AIN’T NOBODY GONNA STEAL MY JOY
By: C. Mason Davis
One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside him, and said quietly, “Good morning, Alex.” Good morning, Pastor,” replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. “Pastor McGhee, what is this?” Alex asked. “Well, son, it’s a memorial to all the men and women who have died in the service.” Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Alex’s voice was barely audible when he finally managed to ask, “Which service, the 9:00 or 10:30 service?”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
James 1: 2-3; “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
Ask yourself these questions and put some deep thought into the responses to these questions. What makes you happy? What makes you unhappy? Who makes you happy? Who makes you unhappy? What causes you to worry and gives you stress? Who are the people in your life that seem to steal your joy? Are you keeping a positive attitude even when there is negativity all around you? One of the most important questions to ask yourself is, “What would Jesus do?” Are you living the life talk as you learn to speak Jesus? If not, what can you do to change? Remember that life will give us lemons and it’s up to us, not other’s, to make lemonade out of those lemons. We to choose to live in the way the Lord has made for us. We need to draw that line in the sand and tell ourselves not to allow anyone to steal our joy.
Today is a day that the Lord has made. Don't let anything that is happening in your life steal your joy. The more you thank God for what He has already done, the more God will change your life. The Bible says in Nehemiah 8:10: " Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength." The Bible says that God gives us joy and peace. It’s there for everyone, but everyone has to make the decision to put to use this joy and peace. This is a gift from God and costs you nothing. A dynamic way to keep our joy is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in the way we should go. Proverbs 16:9 says: “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps..”
Negative people love to spread hate. They love to make you agree with their hate and believe in their hate. They want you to be just as hateful and negative as they are. They are a sad bunch of people. Non-believers. Not believing that there is any good in this world or in their lives. A label has been put on them and today they’re now called, “Haters.” Haters hate to be alone. Haters disguise themselves in many ways. Most Haters will try to steal your joy because they have none. Some Haters are good people who are hurting. Don’t fight your haters’ hate with anger. This fuels toxic people. Respond with love instead. Empathize with their anger. Give them compliments. If you’re living a good life, dealing with haters is inevitable. This is out of your control. Happy and joyful people are like magnets to haters. Haters constantly seek out happy and joyful people so they can fill you with the bile that is their agenda. It’s their way. It’s who they’ve become. Haters feel that you’re not allowed to be happy and joyful because they aren’t. Don’t allow negative people to steal your joy. When you lose your joy, you lose your strength.
Do any of you remember singing this song when you were kids, for your kids, or with your grandkids?
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy;
down in my heart;
down in my heart;
down in my heart;
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy;
down in my heart;
down in my heart to stay.
How long has it been since you’ve thought about that song? Sing of hum that song anytime you feel anything less than joy. Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
Joy is not just a feeling, but a state of mind also. I have to admit that my life is never joyful without a dog, especially an Irish Setter. When I lose one, I’ll move heaven and earth to find another. Not as a replacement, but because I’ve come to be so dependent on their unconditional love. Don’t rely on anyone else for your happiness. This is obviously easier said than done. The truth is, all you need is to keep Jesus in your heart and trust in him completely, that all will go well in your life. What makes you feel like you have value and worth? We are designed to want validation, the feeling of significance. But God’s love and acceptance is the key to value and significance. The journey of believing brings freedom and renewed energy. How does God validate you?
God really does love you. In Psalms 17:8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,” You really are the apple of His eye. We seek validation from people, work, friends, accomplishments or our families. They become the barometer of our feelings and worth. The treadmill of acceptance can wear us out. We stop believing that we have value or significance in the world. This will kill your heart, Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We try to control the people in our world by killing them with kindness or managing everything by ourselves. This will flat wear you out. Don’t be the student studying accounting just because it would make his parents proud. Don’t be the wife who needs her husband to tell her she’s beautiful every day. Build your self-esteem, so you don’t need anyone to tell you how awesome you are. Romans 8:31, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Find a passion or hobby that makes you happy because you’re not accomplishing feats rather than appeasing others all the time. Romans 12:6, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.” He has given you unique gifts, talents, and strengths, whether you know it or not.
Another trap to avoid is comparing yourself to others, both in person and online. People can also steal your joy if you compare yourself to them. Why? How? If you’re comparing yourself to someone, you must be doing so for one of two reasons. Either you feel you’re above that other person or you feel that this person is better than you, has better than you, or has more than you. It can be easy for you to fall into this trap. Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” So, avoid the comparison game altogether. The comparison game is a comparison trap that you can’t escape. So, move past it. Don’t play at all. Compare yourself to your past self and no-one else. Only then, will you be in complete control of your happiness and joy. John 15:11, says: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
We all have had issues with family and friends. I’m sure that there has been a time in your life when you’ve had to assess your family and friends. A lot of times it is people who are closest to us who get in our ways of joy and happiness. Some people are stealing your joy in subtle ways. They may not be doing it on purpose, but it’s up to you to address it. Because they are so close to you, you may not have set any boundaries in your relationships with them. Setting boundaries with really close family or friends will be very hard, but if they are responsible for robbing you of your joy and happiness, something has to give. This is going to be hard, but necessary. Necessary for your mental well-being. Necessary for your sanity. Necessary for your happiness, and necessary for your faith. If they ignore these warnings, you may have to remove them from your life, if even just for a little while. Yes, some people are more difficult to remove from your life than others. Are these people a net positive or a net negative in your life? John 16:24, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full..” Some people aren’t receiving from God what He wants them to have because they won’t ask boldly of Him. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Many feel like they need to clean themselves up before coming to God in prayer. However, our righteousness is in Christ alone, and no amount of good works will make us right with God. If we are in Christ, God sees us as righteous right now. Be bold and confident in God when you pray. Just ask for what you need, boldly and in faith, without wavering. Help them become closer to God by accepting Jesus into their life and heart. John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Show your trespassers of your boundaries that there is a better life out there and you’re living it because you have given your heart and soul to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The Scripture of Habakkuk 3:17–18 says: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” When you stay full of joy despite what’s come against you, God says that salvation is coming, breakthroughs are coming, healing is coming, success is coming, but only if you believe. Even in the worst of times, in our efforts to keep up with the Jones’s we buy the things we think we need to be happy. It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and spend all our time working. Yet, time is our most valuable resource, not money. Working too hard is one of the biggest regrets of the dying. None of them say they wish they had worked harder.
All I can say about this is that you can’t let anything stop your belief in God. You may be lost, may feel lost at times, but never lose faith. With faith comes Amazing Grace. I once lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see. But how do you keep the faith when all seems lost? Just as there is always someone better off than you, there are usually millions who have it worse. So, why not take some time to appreciate the small luxuries you do have. Meditation and prayer are useful practices that help to increase mindfulness, spirituality, joy, and happiness. They can also improve your mental health in general. In fact, many who frequent these practices help themselves to feel joy without any external stimulus.
None of this is possible without having faith. Faith is the unwavering belief that everything is going to turn out perfectly. Billions of people tie their faith to a God who is looking out for them at all times. Many more believe that the universe has its best interests at heart. Faith allows you to trust that everything happens for a reason, whether positive or negative. You learn to see obstacles not as threats to your happiness, but as opportunities to grow as a person. At times it’s hard to keep your faith in a world that presents one difficult situation after another. Walking in obedience with God is one of the best ways to have a joyful, blessed life. Every day we need to submit our will and our plans to God. We need to learn to wait on Him, listen to what He’s telling us to do and then obey Him. God knows what’s best for our lives, and He will lead us into His perfect plan if we permit Him to do so. As our love grows, we will want to do what God wants us to do, and our obedience will give us great joy.
Joy is restored to your life when you learn to forgive and forget, and these two virtues go together. God tells us He forgives our sins, puts them as far as the east is from the west, and remembers them no more. Frequently, we try to forgive people, but forgiveness can’t do its redemptive work because we want to remember what they did to us. Why do we need to forgive people? Because our faith won’t work if we don’t. A lack of forgiveness blocks our fellowship with God, and that prevents our spiritual growth. Holding grudges is like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die. Have you lost your joy because of a lack of forgiveness? If so, you should start forgiving people right away.
Keeping your joy in a world filled with negativity can be challenging. However, we must remember that our joy is the most precious asset we have, so we must cling to it with all our might. The worst thing we can do is put our joy in the hands of someone other than God. No matter the circumstances, don’t let anyone control your emotions in your daily life. I believe many today across America have lost their joy in the midst of current issues. The good news is that joy can be restored. Psalms 51:12 states, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” He’s the ultimate source of our joy, and He will keep us on the right path. The best way to keep our joy despite any circumstance is to keep our eyes fixed on God. And this, I pray will be possible for all of us. Amen
