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WEEK 38 – DON’T LET IT STEAL YOUR JOY
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WEEK 38 – DON’T LET IT STEAL YOUR JOY
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WEEK 38 – DON’T LET IT STEAL YOUR JOY
There’s a lot that comes against us to try and steal our JOY.
Discouragement. Sadness. Weakness. Sickness. Depression. THINGS JUST NOT GOING YOUR WAY.
No matter what it is for you, it’s the total opposite of what Jesus wants for you.
Satan comes to steal, kill, & destroy, but Jesus comes to give us life to the fullest!
The incredible thing about the JOY that comes from God is that it is literally UNSHAKEABLE!
And we can have that kind of UNSHAKEABLE joy as well. They key to remember is that THE JOY OF THE LORD is UNCIRCUMSTANCIAL!
The JOY God offers us is outside of time. It’s outside of space. It’s beyond any particular scenario.
Anything that could go right or could go wrong doesn’t have any effect on GOD’S JOY & the JOY that He offers us.
The trick is for us to be able to ask for, and CHOOSE for His JOY to be our strength through it all.
It’s a higher ground.
But if we’re going to walk in that kind of UNSHAKEABLE JOY we’ve got get really intentional.
We’ve got to dig, and do some intentional work beforehand to be on guard against the things that come against our joy.
We are so tied to circumstances, and we give our circumstances WAY too much power in our lives, ESPECIALLY when it comes to whether we have JOY or not.
It’s a good day or a bad day based on what is happening, or what has happened to us.
What somebody said, traffic, and a million other things from small to large that we LET have the power to determine our joy.
Sorry, it’s NOT supposed to be that way.
I mean that’s ALL WE HAVE before we meet Jesus, so it makes sense that we learn that as our way of life before we meet Jesus.
But we’ve got to UNLEARN it!
We’ve got to let Jesus renew that part of our brain and how we relate to the world around us.
We’ve got to let gratitude & Heaven & eternity with Him, closeness with our maker bear a heavier weight than our circumstances, and EVEN IN THE MIDST OF CRAZY STORMS that we’d rather not have happening around us, we can remember our salvation & take JOY EVERYWHERE with us because our salvation is EVERLASTING and more amazing than anything else that can happen here.
NOTHING that can happen here can take away our salvation (short of us walking away from Jesus on our own).
Our JOY should be tied to our SALVATION. It should be tied to our status in Christ. And the last time I checked, the Bible says that our status is SAVED, REDEEMED, CHILD OF GOD, NAMES WRITTEN IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE, JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
Now THAT’S REASON FOR CELEBRATING 247, no matter what else is going on my friends!
So let’s remember. Let’s recalibrate. Let’s choose JOY this week.
Our perspective and attitude can stand on God’s higher ground of JOY, unaffected by the waves of this world!
Now THAT sounds amazing!
Let’s dive into THOSE deep waters!
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF (or your groups)
- What are some of the things in your life SPECIFICALLY that come against your joy?
- What is your biggest struggle area when it comes to JOY?
- Have you ever experienced the JOY of the LORD overcoming a normally UNJOYFUL circumstance? What was that like?
SCRIPTURE
Galatians 5:22-23 / Nehemiah 8:10 / Psalm 16:11
WEEKLY FOCUS
This week, read through these Scriptures each morning.
Think about this idea of INCREASING IN THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT OF JOY.
Ask God if there are any areas you need to surrender or change in order to GROW IN JOY.
Let this theme guide your God time all week, and even your thoughts and conversation with Him through out your days, all week long.
Let Him speak to you about this idea of GROWING YOUR JOY, and see what He says.
We’d love to hear your feedback, so hop into the devos conversation thread in SLACK & we’re excited to see what the Lord speaks to you this week.
BLESSINGS!
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