How To Be Happy: It's Your Divine Destiny

By John Marinelli

How to be Happy" is a journey to find true happiness. It is also a Biblical teaching that reveals the truths of God's Word and how we can apply them to our lives. We will read what the Psalms have to say about the joy of the Lord as well as what the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles had to say.

• Language: English
• Publisher: independent Author
• Release date: Jan 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088081877

John Marinelli

About The Author John MarinelliRev. Marinelli is an ordained minister. He has formed and been pastor of one church in Wisconsin and was the pastor of another in Alabama. He has also been a youth minister and evangelism director over the years. Rev. Rev. Marinelli has authored over 30 books that you can view on his website. www.marinellichristianbooks.comJohn is an accomplished Christian poet. He dabbles in songwriting and writing poetry. He is the Vice President of Have A Heart For Companion Animals, Inc., a "No Kill" animal welfare organization. He volunteers his time promoting fundraising events for www.haveaheartusa.org.Rev. Marinelli is now retired from the sales and marketing arena after spending over 40 years in business-to-business and non-profit marketing. He enjoys writing Christian themed books, playing chess, singing karaoke and a retired lifestyle in sunny Florida.For More Info eMail Contact [e-mail]

Book preview

Preface

How to be Happy is a journey to find true happiness which is our Divine destiny. It is also a Biblical teaching that reveals the truths of God’s Word and how we can apply them to our lives. We will read from the Psalms about the Joy of the Lord as well as hear what the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles had to say about being happy.

We will explore the concept of joy and lasting peace in a world full of turmoil. The King James version of the Bible will be used in most cases to quote scripture passages.

The knowledge and practical applications presented represent the author’s walk with God and relationship with the Holy Spirit over the last 60 years. It is his hope that his readers will grow spiritually as they follow after lasting peace and true happiness.

Introduction

Everyone wants to be happy. Don’t you agree? I cannot imagine an individual ever saying that they enjoy sadness or misery. Isn’t living one big quest for the good life?

Most of us strive for something, we don’t know what, but think it is something that will satisfy or fill the void in our souls.

I graduated high school about 60 years ago. Back then, we all spoke of being somebody one day. Some said they wanted to be wealthy. Some said they wanted to settle down and have a family. Some said they wanted a position of power so they could change the world. In every case, we all spoke of being happy and fulfilled. Nobody said they wanted to be a drunk, a prostitute, a drug addict, a burglar, a child molester or any bad type of person.

Back in 1963, after graduation, we all started our individual searches for that one thing that would make us happy. We never thought that there was more than one thing. It was always that one thing that would cash in to be our savior.

It’s been a long journey for me. I tried the power route and the quest for riches and even a family. But it seemed that everything I sought after faded away, broke apart or was just out of my reach. That is, until I met my current wife. It’s been over 40-years now and we are still madly in love. February 2023 will be 41 years.

I quickly realized that the world system of living does not hold the answer to life’s most sought-after treasure, happiness. What we seek after just doesn’t provide a lasting happiness when or if we attain it. However, the Bible does offer really good answers.

The Bible says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever." I John 2:15-17

I heard a preacher once that taught on this passage in I John. He spoke of this, "Love not the world" statement as if the world, with all its things, was no more than an old house that the city had condemned. It was set to be demolished. It was still standing but not for long.

The preacher said, "What would happen if you decided to take up residence in that old building and maybe even start to fix it up so it would be more livable? The condemning decree has already been declared. An entirely new structure will replace the old house on the foundation where it once stood.

Wouldn’t all the work and money you spent be in vain? So would all those precious hours you used up on something that would never last. That’s what the apostle John meant when he told the 1st century Christians that this world was like the old house. It was going to pass away. It wasn’t worth their time and effort.

John pointed his flock to something that they could do that would last far beyond their lifetime. You know what that one thing was? Yep! It was doing the will of God.

Chapter One:

Happiness By Design

Did you know that your happiness was planned before the world was? It is part of God’s destiny for mankind. He wants us to be happy. Thus, comes the revelation of himself and his will so we have a guide to follow. Therefore, it only makes sense that by doing the will of God we will find happiness. You may ask:

How, exactly does that happen?

How do we know we are doing the will of God?

Is there an instruction manual or cheat sheet that we can look at and know for sure?

Yes, there is. It’s called the Holy Bible. We can find the answers to most of our questions in the Scriptures. That’s where I found Jesus, or should I say, He found me. Hear what he said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness". John 10:10

I began to read and suddenly, without any prompting or manipulation, came words of wisdom that I could use in decision making. There were also promises made to the children of Israel that I could apply to my life situations. I even discovered instructions that the New Testament apostles gave to the early church. All of this led me to a place of assurance that I was indeed doing the will of God. Here’s a few examples:

A prudent (or wise) man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished. Proverbs 27:12 NKJ I saw this scripture as a wakeup call: that I should be aware of evil and not put myself in its path…to stay away from that which I know to be wrong.

Happy is he that condemns not himself in that thing which he allows. Romans 14:22b Living with yourself, when no one is around, can be difficult if you are constantly going against your own conscience. There is no peace, only confusion, guilt and a sense of not being worthy of God’s love.

On the other hand, doing the will of God, as you know it, brings peace and even joy to your life experiences. It lifts up the soul and sets it on higher ground where you can fellowship with the Lord through his Holy Spirit.

It makes me feel better and keeps me positive, even when I go through tough times…because I know that I am right with my Creator. He is the only one that I have to please and that is more valuable to me than silver or gold or the praise of those around me.

I know that some will want further explanation to better understand this mindset so, I will elaborate in hopes of making myself absolutely clear.

Most of us live our lives based upon assumptions that may or may not be true. Some folks don’t even question the thought process that society says is the basis for living. They say that there is no "Real Truth" anymore. It seems to be your truth or my truth but never Absolute Truth. I guess that is why so many folks are confused and have difficulty trying to figure out their existence. The truth seems to elude them.

I believe that Absolute Truth comes from God and is revealed in the Bible. In order to be really happy, we must know God’s truth concerning our existence; we must ask ourselves three basic questions and look to the scriptures for the answers. Our conclusions will literally determine the way we live our lives here on earth and what our eternal destiny will be. They are also the basis for our everyday perspectives.

Life’s Most Important Questions:

Where did I come from?

Why am I here?

What happens to me when I die?

We answer these questions based upon what truth we subscribe to. Our lives are built on what we believe. Our actions are determined by how we think.

There is a Bible verse that illustrates my point. Hear what Jesus said.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock" Mathew 7: 24 (Story thru v-27)

There are always two paths to walk, two roads to follow, and two choices in life for every decision. The choice we make could very well be the destruction of our home, family and lifestyle. To be like the wise man, we must decide to follow Jesus and build our existence and future on him.

Knowing what God says is true and applying it will always keep us in times of trouble. So it is in this life. We must know the answers to life’s most important questions and apply them in order to be happy and fulfilled as a person. To do otherwise is a self-deception that will steal our destiny and condemn us to a life of Hell.

The 1st question is, Where Did We Come From?

Over the past 60 years, we have been deceived into thinking that we came into existence as a result of evolution. (God’s Absolute Truth was replaced by man’s ungodly theory.)

Evolution says there is no God and all that exist is a result of random selection. Some Think-tanks will acknowledge the existence of a god but will not ascribe any personality to it or active interaction with creation. It is true that various chemicals exist, however, that doesn’t mean they can evolve, on their own, into any kind of life. That’s like saying if I put the parts of a car in a