Garwood Presbyterian Church

The Promise of God's Joy

The Power of God's Promises

Psalm 40:16, Hab.3:17-18, Acts 2:28, Phil. 4:4

1. God Wants You to Have Joy
   1. But you can not rely on your circumstances for joy or happiness.
      1. You can have medical, financial, relational, or other problems.
   2. There is a key to having happiness and joy in your life.
      1. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.", Hab. 3:17-18.
      2. The key is your relationship with the Lord.
      3. "But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, 'The Lord be exalted!' ", Psalm 40:16.
      4. "... you will find your joy in the Lord....", Isaiah 58:14.
      5. "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.", Acts 2:28.
      6. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!", Philippians 4:4.
   3. The depth of your relationship with God, is the key to the amount of joy you will experience in your life.
2. Stealth Joy Stealers
   1. If you have tried to find your joy in the Lord, but can not experience very much of it, then there are joy stoppers and stealth joy stealers in your life.
   2. How to recognize if a stealth joy stealer is in your life.
      1. If you are a Christian, and the circumstances of your life are reasonably good, but you don't have much joy, then there's a stealth joy stealer in your life.
   3. What does a stealth joy stealer look like?
      1. Fear - Depression - Anger - Guilt are some of them.
   4. Where do they come from?
      1. From unresolved pain in your past.
   5. How do I get rid of them?
      1. First, pray to the Lord and ask Him where and when you were traumatized, but it was never healed. What have you buried because the pain was too great?
      2. Second, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." Don't be afraid, get your courage up, and face up to what it is. Stop living in denial and acknowledge whatever the joy stealer is.
      3. Release emotionally whatever it is to God: the fear, sadness, anger, guilt, etc. Let it go.
      4. Let God heal your broken heart. Let His love flow in to where it wasn't before.
      5. Use your spiritual resources as a Christian.
         1. Replace fear with trust in the Lord.
         2. Replace depression with hope in the Lord.
         3. Replace anger with forgiveness.
         4. Replace guilt with forgiveness of yourself.
      6. This is best done together with a Christian counselor or healer.
3. Strengthen Your Relationship With God
   1. Because the deeper your relationship with God is, the more joy you will have in your life.
   2. Spend more time in prayer with God and in different ways.
   3. Hear God speak to you. He mainly speaks through His Word in the Bible. So consistently hear His Word at Sunday worship services, read His Word, & study it with other Christians.
   4. Worship Him with the freedom He has given you from your heart.