Tag Archives: joy

Connecting the Dots

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33 Dots that’s how it started – connecting the dots.

connecting the dots

Photo by Sergiu Vlena on Unsplash

My artwork challenge of 33 dots expands my mind, my thinking and my connection to God. And another fact, Jesus died at age 33. I didn’t clue into that fact when I started the challenge. Meg Konovska reminded me of this.

What do you see?

33 dots

The dots connected.

connecting the dots

I saw a frog.

connecting the dots

My final painting.

I looked up information on frogs:

My Frog:

Joy is what the whole world is looking for.

But, we know that the real JOY comes from Jesus.

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The open tomb says it all:

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My frog is singing:

My frog has good eyes and ears:

Join us a Growing through God’s Word – A Facebook group where we learn more of God’s Word together.

Advent Week Three – Joy

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So many scriptures have the word “joy” in them. I read that “joy” is found 155 times in KJV.

This is Advent Week Three – Joy

Advent Week three - joy

From the top of my Christmas tree. Personal photo.

Therefore, Joy must be important to God.

He created us to feel that emotion. He also blessed us with the Holy Spirit so we can feel joy even when we don’t feel happy. Weird eh?

As I study 3 passages a day, I am learning so much about God, about me and about my relationship with others. I also joined Kimberley Payne’s challenge to read through the book of Luke this Advent Season. Challenged for sure.

I wrote this abecedarian after reading Psalm126,

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy. (Psalms 126:2, NIV)

I also read Habakkuk 3:2-6, Philippians 3:12-16

Afterwards

After
Bad
COVID
Don’t return to old ways.

Encounter new things
Find hope, peace, joy and love.

God is always here.
Head down His pathway,
Interested in what He shows us.

Jesus beckons.
Keep believing.
Look beyond ourselves.

Make every effort to
Notice God at work.

Open our eyes, Lord.
Protect us.
Quieten our hearts before You, Lord.

Return to Your ways and Your path.

Silence the devil’s tongue.

Take up the armour of God.

Ultimate goal – to be with You.

Vacate places that encumber us.
Watch for snares of the devil.

eXamine our hearts with
Your
ZEAL.

©Janis Cox 2020

Let’s look for joy each day.

Advent Week One

Advent Week Two

Let’s start the new year by counting our blessings. Join me on Facebook and we will have a thread once a week to list the blessings you see.

Janis Cox Facebook – if you are not a friend, message me with “Want to count our blessings 2021” and I will accept your friendship.

 

 

What do a Dancer and Studying God’s Word have in Common?

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How the Joy of the Lord can Be My Strength

Once again I challenged myself to 33 dots. This morning it only took about one minute before I saw the dancer. Yes, she was in action with a drape of material around her.

dancer

Photo by Patrick Kool on Unsplash

I looked at the dots. I knew why I saw this.

I love dancing.

I actually have been tap dancing 3 times a week here in Arizona. Except for the past 2 weeks. I pulled a muscle in my back and hip and decided I need to give my body time to heal. Gradually I have increased my distance walking and I do run on the spot. My back is feeling much better and I think I’ll return on Friday am. I also put a timer on my phone (when I remember) for 30 minutes so I don’t sit here too long.

But as I thought of dancing these words came to me:

Dance: Freedom, excitement, joy, movement, expression, and of course colour.

Then I thought of my spiritual life and realized that those words also apply how I feel about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It’s also how I feel about reading the Bible and connecting with others who study His Word.

How God’s Word can bring: Freedom, excitement, joy, movement, expression, and of course colour.

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Spiritual Life:  Freedom, excitement, joy, movement, expression, and of course colour.

Here is the dot outline (I forgot again to take the picture with just the dots.) I added lines as I saw the dancer appear.

dancer

 

Here is the outline once I saw how I wanted her to look. Then I erased the dots.

dancer

And the final picture, this time painted with watercolours.  I made her colourful and hopefully full of life.

dancer

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV).

When we believe in Jesus we have the freedom to choose to do His will. He will talk to us. He will show us the way.

I run an online Bible study called Growing Through God’s Word. Join us. We interact.

We create. We connect. We grow in God’s Word.

Also we have a special group branching off for the season of Lent. David Kitz has generously provided a number of free books. Time is running out to get yours before the course starts on February 14. You get a print copy. Please join us. Email me with questions.

Go to Book Study with David Kitz and Janis Cox. Answer 3 simple questions.

A study guide will be provided. JOIN US. Don’t miss this opportunity.

For further reading:

Why I Love to Abandon in Dance

Do You Dance?

4 Podcasts for Advent

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4 Podcasts for Advent

Listen to the 4 pillars of Advent at Hope Stream Radio – 4 Podcasts for Advent.

Hope

Hope now and forever

Love

let's love

Joy

JOY

Peace

Blessings to everyone as we head toward Christmas.

Janis

Listen to 4 podcasts on the 4 pillars of Advent. Join us at Hope Stream Radio. (click to Tweet)

Jesus JOY – Where are you? Advent 3

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Jesus JOY – Where are you? Advent 3 and Linkup

This week has been full – full of good things. But sometimes a little hectic too. Where do I find Jesus joy? Today I light the third candle in Advent – Joy.

Jesus Joy

 

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full (John 16:24)

Jesus Joy

Life is. Life happens. How I go about my life is how I see it – How I see it, view and live it.

I am not talking about the bubbly joy that comes sometimes, or the excited joy when I see family, or the exuberant joy I get when I dance. It is the joy that Christ gives me that keeps me going and going. That joy can only be found in Jesus. When I focus on Him and let Him lead there is a wonderful feeling of “rightness”. It doesn’t mean I’m happy, or giggling or smiling. I’m just okay. I’m just all right.

Joy is my Rock because Jesus is my Rock. (tweet this)

My acronym for JOY is Jesus Opens You. (tweet this)

Jesus JOY



Jesus JOYJesus Joy

And He does. I can’t tell you how He does this. But when I am not striving, or full of my agenda, He brings life to me; He shows me things to do and I do them. He gives me the time, the inspiration and the fulfillment.

No one need be poor, because, if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. No one need be downcast for Jesus is the joy of heaven and it is His joy to enter into sorrow hearts. ~ Tozer

I am grabbing hold of this joy – and as Tozer says, “it is not a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.”

Today is rest today. I am going to end with a series of pictures of the past couple of weeks.

Have a Jesus-filled, joy-filled life.

Day 4 and Day 5 of #DressforDunamis – The Dunamis Foundation – fighting against #humantrafficking

Jesus Joy Jesus Joy

Outside our home in Arizona

Jesus Joy

Wearing a dress every day in December. I need an apron to cover up. Susie Homemaker?

Jesus Joy

A wonderful Christmas Open House. Great chats.

Jesus JOY

And I am delighted that my painting from The Kingdom of Thrim won the Inscribe Art Contest and is featured on the cover of this month’s Fellowship Magazine.

Jesus Joy

I linked this post to FMF as the topics were the same this week. JOY. You can join in Kate’s challenge to write for 5 minutes on Fridays. Go here.

Today is Word of God Speak

 

 


God’s Will – What is it? HopeStreamRadio

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God’s Will – What is it? Hope Stream Radio Podcast

As I started a quick study on prayer scriptures my first one brought me to understanding God’s will. I have heard that question many times: “How can I be in God’s will?”. I think I found the answer.

God's Will - what is it?

This week my podcast at Hope Stream Radio answers that question: What is God’s Will?  You can listen to the podcast here.

Here are the show notes:

This past week I have been studying 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

People are always asking: Is what I am doing God’s will or saying: I would like to be in God’s will.

What is God’s Will?

Paul answers this question, doesn’t he?

To be in God’s will we need to have continual joy, continual prayer and continual thanks in all circumstances.

That’s pretty clear. But it is not easy.

Paul encourages us on our spiritual walk. It is a journey, not a step or a marathon, but a walk.

In Thessalonians Paul talks about the second coming of Christ. But he focuses on how we are to live this life her on earth – the now – the present time – with the end in mind, learning to be in the presence of God now and hopeful of being in His Presence later.

In the meantime we can focus here on earth on those three things: Joy, Prayer and Thanks

Joy:

There’s a lot to joy. It is not happiness, which ebbs and flows. Joy is in knowing Christ. We can find joy at all times just in knowing Him.

How to we know Him? By reading the Bible and by prayer. We can actually learn to hear His voice. That’s why God left the Holy Spirit here on earth. I picture the Holy Spirit as a cell phone line to God. The Holy Spirit rings me in the middle of the night to talk to me. He beeps me when I am to watch or be careful. Words on the page of the Bible come alive when I have the right connection.

In sorrow, the joy I feel is comfort and peace in knowing He is with me.
In inspiration, He gives me words to write and pictures to draw to encourage others.
In study, He opens doors of understanding.
In pain, He soothes my spirit and heals me.

Prayer:

Next Paul speaks about prayer. He says to pray continually. At first I wondered how I could do that. Could I talk to God on an on-going basis? After much practice, I think I am getting better at having those minute to minute conversations. Learning to have a close connection to Jesus is the way to be able to pray continually.

Thankfulness:

Finally there is thankfulness. And that’s being thankful in all situations – good and bad.

The best book I have ever read to discover this deep gratefulness is A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It’s a book that needs to be read slowly, as a careful, prayerful and thoughtful study. I read it through 3 times. I started to develop an understanding of giving thanks for everything.

How can I be thankful at all times?

Seek God and know that He has me in the palm of His hands, holding me safe and secure. (click to tweet)

This is a verse worth remembering, so I can stand fast in adverse times, trust God through all things, and show the world the glory and wonder of my God.

Remember these words:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God's Will - what is it?May I pray for you and me?

Lord, we live in confusing, sometimes violent times. We don’t understand this world we live in. We are grateful to be a part of Your Kingdom so we can stand firm in Your promises of being with You forever. In the meantime, we will endeavour to be joyful, prayerful and thankful always and in all circumstances because this is living in Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Until next time, take time to be with God daily in prayer and in the study of His Word.

Joy Prayer Thanks Word of God Speak

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Joy Prayer Thanks Word of God Speak Linkup

For the next couple of weeks we are going to look at verses about prayer, starting with 1Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are looking at Joy Prayer Thanks.

Joy Prayer Thanks

photo from Pablo by Buffer

On April 16th I will be joining with Conforming to the Truth who will be studying 17 books of the New Testament in 17 weeks. (I will be taking a pause after every 6 weeks for review – I believe review is necessary to hold these scriptures in my mind).

We are using the S.I.M.P.L.E. Method of Bible Study  to study each passage.

S – Say the passage out loud: Check other versions.

 Rejoice always,  pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).

I – Interpretation – Check footnotes, references and commentaries. Find out all you can about the passage. When? Where? Why?

Joy is not dependent on our circumstances. It is a joy based on our knowledge of Christ, what He has done for us and is doing for us now. Joy is consistent. Happiness ebbs and flows.

Prayer is not for “crisis only” but a continual conversation with God. I wrote about prayer at A Beautiful Life Ministry. 

God is interested in every facet of our lives. (click to tweet)

Read the following verses:

  • 1 Thessalonians 1:3 to 2:13
  • Romans 1:9-10
  • Ephesians 6:18
  • Colossians 1:3
  • 2 Timothy 1:3

Be thankful through all things. Look for blessings even in the dark times. Keep focused on Jesus.

Check out:

  • Philippians 4:4
  • Luke 18:1
  • Ephesians 5:20

M- Make a list of thoughts, questions and ideas.

How do I make prayer a living thing? How do I remember to be thankful and joyful at all times, in all circumstances?

What do you, Lord, want my prayer life to look like? (click to tweet)

P- Pray for God’s Guidance This is a silent time of prayer, listening to God Speak. When you have finished writing all your thoughts, questions and ideas then take time for prayer.

L- Life Application – Write down what you heard God speak (no matter how different from your own thoughts previously).

I heard so much in this time of reflection on the words joy prayer thanks.

What did I learn from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18? (click to tweet)

Concentrate thoughts on Jesus
Make a quiet time at least once a day
Soak in the knowledge of the Spirit
Feel Jesus’ life blood flowing through my veins
Seek Jesus with my whole heart
SMILE – See More In Life Everydayjoy prayer thanks
Block out extraneous thoughts and focus.

Joy Prayer Thanks

My best time of the day is morning. I need to give Him my first fruits.
Make a promise. Find an accountability partner.

E- Exit with a prayer of confirmation, forgiveness, praise or acceptance.

Heavenly Father, You are so awesome. I love talking to You. You make all things clearer, calmer and full of life. You inspire me. I feel the joy that Christ brings. We can make our lives full of praise, thankfulness and joy – all thanks to You, Jesus. In Your name. Amen.

DOWNLOAD 2 FREE BOOKS – LIVING LIFE ONE WORD AT A TIME and 5 WAYS GOD CAN CHANGE YOU.

Living-Life-CoverWeb5 Ways God Changed Me

Today is the Linkup for Word of God Speak

Please add your links for any posts that are faith-based.


Joy and Peace – Hope Stream Radio

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Joy and Peace – Hope Stream Radio

This week on Word of God Speak I looked at three scriptures in review. One about joy and peace, kept surrounding me. Joy and peace. Lovely words. I called my podcast How God’s Word Can Fill You and Overflow to Others.

Joy and Peace - Romans 15:13

Watercolour Bible painting Romans 15:13

Hope Stream Radio

You can listen to my podcast at Hope Stream Radio. Or if you want to read instead of listen, my show notes can be found below.

Here are my show notes for Joy and Peace:

As I study God’s Word and work on memorizing verses I am astounded how God uses this to bless others. This morning I came across a fellow believer who felt weighed down in grief. One of my memorized verses came to mind. I wrote her to give her God’s Word:

From Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This became a healing balm to her troubled spirit and a starting point for recovery. That’s one little verse. Such a powerful impact with God behind it.

Can you picture this verse? As we read His Word and pray, God pours out joy and peace into our hearts. Then that joy and peace continue to fill us, and we overflow so others may see God in us. The Holy Spirit works in our lives, for us and for others.

God is able to work in our lives if we allow Him to. (tweet this)

Listen to Philippians 2:13

For it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill His good purpose. 

I see God working in my life. I study the scriptures; He fills me; He sends me to those in need; He fills them with the Scriptures and they overflow. Others are filled.

Or I stumble; He sends His Word from others who read the scriptures; I take them to my heart; I heal; I overflow and give to others.

Is God calling you? What have you learned from His Word this week? I would love if you shared your journey with God with me. Drop over to janiscox.com and send me a note.

Two songs spoke powerfully to me in church this Sunday. The words come from the Scriptures:

In Christ Alone

by Natalie Grant

He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

Here is the music for In Christ Alone by In Christ Alone…Passion 2013..Singer : Kristian Stanfill

This is the way we sang it on Sunday. Even with the oh oh ohs.

And Cornerstone
from Hill song

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

Here is the music for Christ Alone Cornerstone by Hillsong

We can hear God Speak if we listen to His Word. If you haven’t asked Him to reveal His Word to you – first open your Bible, then pray for God to open His Word to you. Then read and listen. It’s that simple.

May I pray for you and me?

Lord, in all we do, say and think, in all our lives, we ask you to fill us with Your hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we open our hearts to you, worship You and read Your Word, may we not only be filled but may we overflow with Your hope so others may come to know You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Until next week, may Christ be Your Cornerstone. May you have a week filled with His love, mercy and power. May you open His Word and let Him speak to you.

blessings,

Janis

FREE Download

Joy and Peace Romans 15-13 colouring page

 

romans-15-13-colouring-page-web

 

 

Hope Stream Radio – How to Find Joy and Freedom in Christ

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Hope Stream Radio – How to Find Joy and Freedom in Christ

Hope Stream Radio

In this week’s podcast for Hope Stream Radio I am still looking at John 3:5. This time my thoughts turned to butterflies – and freedom. We must be born of the Spirit to be free.

Have you learned to SMILE – See More in Life Every day?

Join me as you listen to my podcast: Find the Joy and Freedom in Christ

Tweetable:

Can you see more in life everyday? SMILE Find joy in Christ podcast @hopestreamradio (tweet this)

Hope Stream Radio Podcast – Expectancy, heading to Christmas

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Hope Stream Radio Podcast – Expectancy, heading to Christmas

Logo-HopeStreamRadioweb

This week on Hope Stream Radio I talk about our Scripture of the week -2 Corinthians 3:17

The Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

Having the Spirit of the Lord – can that bring a freedom? Can it change lives?

Please listen in to my podcast at Hope Stream Radio Where the Spirit of the Lord is There is Freedom.

Let’s open our eyes to the possibilities of freeing those trapped in slavery and hopefully teaching them the salvation that comes from Jesus.

Check out Ratanak International for a chance to change the world.

Tweetable:

LIsten to Hope Stream Radio Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom. (tweet this)