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Cracking The JOY Code

I remember years ago going to a particular church in Atlanta and one of my friends changed her name.

She legally changed her name to Joy.


She was always so thrilled to tell everybody the story. She would always explain how she has such joy in her life and that is why she changed her name. Her life was "new" - she had more "joy" now than she ever did.

In man’s eyes, everything that Joy said, was validated. It was validated because Joy looked as if she had "joy" in her relationships, her kids, her home, her job, her money, her fancy car and her life in general. Joy, however, never really explained if her joy was actually from Jesus or from her stuff.

She used to say she found most of her joy in "peace". While walking around her place, you would see her New Age symbolism. Is that where she found "joy" in peace, well...

Those who practice New Age think they can find true joy. They say,

joy represents the essence of our connection to All-That-Is and resonates with the flow of Universal Light when allowed to radiate from our hearts. When we are in joy, we cannot be in fear and limitation. True joy, when discovered, permeates every aspect of our lives and enhances our unique contribution to the world, catalyzing our highest potential. It enables us to live in our full magnificence, in harmony and balance.

 



The Merriam-Webster 
dictionary says

joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. Joy is a wonderful thing. You can be joyful when your baby is born. You can have joy in a new job promotion. Joy in buying a new car or home.

Is this joy or is this happiness? Did Joy have joy or did Joy have happiness?

What is the meaning behind real joy? The joy of the here and now, well is temporary.
There is no U-Haul behind a hearse.

Even Denzel Washington understood this. He said,

You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse... now, I've been blessed to make hundreds of millions of dollars in my life. I can't take it with me, and neither can you. It's not how much you have but what you do with what you have.


What is joy to you?
What happens when something happens in your life?
Is the joy still there.

To be full of joy is not the same as to be filled with happiness.

Happiness is a passing emotion and when things turn, so do your smiles.


James 1:2
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

If we just left it at verse two, one may wonder. How the heck do I do that. BUT!!! There is more. WE can't stop at verse two. Let's continue...verse three says,

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Let's now read it as it should be read, 

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

There are other passages that talk about joy.

Romans 14:17-19
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc.

Not one verse tells us to hold on to “happiness”, count it all happy when we face things, or one of the fruits is happiness.

Those in life can be happy. Without joy, they are truly not satisfied. Therefore, not truly happy.

I can be happy with my new home, car,

job, paycheck, shoes,

clothes, computer, phone, tablet, 
nails, hair, boyfriend,

girlfriend, husband, wife, kids

BUT without joy, the UTMOST JOY in your heart, all you have are temporal momentary moments of one-second satisfactions.
They will fade over time.

The UTMOST JOY is found in Jesus!

If you want the permanent, no matter what comes to your way, joy, you must stop seeking temporal and start seeking eternal.

The song lyric is not happy to the world, the Lord has come.

It's Joy to the World

why JOY…because Christ coming was eternal.

I promise you, JOY wins every time!!

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