happiness

I have going through some difficult times over the past few months and the one thing that I am struggling to understand is this, what is Biblical happiness? What is the difference between being happy? and having joy and peace? I feel like I am missing something in all of this...

rdg

rainydaygirl,

Happiness is not to walk around with a hyena face. I think the joy of the Lord comes from setting our affections on things above not on things on the earth. Looking to the joy that is set before us to always be with the Lord one day.
Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? If you are not, seek that first of all.

Yes I am a born again Christian. I have experienced peace in difficult times in my life that I know only could have come from Jesus being in my life but there are times that I really struggle with having any joy. I guess I am coming to realize that I do allow the world to influence the way I am feeling. I do not feel depressed as the world describes it but there are times when I feel sad? I do not want to be in sin in this area. In reading the New Testaments I see the struggles and real pain the disciples dealt with and I feel like I am missing something because they seemed to be so focused on only Jesus and HIS Kingdom...I think that my focus is to much on the world and not only HIM.
rdg

Edit: Even since typing the above I do realize that this is my real deeper issue, that with all that has been happening I have taken my focus off of Jesus and put it on things happening instead. I realize that is why I am struggling this way now...How sneaky the enemy can come in and seek to get our eyes on other things. Forgive me Lord!

As I came to experience in my own life and also in the lives of others. Biblical happiness is to know and believe with all your heart that you have everything in God even when the world around is falling apart. To be a child of the creator of the world, and seeing the present afflictions as mometary in light of eternity. This, along with any Biblical truth takes more than just a mental consent. It must become reality to you. Only God can do that for you, but you must ask him amd insist on getting an answer.

I began reading Revelations one day and it begins with Rev. 1:3 Blessed 3107 is he who reads and hears.....Well, I wanted to know about this being "blessed" and I looked it up to my surprise was the following and I have been encouraged by the meaning ever since. Glory to God.

in the Hebrew~
3107 Makarios blessed, possessing the characteristic of deity, Makarios. It indicates the state of the believer in Christ (Mt. 5:3-11: Blessed on account of Me: Lk. 6:20-22. Blessed for the sake of the Son of Man:). He is indwelt by God because of Christ and as a result is fully satisfied. worthy to be well-spoken of, to speak well of.

Makarios differs from happy because happy is the person who has good luck. A blessed person is one whom God makes fully satisfied, not because of favorable circumstances, but because He indwells the believer through Christ. The Makarios blessed is equivalent to having God's kingdom within one's heart. The needy one Makarios is the one who is in the world yet independent of the world; his satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances.
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UntoBabes said it well too. For me my joy came when I had a deep revelation of my sinful nature and a deep revelation of the love and forgiveness of sin. It caused me to fall even more in love with Jesus for what He did for me, for us, on the Cross. I am forever in His debt. All can be lost, and might be, but nothing can separate me from the love of God. He took my place, my punishment, my sin and I can now live for Eternity with Him. That is my joy on this earth. Joy is a deep knowledge of this. Glory and praise and thanks to Him forever and ever.

Keep seeking, praying - talking to Him - reading the Word. You will get your joy. He is faithful.