Mrs. PIE

Three Powerful Ways to Invite More Joy Into Your Daily Life

• Shelley Jeffcoat • Season 4 • Episode 147

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Joy is a choice we make daily, not simply an emotion that happens to us based on circumstances. The joy of the Lord provides real strength to face life's challenges with confidence and purpose.

• Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us "the joy of the Lord is your strength"
• Finding joy requires shifting away from negative environments that no longer serve your growth
• Be intentional about what media you consume—choose content that lifts your spirits
• Make time for meaningful connections with friends and family before busy schedules return
• Your confidence increases when you trust that everything is working together for your good
• When you have joy, you don't just respond to environments—you shift them
• Let some relationships naturally evolve as you grow; not all connections are meant to last forever
• Challenge yourself to find gratitude in everyday blessings we often take for granted

Join us for Three Praying Sisters every Thursday at 1pm and 7pm as we pray for teachers, staff members and school administrators. Starting in August, we'll shift to having these calls only at 7pm. The phone line is free and available to all who need prayer support.


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Speaker 1:

no-transcript. So good morning, faithful Dr Tracy, and thank you all for watching, especially if you're waking up early with me. Also, a quick shout out to the folks who watch the replays and those who actually listen to us on the audio stream. So I'm just actually just sharing this out one more time to some other folks, and I'm really excited about the series that we're in in the month of July. We're just talking about joy, and I wanted to share some things that I believe is going to help you and me at the same time. So we're doing that and I have three things that I wanted to share with you concerning joy. So good morning, y'all.

Speaker 1:

The scripture that we're coming out of is in Nehemiah. We're going to say prayer first, just a quick word of prayer, and then share the three things that I want to share with you, but joy is in our hearts and I want to say that joy. This is also a choice. There are so many folks that are just kind of miserable right now, but just be mad at me when I say that some of us are actually choosing to be miserable right now. Okay, because there are so many good things that's happening in our lives and, unfortunately, we're missing it. We're missing it y'all. We can't miss the good things that's happening. So I want to share out of Nehemiah 8, 10, and for the month of July, it's really just encouraging us, encouraging our spirits, our minds, our thoughts, everything that we do to find joy in even what we might call the small things, things that we take for granted, like waking up or having our right mind, or being able to move on our own, not having to bury someone today. How about that? How about being able to go to a job that pays you, that pays you very well, having a business that, even if it's not thriving right now, you're on your way? How about joy in your heart for your awesome children? So we want to change our focus a little bit this month and finding the joy and being okay with that. Don't be available for other people's pity parties. You can count me out of that. If you're having a pity party, do not invite me, okay?

Speaker 1:

So the mindset this month is really finding joy and being intentional. So first I want to just thank you, lord, for allowing us to see another day and we have joy in our hearts. We're grateful to you for all that you're doing for us. We even thank you for the doors that you close, the ones that would have harmed us and the ones that would have taken us off track. Thank you for giving us our right mind, giving us wisdom to make the right decision. Thank you, lord, god, in this season that you're continuing to bless us and our household, for those who are standing in need, we're thanking you now for the blessings that's coming their way. We're thanking you for all and everything and all these things we ask in Jesus' name. Amen, right, we have so much, exactly, exactly, dr Tracy, we really have so much to be grateful y'all for.

Speaker 1:

And, like I said, don't invite me to a pity party. I am not available, okay, so, um, so, let me pull up Nehemiah eight, verse 10, and then let's talk a little bit, just a little bit, about this and obviously ESV version, and again, as a part of your broader Bible study. Please go back and read, if you can. Okay, go back and read the chapters, right? So Nehemiah 8.10 says then he said to them go your way, eat the fat and drink a sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready for this day is holy to our Lord, this here day, the day that we're in right here today is holy to our Lord, and do not be greed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. The joy of the Lord is your strength. So so let's break this down a little bit. So, um, so you know, go do what you got to do. Okay, this is my interpretation of the word go do what you got to do. But I want to encourage you in this month of July, we've got a couple of weeks left to enjoy the time you have.

Speaker 1:

Okay, to enjoy the time you have to take care of the folks around you who don't have, folks who are in need, and that might be your neighbor. Have you checked on your neighbor in a while? It might be your family members, it might be your adult children. Right, send portions that you know that to folks who have nothing. Right, and I don't mean you know, you know taking, you got to take care of your household first. Right, we take care. We put on our our, our mask, as they do in airplanes first, but then send portions or take care of those who are in need.

Speaker 1:

And just remember that this here day it's not waiting till Sunday. This here day is holy to our Lord, and so the encouragement is for us not to be grieved for the joy of the Lord. It actually gives you strength. There's something about like when you know that God is still in control of all of everything, when you know that all things are working together for your good and your faith really rests on that. It doesn't matter what things look like right now, in the season that you're in, I fully believe, because the Lord loves me, because I've submitted to him, because I trust him, that things are working together for my good. Things are getting better and better and better for me, and I even say that and sometimes we have to even say that, we have to remind ourselves.

Speaker 1:

I was in this conversation yesterday with a group it was like a panel discussion and I said this thing it came out of my mouth so fast. I was like, uh-oh, they're going to think I'm rock crazy. But this person she was asking me about kind of like my career and you know trajectory and all the things. Again, you know I've been at this thing my career much like you all 20, 30 years Y'all. We're not new to any of this, right but she made this statement and she was saying that she wasn't feeling confident in what she did blah, blah, blah. And I it didn't.

Speaker 1:

I don't even know it came out me so fast, but this is how I know it's part of my DNA, my confidence. I have high confidence in myself because I have high confidence in Christ. Ok, because I absolutely believe that everything is working out for my good, because I absolutely have that. My strength comes from knowing and believing and trusting Right and I have evidence of how God has worked through me. Now it doesn't mean it's all been easy. Ok, there are challenges. Ok, last week was a rough week for me. Ok, but there's still great days, there's still good opportunities, there's still good colleagues and good friends and good neighbors. There's still good that's happening in our lives y'all. And so my strength and my confidence comes from that. So I was really, you know, really quickly could tell her I don't know what you're talking about. I am fully confident in my career. I'm fully confident I'm always going to be successful. I'm like I'm throwing out these things. I'm fully confident because I know I have his favor and so I'm throwing out all these things, because that is a part of my DNA.

Speaker 1:

So you have to be able to find joy when you're confronted by the mess. You have to be able to find joy when you're confronted by ambiguity, where you're not quite sure what's happening next. If something happens to you and your immediate thought is something negative, then you got to shift the way you're thinking right. I also believe that victory is mine in every situation and I ask God to give me wisdom. I am a very wise woman, but it's not because of what I'm doing by myself, it's because I allow the Holy Spirit and I say allow because a lot of us, just we don't even do that but I allow the Holy Spirit to steer and lead and guide me in my conversations, in the things that I do. He'll send people alongside to coach and correct me. So I'm coachable. You know what I'm saying. I'm humble, all the things right. So you got to be able to find joy. So here are three things that I want to share with you this morning.

Speaker 1:

The first thing, in terms of like how we find joy in this season and build up our own strength, is the first thing is you got to shift your environment. You got to shift your environment. Some of the places where you are, you're in the wrong environment. You might be what you might've outgrown your friend group. Okay, nothing wrong with that. Life moves on. You're supposed to keep growing, especially for those. You know a lot of folks who are, you know, within my friend group and they follow this ministry and all that. We are all about developing and growing and moving forward. We're not going to be stuck right.

Speaker 1:

So you have to shift your environment. You have to have the kind of strength. You have to have the kind of power if you will, power that comes from the Lord. You have to have all of these come from the Holy Spirit. You have to have that kind of confidence where you shift the environments that you go in. So that means that if there is mess going all around me, when I show up, I'm not showing up as a part of that mess, I'm showing up as a solution to that mess. Okay, I'm not showing up, I shift the environments that I go in. If I go into an environment and it's all down and my personality I shift, I will shift that environment. So I bring joy with me right when I show up, I bring peace. Now we're talking about the fruits of the spirit because, again, holy Spirit is in us, with us, around us. So that means when we show up those things, those fruits, should also show up in you. Right Self-control. So you shift the environment. That's the first thing that you do. You have to be able to shift. You command the environment you go into. So it also means that you don't put yourself in places where you no longer belong.

Speaker 1:

I'm okay with letting friendships kind of fizzle out, or some of them that just kind of change shape, and they change because we are all growing. Sometimes people go through things in life and you change and they change and all the things. And you have to allow some of the relationships to fizzle out and it's okay. You honor them, you know you're still respectful of them, you're still supportive of them. But you got to let some things. Just let it be right. Stop fighting so hard, just let.

Speaker 1:

So the other thing is the second thing is in finding joy and building up joy as a part of your strength is what are you watching and what are you listening? So my daughter doesn't watch this. So I can tell you all this that I spend a little bit too much time on TikTok watching jokes and comedy. But there is a viral thing going on on TikTok right now and it says nothing beats a jet blue holiday. Now, if you know, you know, and if you search that on TikTok, you'll find it's just, it is an ad, but it's basically people have been sharing out the silliest, most ridiculous things that happen on vacation and it is the funniest thing to watch, okay, so? So what are you watching and what you're listening is right now for us.

Speaker 1:

I'm watching things that bring me joy or they're lighter, they're happier. I don't watch anything that's too deep or too sad or too devastating, because I need to, I need to bring my mood up. Now, if I am, you know if I'm, if I was in a season where joy wasn't my focus, now, if I am, you know if I'm, if I was in a season where joy wasn't my focus, that'd be different. But right now, things to me, what I watch, what I listen to, light, upbeat things, right. I again, that's a part of also shifting my environment. When I'm in conversations, I tend to like listen. If it's going too deep and too too dark, I'm out, right, I don't even want to hear that, right? So you have to be able to, you know, just think about what you're watching and what you're listening to, all right. So that's the second thing.

Speaker 1:

Now, the last thing that I want to encourage you for those of y'all and there's a lot of we see you know friends and family on Facebook all the time and they've got all the photos and doing all the things. So I just want to encourage all of us again for the next couple of weeks before kids go back to school and you know schedules change that we got to make time for friends and family, you know, just make time, maybe just grabbing a coffee with a friend you haven't seen in a while, you know, or maybe it's. You know, just actually spending time with your kids. I know it's hard when you're going from work to home to you know all the things you got to do, but be intentional about spending time and there's so much joy in that when you just spend time with people that you love and care about. So I know that we've got to get the bag and we got to do all the things, but don't miss out on the moments of joy that we. You know we need to experience this with our family, right, friends and family and maybe colleagues. Maybe this is a good time for y'all to you're doing your team bonding thing, maybe y'all go out for lunch together, but finding joy and being intentional with spending time together.

Speaker 1:

So those three things again in terms of joy, just to run through real quick. It's first thing you've got to shift your environment. That means you've got to step out or step away from some things, and that's okay. The second thing is being mindful about what we're watching, what we're listening to. And then the last thing is y'all, let's be intentional with spending time with friends and family for this month of July. Let's get it y'all.

Speaker 1:

We are also this month of July we're praying for teachers and staff members and administrators. So on our three praying sisters on Thursdays. So that's the theme, the focus this month. So if you're someone who is in that profession or you've got kids and they're going back to school next month, please join us on our calls. You know it's free y'all. It's 30 minutes every Thursday, one and seven. And just a reminder that starting in August we'll shift to having those calls only at 7 pm. It's just going to work better for all of us. And a quick shout out to our three praying sisters. They do a lot of work y'all getting ready and supporting a lot of people through that phone line. Phone line is free and we appreciate y'all who are dialing in All right, so that gives you what I have for you today.

Speaker 1:

I just want to do a quick thought, lord. We just thank you. Oh Lord, I just ask that you'll you know, just even as even as we're listening and hearing now through my own words, that you'll just give joy and may your joy shine through me, and that I will also have the fullness of joy, and that, everywhere we go today, when people see us, they see the joy in our conversation, they see joy in our heart, that we're showing up with joy, with smiles on our faces, because we're grateful. We're grateful for all and everything that you've done for us. We're grateful for the yes, we're grateful for the no, we're grateful for the wisdom that you're going to give us today, helping us to make the right decision, putting us in the right places with the right people. We're grateful that all things are working out together for our good and they are getting better and better every day. We're grateful for renewed strength and energy this morning, so that we won't have to rely on caffeine. Lord. We'll have just a natural, like a bubbly energy today that people won't even be able to understand. We'll just be happy today and I thank you, lord, that you'll use this day as a day to just bless every person under the sound of my voice and that they'll come to experience what I'm saying and all these things. We ask, lord, in Jesus name, amen, isn't that awesome y'all, we have a lot to be grateful for. Again, just a quick reminder that we have the phone line. I pray you use it.

Speaker 1:

We're also on Facebook. The group is called Come Out of the Wilderness Prayer Ministry. So if you're looking for a group to pray alongside you know, you know, come, check us out. There is no fee, there is no nothing needed. Just come with a, with a heart willing and ready to pray, and you know we've got you covered All right. So having a great rest of your Thursday. Jesus loves you more than I do could ever do, but I love y'all and you take care. Bye.