How To Be Joyful as Christians
Do you ever feel like you are more often grumpy than joyful? Does a joyful attitude seem out of reach most days? Do you ever looked at others who just seem happy all of the time, and just feel jealous that you also aren’t happy all of the time?
Well, you are not alone. So many Christians today, don’t feel very joyful. More times than not, the anxieties and sorrows of the world fill our cups so close to the brim that you couldn’t even imagine being able to have room for joy. Sometimes we even go through phases where we don’t even know where to start to be able to become a more joyful follower of Jesus. If you feel like this has described you in any way, then keep reading as we cover four ways “how to be joyful as a Christian.”
1. Setting Spiritual Goals:
Identify Areas of Growth:
Bible Verse: James 1:23-24 - “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”
How many times do we actually set down with a pen and paper, and write out our own successes and downfalls in our own Spiritual Journeys? I know for me personally, that wasn’t something that I did until a few years ago. To me growing up in the church talking about our own spiritual downfalls has always seemed like a “no no” topic. But WHY is that? Often times in a work setting it is okay to get a yearly review saying what things you did well at and what things you need to improve on, but why is it not okay to do that with our own faith?
Does the idea of looking at ourselves make us uncomfortable when we know we haven’t done our best? If the answer is yes, then we have to admit that we have room for improvement in our relationships with God. We have to break down the wall of feeling the need to look perfect on the outside all of the time, because we can’t get any closer to true happiness until we are open to looking at our own flaws. The flaws have to be pointed out before we can know how to grow through them.
We must also list out the things that we are good at. The things that come naturally to us. We need to know what those also are, because we also need to challenge ourselves to keep improving on those skills. Good traits or bad traits can both be improved. If we can openly look at ourselves in the metaphorical “mirror” of life, then we can start plotting a way towards improvement, which will lead to a more joyful and fulfilling life as a Christian. The verse above shows us that we have to look at ourselves openly to see if we are “doers” or “hearer” only. We may not see the person we want to see when we first really exam ourselves, but we MUST look at the natural face that we have NOW before we can even start to plot our way forward.
Ideas for Identifying Areas for Growth:
List out all of the Spiritual things that you are already good at (serving, Bible study, encouraging, etc).
List how you can get even better at the things that you are already good at (think of this as taking a bigger step).
List out all of the Spiritual things that you are not good at (prayer, talking to more than just a few church members, anxiety, etc).
List how you can get better at the things that you are already not good at (think of this as taking tiny steps, and having a launching point).
Setting Goals:
Bible Verse: Ephesians 2:10 - “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
When you know that you have a big trip coming, would you ever take off on the trip without planning out the trip first? You wouldn’t! You would plan out where you will stay, how far the tip is, which navigation route that you will take, you will also pack in detail, and buy everything that you will need while away from home. All of that seems like a no brainer, but do we see our trip home to Heaven as the same?
Do we actually start THINKING about where we want to be in our walk with God, and start MAKING plans for it. The verse above shows us that God created us for good work, but we have to work towards actually doing the good work. The verse above also shows how if we “should” walk in the good works then that implies that we may not be walking in them NOW. We have to LEARN how to walk and how to DO the good works that God has created us for.
Ideas for Setting Goals:
Take the four lists above that you made for improving the things you are good and bad at in your Spiritual walk, and start making plans.
Don’t overwhelm yourself, break the plans into small goals - To start, make one goal for your relationship with God, and make one goal for your relationship with others.
For example my goal in my relationship with God right now, is more consistent time spent with Him in The Word or in Prayer.
For example my goal in my relationship with others right now, is to weekly talk to more of the people at church that don’t get talked to as much.
Seek Accountability:
Bible Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”
What happens to our January New Years resolutions by the time the summer comes? By the time summer arrives, most of us have already realized that we aren’t consistent, have gotten frustrated, and then stopped trying to make any progress towards the goals that we have set. Most of our goals are ones that often go forgotten when things get tough. But, there has to be a way to get past the tough parts, right? Yes, by having someone join along with you on your journey! Either a spouse, a close friend, or fellow church member. Someone that you can share in the struggles with. Not just someone who will cheer you on, but someone that will call you out when you aren’t staying steadfast. We all need a person who knows we can be better, and will help tell us when we aren’t consistent. Plus having someone along on the journey with you will give you a closer bond, making it a more joyful journey.
So when you are making your goals from the lists that you have made, you need to also make a list of the people that you can ask to do the goals with. More times that not, what you need to grow in, are the same things as what others need to grow in. As the Bible verse above states, that when two believers are together in a shared goal of faith, they will be rewarded for their toils. Go out, grab a friend, and work towards that reward TODAY!
Ideas for Picking an Accountability Partner:
Pick someone who you will be comfortable enough with to talk about the ups and downs, someone you won’t be ashamed to tell your downfalls to.
Don’t pick someone who won’t actually hold you accountable. If the person won’t ask you on their own how you are doing, then they will not be any help to keeping each other going through the hard days.
Make weekly/daily update notes in a notebook of all of your ups and downs, and how your accountability partner is doing.
Meet up or talk with you Accountability partner frequently so you both can talk about the goals enough.
Frequently remind yourself why you started working on these goals. That will help you stay steadfast!!
2. Consistent Prayer and Bible Study:
Establish a Prayer and Study Space:
Bible Verse: Mark 1:35 - “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Have you ever heard the joke about how humans are a creature of habit? I know that I am definitely that way. But have you ever thought about the places in our homes that become habits for us? Do you have a certain place where you watch tv or YouTube video? Do you have a certain place where you drink your coffee? Every place where we regularly do a specific task becomes deeply rooted in our minds. Do you think the living room is a good place to read our Bibles, instead of watching TV? No, that place is where we go when we want to relax and not think too much. We need to find a new place for our Bible study and prayer, that is not a place where we do one of our specific tasks already. Just as the Bible verse above says, Jesus went to a place where He knew that He could spend time with His Father. If Jesus did that, shouldn’t we also. Do we have that desolate place of our own?
Ideas for Making a Bible Study and Prayer Space:
A special chair you don’t use for other things (it can be a foldable chair or even just sitting on the floor).
A desk where you don’t use it for anything else, the idea is to make this place only for your time with God.
An empty closet turned into a prayer and study room (My space is in an empty closet under the staircase. Yes, a little Harry Potter room haha).
A spot at the table where you don’t usually sit.
This space can be anywhere in your home, so get creative and you don’t need to even spend much money. My room had an old side table and a bunch of pillows. But the main idea for this space is don’t use it for anything else. This space is what I call my “God space/room.” You are literally making room for God!
Try Different Bible Study Methods and Prayer Styles:
Bible Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 - “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
When anyone starts something for the very first time, do you think that it come easily or quickly. Learning valuable skills in life takes effort, time, and practice. Prayer and Bible study are no different.If you've ever felt unintelligent while studying the Bible, I understand how you feel. I've cried a lot because I felt stupid when I tried to study the Bible deeper and couldn't understand it quickly. Looking back now, I can see that my frustration came from these things:
1. ACTUALLY studying (not just reading it) was new to me.
2. Expecting immediate results.
3. Not being prepared in how to actually study, and not just skim.
4. Not asking myself questions about what I am reading.
5. Studying just one verse at a time.
6. Using Google for topical verses (cherry picking the verses).
7. Not looking at the context of the WHOLE book/Bible.
8. Not seeing my study as a way to devote myself to God.
It made me upset and frustrated when I studied the Bible instead of just reading it because of all these reasons.I wasn't improving my study habits, when I really needed to just focus on understanding and thinking, not just skimming through. The more you study deeply, the more you will realize that shallow study often results in misunderstanding the Bible and taking it out of context. Are we trying our best in our study of the Bible? Can we really say that we are doing our BEST? Do we actually study the Bible outside of the church building? No matter where we are in our Bible study, there will always be a next step that we can take to get even better! But where do we start for learning how to study the Bible so we can prove ourselves as devoted to God?
- Here is a great series on How to Study The Bible by Kristy Huntsman
Just as studying the Bible is new to us when we first start, so is prayer. So where do we start when first learning how to pray? Have you ever thought about setting down and actually wroting out a prayer before? Sometimes writing things out help us see the good and the bad in things. When I first tried to improve my prayers a few years ago, I noticed that almost all of them were about my personal life. Not about God, or the Kingdom, or my relationship with God, or about God helping me share His with others. I was only praying about ME. Writing out my prayers was a very humbling experience for me. I realized that I wasn’t having a relationship with God in my prayer.I was just praying to ask for things. At the end of the day that wasn’t giving God my absolute best in my prayer life. But where do we start? And how can we learn to show ourselves approved by God?
Here is an article about having More Purpose in Prayer by Jennifer Jensen
Ideas for Improving Bible study:
Start by reading a small paragraph in the New Testament. and then rewriting it in your own words in a summary. There is nothing better than having to put something in your own words to show that you understand it.
Look up what words mean in a dictionary, you will be surprised at how many words you might not really know the meaning of. Your Bible study can only go as deep as you understand, so take the time to understand all of the words.
Writing note or things you notice in the margins of your Bible (yes, you might have to buy a new Bible that you won’t mind writing in).
Asking these questions:
What do I learn about God in this passage?
What do I learn about Man in this passage?
What does this passage teach me about something that I change in my life today? How does this passage change me?
Ideas for Improving Prayer:
Start by setting aside time for prayer.
Set alarms on your phone or put up sticky notes around the house to remember to pray.
Start a prayer notebook or a list on your phone.
Try to pray about the applications you have learn about in your study.
Pray just about your relationship with God, while not asking for anything.
Pray for your church to grow and its leadership.
Pray for God to help your study.
Writing down all of your prayers in a journal.
3. Being an Active Part of Your Church Family:
Be There More and Initiate the Connections:
Bible Verse: Hebrews 10:24-25 - “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
I love having houseplants around our home, but I have come to learn one thing over the years. If I don’t spend time with the plant enough and caring for it, it WILL die. Some die slowly when not getting the proper care, and some die fast. Just like my houseplants, we are the same. If we don’t spend enough time with God and our church family, our relationship will slowly or quickly die. We cannot properly get through life without having a relationship with God and the church family, and we especially cannot do so if we aren’t close enough to them to have a support system. When you have a close relationship with someone, they can help you see the flaws in yourself that you might not see. They can also encourage you to be even better about the things that you are already good at. Ministry happens in numbers. Are we going to be part of those numbers also?
The idea of stirring up like in the verse above, tells us that we have to know each other enough to be ones who stir each other. When we stir we will see good things and bad things come up. Both are needed, when stirring. We can’t know what to help remove if we don’t actually see it. But would we see the things that need to be removed without the stirring process? No, we would only ever see the things on top, the good things. We all have bad things that we hid from people, but to truly grow as a church and as a person, we need others to stir us up also. They need us and we need them. The stirring is mutual. So will you be there to help stir?
Ideas for Being There More:
We all have things we can improve upon, and the church is included in this.
If we only attend on Sunday mornings, then start challenging yourself to come at the other service times.
If we do attend all of the services, then are we also attending the events? Low attendance at an event is such a discouragement to those hosting the event.
If we are attending the events and the services, then start challenging yourself to talk to new people at each of those events.
If you do all those, then start challenging yourself to try to ask everyone you talk to about their Spiritual condition. When was the last time that you asked someone about their walk with God?
Now once you are doing all of those things, now start trying to get together outside of the building with them, but don’t just always pick the same people.
Having closer friends in the church is great, but be aware that others are seeking for those relationships also. Be the one to help make them feel included!
Bridge the generation gaps, don’t just get to know those in the same age group as you, talk to the elderly, talk to the little kids, talk to the leadership, talk to the weary mom chasing her toddler, talk to the visitors, and talk to those who try to leave quickly. Expand your circle!
Give more encouragement than your receive when at the church building. Church is not about what we get out of it, it’s about what we put into it!
4. Practicing Gratitude:
Start a Gratitude Journal:
Bible Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 -“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Our hearts and brain will take and use whatever we give it. We as a whole, think very negative. We are a society that wants more. We want the biggest house, the newest clothes, the newest car, the best phone, and the best vacations. But does a “more more” line of thought lead to joyfulness? The answer is a big NO, because if we are always wanting more or comparing what we have to what others have, then we will NEVER be joyful. We need to get to a point where we can each find our own little slice of happiness without needing more. Our mental states and monthly budgets can’t take much more of the wanting lifestyle. So are we giving that negative thinking to our brains and hearts today? When we live that life, it will seep over into our faith. So how can we be thankful and happy in the REALLY hard moments of life when we weren’t thankful and happy in the easy moments of life first. We have to learn how to be thankful in all circumstances, the good and the bad. But how do we change very deep rooted thinking, because one negative thought is way heavier than one positive thought? We need to start retraining our brains!
Ideas for Practicing Gratitude:
Start a Notebook, and write out all of the things throughout the day that you are grateful for.
Start a note file on your phone to keep up with the things you are grateful for while on the go.
Set several alarms on your phone to make you remember to stop and be grateful.
When you are upset about not having enough or upset about comparison, say aloud 10 things that you have now that you are grateful for. This will not only be good for yourself, but good for those around you to hear as well.
Remember we all need to be working on being more grateful, so give yourself grace through this time as you try to change your train of thought.
Express Gratitude to Others:
Bible Verse: Philippians 2:3-4 - “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
We have all have had moments in our life where we have been feeling very discouraged about something that we are doing. My husband and I have hosted several church events over the years where no one came. We felt pretty discouraged for awhile. Even when someone doesn’t seem like they are discouraged, they might be. You never now how close someone is to their breaking point of giving up. Most people tend to hid their discouragement from others.
So imagine all of the members at your church that are constantly working, teaching, leading, cleaning, or hosting. At some point or another they have felt discouraged and thought about stepping down from that role. We are all humans and we all have moments where we feel like what we are doing isn’t being appreciated. So how can we help others when we don’t know who is actually discouraged? We can solve that by encouraging EVERYONE every single day.
Ideas for Showing Gratitude to Others:
If you appreciate something about someone or something they did - tell them, don’t just say thank you. Tell them why you are thankful NOW! Life is short!
Write a letter to tell them exactly why you are thankful.
Give them a small gift with a note.
If you're at church and get the chance to thank someone publicly who has helped you there, go ahead and do it!
Give them a social media shout out!
The idea of this is not just keeping the thoughts to yourself, but to share it with the person. If you like something that someone did, tell them, and tell them what it was that you appreciated (example: don’t just tell your preacher “good sermon” tell him WHY that sermon was good or tell him HOW it helped change your life. Trust me, that will make his day to hear HOW it changed your life, not just thank you)
Conclusion:
Bible Verse: James 1:2-3 - “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
So now that you have been working on all of the steps previously, we are now ready to find more joy! So how do all of the previous steps help us find joy not just in the challenges, but in the day to day? How do we actually be joyful as Christians?
How Does Setting Spiritual Goals Make us Joyful?
By giving our live a mission and a vision.
By having goals in our Spiritual walk and working on our flaws.
By having accountability partners to help share in the growth journey.
By being able to look forward to tomorrow and our plans of being better.
How Does Consistent Bible Study and Pray Make us Joyful?
By giving us Spiritual nourishment.
By helping us to understand God’s love and His promise to bring those who seek Him home to Heaven.
By giving us guidance in our lives.
By having a personal relationship with God through study and prayer.
By continually getting a new perspective and being refocused.
By having a strengthened faith.
By having a transformed mindset.
By feeling empowered to help others get to where you are,
How Does Being an Active Part of Your Church Family Make us Joyful?
By giving you a community of like minded people.
By giving you new friendships of all ages.
By giving you Spiritual growth from stirring up each other.
By working together through acts of service.
By having prayer support.
By encouraging others, and getting outside of yourself to share in the growth of the Church for the Kingdom.
How Does Practicing Gratitude Make us Joyful?
By shifting our focus on the positive, and hopeful on God.
By reducing our stress because we are not thinking as much about the challenges of our lives.
By improving all of our relationships, compliments go a long ways.
By helping our emotional well being.
By helping us become more resilient through finding joy in the small things.
By ultimately giving us a sense of fulfillment promoting us to feel joyful.
True Christian Joy does NOT come from people or things it comes from God. Only with God and working towards Him can we truly be joyful as Christians.
About the Author: My name is Katie, and I’m a Church of Christ Preacher’s wife in Kentucky. I am also a proud homeschool mom to two brilliant boys. I love to craft, and make and bind my own notebooks. I also make a weekly podcast show called “Just Bible No Fluff",” where I skip all of fluffy extras and hop right into a short yet impactful exegetical study of the scripture. My mission and vision in life is this: “To empower women Spiritually by enhancing their skills in deep Bible study, equipping them to effectively teach the Gospel to others, and guiding them in cultivating Spiritual growth beyond the Church building.”