June 15, 2026 Devo

I’m preaching a series on the Fruit of the Spirit right now at church. Yesterday I preached on “Joy.” As I prepared for the message this past Sunday, it hit me how many people in the faith show so little evidence of joy in their lives. Which is really too bad. Joy is a promise of God and should be a fruit that is seen if the Spirit of God is living in us. Joy gives our lives energy and motivation. Nehemiah tells us that the “joy of the Lord is our strength!” Can I share a few thoughts I gave to our people?
Joy is rooted in the soil of gratitude. Pay attention to how many times the words “thanks” or “thanksgiving” and “praise” are used in the same verse throughout the Psalms. Focusing on what God has done floods my heart with gratitude and makes me want to praise Him with joy. Times He’s forgiven me. Times He’s healed me. Times He’s protected me. Times He’s guided me. Times He’s opened doors for me. I could go on and on and on. One of the greatest causes of a lack of joy is a bad memory. Because when I REMEMBER all that God has done, I can’t help but have joy!
We reclaim our joy when we reclaim our identity in Christ. We often forfeit our joy when we let other people define us. We let THEM tell us who we are rather than believe who God says we are. People can say whatever they want, but the only one who gets to define us is the God who MADE us! And He says we are Precious and Perfect.
We also become defined by NOW, not THEN. The Enemy will remind us from time to time of things we’ve done and times we’ve failed. He wants to put shackles of shame upon us and have us devalue ourselves. But we are a people who are bought by the precious blood of Christ. When we confess our sins to Him, they are cast into His Sea of Forgetfulness, never to be remembered again. We aren’t who we were. We are now New Creations in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We cultivate joy by being joyful. I had a professor who liked to say, “Act enthusiastic, and you’ll BE enthusiastic.” He was absolutely right. I’ve had many people tell me through the years that they got up on a Sunday morning and didn’t feel like coming to church. Maybe they were tired, or had a bad week, or were just feeling down. But they came anyway. After coming to worship and singing and praising God, they would say, “I feel so much better! I didn’t want to come today, but I am so glad I did!” What happened? Acting joyfully produced joy within them. Isolation and wallowing in how miserable you are doesn’t make you feel better. It only makes you feel worse. Expressing joy can help light the fire of your emotions to help you feel that joy again.
Spend time today remembering what God has done. Reclaim your identity in Christ and who God has made you to be. And whether you feel like it or not, turn on some praise music and sing with all your heart. Then maybe you can say with Isaiah, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!” That’s God’s Word for you today.