Your Spirit Is Rejoicing Even When You Are Not

Some mornings you wake up flat and worship feels like acting. Mary noticed the same split in herself, and she said it out loud.

Luke 1:46-47 says, "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Two different parts of her, mentioned separately. Her soul, which is her thoughts and feelings. Her spirit, the part of her joined to God.

Your spirit was made completely new the moment you believed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." That part of you is not having a bad day. It never has.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." The joy is already in there. Your emotions are just not always the first to find out.

This is not an order to fake happy. If you are heavy right now, or genuinely depressed, that is not you failing at faith and it is not something you have to hide from God. It means the joy in your spirit has not reached your feelings yet, and the Holy Spirit is the one who brings it up, not your effort.

Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." You do get a say in which voice you agree with. Your joy is not manufactured by your circumstances, it is drawn out of the God who already moved in.