Life can squeeze out your joy. Like an exhausted slice of lime or lemon, there is nothing left. You have flavored the life of others by giving to them, but now nothing remains for you. Your joy is gone. You need a revival of joy. Maybe you are battling health issues or financial woes. The pressure has gotten the best of you. Like the crushing of grapes in the preparation of wine, your juices of joy have been depleted. The only remains are dried and parched skins. You are tapped out. You are in desperate need of a jolt of joy.

You need joy to bridge you from your position of burnout back to your role as joy giver. Isn’t it ironic that we can fall victim to the very thing we see as a deficiency in others? No one is immune to slipping into a joyless life. In fact there will be seasons that joy will elude us like water in the desert. We need a new infusion of joy. The revival of joy is ongoing. You can only run so long, and then you must stop and refill your joy tanks.

You can remember when work brought you joy, but now you are maintaining at best. Marriage was bliss in the past—-full of joy—-but now you just coexist. Your relationship with God once erupted with joy, but now it is stale and distant. A revival of joy refills you on all these fronts. Revival assumes that joy once existed. Joy reigned over many aspects of your life, but certainly the joy of your salvation was once preeminent. To revive something means you bring it back into existence, back to life. So the best place to start the revival of anything is with God.

God specializes in resurrecting and reviving. He can take what is dead or dormant and breathe life into it. The breath of God gives joy. God’s breath is not stale or repugnant. On the contrary, His breath is fresh and rejuvenating. Like an asthmatic gasping for air, we struggle in need of God’s oxygen. Life’s struggles wear us down to a pulp. We need the breath of God to revive our joy. But, you may need to alter your proximity to benefit from the breath of God. His breath is most effective up close and personal.

Like an inhaler, you need God daily in your face to transmit His joy. The joy of the Lord is not captured from a distance. It is inhaled and ingested from a position of intimacy. Do not let your joylessness leave you incoherent. God wants to clear your heart and mind. Joy is on the way, like the arrival of the cavalry in the heat of the battle. Let God rescue you, revive you, and set you back on a joy-filled journey. You are not defeated in Christ. The enemy is the loser. He is the joy killer, but his advances are temporary. Allow God to resuscitate your joy. The world won’t. Work can’t. People fail. And money is an illusion of joy.

So, go to the creator, dispenser and sustainer of joy. Lean on the one full of joy, Jesus. He will bring your joy back to life as He was brought back to life—-full and robust. Let Him make your joy complete. His joy is your strength. Some things never change and His joy is one of them. Start by simply thinking back on when you exchanged self for a savior. You opened the door to your life and Jesus entered with a housewarming gift. It was a beautiful basket full of joy. Relive that experience and reengage with Him. His joy is not jaded—-it is just right. Your joy will rub off on others, and the revival of rejoicing in God will extend from one person to another. Be joyful in Jesus, because He is the reason!

Taken from Dose 66 in the 90-day devotional book Infusion.

Now through Labor Day buy one get one free of the new 90-day devotional book, Seeking God in the Psalms. http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers, Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0 All titles also available from the iBook store for iPad

Additional Resource: Hard copy of the 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and the 90-day devotional book Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Support Wisdom Hunters: Learn how you can help us reach other Wisdom Hunters with your monthly donation… click here: http://wisdomhunters.com/support-wh/

Good examples are rare but rewarding. Some are hard to find because they are discreet and busy about doing the right things. Though good examples are few and far between, they can be found. They can be found in matriarchs and patriarchs. They can be found in new believers and old believers. They can be found at work, on the golf course, in the boardroom, at a Bible study or in church.

Good examples can be found, but it is important that you pray and go to school on them. Pray to God for good examples to cross your path; then you will have the privilege of watching them “up close and personal” or from a distance. Regardless of their proximity, it is wise to learn from their lives.

You can learn a ton just by looking. Look for how they invest their time and money. Look for the way they love God and respect their spouse. Look for their intentionality in loving non-Christians. Be a character watcher. Watch their patience and forgiveness in the middle of a firestorm of criticism and adversity. Watch for the confession of their sin and shortcomings with a heart toward repentance. Watch them fear God and serve people. As you watch, there is a good chance you will become like them. You are tremendously influenced by what you watch. Watch good examples.

Moreover, read their writings. Understand their thinking and question their habits. Find out what they do and why they do it. Once you discover their “best practices” for living, begin to incorporate them into your life. Of course, integrate these disciplines only as you are ready and it is appropriate. Be yourself, while you learn from someone else. You are still sold out to Christ first, so only follow the good example of one who follows Him. You are not in a fan club for man. Instead, you have a lifetime membership in Christ’s Kingdom.

Jesus is your best example. However, relating to Jesus is sometimes hard, because He was without sin. Yet, He is the standard. If you are in doubt about a behavior or attitude, emulate Jesus. Jesus will never let you down or lead you astray. The saintly characters of the Bible are good examples to follow as well. Abraham’s faith is compelling. The boldness of Moses gives courage. Joseph’s integrity is inviting. His forgiveness is refreshing. David’s brokenness is pure and holds eternal consequences.

Esther’s loyalty is inspiring. Solomon’s wisdom is life changing. Hannah’s trust is without compromise. Jonah’s zeal is challenging. Elijah’s dependence on God is a faith builder. Job’s perseverance is rewarding. Jeremiah’s compassion is humbling. Isaiah’s eloquence is heavenly. The Minor Prophets reveal a major need to fear God. The Psalms of David comfort. Jesus is Jesus. Paul perseveres. Peter preaches. Luke writes. John loves. Zacchaeus reaches out to sinners. Mark didn’t give up. These are all good examples.

Indeed, there are other modern-day good examples. There is Billy Graham’s integrity, Mother Teresa’s service to the poorest of the poor and John Paul’s leadership. Be inspired by good examples. Be encouraged by good examples. Be taught by good examples. Be motivated by good examples. Be set free by good examples. Be a good example. But, make Jesus your best example!

Taken from Dose 62 in the 90-day devotional book, Infusion.

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers, Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0 Most titles also available from iBook store for iPad

Additional Resource: Hard copy of the 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and the 90-day devotional book Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Releasing on Labor Day the 90-day devotional book, Seeking God in the Psalms.

Support Wisdom Hunters: Learn how you can help us reach other Wisdom Hunters with your monthly donation… click here: http://wisdomhunters.com/support-wh/

Everyone needs a place to rest, a time to rejuvenate and restore your soul. A soul without rest is vulnerable to doubt, disease, and dread. Without soul care, you risk being ineffective for the long term. So, allow your soul to catch up with your activity through rest. A restless soul loses hope and perspective.

Stop right now and take an audit of your soul. Is it strung out and anxious? If so, rearrange your schedule for rest before it rearranges you. A non-restful pace is unsustainable, and a restful place is necessary to persevere. Do not fall for the false feeling that activity somehow equals progress or success. Without rest, you are going nowhere fast. If you intensify the pace, you are going nowhere, faster.

Rest allows you to recalibrate your priorities and replenish your cistern of creativity. Your work rhythms may require a day with no scheduled appointments. Indeed, each resting place looks different, depending on your need. For example, your resting place may be the quiet screened porch, where you relax with a cup of coffee and a good book.

For someone else, a resting place may be a comfortable couch, where they nap to the steady beat of raindrops pelting the rooftop. It can be the park where you walk with your best friend, a secluded drive in the countryside, or an adventurous exploration of the great Pacific Northwest. Whether your resting place is the beach, the mountains, or in front of a good movie, make time to engage with it. God speaks to you in your place of rest. This is one of His favorite spots to shape your soul.

Furthermore, your resting place allows you to resist temptation. Fatigue causes you to stumble and fall through life. If you are working through exhaustion, you may be missing God. A lethargic life struggles to listen to the Lord, and a heart worn down from weariness has a hard time hearing His voice. A depleted spirit is not primed for discernment, and decision-making during duress can be dreadful.

Therefore, go away to a resting place. Find God and find yourself under the canopy of His creation. A resting place is your protection from yourself, from evil influences, and from lost perspective. Above all else, your resting place reveals God in a refreshing way. His program takes on a new priority in His place of rest. Your confidence is resurrected. Your trust takes on a new level of intensity. Your patience leads to a deeper understanding of what it means to wait on the Lord.

A resting place is for your sake and His. It is necessary to experience God’s very best for you and your family. Discover your resting place in prayer, and go there often. Repentance follows rest, and robust relationships result from rest. Your best and most creative ideas emerge from relaxed meditation on your Master. Wisdom resides in rest.

Taken from the July 17th reading in the 365-day devotional book, Seeking Daily the Heart of God.

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers , Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0

Additional Resource: Hard copy of the 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and the 90-day devotional Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Releasing on Labor Day the 90-day devotional book, Seeking God in the Psalms.

Support Wisdom Hunters: Learn how you can help us reach other Wisdom Hunters with your monthly donation… click here: http://wisdomhunters.com/support-wh/

We do not own our lives. We have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Jesus’ sacrificial blood purchased our freedom from the fire of hell, sin, and death. By faith, He owns us. A great exchange took place when you first believed in Jesus. What’s yours became His, and what’s His became yours. The life of Christ became your life. It is not your life to define, but His. He has wrapped a wonderful definition around whose you are in Him. You are a child of God. You are secure because your Savior keeps you. You are valuable because the Lord values you.

You are protected because the Almighty owns you. The Bible is God’s glossary of how to define yourself. Scripture gives you a family tree of faith for you to trace your religious roots. It is a mirror of how God sees you. He sees you as accepted in His Son, though you suffer rejection from others. Cherish and enjoy daily the acceptance of Jesus. Moreover, your mistakes are His opportunity to affirm His acceptance. There are still consequences to your sin, but He is always available to receive you back because you are His. He accepts and receives back His own.

Furthermore, He directs His own (Isaiah 48:17). God wants you to understand and follow His plan for your life. Praise God it’s a step-by-step process and He directs your steps! Some days you may feel like it’s three steps forward and two steps back, but do not be discouraged or dismayed. God is still directing your steps, though at times they seem tedious and laborious. The Lord leads you in lockstep with His steps. In His steps is the wise way to walk. Do not run ahead, thinking you have to set a record for speed or quickness.

In fact, fast steps may cause you to backtrack and relearn what God was trying to teach you. Walk patiently with Him, and watch Him work. The Holy Spirit is your step director. You are in His step class for instruction in His word and exercise in faith. Learn how to let the Lord direct your steps. Prayerfully listen to the quiet prompting from His spirit. Stop when you need to stop. Speed up when you need to speed up. Slow down when you need to slow down. God directs the steps of a submitted and surrendered man or woman.

Stubbornness is hard to direct (Psalm 81:12). Pride resists direction, and independence attempts to self-direct. Listen to your spouse or close friend. God may speak His next steps through them. Self-direction is like traveling alone to a new destination without a map or an orientation to your surroundings. It is futile and frustrating. It leads to fatalistic thinking. God-directed steps, on the contrary, are a pathway to peace.

You can rest in His far-reaching perspective and other-worldly wisdom. He gives divine directions that determine His will for your life. Step by step He leads you. You can trust that His way is the best way. Be patient. Watch Him work in spite of adversity and a lack of resources. Avoid a two-step with yourself, and stay in step with your Savior. Allow your Maker to define your moves. Walking with the Lord is the wisest way to go, so resist directing your own steps. Trust in your walk with Him, and allow His direction to define your steps.

Taken from the July 10th reading in the 365-day devotional, Seeking Daily the Heart of God.

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers , Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0

Additional Resource: Hard copy of 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and 90-day devotional Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

Support Wisdom Hunters: Learn how you can help us reach other Wisdom Hunters with your monthly donation… click here: http://wisdomhunters.com/support-wh/