JOY & Journaling

 

** The Spiritual Act of Journaling **

 

Dec 11, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

“The LORD gave me this answer: ‘Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.’” (Habakkuk 2:2 TEV)

 

If you want to hear God speak, you need to withdraw to a quiet place, wait patiently and expectantly, ask God to give you a picture of what he wants to say to you, and then write down God’s responses to your questions.

 

In the book of Habakkuk, the Lord commands the author to “write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance” (Habakkuk 2:2 TEV).

 

That’s how we got the book of Habakkuk. In chapter one, Habakkuk wrote down what he said to God. And in chapter two, he wrote down what God said back to him.

 

That’s also how we got the book of Psalms; it is David’s quiet time. David meditated on the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, and then he wrote down his thoughts, and they’re called psalms. In many of the psalms, he starts out with what he’s feeling and then ends up with what God says.

 

If your prayer life is stuck in a rut, and you tend to pray the same things over and over —“God, be with this person” or “Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies” — then here’s what you need to do: Start writing out your prayers.

 

“What? You mean I don’t have to say them?” That’s right! Writing them down is a prayer. God can hear it in your thoughts. Just write it down.

 

Is it OK to write out a prayer and then read it? Of course it is. When you’re writing it, you’re praying. When you’re reading it, you’re praying.

 

This is called the spiritual habit of journaling, and it’s one that all Christians should understand and practice.

 

A journal is not a diary. A diary is about the things you did. A journal is about the lessons you learned — the mistakes you made and how you learned from those things.

 

Talk It Over

•What are different ways of writing things down besides paper and pen that you’re more comfortable with?

•What has God been teaching you that you can journal about today?

•Start a prayer by writing down your answers to these questions: What attributes of God do you love? Who in your life needs God’s intervention? How do you need God to provide for you? What can you thank God for today?

 

 

** Enjoy Your Life **

Dec 12, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

 

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV)

 

You may be under a lot of stress right now because of the economy, but God still wants you to enjoy life.

 

As a Christian, you can enjoy life because your conscience is clear. You can enjoy life because you are secure within God’s love. You can have fun and laugh in church. You can enjoy friends who don’t manipulate you because they are learning to be like Jesus, and that means they are learning to look out for the interests of others.

 

Unfortunately, there are many people who do not want to let God into their lives because they fear he will make them give up anything that is fun. They think that to become a Christian is the same as saying the party’s over, that to be spiritual is to be miserable.

 

People are frantically looking for fun fixes, but that means they operate under the law of diminishing returns. They spend more time, more money, and more energy to get less and less of a thrill. They go around asking, “Are we having fun yet?”

 

The truth is, God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17b NIV).

 

God wants you to enjoy life!

 

Talk About It

•Why would God want you to enjoy life?

•How do you respond to the truth that God’s love is extravagant, lavish, and beyond comprehension?

 

** Finding Your Lost Joy **

Dec 14, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

 

“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17 NLT)

 

What’s the easiest thing for you to lose? Your glasses? Your keys? Your mind?

 

The easiest thing of all to lose is your joy. You can lose it with one phone call or email, a letter or conversation. You can watch a commercial on TV and lose your joy. It’s the easiest thing in the world to lose. And a lot of people in a lot of circumstances are conspiring to rob it from you.

 

When God’s children aren’t filled with joy, it makes God look bad. Cranky Christians are a bad witness. They look like they’ve been baptized in vinegar because they’re never really smiling. And that makes God look bad.

 

Why? Because God wants us to be witnesses with our countenance.

 

The Bible tells us that the Christian life can be summed up in three words: goodness, peace, and joy. Romans 14:17 says, “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (NLT).

 

The reality is, though, that you can lose your joy so quickly, and there are thousands of ways to lose it. There are thousands of killjoys in life that will rob you of your joy, even to the point that somebody like Jeremiah, a prophet of God, could say this in Lamentations 5:15, “There is no joy left in our hearts” (GW).

 

I don’t know if that’s where you are today, but if you’ve ever gone through that period where you feel like you’ve lost the spark and you’re not as close to God as you used to be and you’re just going through the motions of life, you need to know that it’s quite easy to get your joy back, too.

 

So, how do you get your joy back?

 

The first step you need to do is admit you’ve lost it.

 

You simply look at your past and ask yourself a couple of questions: Has there ever been a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now? Has there ever been a time in your life when you were more joyful in the Lord than you are right now?

 

Now is the time to make the change. But you’ve got to start by admitting that you’ve lost what you’ve had in the past. You could ask God about it; he’s waiting to help you. David prayed this in Psalm 51:12: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (NIV).

 

Talk It Over

•Think of a time when you were more joyful in the Lord. What was different then about your spiritual walk and quiet time?

•What are the things that rob you of your joy? Do those things change anything about God? Should they change anything about how much you love him and trust him?

 

 

** Joy No Matter What **

Dec 13, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

 

You have a fundamental need for joy in your life. Life without joy is overwhelming, overburdened, and oppressive. Studies have actually shown that the more joy we have in our lives, the more productive we are. I read an article in "US News and World Report" that said that corporations hire "joy consultants" to build up the joy in peoples’ lives so that employees can be more productive. It is true that you have more energy, more creativity, and more productivity when you have joy in your life.

 

In the short book of Philippians — only four chapters long — Paul uses the word “joy” 16 times. The amazing thing is, Paul didn’t write this book when he was on vacation in the Caribbean. He was in prison in Rome, waiting to be executed. In the darkest days of his life, he wrote the most positive book in the Bible.

 

In Philippians, Paul gives us six joy-builders that will help diffuse our discouragement and lift our depression. To make them easy to remember, I’ve made them into an acrostic — JOYFUL. Today, we’ll look at the first three.

 

J: Jettison all regrets about your past.

“Jettison” means “to abandon as worthless, to discard, to eliminate, to get rid of.” Paul says if you want to enjoy life, there are some things you’ve got to get rid of because they are wearing you down and overburdening your life. The Bible says to forget your regrets, because that's what God does — he chooses to forgive your mistakes once they're confessed. The starting point of joy is letting go of the past. Philippians 3:13 says, “One thing I do is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead” (GN).

 

O: Omit all worries about your future.

If you’re going to enjoy the present, you must omit all worries about your future. Worry, hands-down, is the greatest killjoy of them all. You cannot be joyful and worried at the same time. Paul’s antidote are these verses: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). You can either worry or you can pray.

 

Y: Yield yourself to God's purpose.

If you’re just drifting, if you don’t know where you came from or where you’re going or why you’re here, of course you’re not going to have any joy in your life. We all need a cause greater than ourselves for which we live. That is what brings us joy. Living for yourself does not bring joy.

 

Even when Paul had literally lost everything, there was one thing that could not be taken away from him — his purpose in life. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV).

 

If you want to have a joy-filled life, you need to get in line with God’s purpose for your life. When you begin to live the purpose for which you are made, life makes sense, and joy is a lot more easily found.

 

Talk It Over

•What are the things — people, circumstances, situations, or feelings — that are wearing you down and keeping you from living a joyful life?

•What is the difference in happiness and joy?

•What are you worried about? What do you need to do to release your worry?

** Obedience Is the Secret to Joy **

Dec 15, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

 

“Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40 NLT)

 

Joy is an easy thing to lose, but it’s also an easy thing to get back. After you admit that you’ve lost your joy, you need to analyze the cause. You have to look at your life and ask yourself, “How did I lose my joy? What is robbing my joy?”

 

The Bible tells us many times in Scripture to examine our lives. Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord” (NLT).

 

There are hundreds of killjoys in life, but the two most common I see in people’s lives are an unbalanced schedule and unused talent. You have to have a balance between rest and work, input and output. And you have to use your unique, God-given talents, or you’re going to get frustrated. Take whatever percent of your talent that’s not being used in your job and use it for ministry. If you’re in a job that uses less than 25 percent of your talent, then get out.

 

Once you’ve figured out how you lost your joy, you need to correct what’s wrong.

 

Do you know what will rob your joy faster than anything else? When you know the right thing to do and you don’t do it.

 

The Bible says in James 4:17, “It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

 

So let me ask you: What do you know you need to be doing but you’re not? What has God told you to do but you haven’t started doing yet?

 

The secret to continual, abundant, and overflowing joy is obedience. It’s doing what God tells you to do. Every time you do what God tells you to do, your life’s going to be filled with joy.

 

You’re also going to be filled with joy when you think about what’s good in your life. David says in Psalm 126:3, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (NIV). The more you focus on what God has done for you, the more joy you’re going to have in your life. Why? Because it produces gratitude. And the attitude of gratitude is the healthiest human emotion.

 

If you want to get your joy back, first you admit it’s gone, then you analyze the cause. Then, correct what’s wrong, and get an attitude of gratitude. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the last three steps to recovering your joy.

 

Talk It Over

•What do you need to do to balance your schedule so that it does not steal your joy?

•What has God told you to do but you haven’t started doing yet?

** Share the Joy of Your Salvation **

Dec 16, 2014 by Rick Warren

 

“He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10b NLT)

 

If you want to get your joy back, you 1) admit it’s gone, then you 2) analyze the cause. Then, 3) correct what’s wrong, and 4) get an attitude of gratitude.

 

There are three more steps to recovering your joy that we’ll talk about today.

 

First, you have to spend time with God every day. It may be hard to imagine that God wants to spend time with you. He’s got a whole lot of things going on, doesn’t he? But throughout Scripture, God invites us to come into his presence. And there’s a joy that comes when we spend time with God in a daily quiet time, because we learn to hear his voice and find out what he wants us to do with our lives. The more time you spend with God, the deeper your friendship with him develops.

 

Second, you need to find a way to give back. The Bible says this in Ephesians 2:10: “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT). In tough times, it’s very easy to get self-centered. But the truth is, the more you focus on yourself, the more joy you lose.

 

I’ve traveled around the world, and I’ve been in many closed countries where people are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. You know what I’ve discovered? The persecuted Christians are the most joyful people in the world. Why? Because it means something to them. They’re not casual, “take it or leave it” Christians. The right to worship and their freedom in Christ means something to them. And, they’re far more joyful.

 

You need to find a way to give back. once you take the focus off yourself, you’ll find your joy returning.

 

Finally, to recover your joy, you need to tell somebody about Jesus. Nothing will restore your joy faster than becoming concerned about the salvation of a friend. The Bible says that every time somebody accepts the Lord, they throw a party in Heaven. Did you know that? Luke 15:7 says, “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life” (NCV). The day you stepped across the line, they threw a party in Heaven for you. And the day you help somebody come to know the Lord, there’s going to be a party in your heart. The joy returns as you share with others.

 

Pray this prayer today: “Father, help me to return love for hate, joy for grief, and kindness for apathy. May the joy of the Lord be so evident on my face that people will want to know why and know the hope that is in me. Help me to be obedient to what you have told me to do. Help me to focus on your blessings in my life so that I will have an attitude of gratitude for your faithfulness. Restore the joy of my salvation so that I can share that joy with others and help them to find their own joy through a relationship with you. Thank you that I can have hope and joy through Jesus Christ. Amen.”