Joy gives us energy, hope, and the ability to express our love. Joy is what brings us together and invigorates us to look forward to our day.
Marcus Warner/Chris Coursey
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
Ps 34:5 NLT
The Bible references JOY 192 times in the New King James Version. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, but what is JOY and how do we lay hold of it?
Noah Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, defines joy as follows:
JOY (noun)
The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.
JOY is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good.
While Webster defines JOY as an emotion or delight of the mind, God’s word tells us that our JOY is found in Him, in His Presence. Joy is the fruit of our relationship with Him.
Jim Wilder, one of the pioneers in the study of joy, took his expertise in neuroscience, psychology and medicine and combined it with the theology of joy. Through his research, he and his colleagues, developed The Life Model, which demonstrates that joy is a foundational aspect of reaching maturity. Our joy increases as we sense someone is genuinely glad to see us or spend time with us. Joy comes to us through our relationships, but it begins in our relationship with God. Our “joy strength” increases as we come to know God and learn to trust Him with our lives. It is the foundation of security and hope that undergirds our ability to grow and mature.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10
The Lord is calling us to “come up higher” to a place with Him where our relationship can be strengthened and our joy will increase. This is vitally important in these times because He wants us to stand with Him to defeat the giants in our lives and in our land. Waging this warfare requires profound trust in Him. Our trust grows when we know how to return to our place of joy and peace in Him.
In His Presence is fullness of joy…
Psalm 16:11
Here at JOY CORNER, we want to provide you with tools to help you grow in JOY and TRUST so that you can fully become who you were created to be and exercise the authority that you carry in His Name.
Joy and Reprogramming the Brain
Barb Bucklin joins Dan Duval for a powerful conversation on the importance of joy. Joy is a subject that is overlooked in preaching, in Bible Schools and Seminaries, and in daily life for a majority of believers. Why? Barb breaks down the power and importance of joy in this program, explaining its role in development, in the reprogramming of the brain, and in general life. Joy is an inarguable theme found throughout the Scriptures. Isn’t time we got a better handle on it?
The Battle between Peace and Fear with Barb Bucklin – What is peace? Why does fear contend with peace for authority over our lives? What can we do about it? Many of us at one time or another struggle to find peace, even after we have found Jesus. Dan Duval interviews Barb Bucklin as she brings wise council, the Word of God, and experience to the table to break things down.
Joy stimulates the growth of the brain systems involved in character formation, identity consolidation, and moral behavior. Joy is the best measure of the capacity to sustain positive change. Joy activates the brain’s social engagement system and prepares us to engage with God and others. The brain is more deeply changed by whom it loves (who brings me joy) than by what it thinks.