A woman came into his life who recognized his problem — the problem he wasn’t aware he had. She loved him, but knew she could never live the way he lived. One evening, after they had gone to dinner, they took a walk. He kept talking to her about work. He took her by a building and said to her, “This is where I work.”
She looked at him and said, “I know where you work, but where do you live!” She was not asking for his home address, she was trying to make a point.
Take time to live!
9
Too Many Problems To Enjoy Life
We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered. …
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
A great lie and deception from Satan is that we cannot enjoy our lives in the midst of unpleasant circumstances. A study of the life of Jesus proves otherwise, as does the life of Paul, and many others. Actually, they knew that joy was a spiritual force that would help them overcome their problems.
In John 16 Jesus warned His disciples about many of the hardships and persecutions that they would face in this life, concluding in verse 33: I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
Jesus was saying to His followers, “When you have problems — and you will have them in this world — cheer up!”
If one did not understand some things in the spirit, it could almost sound as if Jesus was not being very compassionate. He was really sharing a “spiritual secret”: … the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10 KJV). Or, as Jerry Savelle says, “If the devil can’t steal your joy, he can’t keep your goods!”
Joy as a Weapon
[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy.
Colossians 1:11
Paul prayed for the Colossians that they would endure with joy. Why with joy? Because joy enables us to enjoy the journey.
If you and I can never enjoy our lives until the time comes when we have no adverse circumstances, we will live in sadness and never know the joy Jesus intended for us. I also believe that joy, and the expression of it, is a weapon of spiritual warfare, as well as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Joy as a Fruit of the Spirit
And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord Himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 1:6
The believers in Thessalonica were being persecuted for their faith, and yet Paul wrote that they endured the persecution with joy. According to Galatians 5:22, joy is a fruit of the Spirit — not sadness or depression — not frowning or scowling.
If we will remain filled with the Holy Spirit, He will inspire or energize us to be joyful, in spite of our outward circumstances.
I believe the lack of joy is why many times we give up when we should endure. I also believe that the presence of joy gives us the endurance to outlast the devil, overcome our negative circumstances and “inherit the land.”
Good Cheer and Good Courage
Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Joshua 1:6
In John 16:33, Jesus said, Be of good cheer …! One definition of the Greek verb translated cheer in this verse is, “to be of good courage.”1 When the Lord was giving Joshua direction, He repeatedly told him to be of good courage.
Without the good courage (the cheerful attitude) that God encouraged Joshua to walk in, he would have given up when the enemy repeatedly came against him, and the Children of Israel would never have reached the Promised Land to inherit it.
The same is true of us in our daily walk. Joy and cheer give us the strength to carry on toward the goal that the Lord has set for us in life.
Guard Your Mind, Watch Your Mouth!
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.
Joshua 1:8
Joshua had plenty of enemies to confront on his journey. As a matter of fact, it seemed there was a never-ending parade of them. But please notice that Joshua was instructed by the Lord to keep the Word in his mouth and in his mind, not the problem.
Like Joshua, if you and I are to make our way prosperous and have good success in this life, we will definitely need to put our thoughts and words on something other than the problem that faces us. We need to stop thinking about the problem, talking about the problem and, sometimes, we even need to stop praying about the problem. If we have prayed, God has heard.
I am not saying there is not a time for importunity, but often we say we are fellowshipping with God, when, in reality we are fellowshipping with our problem.
In Mark 11:23 Jesus instructed us to speak to the mountain. He did not say, “Talk about the mountain.” If there is a purpose in talking about it, then do so. Otherwise, it is best to keep quiet about it. Words stir up emotions that often cause upset because of excessive focus on the circumstance.
It is valuable to go out and do something enjoyable while you are waiting for God to solve your problem. You may not feel like it, but do it anyway.
It will help you!
Get your mind — and your mouth — off the problem!
Have and Enjoy Life — Now!
We always think we will enjoy life when our breakthrough comes. But what about enjoying the trip — the time of waiting — the journey!
I certainly do not mean to sound negative, but when the breakthrough you and I have been waiting for finally comes, it won’t be long until we will be faced with another challenge. If we wait to enjoy life until we have no problems, we may never have much enjoyment.
Let God take care of your problems; cast your care upon Him and do what He has instructed you to do. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? You can actually enjoy life while God handles all your problems!
The Value of Laughter
He [God] will rescue you in six troubles; in seven nothing that is evil [for you] will touch you.
In famine He will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.
At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the living creatures of the earth.
Job 5:19-22
There are some really awesome Scriptures in the Bible about the value of laughter, which is an expression of joy. Job 5:19-22 is one of my favorite passages on this subject. In verse 22 we are told that we will laugh at destruction and famine, which is what God would do in a similar situation as we see in Psalm 2:2-4 which speaks of how He handles His enemies.
The Laugh of Faith
The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ). They say,
Let us break Their bands [of restraint] asunder and cast Their cords [of control] from us.
He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme
contempt He mocks them].
Psalm 2:2-4
When God’s enemies gather together against Him, He sits in the heavens and laughs. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending (Rev. 1:8), so He already knows how things are going to turn out. Since He is the beginning and the end, He must also be everything in between.
If we are being led by God’s Spirit, we can laugh also during those times. We laugh the laugh of faith as Abraham did. God told Him He would do the impossible for him, that even though he was too old to have a child in the natural, He would give him one anyway. Abraham laughed! (Gen. 17:17.)
His miracle did not occur immediately. Years passed by before Abraham saw the fulfillment of God’s promise. But I do not think it was the last time Abraham laughed. I am sure many times he thought about what God had told him, and as he looked forward to the day he saw in his heart, he laughed.
We spend too much time in our thoughts looking at what is taking place now instead of looking at the finish line.
Think of all the other things that God has done for you. You had to wait for them also. He is faithful; He will do what He has promised. You may have to wait for a season, but if you decide to enjoy the trip, it will not seem nearly as long.
You may be familiar with the old saying, “A watched pot never boils.” When you stand and stare at a pot of water, it seems to take forever to come to the boiling point, but if you go about your business and do other things, keeping your mind off the water, it seems to take only a few seconds.
Watching your problem is like watching the pot of water. If you want to do your part, then get your mind off of your problem. It will be resolved a lot faster and you will be able to say, “I enjoyed the journey.”
Laughter as Medicine
A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Laughter not only makes the journey endurable and even enjoyable, it also helps keep us healthy. Worry and anxiety cause stress, which eats away at our health.
The root cause of many sicknesses and diseases is stress. Laughter relieves stress. It alters the body chemistry.
I once read a story of a man who was dying. The doctors said there was nothing they could do. He had his family rent all the funny movies they could find, and he lay in his bed day after day, laughing and laughing. He was completely cured.
I once heard someone say that laughter is like internal jogging. Laughter certainly improves our emotional and mental health, and according to the Scriptures, it has the capability of doing much more.
You may be thinking, “Well, Joyce, I don’t have anything to laugh about!”
Many times I don’t either, but I have learned to find something. We need to laugh every day as much as possible.
Find Correct Opportunities To Laugh
I have changed a lot in this area recently. A few years ago I probably passed up many opportunities to laugh. I was too busy being serious and intense. Now, when opportunity comes my way, I enter in and get the most out of it. I figure I may as well laugh when I have opportunity, because I don’t know how long it will be before I get another opportunity. I know I need to laugh — and so do you.
Laughter and a happy heart must be cultivated. Jesus talked about joy and fullness of joy. I want all I can have of both, but it takes a conscious effort to keep our hearts merry. Satan is always willing to steal or block our joy, and he will do so if we allow it.
Laughter and smiling are outward evidences of inward joy. Often I say, “Some people who are saved need to notify their faces.” Some Christians are so sour-faced, they look as if they had been baptized in lemon juice or vinegar.
The world cannot see our heart; they need expression. Our general attitude should be pleasant, abundant with smiles, and if the season is right, we should laugh whenever possible.
There are times when it would be totally inappropriate to laugh. Never enjoy yourself at someone else’s expense. Never make fun of another person’s flaws. There is a difference between having an anointed good time and engaging in coarse jesting.
Never be rude.
Once when Dave and I took our son to a movie, during the show, Danny said something that struck me funny. I started laughing and trying not to, because I did not want to make a scene. All that made me laugh harder, but I was doing it silently. I laughed so hard that tears were running down my face. Dave was laughing at me laughing, and it was starting to get a little out of hand. Dave said, “We had better be quiet — we are disturbing the other people,” and he was totally correct.
Rudeness is never sanctioned by the Holy Spirit.
Suppose I had a relative in the hospital having minor surgery and some friends joined me in the waiting room. We could probably have a good time, but if someone else’s family members were in there and that person’s life was hanging in the balance, it would be rude of us not to consider their feelings.
Make a decision to laugh more, but remember to be sensitive to the timing.
The Climate of Heaven Is Joy
You will show me the path of life, in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
According to the psalmist, the climate of heaven is joy and pleasure — which means that where God is, there is holy laughter. I have experienced this holy laughter many times while spending time with God. His presence always makes me happy.
The first time I heard anybody laugh with holy laughter, I did not know what to think. I was at an intercessory prayer meeting, and we had been in deep prayer, even weeping and crying out to God in heartfelt petition. Suddenly, we could tell we had made a breakthrough, and the pastor’s wife began to laugh.
She laughed and laughed.
We could tell that her laughter was genuine because it was coming out of her spirit. It makes sense to be joyful when you believe you have made a breakthrough.
Why do people tell God how much they believe Him and then spend their days depressed? Remember that Romans 15:13 states that joy and peace are found in believing.
Sudden Breakthrough to Joy and Laughter
The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods.
And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.
He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them,
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.
Acts 16:22-26
This passage relates an account of an incident in the lives of Paul and Silas and how their joy preceded and precipitated a “sudden” breakthrough.
We find these men of God exercising the power of joy in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Their clothes had been torn off, they had been beaten with rods and thrown into jail, and yet they had done nothing wrong. In that depressing situation, they had to be expressing a supernatural joy issuing forth out of their spirits. It could not have been a natural response, because there was nothing in the natural to be joyful about.
Through this incident the jailer was saved. (Acts 16:27-34.) I believe more people in the world will receive the salvation that is waiting for them when Christians begin to truly express the joy of their own salvation.
The Joy of Salvation
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
Psalm 35:9 KJV
David spoke of the joy that his soul found in the Lord and in His salvation, as we see in Psalm 51:12 KJV in which he prayed after falling into sin with Bathsheba, Restore unto me
the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
In Luke 10:17-20 we read what Jesus told the seventy He had sent out to minister in His name:
The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!
And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven.
Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven.
If you and I had no other reason at all to rejoice, salvation is reason enough in itself for us to be exceedingly joyful. Just imagine how you would feel if everything in your life was perfect, but you did not know Jesus, or, even worse, if you had to face your current circumstances without knowing the Lord.
Sometimes we hear people say, “I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place.” When people who don’t know Jesus say this, they are being honest; they are between a hard place and a hard place. But for those who are in relationship and fellowship with the Lord, they are between the Rock (Jesus) and the hard place. Standing on the Rock is a much better place to be than whatever is available to those without Christ.