That's why God's people must be people of prayer.
Please don't think of this is as a negative point of view. In fact understanding this is part of not being derailed whenever hard times come. And it's part of experiencing joy.
Consistent, persistent, joy is not an accident, nor is it simply a matter of personality. Yes, some people are more inclined to gloom than others, or, to put it another way, some people are more inclined to be cheerful than others.
Having said that, there is a certain determination required to be consistently joyful--determination in guarding our hearts and minds against things that bring dismay. That can be difficult in a world in which so many people seem to be frightened
It also requires a determined focus on those things that help ground us in a healthy, joyful, mindset. In other words it is both a negative thing--knowing what things to refuse entry to your mind--and knowing what things to pursue.
I spoke in a previous blog about learning to concentrate on God as in 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. (Philippians 4:8)
And that is hard mental work. In fact, it could be called war.
https://youtu.be/cQuWMGtpLJs
Pressing on.
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