“In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11 NASB)

Joy defined: Happiness, pleasure, delight, gladness, merriment, felicity, and enjoyment. The words joy and rejoice are the words used most often to translate the Bible’s Hebrew and Greek words into English. By the way, joy is found over 150 times in the Bible. If such words as “joyous” and “joyful” are included, the number comes to over 200. The verb rejoice appears well over 200 times.

Good news of great joy

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10 ESV)

Your joy will be complete

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24 NIV)

God’s approval brings joy

“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.” (Eccles. 9:7 ESV)

 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

The kind of love God gives is defined below

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Cor. 13:4-5 NIV)

God is love

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16 NIV)

Because God loved us first, we love

“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)

Therefore…

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 NIV)

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Heb. 4:16 NLT)

Confident access

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Eph. 3:12 ESV)

Access with one Spirit

“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph. 2:18 ESV)

By the blood of Christ

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13 ESV)

By faith into grace

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:2 ESV)

Draw near with a true heart in full assurance

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19:22 ESV)

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7, NIV)

We have our request because He hears us

“And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:15 ESV)

Ask and it will be given

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7 ESV)

He gives good gifts to those who ask Him

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:11 ESV)

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV)

You have peace in Him

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV)

Perfect leave

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isa. 26:3 ESV)

Let God’s peace rule

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15 ESV)

Even your enemies are at peace with you

“When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov. 16:7 ESV)

“You alone are the LORD You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.” (Neh. 9:6 NASB)

“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.” (1 Tim. 6:13 NASB)

The breath of life is from God

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Gen. 2:7 ESV)

He grants life with lovingkindness

“'You have granted me life and lovingkindness; And Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:12 NASB)

In Jesus is life and light

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 1:3-4 NASB)

“Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.” (Acts 17:25 NASB)

God provides food for the season

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalms 145:15-16 ESV)

God provides for the birds and you are more valuable to Him

“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24 ESV)

God withholds no good thing

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”  (Matt. 6:31 ESV)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 ESV)

“For our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 4:29 ESV)

Your faith is tested by fire

“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7 ESV)

Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with Fire

“John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16 ESV)

His word is like fire

“Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23:29 ESV)

The foundation of your work will be tested through fire

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Cor. 3:11-15 ESV)

 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” Matt. 6:34 NIV).

There was a scientific study on worry that discovered the following

• 40% of our worries never happen
• 30% of our worries concern the past
• 12% of our worries are needless worries about our health
• 10% of our worries are insignificant or petty concerns
• 8% of our worries are really legitimate concerns

Worry can’t change the past or control the future, don’t do it!

“Don't worry about anything.” (Phil. 4:6 NLT)

Here is the answer 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:25-34 ESV)