Reclaim your JOY – Part 3

Isaiah 61:3 To give them the oil of for mourning, the garment of for the spirit of heaviness.

2 Corinthians 6:10  …sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

John 10:10 The comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have , and have it to the full.

• Sin steals our joy.

Psalm 32:1-11 Blessed is the one whose are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed (happy) is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my . I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be , you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

• Sin kills our lives.

Psalm 73:18-19 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to . How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

• Sin destroys our identity.

Psalm 38:4,6 My has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear… I am bowed down and brought low.

• We cannot be guilty and happy at the same time.

Acts 3:19-20 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of will come from the presence of the Lord

Psalm 32:1 What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven!  What when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.

Psalm 51:2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

1.  Daily choose to put to death my old sin nature.

Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die.   But if through the power of the Spirit you put to the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

Psalm 5:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

2.  Daily choose to release my past and take another step toward being free.

James 5:16 Make this your common practice: your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something to be reckoned with.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

3.  Daily pursue God’s plan for my life.

Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Psalm 51:12-13 Restore to me the joy of your salvation… and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

4.  Daily live a life that impacts others.

• Joy is more than a feeling. It’s a way of living.