aliya721

The simple fact that one believes in Him is where the joy should come from. My inner joy is a by product of my faith. Not the pursuit of material things or things that do not matter. Joy has to come from within, when you think of His goodness and his mercies and His grace, it is that joy that Peter talks about. This is not something that can be contained or anything manipulated. God loves us so much that He mad the ultimate sacrifice and in so doing saved us from an eternity of hell. Emotions are fickle and they will change. Real joy can be seen when things don't appear like they are going well because its a heart thing. If your heart is turned towards God then joy lives there and this cannot be turned off when circumstances change.

God has been a constant rock in my life. He has brought me through and increased me faith on many occasions. The latest which stands out was last October when I was laid off. I have never been in that situation and it was pretty scary going through interviews and thinking of starting something new. However, in my prayers, I always asked God to allow me to be a blessing to others and to place me where this could happen. Just like that, my church asked me to give a testimony. I told them how I had been praying about being in a position to help others and the VERY NEXT day, God opened a door with a previous employer that I simply had to walk through. I didn't have to interview. I could do exactly what I wanted and what I was praying for. Fast forward and today God has been faithful over and over, allowing me to make more money, to which I've used to sponsor my teenagers in poverty and to help others at work. I just pray that I am still allowed to do this. That I don't take it for granted. That I remain humble and continue to trust in His good Word. His plans are always good. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be back at this place of employment but God knew and I am thankful.

Agreed completely. Simply put, my part is to have faith as small as a mustard seed that He will finish this good work. His part in securing my salvation is protecting me from the enemy. His Word protects. It is our shield and it is our armor. He has given it to us but if we aren't wearing this armor, when temptations come and when things happen, we cannot say it is God who tempts us and we cannot say it is God who didn't protect us.

I am forgiven. This in turn causes me to want to obey. It's very cyclical but both are necessary for growth. I can't expect to be forgiven and not want to obey God.

I would describe this Christian as one committed to the world and not as one invested heavily in things of God. Perhaps they spend too much time focused on worldly living, keeping up with the Joneses and ensuring they have everything their heart desires. Perhaps they focus too much on things that don't matter when God is looking for them to lean all the way in. I do catch myself living like this and it is indeed humbling to refocus and get back on track.