Take It Back, II

Psalm 139:^23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

After we have admitted that our joy is lost, the next thing we need to do to get our joy back is to analyze the cause. We have to identify the kill joys and we are going to run through a few to get you started. This list is not exhaustive, but it is pretty detailed. The first kill joy that usually takes and saps our joy is an unbalanced schedule. If your schedule is not balanced it is going to sap your joy. You are at home and you are supposed to be in the bed with your spouse. However, you are sending emails instead of focusing on your spouse. Something is definitely wrong with that because your schedule is not balanced.

If you are giving out more than you are taking in, it is going to sap your joy and you are going to be burnt out. The converse is also the case, if you are taking in more than you are giving out, you are going to have an unbalanced schedule. For instance, you have a lot of Bible knowledge from doing a lot of Bible study. But you do not serve, you have no outlet, you are not helping people to grow in God. You are going to have an unbalanced schedule and that will eventually sap your joy. The second is an unused talent. If you have unused talent, you are not going to be a happy person because it is a joy killer. You have a talent that you can use to bring glory to God and bless humanity, but it is just dormant. You cannot be happy. You claim you can sing better than everyone on the worship team, so why have you not signed up to join the team? Instead, you sit there, and you do nothing. Over time, that unused talent will sap your joy.

You have a gift, an amazing ability to organize places and things. If you do not apply yourself, if you do not use your talent, it is going to kill your joy. If you have a job that is not demanding on your talent it is going to sap your joy. Your job is not supposed to use hundred percent of your talent but at least a considerable amount. The third kill joy is an unconfessed sin. A lot of Christians are self-righteous, so when the subject of unconfessed sin comes up, they believe that since they do not commit adultery or steal, they do not have an issue there. But you are quick to abuse people and you do not see anything wrong with that? That person you are abusing is God’s handiwork, His masterpiece, made in God’s image. Listen, sin should not actually last up to thirty seconds with a Christian because Jesus paid for it. Therefore, if you have an issue, sort it out immediately. An unconfessed sin is a kill joy.

An unresolved conflict is a real kill joy. There are some people in our lives that are just toxic people and no matter how full your joy tank is, when you meet such people, they seem to have a way of depleting it very fast. It appears to be their life’s mission to make you unhappy. Guess what? There is one solution, a very spiritual solution, do you want to hear it? Avoid them!

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask that You point out and help me resolve an unbalanced schedule, unused talent, unconfessed sin and unresolved conflict, in Jesus Name. Amen!