The Lord has given us insight and instructions in His Word on how to be joyful in a world system that wants to rob it from us.

It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. Proverbs 21:15

Unfortunately, some individuals in the church like to get close to those in power for personal gain through flattery, perceived loyalty, or showy performance in the hope of getting in the “right” positions. If we are in leadership positions, we need to be very discerning of people’s motives. Flattery or perceived loyalty can feed the ego of a leader and cause him/her to show favor to some unfairly. This becomes the beginning of a road to partiality if we are not careful.

God hates partiality and differing scales, and He tells us to avoid them (See Proverbs 24:23 & Proverbs 20:10). We need to be aware of “Hamans” in our lives who may look good and loyal to us, but they are unkind and rude to others (Esther 3:1-6). God is a God of justice, and He expects His children to represent Him well on the earth. When make the effort to be impartial and just, it brings great joy to us because we know God is pleased and our conscience is clear of any offense. Others are also blessed because they can feel safe with our leadership and know that we are not blinded by flattery or loyalty!

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Luke 15:1-12

Ultimately, the fullness of joy will come from opening our hearts to love. When we love God and love others, it increases our capacity for joyfulness! When we can let go of an offense that has tightened our hearts for so long, our hearts open up to love again. We cannot hold on to bitterness and love at the same time. If we don’t love, we will begin to lose our joy. Love & joy are interconnected because they are both the evidence of fruit of the Spirit. It seems that love is the catalyst to all the other fruit of the Spirit!

The Lord has given us keys in His word that provide an insight on how we can be joyful and remain joyful.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. Proverbs 12:20

When God teaches us to do something, it is not only pleasing to Him, but it is also life-giving to us! In the above scripture, He calls us to be peacemakers and to walk in ministry of reconciliation. Sometimes people can resort to gossip, backbiting, and manipulation when they are upset with an individual. This approach may bring temporary relief to an anguished heart, but it is soulish and will not produce good fruit! Strife will alway steal our joy. On the other hand, when we live out our calling as peacemakers, it calms our hearts and brings us joy because we have lived life according to his design and purpose!

 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is! Proverbs 15:23

Our words can get us into trouble faster than other areas of our lives. The book of James tells us how difficult it is to tame the tongue because it can be so unruly. The more we exercise self-control on our words and carefully deliver them, the more joyful we will be.

The enemy looks for opportunities to accuse us of what we have said or done. When our words are inappropriate, he can a have field day making us feel ashamed and guilty. On the other hand, when we speak in faith and share life-giving words, it brings life and joy into our hearts as well as those around us!

We can see the impact of our words on children very easily. What we say and how we say it, can either cause them to shrivel or blossom! Discerning what motivates each person can help us in choosing words that are edifying and life-giving to them. We cannot overcome a negative situation with more negativity. When we choose to be life-giving, it dissipates negativity and produces joy in everyone’s life. 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

Joy is one of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22).  When we live a lifestyle of faith and abide in Him, joy is our portion and inheritance as a believer. Are you a joyful person? If you are married, does your spouse consider you joyful? 

How do we develop Godly joy in our lives?

And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Psalm 35:9

In the midst of being chased by his enemies, David chose to look to the Lord and remind himself that God is the source of his salvation. For those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, it is important to remind ourselves of the value and life-changing significance of our salvation. Without it, we would have no hope in this world. We are a different person because of Salvation and our relationship with the Lord. He helps us to handle tough situations differently because we have a new nature. We know that no matter what life throws at us we belong to Him, and we will live eternity with Him. That’s something to be joyful about!

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

God’s presence gives us assurance and security that He has everything under control. Just as the sun rises every day, we have an assurance that God’s light will shed in the midst of darkness, and He will light our path and show us the way we should go. When God’s presence comes in, the spiritual fog gets lifted, and we begin to see things clearly. It’s as if we were blind and now we can see. God’s presence causes joy to rise in our hearts. I thank God for His presence that lifts us out of the miry pit and the fog of life.

Those of us who are analytical can lose our joy by analyzing things too much which leads to confusion or apprehension. If we wait to have all the answers before we are joyful, we may only reach there in rare occasions. It is the simplicity of our faith and asking for His reassurance that calms our busy minds and helps us to just have childlike trust and joy in Him. Our joy comes from trusting Him when we don’t have all the answers.

 I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

Count (Strong’s Concordance G 2233): lead, to go before, to be a leader, to rule, command, to have authority over, a prince, legal power, the leader in the speech, to consider, deem, account, think

Joy ( Strong’s G5479 ): gladness, cheerfulness, clam delight

The above definitions shed a new light on this critical scripture (James 1:2-4). When we usually think about the word “count”, we consider it at a quantitative level, but in spiritual terms we have to have a qualitative approach to counting things. This has to do more with evaluating the quality of something and measuring its value in our lives.

The scripture tells us to count trials as joy. Counting something that naturally has a look of negativity and considering it joy, requires faith, leadership, and vision. A person who can envision their lives and their situations beyond the here and now and is able to see God’s hand in the midst of a tough situation has a level of understanding that keeps them above the choppy waters. These individuals are also the ones that others look up to in times of trouble.

Many can lose their joy in the midst of trial. It is not easy to be happy about a tough situation, but it really is not about happiness. One of the definitions of joy is a calm delight. Sometimes as American Christians we think having joy means that we need to be excited and act as a cheerleader in a tough situation, but that may not be the case. We can have a calm confidence that God is with us and that He has a plan to use the situation.

God desires to build His children to keep the vision in the midst of trials that come. He wants us to look further down the road and see the good that will come out of the situation.

How do you handle trials? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

Since our hearts are an important part of our worship, then it stands to reason that the heart needs to be guarded in order to be useful for God. If our hearts are contaminated, then we will use our strength for wrong reasons such as trying to prove ourselves, arguing with others, pleasing others, fearing criticism, or rebelling against the established system.

Are we protective of our hearts?

We do a better job protecting ourselves physically rather than spiritually. When we drive a car, we put on our seat belts to protect us in the possibility of an accident. We put on a helmet when riding a motorcycle or a bicycle to keep our head protected. We put on shoes whenever we leave our house to protect our feet from harm or injuries. We protect our homes by keeping our windows and doors locked to ensure no intruder can come in. Some of us even have sophisticated theft alarm system to notify us of any unexpected intrusion. Companies spend millions of dollars on a yearly basis to  protect us from  identity theft. Yet, we don’t put as much attention in guarding our hearts spiritually.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

The above scripture clearly gives us the command to protect our hearts and to do it diligently. We cannot be passive or casual about those things that try to infiltrate our hearts. Anything that is not true or pure, can affect our hearts deeply and negatively. We need to remain sober and vigilant not to allow disappointments, hurts, or fears to shape our hearts. Everything that is about to enter in needs to be examined in the light of the fruit it will produce. 

The best test of the condition of our hearts is to listen to our words and pay attention to our attitude when we speak to those who are closest to us. The scripture tells us that the issues of life spring out of  our hearts. Our words and attitudes are a good indicator of what is going on in our hearts. 

If we have made the commitment to love God with all of our hearts, then our hearts belong to God. There is no room for the world or the enemy to try to take territory in our hearts. If they do, then we cannot fully love God with all our hearts!

Lord, we desire our hearts to be fully surrendered to you. Just as David prayed: “Create in me a pure heart O God” (Psalm 51:10a).

The scripture has much to say about our hearts because it is the core our very being. The heart is more than the seat of our emotions. It is a place where all our thoughts, emotions, and will conglomerate to the point that they create our perspective.

Our slant on issues, our attitude towards circumstances, our outlook on life, and a whole host of other things have been shaped through our hearts. This makes the heart a very important part of our lives. It is the one that will dominate how successfully or unsuccessfully we will navigate through life and how we well will respond to God in our journey.

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

The scripture tells us that we don’t even know the condition of our hearts. We can deceive ourselves because we can say or do the right things for a long time to the point that we begin to think that our hearts must be doing well.

People generally have a public face where they look polished and say the right things to be accepted, but it is generally the unexpected and the intense pressured situations that really show what is deep down in our hearts. It is like an iceberg where the visible part is the outward social part of our lives that looks spiritual, positive, and restrained, but we don’t know what is deep down in our hearts until the hidden and the invisible part gets exposed to us. We can also put on a public face when we are in unsafe environments. We say or do things that are acceptable by those around us to avoid being rejected or shunned. 

What is the condition of your heart? Are you joyful or fearful? Are you content or anxious? Are you able to be honest with God? Are there fears or disappointments that have affected your heart?

In Biblical times people used statues to worship the various gods or goddesses. Greeks had many gods such as Artemis, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Nemesis, & Nike. Paul spoke about them in the scripture:

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;  for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: Acts 17:22-23

The Greeks had to ensure that no powerful “deity” was left unacknowledged, hence they even had an inscription to the “unknown god”. They believed that every one of these gods had some sort of super power to provide for their needs or desires, so they chose to worship numerous gods in fear of not leaving any of them out.

In our modern days, we don’t necessarily worship fictional gods, but we can look up to people as our source of wisdom, identity, lifestyle, & purpose. Musicians, actors, politicians, and spiritual leaders are looked up to as if they have an answer to every problem in our lives or a solution for the society.

Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:12-13

Paul noticed that this idolatrous attitude had crept up in the church. The new believers who formed the Corinthian church had started walking in carnality. While they were no longer worshipping fictional gods, they had developed special affinity towards their favorite spiritual leaders. Paul had to remind them that he and the other leaders were not the ones who were crucified  for them but Jesus was!

Regardless of a person’s giftedness, sacrifice, or anointing, they are not meant to take the place of Jesus. They may be great preachers, prophets, or pastors, but they are still flawed and imperfect people who are not meant to be placed on any divine pedestal.  As people, we have a tendency to get lazy about seeking the Lord for ourselves because we feel that this person has a direct line with God. Eventually, when things don’t work out or we get a bad counsel, we get upset with the leader because he/she is either too controlling or not as anointed as we originally thought!

We need to allow God to recalibrate our lives in areas that are prone to idolatry and allow Him to be back at the center of our attention. God doesn’t need for us to perform to show Him that we love Him, but He chooses to use us when He wants to. If our identity is tied to our performance, our education, our entertainment, or our relationships with spiritual leaders, it is built on shifting sand, and someday it will come tumbling down. God is too loving and kind to let us live with counterfeits. Here is a song to remind us of the greatness of the God we serve! He is the only one worthy of our worship.

Our relationship towards our pets can be another form of idolatry.  The Bible is clear about the fact that we are to take care of our animals. 

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

God gave the rulership of the earth to Adam & Eve and included in the mandate was taking care of the animals. In the old days, animals were source of food, labor, income, and protection for a farmer and his family. Nowadays, not only we don’t utilize animals for work, but we also pamper them and give them all the fancy things that we enjoy. Granted there are dogs that serve a good purpose, and their companionship for people is valuable, but Americans are treating their animals as if they are their children!

NBC News had an article reporting on people’s passion towards their pets. In Southern California there are “Pow Bars”, “Cat socials”, and “Mutt Mingles” according to this article, just as a parents may join a MOPS group for their children. NBC News article stated that Americans will spend more than $60 billion dollars on their pets in 2015. That is a lot of money! We may each spend a couple of thousand dollars and not think much about it, but when you think about the collective amount that we all spend on our animals, it is sadly enormous! Doesn’t that say something about what we value as a nation? Can some of this money be put to better use rather than lavishing our animals with the best food, healthcare, hotel, etc.?

I grew up in a culture that animals were used for work or protection and did not live in the house  because they were considered unclean. For the majority of my life, I had been scared of dogs. I didn’t understand why people love their dogs so much. Additionally, I could not to find scriptures that supported having pets for fun.  When we finally purchased a dog for my daughter six years ago, things changed for me. I did get attached to this dog, and now she is part of the family. It is hard not to want to do things for her and get her the best I can afford. However, I still don’t believe that it was God’s idea for us to lavish them and love them as children. 

Culturally loving animals is acceptable and there are many believers who cherish their pets as well. This keeps us in a comfortable position where we don’t question whether our affection or behavior towards our animals is idolatrous or not because they are many like us!

While Modern day idols can look very different than the Biblical times, anything that takes too much time, attention, and focus to the point of throwing our priorities out of balance can become a form of idolatry.

Sports

People may be too busy to serve at church, invest in friendships, or spend time with family, but somehow they manage to have plenty of time to watch sports or attend sporting events which makes it an issue of priority not necessarily a lack of time.

 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6: 12

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with watching or doing sports, but it is the inordinate amount of time, focus, and money that causes it to become idolatry. Players seem to have such a significance in people’s lives that they are idolized. Some individuals know player stats better than they know their Bible. We can spend hundreds of dollars sitting on the sidelines watching the game for hours while the players make millions of dollars.

If you were to compare an athlete to a military serviceman, do our servicemen get at least the same honor as an athlete? The servicemen are willing to lay down their lives for our freedoms as opposed to an athlete who has entertained people for a few hours! Would you support a war veterans organization rather than spending the money on the ticket to your favorite game? At the end of the day, professional sports is an entertainment industry and as such we need to put it in the proper perspective. Families may spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on sports, but when it comes to giving to a charity, they may not be as generous.

Others spend endless hours take the children to their various sporting events and tournaments. In addition to taking time away on Sundays to go to various games, there is an increasing number of injuries that happen in competitive sports and especially contact sports. Nowadays, parents start the children at a younger age to do competitive sport. It’s generally the parents who decide Johnny needs to be placed on competitive team to ensure he can develop his true potential!

Some of the questions we can ask in determining whether the sports have turned into idolatry are as follows: Does a sport need to be that competitive to be enjoyable to a young child? Is there a limit to how much time or money a sport will require before you decline to have your child participate in it? How many sports is the family involved in at any one time? Is it seasonal or year-round? Does it take time away from developing wholesome friendships individually and as a family? Does it take time away from being at church regularly?

In the last devotional, I stated that the enemy is not going to trap us with the same form of idolatry that he ensnared the people in Biblical times. He finds things that we value in our times and in our current culture. The key to finding idolatry in our lives is to find what we value and the extent we change our priorities to obtain what is valuable to us.

Higher Education

We are blessed in this country to have many options for education. There is a plethora of schools from public to private education and from junior colleges to Ivy league schools that are available to those who seek higher level of education. However, the entrance to many well known schools has become so difficult, that it is creating a subtle class system between those who can make it and those who cannot.

For some believers, higher education has turned into idolatry. Some students apply to over twenty schools in the hope of getting to their “reach” schools but finding themselves rejected over and over again because they reached too far. The parents are not doing any better. As a matter of fact, those rejection letters hurt some parents more than it hurts the students. When finally students choose a school from the array of good options available to them, they still feel dejected because they did not reach their dream school!

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 1 Timothy 6:20

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 7:18 

In addition, our education system is run by many ultra liberal professors who do not mind espousing their atheistic or humanistic ideologies as facts to students. Since the students lack experience and knowledge, they are easily impressionable by the “brilliant” professors who seem to tell the truth about the world. What we find that many children who grew up in Christian households, begin to regress spiritually after spending four years in a world that is dominated by new age and godless thinking. Why do we do this? It is all in the name of getting superior education, so our students can have good options for careers when they graduate.

Does a superior education that dampens one’s faith worth it? Is that special piece of paper from the elite school worth losing your faith for it? 

Education is certainly the idol of our modern times. There is much pressure for students  to perform to the point of developing health problems, identity issues, and suicidal behaviors. As believers, do we handle education any differently than the world? Do we perceive people more valuable based on their level of education or where they received their education from?