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Joy is real. It’s an actual wellspring that can sustain us, strengthen us, and spill over to people around us. Joy is promised to us in Scripture, so why do so many of us feel we have lost it? What is it that comes along to steal our joy?

A primary reason is that there is an enemy that is real, whose goal is to steal our joy. His lifeblood is to steal, kill and destroy. His nature is to lie. What greater power could he have over us than to deceive us, stripping us of confidence and silencing our wellspring of joy?

Thankfully, we can identify lying thoughts, take them captive, and make them obedient to Christ. For the good of our souls, it is absolutely essential that we name the lies, and replace them with Truth.

 

At  Joy Let Loose, we passionately pursue the kind of life that explodes with joy. So we want to help identify 4 Lies that Steal Our Joy (& the Truth that Sets Us Free.) It takes practice, and often a whole lot of accountability, to recognize, name, and replace the lies. But I promise you that freedom and joy lie on the other side!

4 Lies that Steal Our Joy

(& the Truth that Sets Us Free)

 

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  Lie #1:  I am less than… 

  
  

Oh, how easy it is to look at ourselves in light of everyone else! It’s incredibly simple for the enemy to gain access to our perspective as soon as we begin to evaluate how _____ we are compared to anyone else. Have you experienced this?

                                      I’m not:

pretty enough

smart enough

thin enough

energetic enough

spiritual enough

young enough

______ enough…

It takes very little time for a comparison mindset to steal the wind from our sails and suck our joy dry. But Scripture is clear that we only need to see ourselves in light of Jesus Christ. In Romans, Paul says that if we follow Jesus, then the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirits that we are God’s children, and co-heirs with Christ. As a co-heir, we are joined with Him–adopted as God’s sons and daughters–and compared only to Him.

Truth: I Am Enough

God says that we are enough.  Psalm 139 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s gift of grace in Jesus Christ to rescue us from sin and transform us in to His likeness demonstrates pure, unrestrained love.

The next time the lie comes to your mind that you are not ____ enough, capture it. Name it as a lie. And replace it with the Truth that God sees you, chooses you, and loves you enough to call you His own son or daughter. He sees you as welcome and wonderful enough to join with Jesus.

 

• Lie #2:  I don’t have enough…

  
  

I’ve lived lots of places. Most of them have been in (North American) depressed economies. But God recently called us to minister in a very wealthy area. Feeling out of place? A little! But I’ve found that it doesn’t matter whether I live around luxury or lack, the enemy still likes to throw darts about it.

When I had to rely on WIC to afford milk for our kids, I thought, “I don’t have enough.” When we struggled to pay for car repairs or to fill the tank, “I don’t have enough.” When our oil bill exceeded our mortgage payment…same thoughts.

But in those seasons of scarcity, God proved again and again that He is enough. His repeated, miraculous provision through the hands of the generous showed me that, in fact, I had so much that I could overflow it to others. When bank statements made no sense, still there was just enough for us not to sink. When we were not sure how we would make it to another pay-check, bags of groceries and plentiful harvest would be waiting on our porch. 

Recently, we bought a house. The house-hunting process in a wealthy area proved to be a tempting place to begin to say, “I don’t have enough..” But I’ve learned not to pine after what I can’t have, and to be content with what is possible. And high in the mountains of Haiti, I was reminded again that He is enough. And not only do I have enough, but I also have enough for others too. I will not be defeated by a poverty mindset. My God provides.

Truth: My God Provides

So whether you are in a season of luxury or one of lack, be wary of your thoughts. Gratitude and contentment are always possible as we lean into the Lord’s provision. Challenge the lie that you don’t have enough with the truth that He will provide for all of your needs in Christ Jesus.

 

Lie #3:  My circumstance Means no joy…

Let’s face it: life is plain hard. Many of us struggle against realities we never dreamed possible, and navigate circumstances that seem too much to bear. Energy gets zapped, hope seems lost, and a joyful perspective seems impossible to find again. But our joy is not dependent on circumstances alone. In fact, it is dependent on our God.

In a previous post, I quoted Dallis Willard who said that joy is “not pleasure, a mere sensation, but a pervasive and constant sense of wellbeing. It claims our entire body and soul, both the physical and the non-physical side of the human self.”(1)  Abiding joy is what causes the widow to turn toward God for solace, and makes the cancer patient intent on leaning in to each remaining moment. 

Truth: Joy Disregards Circumstances

Our circumstances might dampen our feelings of happiness, but the wellbeing that is found in Jesus will not be shaken.  Joy remains. We must peer through the fog to remember it and lean on its strength. When Isaiah prophesied in Chapter 52 that deliverance was coming, he instructed the Israelites to lean in to the promise of salvation, and to take off chains and shout for joy, even as they waited. They weren’t to hold out for rescue before they rejoiced about it.  

Joy disregards circumstances. And our disciplined rejoicing in faith can yield the fruit of abundant joy. So the next time your life circumstances threaten your well-being, and the enemy whispers to you that your joy is lost, refuse to believe it. Claim the truth that the joy of the Lord is your strength, and lean in to it

 

I’m just not a joyful person…

I know people whose nature is to exude happiness. Their thanksgiving is inspiring, and their energy is boundless. I know others who express joy through patience and contentment. Still others depict joy in their compassion and generosity. It takes on different forms and is not a one-size-fits-all quality.

Joy is a God-like trait, and a fruit that grows in us as we grow closer to the Lord. It becomes our very nature as we are transformed to be like Jesus. I am introverted in personality, and even-keel in temperament, so I have often thought I may not be joyful. I’ve questioned where my joy is. But Scripture shows joy in many forms: it looks like perseverance in trial, exuberance in praise, confidence and gratitude for God’s provision, and deep and abiding faith.

Truth: My Joy is Unique

So, when you are tempted to think you are not a joyful person, shake off your one-size-fits-all definition. Your joy is unique. Joy doesn’t look just one way – it is not only exuberant, chipper, and boisterous. Instead, remind yourself that joy also abides, remains steadfast, believes fully, and bears patiently. Ask the Lord to restore to you the joy of your salvation.

4 Lies That Steal Our Joy

(& the Truth that Sets Us Free)

 

Joy, my friends, grows in us as we grow in Christ. It is bold and it is active. The enemy of our souls is a thief and a deceiver., and he wants to steal our joy. So I pray today that you will see fruit in your lives from unearthing these 4 Lies that Steal Our Joy (& the Truth that Sets Us Free.)

How about you? How do you take thoughts captive and claim what is true? 

Elizabeth Joy

 

 

 

 

 

Joy is a command. Straight up. Writers throughout Scripture tell us to be joyful, to rejoice. Is it that easy? In February, I showed you seven things Scripture says about joy. Now I’m unfolding a series of articles to flesh those out. Last week, I wrote about the reality that we can find natural (supernatural) joy in our everyday lives.  Today, I want to talk about joyful obedience, and 4 real ways we can keep the command to rejoice. Below you will find several resources to help you rejoice in normal, everyday life.

Joyful Obedience: 4 Real Ways to Rejoice in Everyday Life 

Rejoice in your salvation

We all have a story of who we’ve been. And if we have clung to Jesus, then we aren’t the same people any longer. Praises! One amazing exercise we can do in our everyday lives to rejoice in our salvation is to lay claim to the fact that the old has gone and the new has come.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17)

It’s healthy and beneficial to remind ourselves over and over of our new identity. Like Gideon did in Judges 6 when God revealed Himself to him, we can stack stones into an altar of peace and joy, to replace the ones of immorality and evil we have torn down. As we remind ourselves of what we used to be, and stand firm on who we are now, we participate in joyful obedience. 

I used to be… but now, this is me.

Download the free resource below to help you rejoice in your salvation. Column one is a place to remind yourselves of the old altars of your life, the things the God of peace has helped you to tear down. Column two is for your new stones. These are the new names God has given you; they are the things that are true about you now because the God of Salvation has rescued you. Gideon was the weakest member of the weakest clan. But God called him “Mighty Warrior.” Who were you? And who are you now?

As you write down the things that used to be true about you, cross them out. In Jesus’ name, they are finished and done. Praise God as you write down what He has birthed in you. Lay claim to the new that has come and is coming. Rejoice in your salvation!

Download the PDF

Rejoice in God’s protection

I’m convinced we have absolutely no idea how many things God has spared us from. Scripture shows God to be a fierce protector, and all of us can attest to situations in our lives where the unexplainable has happened to keep us from physical, emotional, or spiritual harm. Gideon experienced God’s astounding protection, and no one but God could be credited with the victory. After instructing Gideon to whittle down his troops more than once, he gives the Midianites right into the hands of his measly 300 soldiers (Judges 7). It was not Gideon’s strength that won the fight, because God had confused the Midianites, and they turned on each other. Gideon had so little to offer in the battle, but he came out victorious because there is no one stronger than our God. 

Every day rejoicing includes the acknowledgment and praise for God’s strong protection in our lives. So call out God’s powerful and protective attributes, and trust that He protects us even when we don’t realize we are in danger. The resource I’ve created below is to help you be deliberate with joyful obedience.

Download the PDF

Rejoice in God’s provision

Luke 17 holds a story surprisingly similar to many of ours. Jesus miraculously healed ten lepers. These men had been outcasts, the lowest of the low. Each was unclean until our Savior cleansed them. He told them to go and present themselves to the priests, and as they went on their way, they realized they were healed. The provision for a cleansed leper extended far beyond the radical restoration of a physical body. It returned to them dignity, family, standing within their community, and the ability to once again be involved in the everyday activities and rituals of life. 

Shortly thereafter, one of the men returned to Jesus, throwing himself at Christ’s feet in abandoned gratitude. Even Jesus seemed a little surprised that only one came to thank Him. As he encouraged the man to head home, He said that the man’s faith had made Him well. 

How often do you and I overlook the incredible provisions of our God? What do we take for granted? He is the Father of abundance, who gives good gifts to His children. From the breath that sustains us, to the food that nourishes, and the people to cherish, we really have no end to the reasons to pour out our gratitude. I want my faith to continue to make me well; to be the one who comes back…

The resource below is another one you can download to help focus your gratitude as a part of joyful obedience and everyday rejoicing. I suspect each of us could fill this a hundred times over and still never run out of things to be thankful to God for!

Download the PDF

Rejoice in God’s care

 When Jesus stood on the mountain to teach, He revealed the incredibly caring nature of the Father. He spoke of comfort for the grieving, kingdom inheritance for the meek and the poor in spirit, filling for the thirsty, and sonship for peacemakers. Later, He revealed God’s care over the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, reminding the people how much more valuable they are to God than even those. God’s care for His people is intimate and profuse. Jesus demonstrated God’s care by looking little children in the eye and pulling them up on His knee, by touching the unlovable, and dining with the sinner. 

At  Joy Let Loose, we believe that rejoicing in God’s care includes acknowledging His care in our lives, but also letting it loose to others. Joyful obedience and daily rejoicing is found in extending grace to others in the everyday, whether in words, finances, help, or simple company. How can you begin to rejoice in God’s care by caring for others? What tangible expressions of God’s love can you give in your home, your workplace, or your community? 

I would love for you to use this resource to begin to drink in and pour out God’s loving care on others. Pray. Brainstorm. Where can you begin letting joy loose even today?

Download the PDF

Joyful Obedience

Joy is a command. Straight up. And commands are given for our benefit. I want to be one of those people who exudes the joy of the Lord. And I want to rejoice daily in my salvation, God’s protection, His provision, and His care. So I pray that these resources will help me and help you to begin to live in joyful obedience, as we find real ways to rejoice in everyday life. 

How are you living joyfully? Share your stories in the comments below about how you are using these resources to rejoice in everyday life.

Elizabeth Joy