This devotional is dedicated to my husband, Justin Wash, who is, and has always been, my biggest cheerleader. Thank you, Justin, for never leaving me and for loving me all these years. You’re my greatest inspiration. I wrote this because I received a challenging phone call. At that moment I decided, wherever the enemy, or life, tries bringing me down, I’m going to rise with the word of God. I made teaching people joy, through my testimony and scripture, my mission. I pray this devotional brings you an understanding of the joy that’s inside you. You must release it!
Tara Wash
Day 1
Scripture: James 1:2-4
When we think of tests and trials, the last thing we often think of is joy. I mean, who really feels joy when an unexpected phone call or bad news reaches us? The Bible says we can use these things as opportunities for great joy. I’m reminded that where there is great pain, there is room for great joy. Experiencing heartbreak is never joyful, but “our suffering now cannot be compared to the glory He will reveal to us later,” and for that, we can be joyful (Romans 8:18, NLT). I am sure Jesus was not feeling joy in the moments leading up to the cross, but it was, “for the joy set before him,” He made it (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV)! We can have that same hope too! Whenever heartbreak is here, we can look to the joy that we know can come from it. I know this doesn’t make sense to our feelings, but we can take the word of God by faith. Meaning, I may not understand this, but I am going to choose to believe the word of God over what my mind and emotions may be telling me! God will not let your pain win; joy always wins! Your pain will not be wasted but God WILL turn your mourning into joyful dancing (Psalm 30:11 NLT)!
So, smile! Laugh, even when you don’t feel like it, and trust Him. ☺
Side note, this joy devotional was birthed in me on a day where I received news that punched my soul, you could say. I got a phone call that my brother might have to spend years in prison. This was not a good time for me since my other brother had recently passed away the year before. Mind you, I love my family dearly. So, the thought of possibly losing both of my brothers in such a short time span really hurt my heart. However, I stood up and said, “I will choose God in this mess!” So, I pulled out my journal and started writing. This journal entry was the start of my joy devotional! My life is living proof that regardless of how bad a situation may be, God can turn it all around for the good (Genesis 50:20 GNT).
Application time: Where in your life has great pain tried to silence you? Ask God to show you some ways you can turn your pain into a great joy! He will show you, if you just ask!
Day 2
Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT)
You mean, joy equals strength? Yes. That is what Nehemiah said. Spending time with God brings joy. If you ever feel your joy dwindling, ask yourself, “Have I been spending time in His presence?” “For in” His “presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11 KJV)! Your level of joy equals your level of strength! One time someone asked me, “What’s the best advice you can give me when I’m going through a storm?” My answer was simple, “Never lose your joy, because if you lose your joy, you will lose your strength.”
How do you not lose your joy? Spend time with God. Read your Bible. Talk to Him. Thank Him. Sing to Him. Cry to Him. Tell everyone about what God has done for you! It doesn’t matter what bad mood or self-pitying mood comes upon me, when I go and tell someone about God, or teach His word, the bad mood quickly leaves, and I have so much joy. Just talking about your testimony will bring great joy and encouragement to you and to others.
Application time: Write down some ways you spend time with God. Ask yourself, “Could I make a better effort to spend time with God” and “How often do I share what God has done for me”?
Day 3
Scripture: Romans 14:17
Having joy is not just an emotion, but it is a sure sign you’re living in the kingdom. I’m reminded of when I first gave my life to Christ. One of the reasons I trusted God was because of how happy His people were. I was around sad people my entire life. When I first “met joy,” I knew deep within myself, this is how it is supposed to be. Living in the kingdom is a mindset. It is the kingdom culture, you could say. There is righteousness, there is peace, and there is joy! Joy is a natural way of living, for God’s people.
Have you been living in sadness and you’re ready to come into the kingdom of joy? It’s as easy as repenting and telling your mind, I choose joy today.
Ask yourself, “What is the last thing that made me belly laugh?” Ask God to give you more of those “belly laugh” moments. Your life is a result of your asking and your words!
Application time: Write down the last memory you have of laughing so much that you cried! Start envisioning yourself doing that often!
Day 4
Scripture: Psalms 2:4
GOD LAUGHS!
Oh, you mean God is not a hard mean man who sits up in heaven and is always frustrated at people? No! He is a good God who laughs! He is joyful! After all, He is the one who created a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. The Bible says that laughing is a gift. You would be surprised how many people go years without laughing. I know, because I once was there. I lost my mom, my dad, and my little brother, all at a young age in life. The only family I had remaining rejected me. What was there to laugh about? Reading the Bible I knew God wanted me to laugh. “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 NASB)! So, I began praying and speaking over myself, my husband, and my children, “I thank God that we have the gift of laughter,” and I have continued to pray this prayer. There are many nights my family and I will belly laugh, and I always remember the years I have spent praying for these moments of laughter with my family. I will always say a little whisper of “thank you” to God in between each breath of belly laughing because, I know without a doubt, my laughter was a gift from Him.
Application time: When, if ever, have you asked God to help you laugh? Joy is already inside of you! You just have to let it out!! Stop being so serious and hard on yourself and everyone else, and just laugh! Write down some areas of your life that you would like to experience more laughter in. Is it during time with your spouse? Is it during times with your children? Maybe, it’s in church. Add more laughter to your life!
Day 5
Scriptures: Proverbs 31:25-26, Proverbs 31:1-31
She Laughs!
All our goals, as a woman, can be found in Proverbs 31:1-31. The Proverbs 31 woman is the “ultimate woman” we could say. Of the many traits this woman has, the one that stands out the most for me is, “she laughs without fear of the future (Proverbs 31:25 NLT).” Fear will rob you of your laughter. Worrying about your children, your marriage, your life, your husband, or anything else, will steal your ability to laugh. Fear may feel rational and realistic, but fear is actually a misuse of your imagination. Use your imagination for good thoughts, for godly thoughts. Fill your imagination with images of seeing yourself laughing. Close your eyes right now and picture yourself enjoying life and laughing so hard your belly hurts. Ephesians 3:20 says that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think” (King James Version KJV). So, if you’re imagining a future full of fear, don’t expect a life of happiness and laughter. I hear people say, “but it’s just not that easy!” Yes, it is that easy! You can tell your mind what to think. Just like you tell your hand to pick up a fork to eat, you can tell your mind what to think. If you have Jesus, you have self-control. So, it’s a habit you must practice. Practice setting your mind on a future of joy and laughter and you will have joy and laughter! “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 AMPC). What we think in our hearts we will be. God has good plans for you! Sit back, trust God, and LAUGH!
As you go through the day today, look for opportunities to just laugh. Even if you have to faith it until you make it, at first, just laugh! I promise, one day you’re going to look back, like me, and have a life full of laughter!
As I am typing this, I am laughing, because some people say I laugh too much or that I am always smiling. I can’t help it! I am full of joy! When you have joy unspeakable, it shows on your face!
Application time: Ask yourself, does your face show joy? Ask God to overwhelm you with so much joy that your face actually shows it!! Write down some things that make you smile and go fill your life with those things!
Day 6
Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19
Choose Joy
I often hear Christians say “choose joy” as if it is just the easiest thing to do. Here’s the thing; it really is that easy. It’s a choice. In Deuteronomy, God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life . . .” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV). He wants us to not hesitate to choose life! God also says, “So do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV) meaning, don’t do it! It is a simple choice. Everything in the Bible is a choice for you to receive or to reject. You have a choice to be upset or you have a choice to make every situation an opportunity for joy. Joy comes from inside of you! Nothing can take your joy unless you allow it. One time, I was so excited because my husband had agreed to participate in recording a video for my podcast with me. Instead of him being as excited as I was, like I wanted him to be, he was just lying there scrolling on his phone. I was so mad in that moment that I started arguing with him and telling him he needed to be more excited. Oh, ha-ha, how many times do we get upset because people don’t respond how we want them to. The Holy Spirit was quick to tell me, “Tara, you have a choice right now, you can continue on with this day and it will continue to get worse, or you can just choose joy and happiness.” I could feel my flesh arise and the feeling of pride wanting to stay angry because, to the flesh, it feels good. Thankfully, I decided in that moment to choose God’s word over my feelings. I mean, after all, I am writing a joy devotional, so I better be living it!! I went and apologized. We did not record our podcast, but we ended up having the best night. We took the kids to park, we played pickleball, and we went to dinner.
Reminder: Your flesh will always fight you when you are in a situation to make a choice for GOD, but Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world (1John 4:4)! Just choose GOD!
Application time: Write down the last time and situation, in detail, where you chose God over your feelings. Take note of how great it felt afterwards to choose life!
Day 7
Scripture: Psalms 100:1-4
A Grateful Heart is a Happy Heart
If you’re lacking joy, a sure way to get it quickly is to make a gratitude list. A grateful heart is a happy heart. Nothing will steal your joy faster than comparing and complaining. Let me share a testimony: I used to be a complainer. When I would read the book of Exodus, I understood exactly what it was like. They complained and so they remained. I would look around in my life and it was a result of my mouth. The good things and the bad things. I would have bad panic attacks that would lead to hospitalization (yes, as a Spirit-filled Christian) because I wouldn’t control my mouth. A Christian counselor helped me realize the root cause of all the panic attacks was my complaining!
See the enemy only has entrance into your life where there is sin. Complaining is a very dangerous sin. Complaining led my mind to be negative and when I dwelt on those thoughts long enough, a negative mindset caused panic. On the contrary, a grateful, praise-filled mouth invites God’s presence into your life. The Bible says, God Himself inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). When I chose to stop complaining and to start praising, my mindset and life were healed. I felt lighter, happier, and I was able to laugh more! This did not happen overnight. I had to push through and choose gratefulness every day.
Application time: Make a gratitude list. For the next 7 days only talk about the things you’re grateful for. Your mind is a servant. Just like you tell your hands to hug someone, you can tell your mind what it’s going to think. At first, it’s hard work. It’s like training a two-year-old! Your mind wants to do its own thing but with God’s help, and with your consistency and perseverance, you will prevail.
Day 8
Scriptures: Psalms 30:11, Isaiah 61:3
He Gives You Beauty for Ashes
Sometimes, life is not joyful, but remember joy comes from within. In my life, I have been handed literal ashes, two boxes containing ashes from the bodies of people that I loved very much. As I was holding those small boxes of ashes that, only a week before, were the living bodies of my mom and my brother, the pain I felt in my heart was indescribable, but in that moment, again, I had a choice. Do I allow circumstances and the enemy to dictate my life? The enemy gave me these ashes, not God. So, in that moment of deep sadness, I traded God my ashes for His crown of beauty. As I was weeping before the Lord and holding the cremated bodies of ashes, I cried out to a loving God, “Lord, I thank you, because this sadness that I feel deep in my soul, you’re taking it now, because I am giving it to you! I accept the clothes of joy!” In those moments, I would feel the Holy Ghost comfort me. I chose to hold on to God’s word, like an anchor for my soul, during a time my heart was hurting. I had to choose faith, not my emotions, if I wanted to get through that time with my joy untouched. God brought me through that time in my life, and it was a direct result of my choosing to take what God said for me and believe it over my emotions. My emotions were mad, angry . . .sad. In life, we go through storms. Jesus said we would. That storm can quickly cease with words. Jesus calmed the storm when He said, “peace, be still” (Mark 4:39 KJV).
Application time: Write down where in your life have you been handed “ashes.” I challenge you today, hand them to God and receive, by faith, your crown of beauty. Receive your dancing instead of mourning. Right now, get up and dance! Watch the joy of the Lord bubble up inside of you and overflow!
Warning: Be careful when dancing, hahaha. When I let my husband proofread this journal, after this entry, he got up and starting dancing all over the house. He then tripped over the bedpost and hurt his ankle. We were on the ground rolling, laughing together with tears! It was so funny!
Day 9
Scripture: Hebrews 12:2
With the Joy Set Before You
How do you get through hard moments in life? The discouraging times? The painful times? With the joy set before you. Can you imagine how Jesus felt going to the cross? He even asked God, Dad, please if there is any other way to save these people, please allow me to do that, but “not my will but yours” (Luke 22:42). The Bible says, “looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 ASV). Since Jesus is our ultimate example, we should look to His life for advice. He endured the cross. He endured the pain, the embarrassment, and the shame. He was imagining the future of joy and what would come from this moment. He was thinking of you and me, and your children, and everyone who would believe in Him. He was thinking of the joy of people being saved, set free, and people experiencing the love of God like He did, and does. Most importantly, He was focused on the joy that obedience to God brings. In my life, I think about running. There are many days I don’t feel like running, but I know if I want to complete my goal of running a marathon, I must do it. My mind is not focused on the day-to-day discipline of running. My mind is not focused on the warmness I feel in my bed on a cool Saturday morning, where I could sleep in if I wanted. Instead, my mind is focused on the joy of what it will feel like to cross that finish line.
Application time: Ask yourself, in life, where can I shift my focus away from the hardships associated with the process of discipline to the joy of the result and attaining my goal? Focus on the joy it can bring you. You will find yourself in joy during the process.
Day 10
Scriptures: Judges 6:12, Job 22:21
There was a time in my life, where all I did was cry! For years, I just cried. It wasn’t like I didn’t have valid reasons to cry, but after a while, I just got tired of it! Reading the Bible makes you realize that crying is not the life you want to live. I want to live this life of joy and of Bible promises being fulfilled. I used to spend time with God by crying to Him while I sat on the floor of my closet. One day, while I was on my closet floor crying, I heard a voice speak to my spirit. The Holy Ghost kindly said, “Tara, I have heard enough, it’s been years, now it’s time to get up, warrior! When are you going to start speaking what I say over you? Agree with Me and things will go well with you. You’re acting just like Gideon, calling yourself weak while I am calling you a mighty warrior for Me!”
It’s like a lightbulb when off in my mind! In one moment with God, I was completely changed. I stopped agreeing with my feelings and I started speaking over myself what God said about me. I started declaring out of my mouth all the good things I have in Him. When you start speaking that way, it’s not long after when you start to feel that joy bubble up inside you. See, your breakthrough in life is waiting on you! God is on the inside of you, waiting to break out in a song, in praises and truth! Use your mouth to start speaking what God says over you and watch your life change.
Application time: Judge yourself, are you in pity or in praise? The Bible is very clear that we enter His presence with praise and thanksgiving, not pity and poor me mentality. When we obey God’s instructions, in simple ways like this, great breakthrough comes to our life. Write down areas you could agree with God in your life instead of agreeing with your feelings. To do this, Google scriptures of “what God says about me” as a start. Now, start agreeing (talking) like God!