Top 10 Joy Killers: Sidelined Christians

Intro:
Someone once described a football game as 22 men in desperate need of rest being watched by 80,000 in desperate need of exercise. Think of that as you watch your college football game from the stands or the lazy boy this fall!

The Pareto Principle is known as the 80/20 Rule and pretty much follows a standard bell curve. 20% do 80% of the work. 20% give 80% of the money.

When it comes to being a Christian, 80% might be missing out on joy because they are sidelined and in desperate need of ministry exercise.

Read: 3 John 1:1-4; Philippians 1:3-6
1 The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Philippians 1:3-5
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Think:
For both John and Paul there is joy when Christians are active with their faith. These two Bible passages represent an entire NT theme of joy associated with relationships and partnerships in ministry. There is joy in serving and joy in watching others walk with the Lord.

For John, he can almost not contain himself. Hearing that the believers in Asia are walking with the Lord, John calls it, "great joy". That is how it feels when believers are in the game and not sidelined.

For Paul, he prays with joy because the believers that are partnering with him in the gospel. Hearing that the believers in Philippi are sharing the gospel, Paul turns to the Lord with joy. That is how it feels when believers are in the game and not sidelined.

For Jesus, He is said to be full of joy when the disciples return from preaching in the cities. I believe this is the only time in the NT that says Jesus experienced joy. Surely he did more than this but this is the only recorded time that HE experienced joy. It was when his disciples were doing ministry and making a dent in the darkness (Luke 10). That is how it feels when believers are in the game and not sidelined.

Do:
Are you in the game? Every believer should be involved in:
1 Daily Devotion
1 Worship Service
1 Small Group
1 Ministry Activity

Evaluate where you are with this? Are you in the stands? Are you in desperate need of exercise? If you get involved you will bring great joy to the leaders in those ministries and joy to Jesus too. I bet you will find joy for yourself as well as you see the Lord use you.

Do not be sidelined. Get in the game.

Maybe you are concerned that you do not know where you fit or think you have nothing to offer. Well, everybody is a "10" somewhere. God has given you gifts TO serve him and others. Ask your pastor to see what you might be able to do. You have a SHAPE that will help determine where you might best serve.

Spiritual Gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experiences

Get in the game!

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Unforgiveness

Intro:
In her youth, poet Elizabeth Barrett had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert Browning were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father's disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived the rest of their lives.

Even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply. After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. If her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored.

Read: Colossians 3:12-17
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Think:
Believers are commanded to forgive others. It is a mark of the Christian to forgive when wronged. We are to "bear with each other" and forgive whatever happens (v. 13). This is not easy and cannot be done without God's work in our lives.

Unforgiven and unforgiving people are not happy folks. There is little joy where the heart is locked up and hurt.

So, how do we forgive when we do not want to?
1. Remember your identity (v. 12). You are special to God, fully right with Him and deeply loved (v. 12). This came through forgiveness! He loved you while you were His enemy. He showed love while we were hurting Him (Rom. 5:8).
2. Remember your clothes (v. 12-14). Paul commands the believers to "put on" clothes of love. He said to wear it as our identity. It looks like patience, gentleness, humility. It looks like the Holy Spirit is going to have to help us on this one!
3. Remember your depths (v. 13). How do you forgive? As the Lord did. So critical to think of ourselves here and realize what perfect God had to overlook to forgive sinful me.
4. Seek peace (v. 15). This is a command to let peace "umpire" you! Think of that. Peace is to be an UMPIRE in our lives that calls balls and strikes! Sometimes we can be critical and self-serving but not here. We are commanded to be the Peace Umpire. Peace is the standard of our relationships with others. We are to choose peace whenever possible.
5. Seek truth (v. 16). We are commanded to let the Word dwell in us. God's perspective is our goal. This is accomplished in the written and the living Word.

Do not sacrifice joy on the altar of unforgiveness. Let it go. Release.

Do:
The art of forgiving is a spiritual grace every Christian should develop. Because this is so difficult to put into practice, one author offers the following suggestions:
* Assure yourself that compared to Christ's suffering your offense is minor.
* List the benefits you have received from the Lord.
* Thank Him for blessing you with His love and forgiveness each day.
* Make an honest effort to pray for the one who has injured you.
* Look for opportunity to serve him or give a gift in secret.
* Before you fall asleep at night, repeat slowly and thoughtfully that phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Missing God

Intro:
Samuel Rutherford was a pastor, born in 1600. He was wise beyond his years and serious in his pursuit and love of Christ Jesus. Let's look over his shoulder as he writes a letter to Lady Kenmure upon the death of his wife:

Whether God come to His children with a rod or a crown, if He come Himself with it, it is well. Welcome, welcome Jesus, what way soever Thou come, if we can get a sight of Thee! And sure I am, it is better to be sick, providing Christ come to the bedside and draw by the curtains, and say, 'Courage, I am Thy salvation," than to enjoy health, being lusty and strong, and never to be visited by God."

Samuel Rutherford, Age 30.

Can you catch his message? It is better to go through it and have Christ near then to be happy and strong but never be visited by God. That's pretty strong.

Read: Psalm 126
1 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."

3 The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.

5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.

6 He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.

Think:
A definite joy killer is not seeing God at work. The Psalms are filled with laments of men and women that cried out to God day and night but never heard from him.

Psalm 126 is a "Song of Ascent". It is a song the Israelites would sing as they would ascend to Jerusalem to worship the Lord at the annual Passover celebration. During their long journeys they would retell the stories of God's faithfulness to them. This would be their prep time for worship.

In Psalm 126, there is joy! Joy for seeing the Lord at work. Captivity is over, they are back in the land and filled with joy (v.1, 2). Relationship is restored. God has moved. They are saved. Joy.

When we are far from the Lord or when He seems far from us we lose joy (v. 5, 6). In fact, tears, weeping and sorrow should mark the follower of Christ that is not near Him.

Whatever you are going through, can you see the Lord? Is He near? Are you being visited?

Do:
Can you think of a time of personal loss and pain? Did you experience the joy of knowing Jesus was with you?

Why do you think we sometimes miss the Lord's visit? Could it be that we are impatient? Or maybe that we are conditioned to only expect victory and therefore suffering feels like God has abandoned us?

Are there seasons where God is distant? If so, why would He do that? Does absence really make the heart grow fonder?

Take time to reflect on your circumstances and see if you can see God in them? Jesus is ready to draw back the curtain and say "Courage, I am Thy Salvation." That will bring joy!

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Coveting & Greed

Intro:
I was trained from childhood to want what other people have. If my brother had the exact Matchbox car I wanted there was going to be a fight. Of course the “exact” car I wanted was the one he had! Forget that there were 25 other cars lying on the floor, I had to have the one he had. There’s going to be a battle in our house tonight!

Now that I am older (and more mature!!!) I have grown up. Now, I want my neighbors BMW and conveniently look past the four wheels God has provided for me. Wanting what other people have is a joy killer. It makes me overlook the blessings in my life as I pursue things God has not given to me.

Greed and coveting are in the heart from birth. One of the marks of being human is to be discontent and wanting what other people have. Almost 40 years later I am still trying to trust God with my greedy heart.

Read: James 4:1-4
1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Think:
We must not covet. That is pretty clear. I am not to want other people’s stuff. I am not to be jealous of what others have.

Does anyone in the James 4 passage look happy? Look at the terms I highlighted. Yet that is a picture of the human heart out of control .... God's control. That is a human heart that knows no joy. Coveting and greed will kill joy.

It might be easier if we lived on a secluded island. Our marketing culture sells greed to us every day. One can hardly read the Sunday paper or watch TV without being bombarded with ads for things that I must have! A new car, new house, new body, more money, better clothes, nicer kids, a better vacation spot …. the list is endless. We are trained in greed. We compare our vacation with our friends to make sure we are winning. If not, we brood and mope. We spend money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like!

James tells us how to spot coveting and greed in our lives. If you see quarrelling and fighting among children, church members, husband and wife, friends and neighbors there is probably some link to greed and coveting. When we see quarrelling we are invited to pay attention. There might be some greed and jealousy involved. You might look hard and see that joy took a vacation as well.

Do:
Being content can be difficult. How is your content meter today? Are you at peace with who you are and what you have? Are you content in your marriage? Are you content with your job, car, church, friends, income level, vacation plans, etc.? Do you KNOW that God controls those things in your life? Do you KNOW that you are where you are and have what you have by the hand of God? God will never leave you nor forsake you so be content with what you have (Hebrews 13:5). If you have Him you have all you need!

“Father, help me to trust you with what I have. Help me to see You today and be satisfied with You alone. Help me to focus on Jesus. Help me to focus on the glory I will have in heaven (Col. 3:4). God I am very rich. Help me to be content with what I have and live in today not in the future. I choose to trust you. Be glorified. In Jesus name, amen.”

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Legalism

Intro:
Rules, rules, rules. No one likes them except the people enforcing them!

The story was told some years ago of a pastor who found the roads blocked one Sunday morning and was forced to skate on the river to get to church, which he did. When he arrived the elders of the church were horrified that their preacher had skated on the Lord’s day. After the service they held a meeting where the pastor explained that it was either skate to church or not go at all. Finally one elder asked, “Did you enjoy it?” When the preacher answered, “No,” the board decided it was all right!

The essence of legalism is trusting in the religious activity rather than trusting in God. It is putting our confidence in a practice rather than in a Person. And without fail this will lead us to love the practice more than the Person.

Jack Deer

Read: Colossians 2:20-3:4
20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Colossians 3
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Think:
There was a group teaching the Colossians that they had to just say "No" to the world (v.21). This group wrote books, spoke on the circuit ... probably did podcasts to get their message out. They created a measuring stick to determine who was really serious about their faith.

And so these believers worked hard to control their desires (v. 23). The problem ... it did not work! It looked like they were doing it for God but His vote: it was self imposed, prideful and harsh. This was not God's plan. This was a joy killer.

Legalism is a killer.

If we are honest we will admit that it is easier to create rules then live in relationship. It is easier to put confidence in a practice then in a Person. Grace is so hard to accept!

Fortunately we are not left to following rules. Paul's remedy: live in the power of the resurrection (v. 1). How do we do this? Set your eyes on Jesus and stop looking at yourself (v. 2). Say "Yes" to Him. Let him have control. Choose relationship with a Person over a practice that makes you feel secure.

There are many joy killers out there that will spy out your freedom in Christ and try to squelch it. Your joy is a mark of your salvation. Your freedom points to your release from slavery. Live as if you have been set free from sin and death because you have (v. 3)!

Oh, and it is ok to ice skate on Sunday. Do it with joy!

Do:
Examine your life for practices that are more important than Jesus. Beware, it might be in closely held places. If these believers thought what they were doing was worshipful and humble chances are you will too.

Do you love a practice more than a Person?

Are you living in resurrection power? Will you spend time in prayer saying "Yes" to God today?

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Giving Up

Intro:
There is real joy in completing something. It might be as simple as a jigsaw puzzle or as serious as a marriage, but there is joy in completing the course.

I like what Oswald Chambers said, "God never promised us an easy passage, just a safe landing." That is really true. So much of life is filled with challenge and difficulty. There is much temptation to give up at times. Joy is the prize for the finisher.

My sophomore year in HS I experienced just that joy. I was running in the 4x400 relay at the CIF finals. It was perfect. Nighttime, rubber track, 2,000 fans watching and 1 goal: beat my personal best (PR) and earn my varsity letter!

I was the anchor leg of the relay. When I finally got the baton I was 10th out of 10 teams. I took off trying to catch anybody and to break my PR. It was an event to remember. I passed the first runner coming out of turn 1. I passed the second runner on the back stretch. I passed a third and fourth runner in turn 2. And then it happened ..............

I tore my stomach muscle. The pain was radiating and screaming, "stop running you idiot". Here I was in 6th place, in the final stretch, in front of 2000 people, running for a goal ... ready to give up. What happened next was amazing .....

The crowd was chanting for me. Every single step was met by a noise from the crowd. It was a sort of "huhw". Each step that hit the ground was met by the crowd. I found a strength I did not have on my own. I passed the 5th and 6th runner near the tape and finished 4th, collapsing across the lanes and almost disqualifying our team.

Emerging through the pain I looked for my coach to find my time. Did I beat my PR? Did I letter as a sophomore? I finished the race .8 seconds faster than my season best!

There was incredible joy in not giving up!

Read: Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Think:
Whenever you see the word "therefore" in the Bible you might ask yourself, "What is the therefore there for?". What is the context? What comes before this set of verses?

Most know that Hebrews 11 is the "Hall of Faith", a record of God followers that held on when the they wanted to quit. What most do not know is why chapter 11 was written.

Audience: Jewish believers (the first Jews for Jesus small group?)
Situation: suffering, prison, loss of property, death
Problem: they want to quit (use link to read context if you have time)

Chapter 12 is a call for these believers to remain under the load and not quit! He urges them to:
1. Throw off anything that is slowing you down
2. Run the race with endurance
3. Make Jesus the finish line

Jesus is the ultimate not giverupper. He endured the cross for these believers. He could have quit if he wanted to. He endured because of love. He did not quit knowing the joy that would be his when he finally made it "home" and took many with him to glory.

He experienced the joy of not giving up and so could they. So can we.

Do:
Are you at a place where you are tempted to give up? Are you ready to quit the race? There is a crowd of witnesses to God's faithfulness. There is a crowd of witnesses to what it feels like to finish well. There is a crowd of witnesses to the joy that is available to you if you do not quit.

If your issue is serious (like marriage or your relationship with God) then maybe you can make a goal and establish some steps to get help.

If your issue is simple (like a puzzle) then do as you like.

But, if your issue is in-between that require wisdom and endurance. Remember, there is joy if we continue and never give up.

Look to Jesus. That is not a glance! Look full in His wonderful face.

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Prayerlessness

Intro:
This one hits close to home. I am challenged recently that my popcorn prayers may not be adequate.

I will often pray through the Lord's Prayer to help me remember key things (like confession of sin, starting and ending with God, realizing that I am in a spiritual battle, seeking God's will).

In his book the Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennen Manning tells about a two story house that caught fire. The family was was making it out of the house when the smallest boy became terrified, tore away from his mother and ran back upstairs. Suddenly , he appeared at a smoke-filled window crying hysterically. Standing outside, his father shouted, "Jump son, Jump! I will catch you." The boy cried, "But daddy, I can't see you."
"I know", his father called, "But I can see you."

When we forget to pray we lose sight of God's control, his care and his love.

Read: Philippians 4:4-8
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Think:
When we pray we are in tune with God's heart and more likely to see him in action. Prayer is a window into heaven. It is a means that God has given believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to catch his view of things. It tunes us to do his work. It tunes us so we can join him.

When we fail to pray we fail to see what God is doing and what he has for us. What are we to pray about? Everything (v. 6). Paul loves this type of language: everything, anything, all things. He did not believe we could compartmentalize our lives and turn out ok.

We are to take it all to God: our joys, our worries, our schedules, our family, our friends, our enemies, our hurts, our hang ups, our habits, our church, the bills, vacation, Bible time .... everything.

When we take everything to God we experience God (v. 7). We know his peace and love and joy. We just might get a glimpse into what is happening.

Prayerlessness is a definite joy killer.

Do:
So, what do you want to do about this? Will you take time to pray? I have included the creepy hand below as a tool to help us in our prayers today. Reach out to him and see him work.

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Not Understanding God's Ways

Intro:
Did you understand all that your parents were "doing to" you while growing up? So often they were managing higher level things then whether I should have a new computer or not.

It astounds me how poorly my children interpret me now. The curse has reversed. I recently was reliving a moment with my son. His perception of what happened and mine were miles apart. Of Course I was right!!! Nah ....

When we fail to understand what is happening around us we can lose perspective, give way to anger or despair and lose our joy.

The key culprit is the question, Why. Why did this happen? Why didn't that happen? Why is God not helping me? Why? Why? Why?

Read: Psalm 42
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
3 Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”

4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!

5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and 6 my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.

9 “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!

Think:
This is a song of discouragement. They joy is lost to circumstances and misunderstanding.

From the context, we learn the song writer has a special trust in the Lord and is captured by longing and thirst for Him (v. 1, 2). This trust comes at a price of mockery and pain (v. 3, 9, 10). We also see that God is not showing up to the satisfaction of the song writer or his mockers.

The writer does not understand the ways of God and has misplaced his joy in the process (v. 4). Soon the "why" questions begin to develop. Why are not not showing yourself God? Why will you not take care of these guys? Why do I feel alone? Why have you abandoned me?

Joy is sacrificed on the altar of misunderstanding of God's ways.

The song writer teaches us how to get out of the funk in the sections in green above. Please reread those sections.

Do:
Do you ever misunderstand God's ways? If our kids so often misinterpret our actions due to a lack of knowledge how much more can we miss understand God's actions! When we reach this place we have to do a couple of very important things.
1. Admit that we do not understand the what and why of how He works
2. Press into Him do not pull away (v. 1, 2)
3. Remind yourself of WHO he is when you don't know WHY he does. It is sort of bumper stickerish but still true, "If you do not understand the hand of God, trust the heart of God".
4. Choose to put your hope in God (v. 5, 11) and choose to praise him (v. 5, 8, 11). This will require trust against your feelings.

Close with a song from the DevoLink Worship Center. Listen to Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns.

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Top 10 Joy Killers: Worldliness

Intro
You are who you hang around with. That is what our parents told us in jr. hi and high school. Who you spend time with you will become like. It might come slowly like a storm sometimes does but it will come.

So, keeping in step with the Holy Spirit is key to experiencing joy but if we are hanging out with the wrong things we will eventually lose our joy. If we choose worldliness over holiness we will he joyless. It might come slowly but it will come.

Do not be fooled, worldliness is not defined as doing evil things. You can pursue business in an ethical, even Christian way and still be worldly. It has to do with what you are pursuing and what your mind thinks about. You can over focus on your children and become worldly.

Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

C.S. Lewis

Read: Romans 8:5-14
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace (and joy). 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Think:
You cannot read these words from Paul and not sense the immense struggle that happens in the life of the Christian. There is a struggle for control that will move us closer or further away from the Lord and therefore closer or further away from joy.

Every day we wake up we are invited to embrace surrender and allow the Holy Spirit control (v. 8, 9). But built in that H-mail invitation is a delete button ... an option to choose to do it on our own. One decision leads to death but the other leads to life and peace (v. 6).

How do we know which we are choosing? Check your joy. Check your patience with the kids. Check your kindness with a neighbor. Check your self control? Our interactions will tell us who is in control of our lives.

Good news, we do not need to go with our urges (v. 12.) We have choices. It seems funny that Paul almost had to remind them that they were free to make a choice toward the Lord. Maybe we are so accustomed to failure that we need to be reminded that victory is available.

We do not have to be worldly. We do not have to be easily pleased!

Do:
Ok, it is a new day and the invitation is at your heart's door. Will you surrender? Will you allow the Holy Spirit to run you today? You do not need to do anything special. Do not light a candle. Do not try harder. Give up. Give in. Surrender.

What does that sound like?

"Father, today is Your day. On my own I cannot please you or do your will. I need you to live your life through me. I surrender to you and let the Holy Spirit control my life today. Amen."

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Top 10 Joy Killers - False Salvation

Intro:
Some things cannot get a charge unless they are near a source of energy. Rechargeable batteries are no good if they cannot get near the charger and recharge. They are source dependent.

Joy is a lot like this. Joy is charged by a Source. It is not given out as a virtue, it is not earned, it is not easily obtained. Joy has a source. Many experience happiness, few know joy. Happiness is tied to good happenings, joy is independent of circumstance. You can have joy at a party or a funeral because it is not dependant on anything.

"Biblical joy consists of the deep and abiding confidence that all is well regardless of circumstance and difficulty. It is something very different from worldly happiness. Biblical joy is always related to God and belongs only to those in Christ. It is the permanent possession of every believer--not a whimsical delight that comes and goes as chance offers it opportunity.

A good definition of joy is this: it's the flag that flies on the castle of the heart when the King is in residence. Only Christians can know true and lasting joy."
John MacArthur

Read: Galatians 5:16-25
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Think:
If you lack joy you may need to make sure you know the Source of joy. It is pretty healthy for "believers" to examine themselves to see if we really know the Lord or not. Joy serves us as one of the best tests for salvation since it cannot be manufactured.

Paul told the Galatians that joy was an expression of the Spirit in our lives. In other words, joy tells me if I am letting the Holy Spirit lead my life (v. 16, 25). So, if joy is lacking, this may be evidence that I am not in step with God's Spirit or that I have never taken a step with Him at all.

One of the greatest joy killers is a false salvation. If we are trying to do the Christian thing not connected to the Source we will experience no joy.

CS Lewis said of joy, if you want to get wet you have to get into the fountain. You must be near the source. If you are away from the fountain you will remain dry.

Do:
Are you near the fountain, the Source? You can always tell by answering this question: are you wet or dry? How is your joy?

Examine your life. Do you have a true salvation? Have you come to Jesus really? Have you surrendered to Him as Lord, confessed your sin and believed that God has raised Him from the dead?

DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.