abundant life

Habakkuk 3:18-19

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
      I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
 ¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
      He makes me as surefooted as a deer,^[a]
      able to tread upon the heights.

I read these verses this morning, and I reread and reread them. Lately it has become so clear to me that yes, Satan truly is out to steal, kill, and destroy. And the thing that he loves to steal, kill, and destroy is our joy. The Lord has been good to me. I have much to be grateful for here in Mexico and in life in general. And yet the enemy loves to point out to me what I do not have. He wants me to focus on the things that I still long for and then wants me to become dissatisfied with my Lord. And my Lord is the Creator of the universe. The Alpha and Omega. He is the only One who was, is, and is to come. His grace is sufficient for me, and His love never fails. And yet, the enemy quite often attempts (with much success, to my chagrin) to convince me to doubt the perfect love that drives out fear. He wants me to believe the worst possible scenario for everything instead of trusting in the One who knit me together in my mother's womb and continues to hold me in His hands-the same hands that hung the stars in the sky.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning or go to bed at night with a heavy heart, and I do not know where the heaviness comes from or why I feel overcome with emotion. Yet the Lord continues to show me just how good and faithful and true He is. And then I have to remember that joy is a choice. I have to consciously choose joy and fight the lies of the enemy by claiming the truth and allowing my mind to be renewed. And that, my friends, is so worth it. To claim joy and know that the Creator of the universe is on your side-how can I doubt when I have that truth to guide me each day?

If you know me at all, you know that I have a slight obsession with music. When Lyndsey came to visit me in April, she saw that obsession manifested in my daily life. I play music while my kids work, while I read, while I sleep, while I clean...I've got a playlist for just about everything. As we all know, music is powerful; it can change your mindset and mood by uplifting you or bringing you down. So these days I am trying to be intentional about what music I listen to and when. Let me tell you that Kirk Franklin's new album has proven to be just right in my little ruts these days. He has me dancing in my kitchen. Take a listen and choose joy today.