“…in Your presence is fullness of joy…”
(Ps. 16:11)

This week we have been asking: “Why do Christians lose their joy?”
Here’s the list so far:

• Some Christians don’t have joy…because they never really had it.
• Unconfessed sin will take away your joy!
• The enemy can steal your joy!
• The wrong view of God will quench your joy!
• Focusing on Circumstances (and not God)
• No Prayer/Worship…No Joy
• Ingratitude/Forgetfulness

Today, let’s wrap up this list with the last three reasons:

Lows following a “High”

If we are seeking to walk with God, we will have many opportunities to experience great victory; but we may not realize what often follows a spiritual high. Elijah saw God rain down fire in the great victory over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). In the very next chapter, he ran for his life and even lost his desire to live!

If we do not understand the schemes of the enemy…and the predictable cycles of our emotions….we can lose our joy.

Uncontrolled Feelings will rob your joy.

Our emotions can overcome us at other times…not only after a spiritual high. Feelings are not bad—after all, God created us with emotional capacities.

However, we must learn that we walk by faith—not sight; we walk by faith—not feelings. We must learn to test our feelings in the light of the truth. Just because we feel something…it doesn’t mean that it is true.

You have heard it said: “I have to be true to my feelings…” but that is not the way to walk in His joy.
To walk with God, you have to be true to the truth! Don’t let your feelings control you. Take your feelings to God and let His truth control you!

Now the last reason on our list:

The Lack of Forgiveness will block His joy.

The joy of the Lord can not co-exist with bitterness, resentment, anger, etc. The lack of forgiveness can be a little or a lot…over something big or something that seems small…but harboring hurt will soon extinguish the joy of the Lord. So take your hurts to the Cross, don’t let them linger and fester.

The lack of forgiveness works another way too. As well as forgiving others, we must fully accept God’s forgiveness for ourselves. We have to come to the point that we understand that:

“as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sin from us..” (Ps. 103:12)

No matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been, no matter how great your sin…kneel at Calvary’s cross and stay on your knees until you hear the truth that comes from your Savior!

Knowing His forgiveness, your heart will shout:

“…in Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Ps. 16:11)