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Experiencing trials of faith is a fourth hindrance to joy. Trials differ from discipline in that their purpose is to exercise our faith, not deal with sin in our lives.
These are the words the Holy Spirit will use to promote joy in our hearts. In order for Him to use the Scriptures, however, they must be in our hearts through regular exposure to and meditation upon them. This is our responsibility and is one of the practical means we must pursue to exhibit the fruit of joy.
Now for some specific practical aids to joy in our lives. An obvious one is, Confess and forsake sin.
A second specific aid to joy is, Trust in God. Romans 15:13 speaks of God filling us with joy and peace as we trust in Him.[4] It is God who stands behind His Word. The promises of the Bible are nothing more than God’s covenant to be faithful to His people. It is His character that makes these promises valid.
Another aid to joy is, Take the long-range view of life. The Scriptures repeatedly affirm that the focal point of our joy should be our hope of the eternal inheritance that awaits us in Jesus Christ and the final revelation of His glory.
A fourth aid to joy is, Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This refers, of course, to both pleasant and unpleasant circumstances. We are to be thankful all the time. This does not mean we are to be thankful for a difficult circumstance; rather, we are to give thanks in the midst of every circumstance, good or bad.
One of the results of experiencing this joy is that God is pleased (see Romans 14:17-18).
A second result of joy is that we are strengthened physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
A close look at Scripture reveals that peace is actually threefold: Peace with other people Peace with God Peace within ourselves
The basis of our peace with God is our justification by faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This is the point at which all peace begins. We cannot have peace within or peace with other people until we first have peace with God.
The great antidote to anxiety is to come to God in prayer.
The result promised to us when we come to God in prayer with thanksgiving is not deliverance but the peace of God. One of the reasons we don’t find this peace is because all too often we will not settle for anything other than deliverance from the trouble.
Now, if you are like me, you are probably thinking, That all sounds very nice, and I agree with you intellectually right now. But when I am in the midst of a trying situation, I really don’t experience that peace. What’s wrong? I suggest two steps to take when in this kind of dilemma. First, examine your motives — you may want deliverance instead of peace. Are you looking for the wrong answer? Second, look to the Holy Spirit to bring you that peace. Remember, peace is the fruit of the Spirit. It is His work to produce peace within you. Your responsibility is to come in prayer, asking for the
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One of the many ways in which the Devil tries to devour us is related to the meaning of his name. The Greek word for devil means “accuser” or “slanderer.” As the prince of slanderers, he accuses man before God, but he also slanders God to man. One of the thoughts that often enters our minds when we are undergoing some trial is, If God really loved me, He would not have allowed this to happen to me or If God loved me, He would provide a way out of this trying situation. Such thoughts come from the Devil; failure to recognize this origin causes two problems. First, we assume those thoughts
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Let’s consider some practical, biblical steps we can take to pursue peace in conflicts with other believers: First, We must remember that we are fellow members of the same body. Paul says, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).
Paul puts it even more strongly in Romans 12:5: “Each member belongs to all the others.” Not only are we members of the same body, we belong to one another.
Not only must we remember that we are fellow members of one body, We must also keep in mind that it is Christ’s body of which we are members. It is His glory — and the honor of His church — that is at stake in our relationships with one another.
Third, We must recognize that the cause of discord often lies wholly or partly with us. We must seek a genuine spirit of humility about our own responsibility rather than entirely blaming the other person.
Finally, We must take the initiative to restore peace. Jesus taught that it makes no difference whether you have wronged or been wronged. Either way, you are always responsible to initiate efforts toward peace (see Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15).
What should we do, however, when the unbeliever wrongs us?
I believe that Romans 12:17-21 provides the answer. As we look at this passage we see that first, We are to do everything we possibly can to maintain peace, as far as it depends on us. Second, We are in no way to seek revenge. We are not to repay evil for evil; we are to leave the matter of justice in the hands of God.
The word patience, as we use it in everyday speech, actually stands for several different words in the New Testament and is used to describe a godly reaction to a variety of situations.
How can we grow in this aspect of patience that suffers long under the ill-treatment of others? First, we must consider the justice of God.
God’s justice is absolute, and, as Paul reminds us in Romans 12:19, He promises us, “I will repay.”
The patient Christian who suffers leaves this issue in the hands of God. He is confident that God will render justice, though he knows that this may not occur until the time of our Lord’s return (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7). Instead of hoping and waiting for an opportunity for revenge, he prays for God’s forgiveness of his tormentors, just as Jesus and the martyr Stephen prayed for their executioners (see Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60).
To develop patience in the face of mistreatment by others, we must also develop a conviction about the faithfulness of God to work on our behalf.
The person who is patient under mistreatment by others is the person who has developed such a confidence in the wisdom, power, and faithfulness of God that he willingly entrusts his circumstances into His hands.
The best way to develop this slowness to anger is to reflect frequently on the patience of God toward us.
We are like the unmerciful servant when we lose our patience under provocation. We ignore God’s extreme patience with us. We discipline our children out of anger, while God disciplines us out of love.
The person whose temperament is conducive to losing his temper must especially work at patience under provocation. Rather than excusing himself by saying, “That’s just the way I am,” he must acknowledge his quick temper as a sinful habit before God. He should meditate extensively upon such verses as Exodus 34:6, 1 Corinthians 13:5, and James 1:19.
Each time he loses his temper, he should apologize to the person who is the object of his outburst. (This helps him develop humility and a sense of his own sinfulness before God.) Finally, he must not become discouraged when he fails.
The patient reaction to the faults and failures of others is probably best described by the word forbearance as it is used in Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:13 (KJV). Literally, the word can mean “to put up with” and can be used in a negative sense of grudging endurance of another’s faults. That is obviously not the sense in which Paul uses the word. Rather, he uses forbearance in the sense of gracious tolerance of another’s faults.
Forbearance, or tolerance, in the Scriptures is associated with love, the unity of the believers, and the forgiveness of Christ.
Another area in which most of us need to learn patience is in the outworking of God’s timetable in our lives.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2)
The cure for impatience with the fulfillment of God’s timetable is to believe His promises, obey His will, and leave the results to Him.
Whereas long-suffering should be our patient reaction to people who mistreat or provoke us, endurance and perseverance should be our patient reaction to circumstances that try us. Endurance is the ability to stand up under adversity; perseverance is the ability to progress in spite of it.
Endurance and perseverance are frequently associated with hope in the Scriptures. In each of four instances in which Paul speaks of perseverance or endurance in Romans, it is in the context of hope.
Kindness is a sincere desire for the happiness of others; goodness is the activity calculated to advance that happiness. Kindness is the inner disposition, created by the Holy Spirit, that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Goodness is kindness in action — words and deeds.
The English Standard Version provides a more literal translation of verse 10: “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The word walk suggests our common, everyday experience, not the unusual and heroic. We all have a tendency to rise to the special occasions of our lives, but God has created us to do our good works in the midst of the humdrum of daily living.
The good works God has prepared for us individually are consistent with the abilities He has given us and the circumstances in which He has placed us.
Most of us spend half or more of our waking hours at our vocations. If we fail to find opportunities to do good works there, we are throwing away half of our lives, as far as fulfilling God’s purpose for us here on earth.
Husbands, most of us have a lot of growing to do in this area of good deeds at home. There are a lot of little things we can do in the house, as well as around it, to be more sensitive in meeting our wives’ needs.
True goodness is not only self-sacrificing but also untiring. It does not “become weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9). It is one thing to do good in a few, or even in a number of, isolated instances; it is quite another to face cheerfully the prospect of doing some particular deed of goodness day in and day out for an interminable period of time, particularly if those deeds are taken for granted by the recipients. But true goodness does not look to the recipients, or even to the results, of its deeds for its reward. It looks to God alone, and, finding His smile of approval, it gains the
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Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us but are part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.
The dictionary defines faithful as “firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty.”[1] Some common synonyms are dependable, reliable, trustworthy, and loyal. The word also has the connotation of absolute honesty or integrity.
The faithful person is one who is dependable, trustworthy, and loyal; who can be depended upon in all of his relationships; and who is absolutely honest and ethical in all of his affairs.
The Holy Spirit reminded me of other occasions of seemingly innocent “social lying” — of instances of exaggeration or manipulating the facts of a story just a bit. I had to face the fact that I was not quite as honest as I had considered myself to be.
Few things are more vexing than relying on someone who is not dependable. Solomon observed, “As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him” (Proverbs 10:26).
Reliability is not just a social obligation; it is a spiritual obligation. God is even more concerned about our faithfulness than is the person relying on us in some particular situation.
