Joy Over Stress: How To Make Joy A Daily Habit | Day 1 What Is Joy

Here is the devotional:

What is Joy?

Your bills are scattered across your bedroom table. Your work phone keeps buzzing with new notifications. Your house needs a new repair. Your kids are zapping you of energy. And you dread going to work the next day.

It is no surprise we are more stressed than ever today.

It the midst of this growing stress, culture tells us the best we can do is push on and chase the next happy moment. These happy moments are temporary reliefs from our mounting stress, and if we’re fortunate enough, they can make us forget about our stress (momentarily). 

We live in a culture that loves feeling pleasant. We believe stress isn’t something we should feel, and that happiness is God’s plan for us. Right?

A few years ago, I tried to study this. At the peak of my stress, I wanted to know what God has to say about stress and happiness. I also dove into the latest discoveries in positive psychology.

What I found changed my life.

Both the Bible and positive psychology agree: escaping our stress by chasing happiness is actually the recipe for even greater stress.

Joy, I discovered, is what the Bible wants us to have.

Joy is the internal satisfaction we feel when we pursue well-being and success, even through great difficulty. It makes us feel better and more positive, but it differs from happiness in that it can be present during difficult times.

When you’re going through trials, it’s impossible to be happy. Your external circumstances won’t allow for it. But when you’re going through trials, it’s very possible to have joy. Your internal hope in God can give you the satisfaction to grow through the greatest of trials.

No one exemplifies this better than Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). 

Society says that to deal with stress we need to change our external circumstances for happiness. 

But the Bible says, we can grow through stress, if only we cultivate joy in God. Not only does this make us feel better, but it makes us better people as well. 

There’s a reason joy is a fruit of the Spirit and not happiness. God wants us to hope in Him and grow through our trials.

But the problem is, culture will do everything to convince us to run from our stress, and thereby, worsen it. 

Fortunately, there is good news. The Bible paints a clear picture for how we can combat stress with daily joy.

If you are struggling under the weight of your stress, and wondering if you’ll ever feel better, this Bible plan will show you how to build a habit of daily joy to grow through your times of stress. 

You can choose joy over stress. Here’s how to do it.

Here is the scripture referenced:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 

But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Hebrews 12:1‭-‬11 KJV

Here are Stu’s thoughts:

I started this Bible Study with a few of my blogging friends that are on the YouVersion Bible App several weeks ago. This is a good one.

It’s been proven over and over again that God’s Word goes against the grain.

It is also true that almost everything in society goes against Scripture.

Society says he with the most toys win and sadly that can include other people as well…but that’s another post for later…I think.

The sad thing about gaining toys is the fact it stresses one out to the max. Bills galore! And it is  pointless. We can not take it with us!

Yes, people have been buried with their belongings. But guess what. Their soul is not in their body and that stuff is still six feet under ground.

I understand needing  an extra car, a boat and possibly a four wheeler but only IF you can afford them without going in debt.

You may find happiness periodically in those things but the debt causes stress not joy!

Working causes stress but it’s a necessity. I can promise it’s hard finding joy where I work at the moment. My joy comes when I drive by Big D and he singing Danny Gokey or For King & Country😊

I promise, with everything going on in my life…I’m stressed to the max. I’m trying to find the joy not just the happiness. Happiness fleets away when the experience is over. Joy stays.

So let’s see where this Bible Study takes us shall we?

I will do part two in a few days. I’m not going to rush through it.