It's a Fight for faith to gain Joy! Let's Chat about Chapters 3 & 4 | Becoming Book Club
Hello Monday, sweet Book Club friends!With another amazing week of reading under our belt Chapters 3 and 4 give us a host of sparkling treasures to uncover and place deep in our hearts. My favorite bullet point, and bolstered faith challenge, of the two chapters comes in Chapter 3, page 40...
"Take up arms and fight for Joy in God."
I feel that these two chapters challenge our tenacity and willingness to fight DAILY for joy in God. I forget just how vigilant my soul needs to be in the fight to obtain activated Joy in all circumstances. Not just when it's easy, but when it's difficult. God desires us to build an internal joy with the ability to rise to the top of all peaks and valleys. We won't be able to "kind of sort of fight for joy" - we must TAKE UP ARMS and LOCK INTO the Great and Lasting Joy God is offering. If you have heard any number of my teachings you know I have a vision to see believers have a faith life made up of a little more "elbow grease" able to stand against the schemes of the enemy with gusto and passion...if joy came easy it wouldn't be such a beautiful gift. Because there is a valiant fight at hand it makes the treasure of obtaining it all the more important. Love how Piper describes this very idea on page 37...
"Joy will not be rugged and durable and deep through suffering where there is not resolve to fight for it. But today, by and large, there is a devil-may-care, cavalier, superficial attitude toward the ongoing, daily intensity of personal joy in Christ, because people do not believe that their eternal life depends on it."
Oh friends.....nothing could be more consequential to finding deep, abiding, satisfaction in this life than the fight for Joy! We are facing and warding off all alien joys. We are allowing pleasurable experiences in life to only compound on the joy we have in Jesus! It is BECAUSE of the Joy we find in HIM we are able to experience REAL JOY and discount all alien joys.And our fight for joy is ultimately a fight for faith. If the enemy can discourage your faith, he can certainly steal your joy. Remaining vigilant to provoke your faith life every single day is HUGE to maintaining active Joy. But we just cannot timidly go about it.
"Joy is spontaneous, but fighting is planned."
Our discussion questions and journal prompts for this week are....
- How do you strategize your fight to provoke faith every day and as a result maintain activated Joy? By reading God's Word? Prayer group? Meeting for coffee? Posting scripture throughout your home? Share below your strategy - faith builds faith so we will all grow from fresh perspectives!
- Read 1 Timothy 6:12 and take the time to write it out and consider ways in which you are TODAY choosing to maintain an attitude and posture of Joy found wholeheartedly in Jesus.
- Sometimes our greatest weapon against the enemy is remembrance. Recall times in your life when your faith life was challenged and you overcame with Jesus and saw mighty works unfold? Recall times when you've witnessed the great dependence and desperation of another's faith journey - other's can provide perfectly placed inspiration for our faith.
- Read through the following 5 Reasons to Believe Truth Piper gives on pages 54-55 and discuss/journal your thoughts on each.
- The first reason is that the Truth Matters, and we should believe and embrace it whether we can see how it benefits us or not.
- Second, when you believe this Truth, our Joy in God is multiplied because it is compounded with gratitude.
- Third, when we believe this Truth, we will seek our Joy from God with greater urgency than if we thought it was in our power. This Truth sets us to praying as never before.
- Fourth, believing this Truth will prevent our strategies in the fight for Joy from degenerating into technique and legalism.
- Fifth, believing that joy is a gift of God will give all the glory to God.
LOVING how you are responding and connecting with this book. This is a BIG week and I do so hope you will take the time to watch the video and concentrate on each point made. I'm praying for you. I'm cheering you on. I need you, sweet friends. Keep sharing your comments below. Love growing alongside you in this way!
