Fast 2026 - Day 21

Choose Joy!  

Proverbs 15:15;  (TPT)   When you choose to be cheerful, every day will bring you more and more joy and fullness.  

Every year I seek the Lord for a “word” and this year that word is “joy.”  I heard a woman once say that “you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to choose to be happy.” That woman had stage four cancer and was dying.   I have never forgotten that!  Joy is a choice—no matter what is going on.  What will we choose?  For me, I choose joy this year and here are a few things that may help:

• Put on a smile! Proverbs 15:13   A cheerful heart puts a smile on your face.  We are going to have to be intentional with this!  As an act of faith let’s choose to put on a smile and to be pleasant and let God change what needs to be changed on the inside or in our circumstances.  Let’s not wait for everything to be perfect!  Let it begin with a smile.
• Be a good friend!  First in my in my friendship with God, and second in the friendships God has blessed me with. 
• Proverbs 27:9  Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.  Any good relationship is developed and grown by spending time together.  In today’s busy world, we will need to be intentional to invest a little more time with the Lord and with our friends.   
• Shift Your Focus!  Focus on things that are beautiful and bring you joy.
• Proverbs 15: 30  Eyes that focus on what is beautiful bring joy to the heart, and hearing a good report refreshes and strengthens the inner being.
• Philippians 4:8 Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.  And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always. 
• Put on your favorite music, read a good book, take a walk, or do something creative—whatever you decide, let it be something that brings you joy!  It’s ok to check the news, but it’s not ok to listen to evil reports all day every day!  Turn off the noise! 
• Cultivate Gratitude.  Maintain a thankful heart even in the midst of life’s ups and downs.  1 Thessalonians 5:8 says Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Count your blessings!

Father, we choose joy!  Help us to remember to smile and to be pleasant to others, and to be a good friend—this begins in the secret place with You!  Help us to remember that we have so much to be thankful for so we will count our blessings and focus our thoughts there!  We thank You for sending Your seasons of refreshing, and for all of the good that You have planned for us!  In Jesus Name, Amen!