms of praise aloud to the Lord will lift our hearts from despair. Praise can bring about our answers, for the Lord loves to fellowship with those having grateful hearts. His nature is one of joy, and He desires to fill us with His joy. We are surrounded by His blessings every day. We have so much for
which we should be thankful. Christs sacrifice for our sins on the cross, is reason enough for us to gratefully praise Him forevermore!

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