The greatest medicine to anyone’s spirit is a cheerful heart. Instead of wallowing in misery or focusing all of our attention on the negative things that happen on a day-to-day basis, by being joyful in the Spirit of the LORD, it brings relief and healing to those broken and hurting areas of our lives. Not only does the joy of the LORD help us to emphasize on the good things occurring in life, but it lifts the load of the people who are surrounding us. Our joy can literally change the conditions of the atmosphere if we allow the joy in our hearts to infiltrate into those are oppressed or even depressed. Of course, it is easy for us to allow anger or bitterness to create tension, pressure or even feelings of anxiety to fill the room, but by equipping ourselves with the mind of Christ, our joy is a great source of healing, and it does not bear any kind of side effect!

On the flip side, a broken or crushed spirit can “dry up the bones”. A crushed spirit is like the valley of dry bones, hopeless and divided until we prophetically speak life and purpose until everything begins to come together in the spirit of harmony and unity. Allowing outside circumstances and other people’s words to devastate us is almost like spiritual arthritis. It only causes continual aches and pains, even to the point that our very structure to our bodily temple is effected and deformed. The temple of the Holy Spirit is vacant without structure through being crushed, but it is not a life we have to live. We can be anointed with the oil of gladness (Hebrews 1:9) and choose to allow God’s joy to be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), meaning that it comes from a pure relationship with the Father. It is derived from watering and nurturing the seed of God’s Word into our hearts! If you need spiritual or emotional healing, it does not come through a masked smile. It comes through the right prescription in having a joyful heart through choosing to see the funny aspects of life and basking in all of the blessings God has poured out upon you. In all reality, you are blessed because you are loved by a loving Father, and that alone should be enough to make you joyful!