Where's Your Joy Pastor Steven Furtick - Steven Furtick

Joy is a point of view.

Joy is a way of looking at things.

This helps me.

I don't know about you, but it sets me free

from feeling the need to feel a certain way. We

got so many people quitting their jobs because they're unhappy

and not really understanding that Sometimes joy is not the

absence of sadness or the presence of the spectacular.

And all we need to look at is that one

verse where it says.

That Jesus, for the joy that was set before him.

I want to use that as a picture for a moment.

He set joy before him. So in order to endure

the cross, that's the next part, enduring the cross, scorning

his shame, he didn't find joy in the event. He

found joy in the guaranteed outcome.

Of the event.

He did not find joy in the feeling of hanging.

On the cross.

It wasn't like because he was the son of God

that the nails transcended the laws of pain and the

material laws of the universe. It was just as painful

but because of purpose. You understand it's very different to

go through pain with purpose than pain without purpose. It's

the difference between Graham jumping on my back, he's only

90 pounds, and me not knowing that he's gonna jump

on my back, and me feeling like every disc just slipped,

like I'm 73 years old in my lower back, and

the difference between me putting 90 pounds on a bar

to squat it.

If I do it on purpose, it's a warm-up weight.

If I don't expect it, it might take me down

to the ground.

Same weight. But one I was ready for. When Jesus

hung on the cross, he.

Wasn't surprised by the shame. He wasn't surprised by the suffering.

He wasn't surprised by the pain. He wasn't surprised by

the jeering. He wasn't surprised by their saliva.

He wasn't surprised by the blood. Joy is a focus

before it's a feeling. If you came.

To church just to hear that, I promise you got

your gas money's worth. Joy is a focus before it's

a feeling. And so while we're chasing a feeling called joy,

God has given us the ability to choose not our feelings.

You ever tried to choose joy? I saw it on Pinterest.

I tried it. It sucked. It didn't work.

Then I felt guilty because I couldn't find joy and

it made me feel less joy. So now I'm in

a joyless pit of joylessness. It is cyclical joylessness and shame.

It's the difference between choice and consequence. Joy is a choice. Really?

Because some of the trials that people go through actual

mental illness and it's kind of hard for them to

just feel happy because they got a good parking space

and No matter how much you tell them to feel

happy be happy, you know Be happy feel happy count

your blessings James doesn't say count your blessings This isn't

a nursery rhyme. It's a Bible scripture He said count

it all joy He said learn how to flip You

might not know this statement, but there's a statement in

financial terms.

It's an income statement.

It's got your income on one side, your expenses on another.

James says, if you can learn to put some of

the stuff in the income column that you thought was

an expense … Some of the stuff in the blessing

column that.

You thought was a burden, if.

You can flip the flow, you actually have more.

Joy than you're aware of.

But you're not going to get it by praying for

a feeling.

You're going to get it by making choices. Joy is

not a choice.

In fact, the worst way that I can get more

joy is to focus on.

Getting more joy. The best way to stop being.

Happy is to ask yourself the question, am I happy?

And see, I don't remember my grandparents ever talking about this.

If they did, I don't remember it. I never remember

my grandmother or my grandfather talking about, are.

We really happy? They didn't think like that.

There wasn't feeds and scrolling. There wasn't all this other

stuff to make them feel unhappy at.

A moment's notice.

There wasn't an infinite supply of unhappiness in their pocket in.

The form of a device, right? They didn't have that.

So they focused on something else. What was it?

What is it that brings joy if I focus on it?

I know what it's not. It's not looking around. How

are they doing? What do they think? Where are they

going on vacation? Where is she going? What's she wearing?

What do they think about me? That's not going to

do it. He said, for the joy... set before him.

So I can't be looking all around and expecting to

have joy. I can't be judging my situation according to

other people's calling and expect to have joy. I can't

be judging my gift compared to other people's talent and

expect to have joy. I know it's so cliche because

we say it every week, but nothing destroys joy like comparison.

The life you've got, some of you, would be so

enjoyable if only you didn't do this while you were

living it.

If only you didn't do this.

I mean, it's hurting my neck just to do it

to illustrate to you. Imagine what it's doing to your soul.

You can't have.

Joy that way.

It is destroying your joy. You're praying for more joy,

and yet you are destroying the joy God has given you,

the joy of your salvation, the joy of your calling,

the joy.

Of your assignment. God, give me more joy. Well, it's

a decision not to have joy. That's the worst way

to get joy.

The decision of what I'm going to.

Focus on Hey, thank you for watching.

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