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Let's start by reading Galatians chapter 5, verse 22 together. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Notice something important here: there is no "and" before self-control. This means each of these is a distinct fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, and all the rest. Each one stands on its own.
If the fruit of the Spirit is the expression of the divine nature of God in a believer, then the fruit of the Spirit is the personality profile of every believer. Just as you can identify someone as an introvert or extrovert by observing them, people should be able to recognize you as a child of God by seeing the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, "You will recognize them by their fruits." And in John 15:16, **"I chose you and I appointed you. I gave you a commission to produce lasting fruits."
Last week we talked about love—a fruit mostly experienced by those around you, for their good. This week, we're exploring the force of joy—a fruit that is different because we mostly enjoy this one ourselves.
Joy is not just an emotion. It's an essential part of our walk with God and major evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in someone's heart. The Bible says in Romans 14:17, "the kingdom of God is not in eating and drinking. It is in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
When we receive the word of God, we're told to receive it with joy. In 1 Thessalonians 1:6, When someone gives their life to Jesus, there's a supernatural exchange: our dead spirit for a new spirit.
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Luke 15:10 tells us what happens then: "in the same way there is joy in the presence of God's angels." Who is rejoicing? God himself is rejoicing because one of His sons or daughters has come back to him.
Look at the early church. In Acts 13:52, "the believers were filled with joy and filled with the Holy Spirit." Joy was an integral part of their nature.
Culture and religion have painted a picture of a grumpy God in heaven, waiting to strike us down if we make a mistake. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Nehemiah 8:10 establishes the joy of the Lord—God is joyful. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is in your midst. A warrior who saves, he will rejoice over you with joy. He will be quiet in his love, making no mention of your past sins, but he will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."
In Psalms 16:11, David reveals, "In your presence is fullness, the full complement of joy." The headquarters of joy is in the presence of God. In His presence is all the joy there is.
Isaiah 6:1 describes a vision of heaven: the seraphim were calling out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of heaven's armies. The whole earth is filled with his glory." Verse 4 says, "their voices shook the temple to his foundations." That's how much joy, excitement, and power emanates from God's presence. The very foundations shook. That's why today we're talking about the force of joy.
If you've ever heard someone describe a vision of heaven or a near-death experience, there's one common thread: it's so joyful there, they almost have to be begged to come back. The sounds they hear, the sights they see—it's beautiful.
But here's the good news: we don't have to die to experience that joy because Jesus lives on the inside of us. We are in the presence of God right now. Joy characterizes the presence of God.
Now, here's something critical: if the full complement of joy can be found in the presence of God, that means the devil is repelled by joy. The angels are used to living in a joyful presence, so they're attracted to joyful people because it mimics where they feel comfortable.
But if angels are attracted to joy, then the opposite is true: demons and the forces of hell are repelled by it. The description of hell contains no joy. So if you want to make demons comfortable in your life, take away joy—then they get comfortable. If you want to attract them, eliminate joy from your house.
Deuteronomy 28:47-48 is striking. It says, "because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart... therefore you will serve your enemies in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness... For he will put a yoke of iron around your neck until you are destroyed."
Joy is the highway away from defeat, bondage, and lack. If you want to experience defeat, eliminate joy. God is saying: you didn't work with me with joy, you didn't relate to me with joy—that's why you're in bondage.
This is why we're told to praise in church. Some of you are still in bondage because you've never shouted at the top of your voice except when your sports team scores. And then when we come to church, if your personality goes against what God has said, you have weaponized your personality against God.
Joy is protective. Joy is preventive. Joy is proactive defense against the attack of the devil.
Psalms 9:2-3 says, "I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, oh most high... my enemies retreated. They staggered and they died when you appeared." When I had joy, I triggered the presence of God, and my enemies were repelled.
But here's the warning: a lack of joy is evidence that you have been overcome by the enemy in some regard. Second Peter 2:19 says, "Whoever overcomes you becomes your master." If the devil can successfully steal your joy, he's on his way to overcoming you and gaining mastery over you.
Yes, you're a child of God. But if you're a child of God without joy, you leave a door open for the devil to overcome you. If your countenance changes during adversity, in some ways you have been overcome by what you're going through.
Here are some questions to check your joy level:
You might be running low on joy if you ask: "How long do I have to go through this? Why me? I've been going to church, I've been paying my tithe—why me?" If you're asking "why me," your joy is running low, and that means the devil might be creeping up on you.
Joy is important in adversity because it gives you strength. Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Another translation puts it this way: "The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong."
Isaiah 40:31 says, "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint." In God's presence, I find joy. In God's presence, I find strength. In God's presence, weariness dissolves. I don't have my answer yet, but I'm strong. I'm willing to last as long as it takes for God's promise to come true in my life.
So if I want strength, what should I keep up? My joy. You want strength? Keep up your joy. If you're losing strength, your joy is going down.
Consider Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. The Bible says angels came to minister to him in his most difficult hour. I believe they painted a picture of his joy. They must have said, "Sir, if you can just endure this, look at the joy awaiting you. Look at the joy of fulfilling your assignment. Look at all these lost people coming back to God." They reminded him of his joy, and Jesus found the strength to bear it all.
God is telling us: your strength is in your joy.
Most of the media around us is designed to drain your joy. Compassion fatigue. Empathy fatigue. You're just tired. I wish you grew up in my time when the news aired once at 8:00 p.m. If you missed it, you missed it. There was more joy then. But now there's bad news at 7, bad news at 8, bad news again in case you missed 7 and 8, and so on. It just drains our joy. Social media drains your joy. How can you scroll with no joy?
God's strategic plan to sustain us in adversity is joy. That's His plan.
Psalms 105:37 and 43 say, "The Lord brought his people out of Egypt loaded with silver and gold... He brought his people out with joy and his chosen people with rejoicing."
Joy is God's handle to deliver you from what you're going through. If you can just maintain joy in adversity, God has what he can use to draw you out.
Isaiah 55:12-13 says, "You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and hills will break forth into singing before you... Instead of the thorn will come up a cypress tree. Instead of the briar will come up the myrtle tree. Instead of pain there will be healing. Instead of bondage there will be freedom. Instead of confusion there will be wisdom. Instead of stagnation there will be promotion."
Why? Because you're joyful enough for God to get a grip on you. You've given him a strong enough handle to turn things around in your life.
The first church in Acts was full of joy. Acts 13:52 says "the believers were filled with joy." Paul and Silas were among these believers, and in Acts 16, their joy level was tested. They came to preach, cast a demon out of a woman, and the men profiting from her bondage stirred up the city against them. Paul and Silas were beaten, thrown into the deepest part of prison, shackled, bleeding, in horrible condition.
How did they respond? Acts 16:25 says, "Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." That sounds like joy. Praise is impossible without joy. If you have to be cajoled to lift up your hands higher and higher, that's just a lack of joy, because praise is ineffective without joy.
Verse 26: "Suddenly there was a massive earthquake and the prison was shaken." Does that sound like Isaiah 6? I believe that as they were singing joyful praise, God entered into the prison, and because God cannot be contained, everything began to shake. Chains broke. Doors opened.
When you get into a circumstance that seems like it's constricting you, limiting you, all you do is begin to dance and have joy. As you attract the presence of God, the chains begin to drop. Because in his presence is freedom. Because He's there, and nothing can contain him.
This joy was so contagious. The jailer went to their home and they preached the gospel to him. The Bible says he believed and his household rejoiced because of the courage of two men to rejoice in adversity.
God came into a prison and shook things up. Might you be going through what you're going through because you don't have joy enough to attract the presence of God? It's not something you do just once. It's a lifestyle you sustain, because you never know when you're going to need it. And when you know you need it, it's already too late.
Joyful praise breaks chains. It breaks things off of you. The devil cannot come close to someone who is full of joy.
James 1:2 says, "When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For we know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. When your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete and needing nothing."
It is not your challenge that determines the quality of your life. It is your perspective and posture in that challenge that determines the quality of your life. There is a perspective you can have about whatever you're going through that lives you in abundance.
Isaiah 12:3 says, "With joy shall you draw from the well of salvation." The devil will let you stand by the well as long as he can deprive you of how to drink from it. He'll let you come to church, serve on a team, join a small group, read your Bible, pray. But if he can deny you joy, all the riches God has for you is inaccessible to you.
The passcode, the credentials to access God's best for you is joy. God doesn't deal with people that don't have joy.
Psalms 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Enter his courts... If you don't have that posture, go back to where you came from." Most of us call three years of praying for a job "prayer." No—you've been turned back the entire time. God said to enter His presence, you come thanking him for what He has already done. Before you talk about your list of needs, you come praising him. You come with joy first.
So if the devil can deny and drain your joy, he denies you access to God's best.
John 16:22 says, "You now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice... your joy no one can take from you."
Here's the difference between joy and happiness: joy is inside out. Happiness is outside in. Joy comes from what I know and understand about God, his ability, his faithfulness. Regardless of the circumstance, I'm imposing my understanding of God's nature on my circumstance.
Joy is not an emotion. Joy is our reaction to our understanding of who God is. If you're hungry and there's no hope for food, you behave one way. But if you're hungry and you've already placed an order and they tell you it will arrive in three minutes, you don't feel sad anymore. Your awareness of the hunger hasn't changed, but your disposition has—not because of what your eyes see, but because of what your heart knows.
Most of us don't have joy because our heart does not know God enough.
Jesus said, "your joy no one can take from you." Joy is the presence of God in me. My understanding of Jesus says no one can take that from you. But you know what? You can stop the flow of it. Nobody can steal your joy, but you can let them stop your flow. God said this joy that I give to you, nobody can take from you. But we can stop the flow of joy. It's all up to you.
If the presence of God is the fullness of joy, when you're running low on gas, where do you go? The gas station. That's where there's fullness of gas.
When you feel some kind of way, when you're going through something and everything in you wants to be in a dark room—go to the presence of God.
I heard about a lady who puts a clock on her sadness. When something bad happens, she sets a timer for one hour and listens to sad music. But once that alarm goes, the playlist changes to joy. She doesn't wait. God's strategic priority is that once the sadness timer ends, it's time to let God issue joy out of her.
That's why you come to church—so you can practice joy. Some of you are standing there like spectators. Half the time I want to switch off all these lights and keep it dark. Let's all sing. Let's all shout. Have your own encounter with God.
Practice the presence of God. Imagine if Jesus, joy on the inside of you, experienced the manifest presence of God—just a doubling of the joy. And this joy of God's presence is so contagious. There are times I finish my morning devotion and come upstairs, and Pastor asks me why I'm so happy. I didn't even know how much I was radiating it. I just came from spending time with God. That presence is contagious. I don't rebuke any text message or phone call that comes right after my devotion. I'll call you by noon. I don't want to lose my joy.
Psalms 19:8 says, "the commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart." The word of God brings joy to the heart.
Jeremiah 15:16 says, "When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They became my joy and my heart's delight."
John is writing, "These words I'm writing to you—I write them that your joy might be full."
The word of God in us determines the flow of joy out of us. Our word level determines our joy level.
Think of joy like a fruit you eat. When you're hungry and you have three apples, you eat them. The more of the fruit, especially when you're going through something hard and it lasts a long time—you eat that fruit of joy for yourself every day.
As we engage joy in adversity, we have to replenish our source. The way you replenish is by reminding yourself of God's nature, God's faithfulness in His word. You go to His word. The consequence of spending time there is that your faith also grows.
Romans 10:17 says, "faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God." As I engage the word of God, my joy goes up, my faith goes up. You cannot separate joy and faith.
Philippians 1:25 introduces the joy of faith. Faith has joy, and joy has faith. They exist together. Joy and peace. Joy and faith. Our faith cannot rise above the level of our joy, and our joy cannot rise above the level of our faith because both come from the same place—the word of God.
Faith produces joy in me. Joy keeps my faith alive. When I'm going through something, as I rejoice, it keeps my attention on God and builds my faith.
Consider a crying baby. When they're in pain, we don't remove the pain—we distract them. We make noises and faces. We make them aware of a new reality. The pain hasn't gone away, but their awareness of it has. Most of us are stuck in between because we know God is faithful, but it hurts. We know God is faithful, but it's taking too long.
God is saying: if you can just give me your full attention now, I have a handle to pull you out. You have to have a strong enough level of joy for God to get a grip on you.
So instead of worrying, go to the scriptures. Remind yourself of God's faithfulness every day because you don't know when you're going to need it.
James 1:2 says, "when troubles of any kind come, consider it an opportunity. Train yourself to choose joy every day."
Our souls are the intersection of the decisions that we make. When bad things happen, when challenges come our way, our spirit wants to rejoice, but our flesh and soul want to react, want to be depressed, want to be in despair. But we have to choose joy every day. Even when it makes no sense, you choose joy.
It's going to feel like a mini civil war on the inside of you. But it's possible to feel light when everything around you is heavy. It's possible to smile when everything around you suggests you should frown. It's possible to not have a face that is a window into everything you're going through.
Sometimes I see people whose faces show all their problems. When they finally tell me what they're going through, I compare it to what I'm dealing with, and I think: I can solve your problem in three minutes. It's not about comparing problems. It's about what you choose to do with your own problems.
It's possible to talk about a painful thing with a heart filled with joy. Usually the way it ends is where you choose to rest your case.
You might say, "I'm still feeling this pain. It's been here for two and a half years, but God is faithful." That's where it ends.
Look at David in the Psalms. He goes at God. Why are my enemies doing this and that? But then he remembers: your mercy. That's where it ends. I feel this kind of way, but I'm choosing joy. I'm choosing to hold on to it.
It's not enough to have the divine nature of God in us. If we don't yield to it, if we don't say yes, the devil is knocking at your door with depression, despair, and discouragement—and you choose to put on your faith.
Every one of you should have a joy playlist. When you want to shake off the devil, put your joy playlist on. Get a surround sound system, stand in the middle of the room. Let it blast from every corner. Your neighbors are looking at you. What's happening? Your house is shaking. Boom. What are you doing? I'm trying to get my body and my soul to align with what is coming from my spirit. I'm trying to invite the manifest presence of God into this room so that the devil loses his grip.
Most of us are like, "Devil, leave me alone. Leave me alone." And the devil is like, "No, I'm still holding on to you because there's still sadness." You can be sad and have joy because both don't originate in the same place. Joy comes from your spirit. But if you stay with joy long enough, you cannot stay with sadness all day. It will influence your disposition.
Somebody will see you and ask, "Has it happened yet?" You say, "No." And they say, "Your face looks like you didn't get the job." You say, "No, I didn't." "And the other two companies said no too?" "Yes." "Why are you smiling?" Joy. "Why?" "How else is God going to give it to me? I don't want to stop what he's preparing me for. I choose to have a handle. I choose to have access. I choose to give him access into my life by choosing joy."**
Train yourself every day to choose joy.
John 15:11 says, "I have told you these things that you may be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow."
Notice: it's not the joy of the Lord that overflows through me. It is my joy. Jesus gives you joy through His word. But the joy that overflows is mine—my yielding to the joy of God in me is what other people see.
So we have a responsibility to synthesize the joy of God in our hearts and let it flow out. He says I'm going to give you joy, but the joy that overflows is not the one I gave you. You're not passive in this relationship.
You're going to have to synthesize the word of God, understand it, embrace my joy to the degree that it overflows out of you.
Everybody say: "I have to choose joy."
Stand up on your feet and say: "I choose joy every day."
Are you ready? Let's do a confession together:
I choose joy today. I choose joy every day. I have overflowing joy. The joy of the Lord gives me access to God's best for me. The joy of the Lord strengthens me. The joy of the Lord delivers me. The joy of the Lord gives me victory. The force of joy gives me victory over the enemy. I choose joy every day. Even when it hurts, I choose joy every day. My joy is full as I spend time in God's presence. My joy is full as I read my Bible. My joy is full as I pray. My joy is full as I worship. I have overflowing joy.
If you believe that, make some noise like you have joy. A shout of joy. A shout of joy.
