Seminar: How To Be Joyful No Matter What

hi pastor's wife, thought i'd share these treasures i've gathered from a women's seminar held here

How to Be Joyful No Matter What
Kay Warren
July 27, 200
6GCF,Ortigas, Philippines

Joy..
.a. an unshakeable assurance or total confidence that God is in contral in every detail of our lives.
b. a determined purpose to praise Him no matter what.
c. has to do with the choices we make and not with the circumstances we are in
d. not related to what happens in our lives

5 Ways to Choose Joy as a daily basis
1. See the humor in life.
Laugh at the absurdities of life. Life is hard and God has given us funny situations to help us cope.

2. Practice gratitude.
a. We're often blind to the goodness of God in our lives:comparing ourselves with others, thinking God favors somebody else more than us, that He is shows more goodness of His with others...

b. Have 'stones of remembrance' (altar of remembrance) of God's faithfulness.

3. Become a giver.( give of yourself in every situation)
Gal 6:10
a. Don't wait till you have time or resources before you become a giver."out of their deep poverty, they gave...."
b. When u withhold yourself from others, you withhold God from them.
I'm just busy. ?

4. Live IN the moment. (not live for the moment)
a. Understand that every moment that comes your way is a God-given moment, and have joy in that.
b. Experience joy in the moment.
c. Don't wait for perfection before u experience joy and before u "love this moment". Don't wait for your marriage, your work, ministry, family, situation to be perfect before you experience joy.
d. Sometimes, moments are all we have.

5. Find the "blessing" in the mess.Phil 4:8a.
Life is like a multiple tracks that run parallel together, where the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow, exist and run together .
b. God can ressurect a dead marriage.
c. Become someone who trusts God through the tears.

Choose Joy...
IN SPITE OF
IN THE MIDDLE OF (some circumstances may never seem to change)EVEN IF

He who sees the end from the beginning, knows what He is doing."

Joy and Peace: not a denial of the circumstances I am in but a confident acceptance of them.

Forgiveness is precursor to joy.

Lesosns from the unforgiving servant in Matthew
a. We love poorly...as a result we hurt others.

b. God is the only person who can love you to ALL YOUR INMOST BEING

c. He loved me to the deepeest level of who I am!

d. God sees u at your deepest level and has forgiven you. That should allow you to respond to others in the same way.

e. The unforgiving becomes the unforgiven....The quality of forgiveness I exhibit to others is the same quality I will get.
Matthew: forgive to be forgivenJames: show mercy to get mercy

f. Unforgiveness is like a bed sore that eats its way through flesh and bones.

g. stories you rehearse and retell are sign of unforgiveness
"God is always faithful"