🌾STOP ALLOWING THE ENEMY TO STEAL YOUR JOY SATURDAY🌾
🌾STOP ALLOWING THE ENEMY TO STEAL YOUR JOY SATURDAY🌾
Breaking Bread at the Mustard Seed with Stacey
🍞Just a Little Daily Bread…🍞
🤍Guard the Gate to Your Joy🤍
Nehemiah 8:10 ~
“The joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Have you ever watched animals around a farm fence?
You can give them acres of beautiful pasture… fresh grass, sunshine, plenty of room to roam… and somehow…
they’ll find the ONE broken spot in the fence. 😂
And if you don’t repair it?
What belongs inside gets out.
And what doesn’t belong there can get in.
This morning, I couldn’t stop thinking…
Some of us need to repair the fence around our JOY! 🙌🏼
God has been good to you.
No, everything isn’t perfect…
There are still prayers you’re waiting on…
There are still situations you don’t understand…
There are still bills, responsibilities, disappointments, difficult people, unanswered questions and mornings when life feels heavier than you expected…
But somewhere along the way, we started allowing one hard thing to overshadow twenty good things.
One negative comment ruined the whole day.
One disappointment made us forget every answered prayer.
One person’s opinion became louder than what God said.
One closed door made us question every door He had already opened.
And before we knew it…
our joy slipped right through the broken fence.
But here’s what the enemy doesn’t want you to understand…
Your joy is not some cute little extra God gives you when everything is going well.
Your JOY is STRENGTH! 🙌🏼
That’s why the enemy fights it so hard!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
He knows that a joyful woman is a dangerous woman!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Because she’s learned how to praise while she’s waiting…
She can worship with dirt on her boots…
She can thank God before she sees the harvest…
She can stand in a half-planted field and still say,
“Look what the Lord has done!” 🙌🏼
Joy doesn’t mean pretending the hard stuff isn’t hard.
It means refusing to let the hard stuff become all you can see.
Look around your field today.
Maybe everything hasn’t bloomed yet…
But something has! 🙌🏼
Maybe every prayer hasn’t been answered…
But some have! 🙌🏼
Maybe you’re not where you want to be…
But you’re certainly not where God brought you from! 🙌🏼
And maybe today isn’t about asking God for something new.
Maybe today is about walking the fence line of your life and noticing everything He’s already given you! 🙌🏼
That family…
That friend…
That kitchen table…
That little business…
That ministry…
That roof…
That sunrise…
That second chance.
That testimony…
That tiny mustard seed of faith that somehow survived every storm it wasn’t supposed to survive…
Woman of God…
QUIT HANDING THE ENEMY KEYS TO A GATE GOD NEVER GAVE HIM AUTHORITY TO OPEN!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Your joy belongs to you! 🙌🏼
Guard it…
Protect it…
Feed it with gratitude…
Water it with worship…
Fence it with the Word…
And when the enemy starts reminding you of everything that’s wrong…
start reminding YOURSELF of everything God has done! 🙌🏼
💛FARM TRUTH💛
You don’t tear down the whole fence because one board broke…
You repair the board! 🙌🏼
So don’t throw away an entire beautiful life because one little corner of it hurts.
Fix your eyes back on Jesus! 🍞
There is still goodness growing in your field!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Jesus, forgive me for the times I’ve allowed disappointment, comparison, worry, circumstances, or other people’s words to steal the joy You gave me.
Help me guard my heart.
Open my eyes to the goodness already surrounding me.
When the enemy tries to magnify what’s missing, remind me of everything You’ve already provided.
When he reminds me of what went wrong, remind me of how many times You’ve made a way.
I will not surrender my joy.
The joy of the Lord is my strength, and today I’m guarding the gate.
In Jesus’ name, Amen! 🤍
💚REFLECTION💚
What has been getting through the fence lately and stealing your joy?
And what would change if today you stopped giving it access?
🧺BREAD BASKET🧺
Don’t let one broken fence board make you forget…
YOU’RE STANDING IN A FIELD FULL OF BLESSINGS! 🙌🏼
Look again.
God has been faithful.
God is still faithful.
And there’s still plenty to be joyful about.
🤍From the fields of New Life Farm… to your kitchen table… may God’s Word always be fresh bread for your soul🤍
#ProtectYourPeace
#FarmFaith
#FieldsOfBlessings
#BreakingBreadAtTheMustardSeed
#FreshBreadForYourSoul
#NewLifeFarm
In my personal journey, I’ve realized how easy it is to let the small cracks in our emotional and spiritual fences allow negativity to creep in and steal our joy. Like the farm analogy shared, just one broken board in a fence can let in unwanted troubles, but repairing it quickly makes all the difference. I’ve learned to identify the “broken boards” in my own life — negative thoughts, harsh comparisons, or unkind words — and actively choose to mend them with daily gratitude and prayer. One practice that’s helped me immensely is starting each day by listing at least three things I am thankful for. This simple act refocuses my mind from what’s missing to the blessings already present around me. Also, recalling scriptures like Nehemiah 8:10, which reminds us that "The joy of the LORD is your strength," empowers me to find resilience in faith instead of being overwhelmed by circumstances. Moreover, guarding my joy means setting boundaries not only externally but internally. It involves being mindful of what I meditate on and whom I allow to influence my thoughts. Worship, whether through music, scripture, or quiet reflection, acts as a protective water that nourishes the seeds of joy growing within. This process doesn’t erase the hardships, but it empowers me to refuse letting the difficulties become the sole focus of my life. During tougher seasons, I remind myself to look around the 'field' of my life and see the areas where growth has occurred, no matter how small. For instance, maintaining relationships that bring encouragement, celebrating small victories in personal goals, or witnessing faith grow through adversity. Each of these is like a board repaired on the fence, strengthening my joy’s barriers against despair. Ultimately, joy is not a fragile luxury to be lost in trials, but a fortress of strength handed down from God. Protecting it requires conscious effort daily but fruitfully results in peace and resilience. If you find your joy slipping through a broken fence, consider what boards you might repair today — whether through prayer, gratitude, worship, or mindful reflection — and guard the gate to your joy zealously. Your spirit’s vitality and strength depend on it.
🔥🔥🔥🔥Amen the joy of the Lord is my strength for e er more.