Tag: happiness

Joy

Joy is to abound the entire Hebrew month of Adar…. and this year because it’s a leap year we get 2 months of Adar… double the joy!   Joy is not the same thing as happiness… they are vastly different words!

Words are powerful.  I’m one of those mom’s who is constantly correcting her kids on their grammar as well as the words they use.  I ask them “is that really what you mean to say?”  Proverbs 18:21 in the New Living Translations says “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”  Since I am definitely one who LOVES to talk, I want to make sure that I’m reaping good consequences.  That’s why I love studying words in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew… really digging out the meanings.  So that I know exactly what I’m saying.

Choosing joy this month is much easier if you know the difference between joy and happiness.

Happiness is from the Middle English word meaning “hap” or “chance”… based on outward happenstances.

Joy comes from the Middle English from the French Anglo word “joie” meaning rejoice! I love that! The Apostle Paul thought it was so important to rejoice that he felt the need to repeat it twice… “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”   In fact, Paul talks about joy at least 16 times in the 4 chapters of Philippians.  

King David also exhorts us to serve the Lord with joy… Psalm 100:2 “Serve the LORD with joy. Come before him with a joyful shout!”  This exhortation wasn’t borne out of “happy” circumstances… he was at the time hiding in a cave, exiled from his throne, having barely escaped from the murderous intentions of his power-hungry son Absalom. What a rough set of circumstances!  And yet David chose this moment to compose a psalm of rejoicing.  

Joy is a deep down confidence that all is well, no matter what the circumstance, no matter what the difficulty, no matter what the problem.  Jewish sages have a saying, “simcha poritz geder” — joy breaks all barriers.  

Joy is a gift from God… Psalm 4:7 says Thou hast put joy in my heart”  The Greek word for “joy” is chara (χαρὰ), it’s a word related to “grace” (χάρις).  There is grace for joy available for us….. we need only spend time in His presence to be full of joy (Ps 16:11).

Today rejoice…. choose joy whether your circumstances are joyful or not….

  • get into His presence and let Him fill you with His joy (Ps 16:11))
  • let it strengthen you (Neh 8:10)
  • causing you to superabound with hope (Rom 15:13)

and that joy will break down any barriers in your life.

joy 2

 

 

I recently read a wonderful definition for joy:  joy is the flag that flies on the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.  

~ Robin

Adar – 5776 (2016)

Genesis 24:1 says that Abraham was blessed “in all things”.. that means he was blessed in EVERY AREA  of his life.  Galatians 3:13-14 says that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law and blessed us with the same blessing he promised to Abraham….  God wants you to walk in the Blessing… for it to be as full and complete (in all things) in your life as it was in Abraham’s.  We walk in this blessing by having a Hebrew mindset.  When you learn to think like God, you begin to prosper and walk in the blessing.  Studying the Hebrew months is one way we can begin to have a Hebrew mindset and think like God.  In April 2014, I began thinking about what the months of the year on our calendar mean to me.

In April 2014, I began thinking about what the months of the year on our calendar mean to me.  No coincidence since April is a month associated with the tribe of Issachar, who was the tribe anointed to understand times and seasons as well as what to do in those times.  To me, the months on our regular calendar reflect my life… birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, losses, and of course since we farm, our harvest seasons… some of these things are good and worth celebrating…. and some are sad remembrances.  This

This Gregorian calendar connects you to the earth realm. It is great for tracking our life events but to know God’s schedule of events it’s good to understand His calendar…. the Hebrew calendar.  His calendar is full of hope and causes us to reach for those higher things.. it causes us to be God focused… to be Kingdom minded.  Although some months on the Jewish calendar are designated as sad months, not full of hope at all!  But as you study them further, you begin to see God’s original plan for them and prophetically begin calling forth His redemptive plans for each month.  Adar is one of those REALLY good months… in fact so good, that the Jews designated it as the only double month on Leap Years (or pregnant years as it’s called in Hebrew)… those specific years (which is this year) we get Adar I and Adar II.

Adar I starts today Feb 10th and goes through March 10th.  And then we begin Adar II  on March 11th – April 8th.  The name Adar means “exalted“, “praised“, “power“, and “strength”  According to the rabbis, when Adar enters, joy and happiness enter with it.  It is the final month of winter and also the final month of the year (on the Hebrew feast calendar)… an end to a season.  It is a month of celebration as we celebrate Purim (March 23rd this year).  It’s a month of divine reversals, of curses overturned.  This is a time for evil decrees set against you to be broken.

This month walk in the revelation that IN CHRIST there has been a divine reversal… all curses have been overturned and evil decrees that were once set against you have ALREADY been broken.  

Naphtali is the tribe associated with this month.  The prophecies spoken over Naphtali are in Gen 49:21 “Naphtali is a free running doe, he speaks delightful words” and Deut 33:23 “Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of his blessing;”.

This month choose to walk in the joy that is yours in Christ…. in celebration … experiencing His divine turnarounds in our lives.  Walk in the freedom that Christ purchased for you, speaking “delightful words”… His words.. thereby enjoying the fullness of His abundant favor and full blessing.

We’re not trying to get these things but realizing that they are already ours IN CHRIST.

~ Robin