A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 WEB.

Health tip: Don't worry. Be Happy. You can add years to your life and health to your body by merely being joyful and happy. No one should be able to manipulate your joy externally because it should come from inside you.

People, places, and things can cause problems, but how you react to events is entirely under your power. You can choose to turn the other cheek or to become angry and turn theirs. Yes, we do have a part to play in our life. Regardless of what people tell you today, you are responsible for your actions.

So many attacks come against us daily that it's easy to become discouraged. That is the enemy's purpose for them. But true happiness isn't found in things, jobs, success, or even people. Your relationship with Jesus is what will bring unshakable peace to your life.

Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever his circumstances were (Philippians 4:11). Whether he had been beaten, shipwrecked, or in prison, Paul was content where he was. He wrote much of the New Testament from behind prison walls. He would not have had the time to do so if he had not been imprisoned.

Paul learned to detach his emotions from his circumstances and to be at peace. He focused on the invisible and the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16). He found the will of God in every situation and kept close fellowship with Jesus. Nothing else was more important to him. We can behave the same way. The same grace and peace that Paul had then are still available today.

The Joy of the Lord is our strength. Remember when you were first saved, how you felt so light, so happy, filled with joy? That is what happens when you lay your burdens down at the cross. Yet, too often, we pick them back up again, and the heaviness soon returns. So pray and let God worry about it, then leave your baggage at the cross once and for all.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I love You and thank You today. Please help me to see past the circumstances and to learn to detach my emotions from my situation. Please give me strength and guide me today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.