The Growth of Joy Within Us by Curtis Hansen

         A goal in spiritual growth is not to remain an infant in faith, but to mature into an adult displaying the fruits of the spirit to others. Our scripture begins in James chapter 1, verses 2 through 5. Written by Jesus' half brother, the book of James is one many Christians have a lot of difficulty with because of things he writes about concerning the faith. 

        2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

        3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.

        4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

        5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

        Let us start at verse 2. It is the distinction of joy. There are different levels of both trials and temptations. There is a designation between the two. We are to be joyful when we fall into temptation. The word divers means diverse. God has never nor will ever tempt man. Man's flesh is always close to succumbing to temptation courtesy of the original sin in the Garden of Eden. In the apostle Paul's letters he writes extensively about what to seek in faith and what to put away.

        The trial of plenty is rooted in stewardship. If you can manage a small number being a good steward, it can grow larger. There are plenty of trials in almost every aspect of your life be it money, relationships, work, child rearing. Joy is a feeling and an attitude. It is a mindset of being thankful no matter what your emotional state is currently.

        We are going to touch upon the distinctions between temptation and trials. Temptation is whatever appeases your flesh. That's pretty much everything in life, from money, to gluttony, to greed, to possessions. The scripture says when you are tempted you are to resist.

        A trial in your life should be met with acceptance. You could come to the truth that often times, what you go through is on you and your flesh self. Our flesh man loves to self sabotage and destroy his surroundings. You cannot treat a trial like a temptation and just resist it. You lean into your trial with joy. You can control a temptation through resistance or acceptance, but you cannot outwit, outlast, or outright beat a trial. There is no set time frames with trials in life. Trials occur when your actions have placed you into something you think you may be equipped for or you could be in a place spiritually where you can attain more growth and maturing. 

        The problem in our Christian walk is we should not accept what we should resist and resist what we should accept. There are situations and times where you will be confronted in the world as a test of your moral fiber. If you are not aware you could develop a cognitive dissonance toward sin because you are not rooted in your faith.

        Verse 4- James speaks of wanting nothing. You may reach the point of where you are perfect and complete, yet, where are you in the work? What stage or what level are you on?

        Verse 5- If you want wisdom because you lack it, you just need to ask God. If you do not want to change or adapt, to be more Christ like, then you have lost the point of a Christian walk. There is a process of how trials play out in your life. If your approach and your attitude, if you are resisting change the trial may be prolonged. There are people this morning who are in a trial that gone on for months but because they are too arrogant to realize they are the reason for their trial, they are hostile and hateful to everyone else around them. They blame God as he the architect of their poor life decisions. A victim mindset only appeases the flesh and never edifies the spirit.

        Joy and pleasure are not to be tied together despite our flesh's best efforts to do just that. Joy is not dependent on pleasure. Go to Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2.

        2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

        An image is painted and a direction of joy is presented. There is a pressure in today's society, elevated and mutated by our social media outlets, that we have to fill in the joy at all time. These online public forums promote a facade of joy from an internal desire to get noticed by the largest audience possible. You mistakenly tie pleasure to joy. Look again at the context here in verse 2. The very thought of enduring the cross does not seem joyful, let alone pleasurable.

        Joy can end up as a feeling but you don't always start there. Jesus understood the shame he was going through in the garden right before he was arrested. His flesh conveyed frustration at his trusted disciples who could not even stay in prayer over him. Jesus purpose was to endure the cross.

        As this message finishes, there are questions we should ask ourself in all seriousness. 

        What have we set before us? What is your primary motivator everyday? What is your joy connected to? What is set before you that motivates you? A lot of these questions go back to knowing who you are on a personal level and who God is as a Christian. What is you are connected to in life? What are you submitting to in life?

        Lastly, there is in Psalm 16 verse 11 this;

        Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at the right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

        The words of David still apply to us today. In God's presence there is fulness of joy. Seek his face today. Grow in knowledge and understanding.