Tag: Joy

The Keys to Real Joy

Isaiah 41:10-13
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. 12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

I) Put first things first –

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

A. Learn it is ok to leave somethings undone each day.
B. Prioritize each day.
C. Remember, what is at the top of your list should be God, Family, Others

II) Set aside time for praise each and everyday

Psalm 92:1-10 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. 5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.7 ¶ When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

A. Begin by counting your blessings from yesterday.
B. Add to that the blessings of family and friends.
C. Add to that the fact that God wants to bless you today too.
D. Ask for an attitude of praise to follow you all the day long.
E. Look for someone to encourage during the day; you will.
find them everywhere.

III) Do not hold grudges –

TO DO SO IS TO LET OTHERS CONTROL YOUR JOY

Matthew 6:9-15 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

  • A. Be quick to forgive – Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
  • B. Remember, God forgave you ALL your sin.
  • C. Often, we get angry with others who do the same things we do. (angry people tend to get angry with others who get angry, greedy people tend to get upset over other greedy people, proud people get angry over other proud people, etc)
  • D. Trust others in your life to point out your weak points without getting offended

IV) Learn to relax

A. Use your time to refresh yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Mark 6:30-32 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.


B. Slow down, do not be in such a hurry.
C. Anxiety is a huge reason for many illnesses.

V) Be in love with your spouse and your family, do not just love them.

A. Love is more than just providing material needs.
B. Love is time.
C. Love is sacrificial.
D. Love is encouraging.
E. Love is guiding.
F. Love is willing giving, not grudgingly yeilding.

Joyfully unto the Lord

Psalms 35:9-10

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

True joy come from having your hope in the right person

We find hope in having His spirit in us –

We find true hope in looking to Jesus  

Hebrews 12:2 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy t+ hat was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Revelation 1:5-8

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We have joy that is indescribable

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Isaiah 55:7-12 –

7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Our greatest joy is yet to come

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

I Thessalonians 4:16-18:

16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Joy comes when the body unifies.

We need to learn to love each other

Unity will lead to power, spiritual growth and numerical growth 
Acts 1:8   But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 
Acts 1:12-15 -   Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.  And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
 Acts 2:1 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
We need to be of one mind

Joy comes from seeing others come to Christ –

I Thessalonians 1:6

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.

As a pastor, joy comes in watching your faith grow

Pastors are given to you to teach you truth 
Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Even in persecution, we find joy in your faith

II Corinthians 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

2 John 1:12  Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Joy comes from realizing who it is that keeps us

Jude 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

John 10:27-30 –  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

  • We are kept by God – we cannot keep ourselves – we do not have to
  • Real believers follow Jesus and turn from the world
  • No one, not even you, can take you away from Jesus

Joyfully unto the Lord

Psalms 35:9-10

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.  All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

In this day of covid-19 pandemic, do we still have reason to be Joyful? Has our God given up blessing His kids, those who are born again? Can we still be a blessing to others? Is Jesus the reason for our happiness or have we placed it in things, government, jobs, etc.?  Many “believers” are living fearful lives during this time and I want you to know, that is not how God wants His kids to live.  No, instead He wants us to live joyous victorious lives.  How are you living in these troubling times?

We need to let God know we are a joyful people

Psalms 66:1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

  • We are to rejoice when we are in His presence Psalms 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms
  • We need to rejoice in our salvation   
Isaiah 61:10 

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

  • We need to rejoice that we have been given His righteousness
  • We need to rejoice that He took all our sin and shame and turned it into jewels before Him

We find peace in the midst of trials 

Psalms 27:4-6 – 4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.6  And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord

We have joy even in the midst of life’s greatest trials

  • Joy comes as we gather with other believers
  • God designed fellowship as a source of great joy
  • During great trials we need to run toward God’s house not away from it. – Hebrews 10:24-25 – 24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching Philippians 1:25  And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

Joy always follows darkness

Psalms 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Joy comes with a pure heart

Psalms 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart

Psalm 51:10-12 – 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

True joy come from having your hope in the right person

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Joy comes when the body unifies.

Philippians 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

  • We need to learn to love each other
  • We need to be on one mind – Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Joy comes from seeing others come to Christ

– I Thessalonians 1:6  And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20   For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?  For ye are our glory and joy.

As a pastor, joy comes in watching your faith grow

Pastors are given to you to teach you truth

Hebrews 13:17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Even in persecution, we find joy in your faith

II Corinthians 7:4  Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

1 John 1:4  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

2 John 1:12  Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

3 John 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Joy comes from realizing who it is that keeps us

Jude 1:24

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30  I and my Father are one.

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