Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
November 22, 2015 - W1547

Today we will be talking about Regaining My Joy.  We all face difficulties in life.  Every single one has a co-worker that’s giving you a hard time, or maybe an insensitive person at school, or maybe some neurotic driver on H-1.  But God did not create us to just tolerate life, just to endure our family, to just put up with our spouse, etc.  No, in fact, John 10:10 (NASB), “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  God gave us life so that we would enjoy it.  We cannot control what others do to us, but we can control what happens to us.

First, let’s make a distinction between happiness and joyfulness.  Happiness comes from the outside in; joy comes from the inside out.  If we are looking for happiness, we are saying, “God, change my circumstances and I’ll be happy.”  The word “happiness” comes from the word happening or happenstance.  If what is happening is good, then I’m happy.  But the word “joy” is so different.  James 1:2-4, (NASB) “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Joy is an inside job that flows from within. 

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN JOY LEAKS?

Nehemiah 8 gives us the location of resurgence and how to regain joy.  Verse 10 (NASB), “Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” When you get that kind of joy, it will make you strong because it comes from the inside and strengthens you. 

1.   Refill With Joy:  Ephesians 5:18-21 (NASB), “…but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” 

God’s Prescription:  Refill your joy often with the Holy Spirit because God’s purpose for you is to fill others.  He fills us during worship in solitude and during our devotions.  Coming to church also regains our joy. Say to the Lord, “Holy Spirit come and fill me.  Baptize me afresh so that I can be equipped for the purpose that you have for me today.”  God knows that on the job, there will be people to deflate you if you are not careful, and being the servant of the Most High, you will be giving often and needing to be refilled constantly. 

God is saying that every time we gripe and complain, we deflate ourselves and leak, so He reminds us in Ephesians 5:20, “…always giving thanks for all things.” Whenever we give thanks, God refills us. There’s an inner conversation that goes on everyday and isn’t it true that we speak to ourselves? The question is what are you saying?  Is it, “I can’t do this anymore”?  I can’t go to work anymore.  I’m done with this stuff.  I’m finished.”  Pretty soon you’re encouraging defeat with that inner negativity.  Rather, speak to yourself in the direction you want to go and send your words in that direction.  Say, “I can overcome this.  I can do that because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I’m a child of God.  No weapon formed against me shall prosper.  Nothing will defeat me.  Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  For I know the plans God has for me.  Plans not for my calamity, but plans for my welfare, because He is giving me a future and a hope.  I am going to overcome by the blood of the Lamb.” Your spirit will begin to refill with joy again.  Remember, when things are not going your way, begin to speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns, start singing, “Great is thy faithfulness…  Thy compassions they fail not… Morning by morning new mercies I see. All that I needed Your hands have provided.”  God will provide, but you must speak, and your words will refurbish your joy on the inside and get you ready for a miracle. 

There’s an old hymn that says, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”  I Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB), “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Practicing this daily will keep your spirit buoyed; if not, the world will deflate you. May I encourage you to do something together for the next few weeks till Christmas?  Let’s boycott complaining.  Let’s proclaim a strike on whining.  Let’s fast bellyaching.  You’ll be surprised that the joy of the Lord will begin to surge within you.  Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” To overcome complaining, we must start giving thanks.  Build a bank account of joy and thanksgiving so that when there’s a demand for you to complain you will have no supply because all you have will be thanksgiving.  But if you don’t give thanks, you will be empty and when you have something to bellyache about, you have a lot of bellyaching to give.   Begin to resupply your armament with a ton of gratefulness. 

I Corinthians 10:10, “And do not grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.” When we grumble/complain, it shows the devil that you have a cavernous need, that you are displeased and he will fill you with doubt, fear, accusation, and blame.  How do you get rid of that?  Start giving thanks over abundantly.  There is always something to give thanks about, even for the windshield on your car so you can see and not get wet!  You’ll begin to laugh and your mood will change, just by being thankful. 

How To Learn To Give Thanks?  I always ask myself:  What if I woke up tomorrow morning and the only thing I had left were the things I thanked God for yesterday.  How much would I have left?  Would my cupboards be bare?  Then I start listing what I want to have tomorrow.  I thank God for my wife, my family, my church, etc.  What do you want to have tomorrow?  Write them down and thank God for them today.  When you go through hard times, thank God for His presence and refill your joy by thanking God often and boycott complaining. Complaining will make us negative and kill us. I have signs around the house that says, “Never is heard a discouraging word.”  Let’s increase our thanksgiving.

2.  REALIZE THE POWER OF JOY

Joy is not just a feeling; it is power that is eternally powerful.  Psalm 51:10-12, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit/presence from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and sustain/uphold me with your free spirit.”  If you let that cavity be filled with complaints, it will mess up your heart so let’s say, “Create in me a clean heart O, God” because I need to be restored.  “Cast me not away from your presence,” because I’m griping all the time.  “Take not your Holy Spirit from me.”  I feel empty.  “God, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Verse 13, (NASB) “Then I will teach sinners Your ways and they will be converted to You.” I cannot do this until I get refilled with your joy.  There’s power in joy because joy equips me to do what God has called me to do. 

Listen very carefully.  The Bible says, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”  The devil has no authority to steal your ministry, but he will steal the joy of your ministry and you will give up on yourself.  He has no authority to make you do something you do not want to do, so he gets you to disqualify yourself by throwing yourself off the pinnacle of the temple.  He will destroy your marriage by stealing the joy of being married and you will give up on it yourself.  He has no authority to steal the gifts God has given you so he steals the joy of using your gifts and you will bail out on it yourself.  Catch that?  That’s why it is so important to say, “God, restore unto me the joy of being a dad, the joy of being a mom, the joy of being a saint and using my gifts.”  Joy is powerful and that’s what the devil is going after.  Some people who are married have only one thing in common, that they live at the same address.  The joy is sucked out of their marriage.  “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and sustain me because I need my joy back.”  We tell our people at New Hope Oahu, “Don’t serve without your hearts because God doesn’t really want you to serve Him that way.  What?  God wants you to serve Him with joy.  We can hire people and pay them to serve; but you cannot hire people to serve with joy.  That’s what makes this church attractive.  Look at our servants doing what they do—they do it with joy every week! 

The Power Of Joy.  Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (NASB), “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you…” When you don’t serve God with a joyful heart, the enemy comes in.  I Corinthians 10:10, “Do not complain/grumble as some did and were killed by the destroying angel.”  Complaining unlocks the doors of your soul and the devil floods in.  We overcome the devil when we understand and realize the power of joy.  It’s not an option.  When your joy leaks out, ask God to restore your joy.  Sing and make melody in your heart.  Get in your car and start singing and giving thanks for all things. 

Be filled with joy again and again because it will be demanded of you to give, to inspire, to encourage, and it will deplete you.  When you come to church, ask God to refill you.  How do you stop the leak?  Boycott griping.  Just boycott it until Christmas. Help one another.  When someone starts complaining, don't participate.  Just say, “It's okay.”  Don't participate in it, and it will die because Proverbs 26:20 (NASB) says, “For lack of wood, the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.” Let's boycott complaining. 

Remember, the power of joy is one of your greatest weapons against the enemy.  God doesn't want us just to serve him He wants us to serve him with great joy.  The joy of the Lord is our strength!

STUDY QUESTIONS

1.      Describe the difference between happiness and joyfulness?

2.      What is God’s prescription for “leaky” joy?

3.      Pastor Wayne said:  There’s power in joy because joy ______________________

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4.      How does God want us to serve Him?

 5. According to I Corinthians, what happens to us when we grumble and complain?