May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. —Romans 15:13
Romans 15:13 is one of my favorite scriptures.
It says that joy and peace are found in believing. I remember when I was going through a period of time in which I had lost my joy and my peace.
I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew something was wrong. One night I was pretty desperate, so I went over to the little "promise box" full of scriptures and began flipping through it. I pulled out one of the little cards in it, and immediately the Lord spoke to me through it.
It simply said, "Romans 15:13: Joy and peace are found in belief." As soon as I got back to believing, my joy and peace came back. And the same is true for you. As soon as you start doubting, you lose your joy and peace; but as soon as you start believing again, your joy and peace come back to you. God has given us a tool to keep ourselves radically happy and peaceful. All we have to do is believe. Of course, as soon as we start believing, the devil starts screaming in our ears, "That's stupid! What if you believe and you don't get what you are believing?"
That's when we have to answer back, "No, it's not stupid. What if I believe and get what I am believing? But even if I never get it, I am still happier and more peaceful by believing than I am by doubting." So it is a win-win situation. There is no way to lose when we believe; because if we believe, we are liable to get what we are believing for. But even if we don't, we will stay happy and peaceful.
So it is vital that we keep a believing heart.
