"I think probably the single greatest thing that I sensed in my conversion was a deep-seated happiness that God was real and joy-giving, and now I was experiencing what I had always longed for."

The Christian life is largely won and lost on the battlefield of ideas regarding what makes us happy. If we believe the lie that saying no to sin means saying no to happiness, then no amount of self-restraint will keep us from ultimately seeking happiness in sin.

Christians throughout church history understood that happiness, gladness, feasting, and partying are God’s gifts, yet many Christians today live as if faith drains happiness.

Frank Laubach wrote, "Humble folks often believe that walking with God is above their heads, or that they may 'lose a good time' if they share all their joys with Christ. What a tragic misunderstanding to regard Him as a killer of happiness!"

H. D. M. Spence-Jones (1836–1917) was a Cambridge graduate who taught Hebrew and was the general editor of The Pulpit Commentary. I was struck by his observation on Jeremiah 32:41, where God says, “I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.”

In 2016, Randy Alcorn spoke at Hope Chapel in Kihei, Hawaii on the subject of happiness. He spoke on the Biblical definition of happiness, happiness in Scripture, how depression and happiness relate, God's happiness and that through Christ we can be happy.

Randy Alcorn spoke at Hope Chapel in Kihei, Hawaii on the subject of happiness. He spoke on the Biblical definition of happiness, happiness in Scripture, how depression and happiness relate, God's happiness and that through Christ we can be happy. In this clip, Randy shares how he began to write. 

We can’t spend time with many of the world’s famous people, but I have a hunch we’d often be disappointed if we could. We can, however, spend time with God daily—hour by hour.

As much as I believe in the holiness of God, I also believe in emphasizing God’s happiness as a legitimate and effective way to share the gospel with unbelievers or to help Christians regain a foothold in their faith.