Joy
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:21,22)
The source of joy is God. It is Him, his Son, his ways, his heart and mind on things, and living into his truth that bring joy. But, before all else, it is Him in you that brings peace and joy.
John (the baptizer) replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” (Jn 3:21ff)
Stress can rob us of joy. Stress occurs when demands outweigh resources. Too many tasks, too little time. Too many bills, too little money. Relationship struggles without the skills to deal with them. It's important to identify the deficit and its causes in order to identify what demands need to be reduced and/or what resources need to be increased. The first step is prayer, asking for clarity on the problem. The second step is to consider what demands can be reduced (including self-imposed demands); what expenses can be reduced or eliminated; what tasks can be changed, simplified, shared by others or eliminated? What bills can be eliminated, negotiated, reduced? How might income be increased or financial assistance obtained?The third step is to ask for help. When asking for help, it's very important not to start by complaining, demanding or blaming; poor communication only adds stress by wounding relationships. Remember the helpful alternative to blaming and challenging, which is: "I notice (wahtever is troublesome for you) ." Then wait. The other offer new information of which you were unaware and makes all the difference. Or he or she may offer to make a change that meets both of your needs; they may offer help
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-8)
Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, with prayer and petition, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus.
Sin makes false promises - Sin promises everything the Spirit gives, but either doesn't deliver at all, or delivers a bit of what was promised and then presents us with an incredibly high price tag. What he delivers turns on us and brings hardship and destruction. Satan is not called "the destroyer" for nothing.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Provers 3:5,6)
Addictions are God-substitutes that don't deliver the peace & joy they promise. They form chemical addictions in the brain that are attached to specific behaviors, experiences, or substances.
Like sin, addictions are lies. The writer of Hebrews give good advice:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Practice thankfulness. Every time you have a thought that is negative, complaining, discontented, etc..., consider three related things for which you are thankful. God is the giver of all good things. Where are they in your situation? Once you can easily find three, bump it up to 5: joy increases with a grateful heart.
Take every thought captive to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Sometimes we feel we "deserve" to wallow in hatred, anger, vengeful thoughts, discontentment, criticism, etc... But thoughts and attitudes have consequences - positive or negative. Pay attention to how they're affecting you and your joy. Keep a mental or actual log of your thoughts and their effect on you. Are their effects what you want for your life?
Ask God's help accepting his Spirit of Joy. it's a gift He wants to impart to you, replacing whatever we choose in its stead.
Consider what you're choosing instead of joy and ask yourself, "Why?" It could be that joy is just unfamiliar. We're always more comfortable with the familiar, even if we don't like it; at least we know how to navigate in it. Joy might feel scary; it may feel intimidating to "let go" and be joyful. We may wonder what that would look like; we may fear what our life would look like lived in the freedom of joy. Trust God and enjoy it.
Consider that some personalities are more naturally positive in their outlook; some are more critical. God created both because both are needed. Certain professions require one or the other. Don't beat yourself up if you see others who have less trouble being joyful. But don't let temperament keep you from choosing joy; training yourself to also see what is good and beautiful and filled with God's grace and love and creativity and power and potential. Choose to draw on God's gift of joy.
Think possibility, not impossibility.
We may feel undeserving of joy. We may be plagued by an awareness of sins, which are forgiven in Christ, but we hold onto specific sins as part of our identity. This creates in us a sense of shame, which the enemy uses to suggest that we don't deserve joy... as if wallowing in self-hatred somehow makes up for the payment of sin that is somehow lacking in Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross. Take Jesus' atonement out of the theology textbook and put it in a showcase at the center of your heart and mind. Remember your identity... loved, forgiven, secure in Christ, resourced by His Holy Spirit, imperfect but known and fully accepted by God.
Talk back to Satan and tell him that, yes, you're undeserving of the gifts God gives in Christ, but that's what makes them gifts... they can't be earned... they're given to Christians EVERY ONE OF WHICH is undeserving of them. God gives us joy. Go ahead, accept God's gift. Remember who He is. Remember
Whose you are and who you are in Him. You're a King's kid... a prince or princess whose royalty can never be revoked. You have God's permission to live in joy and no one (not culture, not context, not any human being including yourself) has authority to say that you can't live in the joy that God has given you; joy that Jesus bought for you when he erased the stain of your sin.
Related to the above, we all carry wounds from childhood and other life experiences. They come with internal messages that challenge our self-worth. Despite the promises of God's unconditional love, abundant grace, certain atonement, and constant "for us" presence, we tend to believe the messages behind the wounds that human beings have inflicted upon us more than we believe the messages of God. His Word is Truth. The one who is in the world (the adversary; the accuser) is called the father of lies for a reason. He incites people to inflict pain on others and then whispers to the wounded that they should feel badly for being wounded. It's such a ludicrous lie that it's amazing he gets away with it. Talk back to the liar. Believe God. Let Him heal your wounds with His truth.
In addition to the above spiritual and psychological realities, we are also powerfully affected physically.
We're all well enough aware of the negative effects on our bodies and/or moods of:
- excess sugar
- caffeine
- white flour
- excess alcohol
- illegal drugs
- tobacco
- high fructose corn syrup
- fatty meats
We're probably also aware of the positive effects of:
- vegetables, fruit and whole grains, lean meat and soy substitutes
- proper hydration (most people are somewhat dehydrated, worsened by caffeine)
- sufficient rest (without getting too much rest, resulting in lethargy)
- exercise (muscle-strengthening and/or stretching, and cardio workouts)
A chemical imbalance may affect you. A physician can determine whether medication is called for. If you do have a chemical imbalance, don't let some perceived stigma about medication keep you from knowing a better life.
Take every thought captive to Christ (again).
Default to laughter. Find humor in situations. There's usually irony, absurdity or mere humanity that can cause us to chuckle if we'll look at it that way.
Some circumstances are truly sad, discouraging, unfortunate, troubling, distressing, depressing, or all of the above. Be honest with yourself that such is the case regarding those events or circumstances. It does no good to repress those feelings or pretend that a bad situation isn't bad. We can only deal with what we acknowledge. But circumstances need not rob us of joy. Many a believer has been able to rejoice in the goodness and grace of God precisely because He was the only good thing in their circumstances, so they immersed themselves in Him and in Him found joy. Force yourself to look at what is present in addition to what is lacking; to what is possible as well as what is difficult (maybe not impossible); look at God's resources (not just your own); counter debilitating lies with the practice of God's truth; thank God for 3 or 5 things each time you ask Him for one thing. Ask God's help and commit yourself to His ways in everything.
Think beyond yourself and how you're feeling; think about someone else and how you can make them feel better. You'll wind up feeling better in the process.
Pray for those who irritate, anger, or otherwise steal your joy. God will turn your anger to sympathy and self-righteousness to humility.
Show some ivory... smile! It brightens up any relationship, makes others feel better, which makes us feel better in the process. Annie was right... we really aren't fully dressed without a smile.
Joy isn't natural, but God in Christ came to rescue us from bondage to what is natural.
