Fighting for Joy

As I was reading Jerry Bridges Practice of Godliness, I came upon the chapter about the pursuit of joy in our practicing godliness and I realized that this is one of the fruits of the Spirit that we as Christians fail to practice in our daily lives and consistently, it is however one of the most crucial ways that we can be an example to the dying world around us, one of the ways that we appear set apart. Why you might ask? Because in a world where evil is prevalent, circumstances are constantly changing and failure is a constant in our lives we have a joy that is never failing and always present because of a hope that nobody and nothing can ever take away.

"The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peach and joy in the Holy Spirit" -Romans 14:17

We need to keep in mind that without joy marking our lives, we are not pleasing God. Do you realize that ONLY Christians have a reason to be joyful but there is much weight with that...because we are the only ones we should be joyful! We cannot live like the world and wait for our circumstances to make us joyful. We are COMMANDED to be joyful (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Joy should be constantly growing in our lives. John Sanderson once said this about a Christian who professes to be a child God and wears a gloomy countenance , "It is practical atheism, for it ignores God and His attributes."

So what is it that keeps us from bearing joy in our lives? There are many things that can hinder the joy in our lives...

1. SIN IN OUR LIVES- If we are in sin we are breaking the communion and enjoyment that we have with God in heaven. Remember what David said in Psalm 51:2 "Restore to me the joy of my salvation", after he confessed his heinous sin with Bathsheba. "All sin, be it an attitude or action, must be dealt with if we are to display the virtue of joy in our lives".

2. MISPLACED CONFIDENCE- The opposite of rejoicing in the Lord is putting our hope and our confidence in the flesh...somehow trusting in our own works or our own 'religious practices' to attain that joy. "Even success in the Lord's work is a broken reed if we lean on it for security". Our joy should not be in the success of our righteousness or our ministry etc...we must remember that the circumstances of this life are going to change but we are assured that Jesus Christ is ours and we are going to be with Him one day and that is what our joy needs to be grounded in. Do you realize that if you are a child of His your name is written in heaven?? That in and of itself should bring you so much joy.

3. CHASTENING/DISCIPLINE- The word discipline doesn't sound like something we want or are supposed to enjoy, and of course it is not a "joyful experience"...it was never meant to be. But if we loose sight of the intended results, it will lead to self-pity. "If we only knew how bad we are, we would welcome chastening because this is God's way of getting rid of sin and its habits. But chastening is resented because we cannot believe that we have done anything worthy of it". But remember the Lord disciplines those whom He loves.

4. TRIALS OF THE FAITH- Trials that come from discipline are to exercise our faith...not deal with sin in our lives. Remember trials and discipline are different. God allows trials in His kids life to develop perseverance and so that we would fix our hope on Him. They strengthen our character. Our faith grows in trial. "God's faithfulness should also e of comfort to us in times of trial".

We must remember that it is only by the Holy Spirit's power that we can rejoice in our salvation. God is the source and the Scripture are the means. "In order for Him to use the Scriptures, however, they must be in our hearts through regular exposure to and mediation upon them". However just reading the Truth in Scripture won't do anything apart from the Holy Spirit's application to our hearts. "We are both responsible an dependent. We are responsible to exhibit the fruit of joy and absolutely depend on the Spirit for the power to do it".

So how can we add joy in our life??? We MAIN purpose of joy in our life is to glorify God and show this world that we have a faithful constant Father in heaven.

1. CONFESS AND FORSAKE SIN- He is faithful and just to forgive and restore fellowship
2. TRUST IN GOD- God's Word is true and His promises stand firm. He will carry them out.
3. TAKE A LONG RAGE VIEW OF LIFE- We need to fix our hope on eternal things and nowt on the here and now but on the glory to come.
4. GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES- Not that we are thankful for the bad things but that we give thanks in the midst of it.

The fruits of joy result in a God who is well pleased with His servant and a child of God who is strengthened physically, emotionally and spiritually. "So the choice is ours. We can be joyless Christians or we can be joyful Christians. To be joyless is to dishonor God and to deny His love and His control over our lives. It is practical aetheism. To be joyful is to experience the power of the Holy Spirit within us and to say to a watching world, "Our God reigns".