Choose to Be Happy

Choose to be Happy

Ephesians 5:18-19 18And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…

Many know the first part, so we will not spend time on the negative but on the positive, “be filled with the Spirit."

One of the accomplishments of Calvary is the ability for our Lord to baptize with the Holy Spirit. Some think that this is a one time event but this admonition speaks of being continually filled with the Spirit. So the first step is to go to the Lord in prayer and asking Him to fill you. Will He do it? Of course! How does He do it?

First by helping you to love, read, understand and inwardly digest the word of God. Since the Holy Spirit was the author of the scriptures He is best able to enlighten your understanding. Feel free to ask the Holy Spirit to aid your intellect. (There is no jealousy in the Trinity. We can pray to the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.)

Second involves your self-talk. Ask the Holy Spirit’s help as you talk to yourselves before talking to others. Often we speak to ourselves negatively as we judge our actions, motives and goals. When you speak to yourself, do not ways put yourself down. We do not get better by dwelling on past failures. Remember that even God, took 6 days to change nothing into His finished creation. Each day He looked at what he had done and said, “it is good” (enough). Give yourself encouragement while avoiding pride.

Third is the Holy Spirit as He encourages us to sing.

He starts us off by telling us to speak. After we have spoken to ourselves we need to speak to others. Singing is melodious speaking. But how do we sing when our hearts are so heavy? Don’t. Just begin by reading the Psalms until you can feel like singing.

In Psalm 103 we find an example of this. In the first verse he speaks to his soul but finds no song. In the second verse he tells us why there is no song. He is trying to remember all of his benefits. Then he explains that we are tempted to forget all of God’s mercies. Then he tells us how to find a song. Start with what God has done: He forgives, and he has healed. Then he finds much more to be thankful for.

Find a song that you have heard that expresses your gratitude. That may begin with the great Hymns of the Church and then spiritual songs or even make up a song from your experience.

I often find myself singing when there is no one nearby only to hear someone say, “There goes a happy man,” I say, ”No, but I am working at it.” We cannot always stay happy but we can become happy by using “Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs making melody in our hearts”. The tempter avoids a singing soul. Make this day different by changing it from just a day to a blessed day by the melody on your heart.

Singing I go along life’s road,
Praising the Lord, praising the Lord,
Singing I go along life’s road,
For Jesus has lifted my load.

Pastor George Van Sandt has his doctorate counseling and was Bill Welte's pastor growing up.

God's WORD for YOU:Proverbs 21; Joshua 7-9; Luke 1:21-28

Great Quote: God has called us to shine, just as much as Daniel was sent into Babylon to shine. Let no one say that he cannot shine because he has not so much influence as some others may have. What God wants you to do is to use the influence you have. Daniel probably did not have much influence down in Babylon at first, but God soon gave him more because he was faithful and used what he had.Dwight L. Moody