Facing The Trials of Life With A Biblical Mindset

Going through trial after trial is hard and confusing when you get worn down and lose your focus. Some struggles cause a small hiccup in your day and some knock you off your feet but the Bible gives us the same encouragement for both; “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2).

If you are like me, your first thought wasn’t, “oh, okay!” but “What?!? How is that even possible?”

I thought about this concept for quite some time before deciding to do a study on biblical joy. To be quite honest, I needed to do this study because I couldn’t wrap my head around being joyful when life stinks. It felt fake and hypocritical. During this point in time, I had been going through a season of medical issues that turned into years of feeling lost in the desert. I was isolated, weary, heavily focused on the struggle, and the thought of counting it all joy just made me angry and bitter.

The way I was handling things wasn’t helping. But the more I prayed the more references to joy and rejoicing I found all over the Bible so I knew the Holy Spirit was calling me to dig deeper and stop resisting.

WHAT DOES JOY MEAN BIBLICALLY?

I thought defining joy would be the simple part of my study but it was tougher than I thought! It seemed nobody could agree on a definition. I realized that there is a worldly definition and a biblical definition for joy. Unfortunately, as Christians, we often mistakenly go with the world’s definition. It’s no wonder brothers and sisters everywhere struggle in this area!! Look at what I mean.

The world equates joy and happiness as being the same.

The biblical definition is so much more. Biblical joy is an emotion, a godly character quality (fruit of the Spirit!), an expression of a faithful and trusting heart, a calm assurance in Christ alone. It is based on the Holy Spirit abiding within us.

Rejoicing is the outward expression of our inner joy. Without inner joy, we have nothing. We are hopeless and helpless.

I think of joy and rejoicing as a chicken and egg sort of thing. I would say that joy comes first but we can’t have one without the other. Rejoicing flows out of our joy in the Lord. Our joy in the Lord develops and increases the more we rejoice in the Lord. It is a never-ending loop that is supernaturally supplied down deep inside of us.

BIBLICAL JOY VS HAPPINESS

Biblical joy and happiness are not the same things. Happiness is an emotion based on our outward circumstances. When life continually throws hiccups at us, we don’t feel happiness. Instead, we get discouraged and overwhelmed.

Whereas joy is inward-focused; the inside of our cup. It isn’t based on our circumstances but on our trust in God and our assurance that He will ultimately work everything out for good (Romans 8:28). Yes, even if.

We can see spiritual joy in action in the following verse:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

WHERE DOES BIBLICAL JOY COME FROM?

Biblical joy is a reflection of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. He blesses us with a free, priceless gift called the fruit of the Spirit.

“And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.” ( 1 Thessalonians 1-6)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

EXAMPLES OF JOY FROM THE BIBLE

As I studied this topic, two examples of biblical joy stuck out to me. The first is Paul sitting in a Roman prison. He was unjustly imprisoned and yet, during this time of his life he wrote the book of Philippians. Philippians is considered one of the most joyful (joy-filled) books of the Bible. Paul considers joy so important to our Christian walk that he mentioned “joy” and “rejoice” 16 times in four chapters!

Then there was Christ Jesus who was headed for the cross. Jesus knew what was up ahead and his circumstances sure weren’t what we would want for ourselves. And yet, He faced it with joy according to Hebrews 12:2. Based on the world's definition of joy, we would think that he was jumping with enthusiasm at facing death, which, because of his time in the garden, we know isn’t even close to being true.

THE KEYS TO BIBLICAL JOY

On this side of heaven, life will be full of problems both big and small. So how can you have and maintain the joy of the Lord? By keeping these seven things in mind:

Spend time with Jesus in prayer; talk to Him and give thanks! You spend time with those you love. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Stay in the Bible learning who God is and meditate (think) on what you read. (1 Peter 1:8)
When your situation heads south, keep your eyes on Jesus. (Psalm 16:8)
Envelope your day with praise and worship music (Psalm 100:1-2)
Watch your thoughts. When they turn negative, force yourself to meditate on a Bible verse (Philippians 4:8) and look for the good around you instead.
Intentionally keep God’s commandments and put into practice what you read in the Bible. (John 15:10-11, James 1:22)
Focus on others when you feel overwhelmed with your situation. (Romans 12:15)

CLOSING

Through searching the Scriptures to find out about joy, I learned that trials and tribulations are used by God to produce joy, steadfastness, hope, and to build our character (Romans 5:1-5). I might not like the process of getting there but those are good and perfect gives from above (James 1:17).

But if we base our joy on our circumstances, we won’t experience it very often because problems are always brewing all around us. Our emotions will be like a crazy rollercoaster ride that has gone out of control. God doesn’t want that for his people.

The world says we deserve happiness. The Gospel says we deserve. Regardless, the character of Christ is freely given to us as we abide in him.

My entire attitude toward suffering has changed. I am thankful to sweet Jesus for that gift. I still struggle, I still face opposition. I still mess up and handle things badly. But I’ve learned that I can be like the apostle Paul…smile and encourage others even if my circumstances are less than ideal because I know who my God is, what He has done for me in the past, and what his promises are for the future.

And that is my prayer for you, friend.

“May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing (through the experience of your faith) that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.” (Romans 15:13 AMP)

YOUR TURN

Have you been struggling to find your joy when life hits you below the belt? Have you felt the peace and joy of the Lord in surprising ways? Do you practice lining up your thoughts with God’s Word when you are facing a hardship? It always helps to hear how others handle difficulties so feel free to comment below and let us know how you handle these things.