The Secret to Joy

Saturday December 27, 2014
Speaker:

People are watching us and how we interact with each other. Everywhere Paul went he went there was a revival or a revolt. Paul and Silas were wrongfully-accused and in pain, but they were praising God and ministering to the other prisoners (Acts 16:23-34). The earthquake opened all the doors and loosed all the chains, but no one fled. The prisoners stayed because they heard something they wanted. You must know, follow, and fulfill the will of God for your life. Paul knew what the will of God was, because God had given him a vision (Acts 16:9-10). At the beginning of 2014 Pastor Jay and his wife, Kim, prayed and fasted to pay off their debt. God taught him to be faithful in little things, so that they paid it off much faster. You must be faithful in the small things where you are now. Romans 12:1-2 is where following God’s will begins: by renewing your mind by the Word of God. You have the good, acceptable, and the perfect will of God. As you grow, you move onto another level. When you are in the perfect will of God you can have joy. You can sing because you know you are where you are to be. In Acts 16:16-22 Paul cast out a demon spirit in a girl used by divination. It was a hard road and cost him a jail sentence. When things come against us, we have what it takes to overcome it. We cannot go by our circumstances. Pastor Jay shared a story about a job he did in a multi-million dollar house. He stood on Philippians 4:19 for God to supply his need. He had joy, and it turned into a financial miracle that kept growing, because he was in the will of God. We have a tendency to look at our situation as the worst, if you cannot believe for things bigger than yourself. Say, “I will think on something other than my problem.” You end up being what you think in your heart. Meditate on the Word and the good, and the good will come out. Paul and Silas worshiped because they loved God not because they were trying to get out of something. When you are going through things, get your eyes onto our Creator and onto other people. When you are in a bad situation, find someone who is in a worse place than you are that you can help. If you will get your eyes off yourself, then you can have joy. Live for things bigger than yourself. Paul’s vision was bigger than himself (Philippians 1:3, 4). Get your eyes on Jesus and other people, and the joy of the Lord will bubble out of you. When you know the will of God, you immediately do something (Acts 16:10). Knowing, following, and fulfilling the will of the Lord will bring you joy.