Joyce Meyer - The Secret to True Happiness: Enjoy Today, Embrace Tomorrow

Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1962, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures noted KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Copyright 2008 by Joyce Meyer

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

FaithWords

Hachette Book Group USA

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New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.faithwords.com.

First eBook Edition: April 2008

ISBN: 978-0-446-53611-0

I am convinced one of the most important lessons we can ever learn is to choose to be happy every day of our lives as we look forward to the future. One of my greatest desires is to see people thoroughly enjoy the quality of life Jesus died to give usto actually be happy. Not just to read about it or talk about it, but to walk in it and experience true happiness as a daily reality.

Many people, including me, are extremely goal oriented. We are so focused on tomorrow we often fail to appreciate and enjoy today because we are always thinking ahead, looking to the next event, working toward the completion of the next assignment, and seeing what we can check off our to-do lists. Our fast-paced, high-pressure society urges us to accomplish as much as we can as quickly as we canso we can then accomplish even more. Over the years, I have learned that the intense pursuit of one goal after another can cause us to miss out on some of the happiness life offers us. God does have purposes and plans He wants us to fulfill during the course of our earthly lives, but He also wants us to enjoy and make the most of every day we live.

After years of ministry and interacting with people, I have come to believe that people desperately want to enjoy their livesto live every day with peace, contentment, and joy, which I like to define as anything from extreme hilarity to calm delight. In fact, I read recently that some people are so desperate for joy they are joining laughter clubs. In these clubs, people meet together every morning for the sole purpose of finding some way to laugh before they start their day. We may chuckle at the idea of laughter clubs, but their existence clearly reveals a deep hunger for joy in peoples hearts.

The Pew Research Center confirmed this when they asked a number of Americans if they were enjoying their lives. What do you think the results were? Only about 34 percent report they are very happy in life. This is not hard to believe, because we live in a society that highly values what people have over who they are. But nothing is worth having if we cannot enjoy it. No amount of money, no measure of fame, no job, no relationship, no talent or skillnothing does any good at all if we do not enjoy our lives.

What about you? Are you enjoying today as you look toward tomorrow? Are you generally happy, content, and satisfied with who you are and what you do each day? Do you take time to notice and appreciate the everyday experiences that make life rich and rewarding? Or do you race through each day so you can get to the next one? Do you take breaks and find things to laugh about on a regular basis, or do you allow the pressure of your responsibilities to carve a frown on your face as you keep your nose to the grindstone?

Perhaps you desperately want to enjoy everyday life, but fear that actually enjoying something might not be holy or pleasing to God. For some reason, many of us have come to believe enjoying our lives is not okay. Often, we are not even aware we think or feel that way, but somehow we have decided we should not enjoy our lives. Instead, we believe we are supposed to be working, accomplishing, following the rules, meeting the deadlines, doing things right, and keeping people happy at any cost.

I have great news for you: God wants you to be happy today and every day. He really does. Jesus statement about life in John 10:10 is absolutely amazing to me: The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

What a scripture! Jesus wants us not simply to be alive, but to enjoy being alive. You see, Jesus did not come to us so our hearts would beat and our brains would function. He did not come simply to give us physical life, or to give us just enough to get through lifes challenges and difficulties. You and I were not created to simply exist, pass the time, mope our way through life, dread each new day, or trudge through our jobs with our eyes on the time clock, just waiting to leave work and take our misery home. No, we were made to enjoy every aspect of our lives, every day of our lives. This is what God wants for us and why Jesus came. He came to impart to us true lifethe rich, deep, joy-filled, radical life God intended for us, the kind that is in abundance, to the full, until it overflows.

Ill never forget the woman who thanked me for giving her permission to enjoy life after she heard me teach on this subject. I know she represented countless others who have never felt free to enjoy life, so I want to make clear that we must believe Gods will is for us to thoroughly enjoy life. You have permission to enjoy today while you are reaching for and embracing tomorrownot just my permission, but permission from God Himself.

I challenge you today to go to a new level of enjoyment in your daily life. Determine now that you are going to enjoy where you are today on your way to where you want to be tomorrow. Say it with your mouth; stick it on your bathroom mirror; put it on your screensaver: I am determined to enjoy today! And influence everyone around you to do the same.

Whoever you are and whatever your level of happiness, I invite you to step into greater joy. Live with more passion; laugh more; relax more; smile more; do more to make other people happy, and enjoy more. Youll be glad you did, and you will accomplish more because we are the most creative when we are the happiest.

Several years ago, there came a time in our ministry when we changed the name of our television broadcast and our magazine from Life in the Word to Enjoying Everyday Life. One of the reasons for the change was that I feel so strongly about the importance of enjoying the present as we move toward the future. In John 10:10, Jesus was basically saying: I came that you might have life and that you would enjoy it. Remember, He died so we could experience authentic happiness. Not temporarily, not once in a while, but all the time. He does not want us simply to have life; He wants us to enjoy and appreciate the gift of life He has given us. That begins by realizing and believing God really does want us to make the most of every day of our lives.

My own journey toward true happiness every day has not been easy, and Ill share more about that as we go through this book. Enjoying daily life was something I had to learn to do. But now that I know how to do it, I wouldnt want to live any other way. My desire in this book is to share with you some of the truths Ive learned about the secret of true happiness. As you read them and apply them to your life, dont be surprised if you find yourself enjoying your life in ways you never dreamed possible. Thats my prayer for you today.

Joyce Meyer

Enjoy Your Everyday Life