Joy Robbers

Notes from a message by Jackie Kendall

Jackie began her message by encouraging us to read the “joy letter” of the Bible, Philippians.  She then gave us a list of things that will rob us of our joy:

 1.  Fear and Anxiety: Anxiety is a very common element of modern life, and it robs us of joy.  Tongue-in-cheek, Jackie asked the question, “Why pray when you can worry?” "According to Proverbs 12:25, an anxious heart weighs a man down.  Jackie said that her own anxiety has often knocked her down; she acted out being literally knocked to the floor.". Do we want to be prisoners of our anxiety or be free in the joy of the Lord?  Prayer and trust in the Lord is the answer to overcoming our anxieties.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. (Philippians 4:6)

When you feel afraid, remember this:

FEAR- False Evidence Appearing Real

Trust in the Lord, not in your unreliable feelings!

 2. Comparing and Coveting: Jealousy is another joy robber. To be jealous is to look at something good in someone else and “declare war” on that person.  But the Bible says to rejoice with those who rejoice. We must recognize and confess our jealousy, and then through the strength of the Holy Spirit begin to celebrate the good things that God has given them. It can be hard to do this if you feel that you have been overlooked, or that you have been given a bad deal in life, but recognize that when you “declare war” upon someone because you are jealous of them, you are feeding those bad feelings.  Jackie shared that this is a sin- what we are saying when we behave this way is that we are not satisfied with what God has given us, we are not satisfied with His provisions.

When we stop declaring war upon those who have something to celebrate, and instead choose to rejoice with them, we are feeding our joy. 

 3. Busyness and over-commitment: Jackie pointed out that even Moses had gotten himself into a bind by becoming overcommitted. “So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” (Exodus 18:17-18)

Jackie was greatly impressed by the lesson Moses learned.  She shared an awesome quote that really said it all: "Do not add to the cross in your life by being so busy that you do not have time for God."  We can’t have joy without being close to Jesus!

Jackie spoke of her great love for the passage in Mark 1:31-39.  Jesus would get up long before the daylight to find a solitary place to pray.  He needed to be alone with His Father. And when Simon and the other disciples found him and exclaimed that everyone was looking for him, His response was that He was supposed to go elsewhere; so they left the area. Jesus took time to spend with the Father, and He also followed the Father’s instructions, not allowing Himself to be pressured by others into doing what He was not called to do.

 4. The Curse of Eve: We all have the desire to control this life, to tame the world.  We lose our joy when we struggle to control things that are beyond our control. When we try to control everyone and everything around us, what we are saying to God is that we don’t really trust Him to take care of things. We need to pray about the situation and let God take charge of the matter.  Just pray for those around you and love them the way they are.  When we trust God with our dreams and goals, they are fulfilled according to His design; when we take control of them, they become broken dreams.  We cannot do anything without Christ.   “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

 "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:19) 

We have to let go and let God take care of the details in this life. Jackie explained that the Greek meaning of the word “still” is “to vacate”.  This helps us to understand the verse "Be still, and know that I am God".  We experience joy when we “vacate the throne” and let God be God!

 5. Joyless people: There will always be people who will be jealous of your Joy.  We need to remember that they are waging war on us because they want what we have. We need to pray for them, that the Lord will move into their lives and show them how to experience  Joy for themselves.

6. Unbelief: Very simply, unbelief is when we cease to believe that God is enough, that He will provide all that we need to be fulfilled.

 Jackie told us that our faith needs to be pumped up all the time. When we find ourselves doubting that God will provide what we need, it’s definitely time to get back into His Word and relish the promises He made.  Take time to enjoy and savor the next rainbow you see, remembering that God made a promise to never again flood the world.  Remember the many promises God has already kept in your life.  Pump up your faith and exercise it regularly.  When we lose our faith, it is because our pain has become greater than our faith.  We need to keep our faith stronger than our pain in order to overcome it.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, mind and spirit. Keeping our faith in God, who never changes, helps us to face the changes and pain in our lives.

"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.”(Psalm 39:7)

 If we keep our hope in the Lord, then we will experience the Joy of the Lord!