Finding New Ways to Be Happy

Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. God wouldn’t tell us to do something that wasn’t possible for us to accomplish, so we can have every confidence that it is indeed available for us to have a joyful spirit and to rejoice in the reality of our standing in Christ. Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord every day, and in every occasion, because this is our duty and privilege as God’s children. It is a very significant obligation in the life of believers, and it is one that should occupy our thoughts and attitudes daily. Our Heavenly Father is calling us to the table to feast on His goodness, because there is enough in Him to satisfy our hunger and thirst continually. If we truly believe this, we will not find it challenging at all to rejoice in Him. However, some of us are struggling to trust in His goodness, and we might not see rejoicing in the Lord as the pleasure and privilege it is meant to be.

Someone once said that feeling good is everything. This is true, but we have to understand what ‘feeling good’ really means. Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:18(NIV), “No one is good—except God alone.” Therefore, you and I have no other choice but to conclude that feeling good is feeling God’s presence and love in our hearts without end. Our Heavenly Father wants us to feel good all the time, and He has done everything through His powerful and precious Son, Jesus Christ, to secure our happiness. The distance between feeling unhappy and joyfully delighting in God is our belief in God’s goodness and our understanding of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us on the cross and was resurrected from the dead with all power in his hands, he ascended to heaven where he is now seated on the throne at God’s right hand. Hebrews 12:2(NLT) says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus Christ redeemed us and rescued us from the slavery of sin, darkness, and death. He restored our connection to Heavenly Father, the connection that Adam lost. Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be sons and daughters of God, which is what Heavenly Father always wanted.

In the Old Testament, God prophesied about what He planned to do for us through Christ. Through His prophet, Joel, God said in Joel 2:28(NIV), “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Because of the finished work of Christ, we can have God’s seed living inside our body temples. God’s seed is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us. 1Corinithians 6:19-20(NLT) tells us, “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

When we receive the Holy Spirit through the new birth experience that Christ made available, we receive salvation, and with salvation comes an overwhelming package of spiritual goodies. One of those goodies is joy. This joy is an inside job. It’s one of the goodies that the Spirit brings when he comes to live inside us. It is important for us to know this so that we understand the difference between joy and happiness. Joy is a spiritual reality; happiness is a choice.

Most of us allow ourselves to be happy based on the circumstances and conditions we face. If we have a good day at work or something positive happens, we are happy, but if we have a crummy day, and nothing goes right for us, we are not happy. For some of us, it can get much more complex. Biological wiring, bad programming, and the emotional and mental residuals from poor parenting and childhood trauma can have an impact on our level of happiness as well. However, these things do not impact our joy in the Lord, because our joy in the Lord comes from Him. The world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.

God’s goal for us is that we learn new ways to be happy by changing the SOURCE of our happiness. Some of us look to other people and relationships to make us happy. Many people think they can find happiness in financial wealth and material things. History has proven that none of these are lasting sources of happiness, and many of us are still learning this truth. People and things can’t control your feelings and emotions, only you can do that. God has given you free-will. You are self-governing, and you are at the helm of the decision-making process when it comes to how you will handle your emotions.

Prayer, spending time with the Lord, and reading God’s Word are tremendous sources of happiness. This is especially so when we understand that we are increased exponentially every time we digest these goodies. God tells us in 1Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing because the practice of praying to Him through Christ aids every area of our lives. We must recognize that just as we have programmed ourselves to switch on feelings of upset when it comes to the hiccups in life, we can program ourselves to switch on feelings of faith as well. God backs this up in Philippians 4:8(NIV) when He tells us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Another new way to find happiness is to spend as much time practicing happiness as we do indulging unhappiness. Some of us are looking to take big bites out of life when we haven’t learned to chew. We can’t find happiness in the small things and have somehow tricked ourselves into thinking it will come with the big things. Happiness is irrevocably and inextricably linked to gratitude. The two go hand in hand. It takes us a while to learn this lesson, but we should make doing so a significant part of our prayer lives. We will do ourselves the greatest favor by asking for the Spirit’s guidance and instruction for our happiness. We can and should lean on him for the internal work that help us live joyfully, be happy, and live in gratitude for the life we’ve been given in Christ. ■

New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“Finding New Ways to Be Happy”, written for Christian Encouragement and Inspiration© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.