KEY SCRIPTURE:1 Thess 5:16 – 18 KJV Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 Discouragement is always linked to bad moods resulting from negative situations or negative anticipation. The scriptures gives us very positive instructions that would break every wrong mood, that can lead one to being discouraged. The instructions are as follows

1. Rejoice Always

 2.Pray Always

3. Give thanks always

The very first instruction of scripture is to rejoice evermore. To rejoice means to be excited in your heart, which is mostly expressed in singing.  We are called upon to rejoice in the Lord always. (Philip 4:4.). To rejoice in the Lord, you consider the completeness of Christ as your very completeness, and being joyful about it. (Col 2:9&10) Joy is a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit. It is a focus on what the word says rather than what is happening. Isaiah 12:3 KJV” Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation”. With joy you would provide answers to difficult situations. Joyfulness gives you staying power

A JOYFUL heart is the same as a merry heart, and the scripture says it does good as medicine, whiles a broken spirit dries the bones (Prov 17:22). A broken spirit is a sign of a discouraged person. Refuse to be broken in your spirit. The man with a joyful heart always has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15) Remember that joy is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) You can’t be discouraged with a joyful heart. The scripture that says rejoice always is a command. This means you rejoice on principle. You choose to rejoice. Have a song of praise on your lips. It could be a song that declares your victory in Christ. The scripture says we must count it all joy, when we encounter divers’ kinds temptations (James 1:2). It means when times become hard and you don’t know what to do, just decide to be joyful

The worse enemy of a joyful heart is to complain. The scripture says do all things without murmuring and disputing. (Phil 2:12) The moment you start complaining, you stop the flow of divine energy into you. You instantly cut off the grace of God when you complain. Just after the scripture said, we must not complain, it added that it is God who is at work in us. There is a supernatural power working in you to overcome every situation. It is the expression of joy, that makes it function fully in you.

CONFESSION

My heart is continually joyful. With joy I am in a constant feast and strengthened to do more all the time. I do not have any iota of giving up because, I have a constant supply of divine provision to keep on excelling.

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 15:13 KJV” A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken”.

Psalms 63:5 KJV “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:”