Joy – the emotion evoked by well-being, success , or good fortune or by the prospect of getting what one desires……

Do you ever struggle with fining joy?

Well so do I!!

Tonight I listened to a message from Pastor Steven Furtick and it hit me with so much conviction I was blown away…… the backseat driver I believe was the message title.

Some tidbits from the message

The part that hit me was towards the end of his sermon. He was taking about what ever is driving us controls our joy!

When we give the wrong thing or things to much attention and priority in life, then those priorities will control your joy.

What’s your priority?

Convenience?

Recognition?

Praise?

Love?

When we put to much priority in thee things then we loose … for example if we place to much priority in convenience, then when something becomes inconvenient it then steals my joy.

But in reality what ever issue caused my inconvenience didn’t steal my joy, I did because I let it drive me.

What ever is driving me controls my joy!

Joy should be something much deeper than how it makes me feel. Joy should always be with us if we place it in the right places like our Lord.

When we place our Joy in how it makes us fee it will run out.

We must place our Joy in the right places, then even knowing when the crap hits the fan we know what Jesus did for me…. and knowing how much He loves me and this time is short and my eternity will be with Jesus in my Home.

Know when our joy is not in the right place, even some of the things God has blessed us with that was meant for Joy can cause us anger…..

Like our children, we have all heard that children are a blessing from the Lord. But……

But nothing they are a blessing from the Lord, and if our priorities are misplaced then what was meant for joy becomes a burden. That loving laughter of children can become a aggravation…. Now I know I am guilty of this and the message Pastor was preaching was this every time that this happens it’s because of priorities, because priorities control joy. What??????

Stop and think about this, last night I was aggravated because the tv didn’t work and I was trying to fix it before I left for work. All the kids where playing and laughing together and having a joyous time and I was snippy with them….. why ? Because it was interfering with my priority of fixing the tv…. now I see it and owe them a big apology. I know I am not perfect but this should not have happened . But it did and I feel like crap for it. So next time I pray that I can readjust my priorities to what’s really important and enjoy the joy and laughter that children bring because while they will always me by child, they wont be children for long.

Leave you with two quotes from the sermon……

We cant afford to just give our joy away, cant afford to let emotions control our joy. Place it in something that was the same yesterday , today and tomorrow and then we can understand the everlasting joy …..

And going back to my aggravation from last night….

‘We usually don’t get angry and loose our temper with people or things we are made at, we loose out temper with people we know will forgive us’

Drop the mike on that one….

So next time I am getting aggravated and feel my joy going I am going to try and re think my priorities this way I wont have to apologize to my loved ones for something they didn’t deserve to hear or see.

Lord thank you for the messages I hear today for for hitting my right between the eyes with the conviction I need to see the errors of my ways. Amen

And remember God isn’t waiting for the better version of you. Jesus already did for you the way you are! So Come home to Jesus and find out what true unending Joy really means form the one true God that showed us what LOVE means

God bless

Jon