Finding Joy

Joy is waking up in the morning and knowing, “Life is good.” Joy is waking up to problems and knowing, God is with me, these problems will be solved or they will lead to good. Joy is knowing that Bible study and prayer are keys to success.

#1, Seek to find God's blessings because they lead to joy. Study, “Verses blessed,” and articles on being blessed, then strive to do what they say. Be patient after you change to find God's blessings. It takes longer than you think.

#2 Study God's promises:

Psalm 37:4 ESV Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Don't delight in money or pleasure. Delight yourself in the Lord and watch Him start to give you everything. Once again, put in the work and “Be patient.”

Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 84:11 ESV For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Joy is having “No good thing withheld from you.” This is a conditional promise for those who walk uprightly. Work at living uprightly, and “patiently” wait for the long-term promise to start to happen.

Joshua 1:9 ESV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
You can be confident in all of the Bible's promises coming true if you constantly focus on doing what this verse says. Have patience, it will happen if you consistently put in the work.

#3 Once you are doing the above steps, then you will begin to find great joy by being in God's presence.

Psalm 16:11 ESV You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
After you have decided to go to war with sin and to find God's will for you, you will find great joy in spending a block of time in Bible-study, and prayer. I insist on living in joy, so I insist on spending a block of time in Bible-study, and prayer.

I really want pleasures forevermore, so I insist on spending time focusing on what God wants me to do.

Follow these 3 keys to finding joy. Work consistently and patiently to make it happen. In my life, doing so was the best thing I ever did.

 

I have improved on hating evil, but I am still human. Adam and Eve learned to hate evil after their life fell apart. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to hate evil before bad things happen.”

The problem is... you did not get kicked out of paradise the last time you blatantly sinned.

You were not even aware that the blessing God had for you disappeared. You were not aware that this week could have been great.

Very few people connect falling 24 times in the past year with a bunch of crap that fills their life. But if you spend the next week asking God every hour:

“How does my lust make a mess of my life?”

He will answer that prayer. He will show you if you keep on asking. He wants every sincere follower to know how destructive lust is.

Second, this week strive to make it a habit to pray:

“Father, help me to hate evil.”

Pray it “before” you go near any place that tempts you. Pray it before and during watching TV.

Finally, when you pray that remember: What happened to Adam and Eve, what happened to David, what happened to Sampson.

After David had total disaster, he learned to “hate evil.” Joseph learned to hate evil first. He ran from what would have become a disaster. Instead of disaster, he became the 2nd most powerful man in the world and he saved his home country.

Finally, evil makes me less popular, it turns me into an angry unhappy person who no one loves being around. People want to be around people who are filled with good, and joy. Become that person.

 

Yesterday I felt overwhelmed. To try to fight back I pulled up the article I referenced recently in the Christian group about 20 things to think about. That got my thinking on a better track and I thought: “Pray about the fruits of the Spirit, love joy peace etc.”

I would love to say that heaven opened up and all my problems were solved. But... what really happened was, I was now getting busy, I was starting to climb out of my deep “rut,” and I now had a goal of what to think about.

Today, I realize, I have not read my printout of my verses about love in weeks. If I treat other people better, they likely will treat me better. Today I read those verses. Today I prayed often:

“Father, help me to turn from lust and fill me with your love.”

When we are tired, overwhelmed, frustrated, or exhausted, it is vital to pray a prayer like this one “before” and during tempting situations. If we start praying this in earnest before temptation skyrockets, then the Holy Spirit might just remind us to pray it “instantly” when a real temptation starts.

Second, when overwhelmed, review your quitting goals. Tip: Never say, “I don't care right now.” Instead say, “These are my goals, and this _______ is why I want to quit.”

Third, make a plan of action. It's not a miracle plan. You won't likely go from depression to full joy, but you will be doing something. Thinking about something new. Not rehashing what is overwhelming you over and over and over again.

Fourth, patiently work on your plan to turn things around. Prayerfully, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to change so that your future can be brighter. Then pound a few scriptures into yourself so that the Holy Spirit pounds the darkness out of you.

Finally, when you fight back with all your might when are overwhelmed, at some point, someday, you will be flying, instead of continually getting stuck in that rut.

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

 

Our phones computers and electronic devices are either a 50-caliber bullet flying at us, or they can become a great weapon for us to defeat our foe. If we look at what our flesh wants, bad things happen. Here are tips on how to use them for good.

#1 Search how to “Overcome lust” so many times that it automatically goes to that phrase just because you put in the O. #2 Search “Verses lust” so many times that it automatically goes to that phrase just because you put in the V. #3 Search “Turn from lust.” #4 Have key articles saved in your phone. If you look at them so often that you can quote sentences from them, you have started to fire back at the one who is shooting at you. #5 Have prayers saved in your phone so that you can “constantly” have something else to think about instead of lust.

Finally, consider making it a lifelong habit to use your phone and devices for good. It will be a huge help in the fight.

 

We rarely see ourselves the way God sees us. He looks at us as people who can do great things. He does not have a list of abstract rules. His laws are there so that we can follow them so that we can do great things.

Today, I am again praying:

“Father, expand my borders and bless me indeed.”

This is a great prayer taken directly from scripture. To expand my borders I need more of the Holy Spirit inside me. I need to raise my standards for fighting sin and lust. I need to be willing to do God's will.

When I pray, and pray prayers like that one, I start to get a glimpse of how God sees me.

Finally, adjust that prayer to add power:

“Father, help me to turn from lust, and expand my borders.”

Finally, repent, pray, and then think about how God sees you. With every creation, He made someone who can do great things. Today, consider going to war with lust so that you can do them.

Here is a song about how God sees us.

 

When tempted, and when preparing for temptation, we should practice mindfulness. Instead of thinking, “I want this,” we should think about the whole experience. The whole experience includes:

#1 Destruction: Consider Googling/studying, “Verses destruction,” and “Verses destroy.”

#2 Loss of contentment. Consider rating how important your loss of contentment is.

#3 Loss of peace. Consider rating how important your loss of peace is.

#4 A decrease in our ability to have great relationships.

#5 A loss of Joy.

#6 Decreasing faith.

#7 An inability to find full purpose.

#8 An increasing space between us and God

#9 Becoming dead inside. Losing the ability to enjoy other things.

#10 The draining of energy that could be used to find success.

#11 List your top three losses that are part of the experience.

Rate your top three “losses” that are part of falling. Now go to war this week with researching new ways to fight back. Let's say that a “Loss of contentment” is one of your top three. With this information, you could plan to pray:

“Father, take away this spirit of lust, and help me to be content.”

You can pray this prayer 500 times this week if you have identified, “Loss of contentment” as a key loss for you.

Second, consider taking your top 3 losses and changing a few words in that prayer until it fits your exact situation. Then repeat it (With full sincerity) until you know it.

Third, when I fell I hated the darkness and felt so separated from God. Late in my addiction, I would think when tempted: “This will ruin my week. This will cause destruction. This will take away my favorite thing, “Praying at night before I go to sleep. Then... I would fall and later feel really dumb.

Fourth, if you really add up all the bad things... They are way worse than the lustful thing was fun (Short-term fun with added destruction).

Fifth, we need to put all of the bad things in the spotlight before temptation. We need to know them inside and out. We need to think about them and pray about them.

Today, consider rating the “losses” that are part of the experience. Then think about them, pray, and use them to plan a more effective way to fight.

 

Be ready with your phone. To “Be ready” consider having a sentence or two saved from a favorite article ready. When temptation hits, click over to your saved info. If you start to habitually do that, you will memorize some key sentences, and prayers. It is so hard to form a new habit like praying:

“Father, take away this lust, and help me to be content.”

But if you are tempted constantly, and you click to this prayer constantly... at some point, you will have the habit of praying it.

What prayers, or sentences do you need to keep on the front burner in your phone?

Second, reading articles is great, but putting them into action is better, starting to form a habit with key ideas is even better, and forming a habit like turning from lust is a real home run.

Third, be ready in the location and at the time you are tempted most. Have your phone ready and be ready to fight. If you are 100% ready you will 100% win.

Fourth, here is a video that is really well done.

 

I recommended the book Atomic Habits to help with quitting and my friend said, “Just watch the Youtube about the book.” This is an excellent suggestion if you don't want to get the book. But it takes 65 to 100 days to form a new habit. So if today you say, “I will learn to pray “Father, help me to turn from lust” over the next 2-3 months. I will form the habit of saying/praying it 10 times “every” day, and I will say it 5-10 times during any TV program that has any risk or if I am anyplace that has risk for me.” I will also read one page from a book about forming habits every day over the next 2-3 months.

I love that plan because reading a page a day reminds you every day about the urgency of learning new “Habits.”

Second, I always say, “Memorize this.” Have a quitting notebook, have an activities notebook. Why? Because it is hard to quit. You have to literally pound out the bad, and be so obsessed with the “New good habit,” that you think about implementing the new good habit all the time.

Third, have you ever been around a weight lifter? They talk constantly about goals, getting bigger, getting stronger, they are totally obsessed. Why? Because their past goals have turned out “golden” for them. They are now bigger, stronger, with way more energy. They also are very excited about the way they look now.

Fourth, tell yourself constantly: “My new habits will keep me from destruction, they will lead me into the light, they are the beginning of joy and purpose.

Finally, pick 1-3 new habits that you want to make permanent habits over the next 2-3 months. Then get a book about habits and read a page a day, or watch 3 minutes “every” day about forming habits on Youtube. That is how anyone can pound out bad habits and start to implement good habits.

 

Taylor Swift is a rock star. 8 years ago I assumed she was a star based on her great looks and good voice. But after watching a movie that goes behind the scenes, I realized, she lives, breathes, and thinks about music all the time. She constantly writes and records songs.

To quit, we need to have a focus on quitting the way she focuses on being a rock star.

#1 At what times during the day can you add an increased focus on quitting? If you have a ton of time to daydream lustful thoughts at work, then... You have enough time to pray some prayers to fight back. Consider praying 5-10 times daily:

“Father, help me to turn from lust.”

#2 When you get home from work or school, consider taking time to reboot and get prepared for the battle. Many study on this site before work or late at night, but, it helps to reboot after life blasts us again at work or school.

#3 Taylor thinks and works on music all the time because she prob wants to be a billionaire, famous star. We should consider increasing our focus to lower the destruction and to start finding joy.

#4 Taylor gets the smartest music producers she can find. To quit we need to think about spending more time studying the “best” article, or articles for our exact situation. What sinks you? Where are the articles that can help you change that? Do you need to read them again and again if you have the same issue again and again?

#5 Taylor has experts who advise her on how to be a huge star. We need to strive to be around people who have it together. People who are spiritual giants. People who have overcome long-term habits. Often, pastors or priests love to talk to someone who really wants to quit. But even being around people who have it together is helpful. Be around people who have a list of healthy activities to turn to instead of habits. They are living a great life. I can live one also.

Finally, consider filling out your shortlist of what you will “do” based on today's articles. Reading is great, and doing and forming habits is even better.