“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” Thessalonians 5:16-19 (ESV)
You’ve likely heard it said that happiness and joy are not the same. Happiness is an emotion. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. As followers of Christ, we can experience joy even in the midst of sorrow and difficulties because joy is not dependent upon our circumstances. It is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives.
The fact that Paul tells us to ‘rejoice’ suggests that joy is a conscious decision on our part. It involves an intention to regularly choose the Spirit’s mindset over anything or anyone that robs us of His joy.
A few joy sappers are anxiety, stress, negative self-talk, harmful relationships, short-sightedness, half-truths (one of the enemy’s favorite weapons – see Genesis 3 and Matthew 4), preoccupation with current events, lack of vision, disappointment, poor self-image, timidity, injurious behaviors that have never been corrected, etc.
Identifying those joy sappers is the first step towards a healthy spiritual and emotional life. But where do we go from there? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 to present them to God. “Do not be anxious (joy sapper #1) about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Paul invites us to adopt a Christ-minded rather than an emotionally-driven lifestyle.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
You see, praise is like a Teflon coating; joy sappers can’t stick when we are praising God. His peace places a guard, a protective coating if you will, over our hearts and minds. His Spirit enables us to separate the hope we have in Christ from our current circumstances.
My friends, don’t let the joy sappers win. Identify them, confront them, and ask God to help you defeat them. Don’t just knock them down, slay them once and for all (1 Samuel 17:51).
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Well said. You have so much insight and wisdom to share, plus life experiences. If you ever stop writing, I will have to do something drastic.