You are…God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you — from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1 Peter 2:9–10 (MSG) God doesn’t have a problem with you succeeding in life. You can go after a big dream, but if the biggest goal in your life doesn’t extend beyond you, it will steal your joy. You were designed to live with a big sense of purpose. Without this big picture in mind, you can get lost in the details of your everyday needs and wants in life. This is no way to live because you miss out on the joy that’s found in serving Jesus and in helping others! I’m …

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3–4 (NLT) One of the worst questions you can ask yourself is, Am I happy? Your brain is designed to ask and answer questions. We call it thinking, and we do it all day long. Some questions are good to ask. These questions are bound to have positive answers—questions like, How much does God love me? and What are the things l like about my job? Other questions lead you down a thought path you don’t want to take. Asking yourself if you’re happy usually leads to a negative train of thought. …

Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. Acts 3:19–20 (MSG) Many people think that God created a list of don’ts in the Bible to make us miserable, but it’s quite the opposite. God wants to protect us. When we knowingly go against His warnings and principles, we sin, and this behaviour causes us to distance ourselves from God. It can destroy relationships, finances and the generations to follow. Sin also robs us of joy. We’ve been on a series discussing a list of seven things that can steal our joy, and sin is one of the sneakiest joy thieves. You see, sin …

GOD, your God, chose you…as a cherished personal treasure. Deuteronomy 7:6 (MSG) You are valuable to God. Actually, you are priceless to Him. He calls you His personal treasure, and His love for you knows no end. This is your identity: you’re a treasured child of God. However, many people believe lies about their identities, and these lies steal their joy. For example, some fall for the lie that their identities come from what others think of them. They only feel good about themselves when everyone likes them. Others wrap their identities in their performance. They need to get the top grades or have the best title, and if they don’t, they can’t be happy. Sometimes this turns into perfectionism, which really robs people of …

So let’s not become tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT) Because of your relationship with Jesus, you have joy within you. Actually, you need to remember that you have this joy that comes from God. It gives you the strength you need in life. However, many believers aren’t living life with joy. Sometimes this is because they don’t realize they can, but other times something prevents them from experiencing joy. Over the next few days, we’re going to cover seven of joy thieves and we’ll discuss ways to overcome each one. One of these joy thieves is weariness. Weariness is more than tiredness. You can …