Keeping Your Joy

I want to share a little story I heard about a little boy.

"I’m the greatest baseball player in the world. I can hit the ball better than anyone" he said proudly.

Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.

Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself, "I’m the greatest batter ever!"

He swung at the ball again, and again he missed.

He paused a moment to examine bat and ball carefully.

Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said, "I’m the greatest batter who ever lived."

He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "I’m the Best pitcher in the world too!"

How many of you know ---with an Attitude like that, you can’t lose?

Tell your neighbor "Your Attitude is Important"

That little boy’s mind was made up.---His attitude left no room for failure.

He was sure he was a success ----and NOTHING that happened was going to convince him otherwise.

We need to be that way.----We need to have an UNSTOPPABLE ATTITUDE.

Having JOY isn’t about your circumstances as much as it is your OUTLOOK----your attitude.

If we are going to win in life, we must be Strong in the Lord.If everytime you go through bad circumstances, you lose your JOY, satan will do everything he can to keep your circumstances in a mess.

He knows the Bible says, "The JOY of the Lord is your strength"

And if he can steal your Joy ----he can whip you ANYWHERE, because your strength will be gone.

d and in the Power of His might.

We’ve got to learn how to keep our JOY even when it doesn’t seem like things are going our way.

HOW CAN WE HAVE JOY?-----Even when things are going bad? --We have to KNOW some things.

Joy is a product of our ATTITUDE ---our OUTLOOK ----our EXPECTATION

The Wisemen had JOY when they saw the star -----they were expecting a Saviour.

The angel in Luke 2:10 told the shepherds "I bring you good tiding of great JOY which shall be to all people-----they were expecting the Restoration.

Zaccheus came down from the tree JOYFULLY because he heard and believed Jesus’ Words.

Having JOY is having a good EXPECTATION ----Where can you get that?

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

What Jesus said was intended to fill them with JOY that could REMAIN in them.

John 15:9-10 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

What made JOY accessable to them and to us is this:

We can ABIDE IN HIS LOVE -----

as long as we WILLINGLY keep His commandments.

Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Don’t turn SOUR FACED on me----His commands are not grievous. 1 Jn 5:3

He wasn’t saying "God will love you if you keep my commandments"

God LOVES us already. -----We don’t EARN His LOVE.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son......

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We don’t follow God to be loved ----we’re loved so we follow Him

We don’t serve God to gain His acceptance; ----We are Accepted so we serve God.

By doing His Commandments, WE PUT OURSELVES in a position where He can Bless us and Help us.------

WE PUT OURSELVES in place---He does the blessing.

We’ve talked for weeks about how God has GOOD PLANS for us ----And He does.

Even though God has PLANS for US ----We still have a PART to PLAY in the FULFILLMENT of those Plans.

Some people think this way. "The Bible says ’the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord"

They think "It’s not up to me, God just does whatever He wants to and there’s nothing I can do about it."

Some folks think that God Controls Everything you do, but obviously, He doesn’t.

Just because He leads our steps is no guarantee we’re going to follow them.

Following takes a DECISION on our part ---Determination.

And if your attitude is wrong ----Your decision won’t be strong.

James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.