(As told by Joyce Meyer)

Is it God's will that you enjoy your life? If so, why aren't you? What is stealing your joy? What changes can you make to really enjoy the life God has given you?

One of the greatest burdens of my heart is to see God's people enjoy the life Jesus died to give them. I don't want to just hear them talk about it. I want to see them walking in it. I believe it's God s will. Jesus said in John 10:10, The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Jesus came to give us life. Now, that doesn't mean He just came to give us breath to breathe. He came to give us life as God knows it's full, rich, meaningful, and satisfying. He didn t suffer the scourging, the beatings, and the agony of hanging on the cross so that we could live mad, worried, depressed, stressed, frustrated, and aggravated all the time. He died that we might have life and be filled with His joy (see John 17:13).

What is enjoying everyday life?

It's not necessarily about laughing and telling jokes all day long. It's also not just about getting paid on Friday, buying a bigger house, getting a new car, or going on vacation. Yes, those things are nice, but enjoying everyday life is not based on emotions, events, or things. We each have responsibilities and things that have to get done. So when I say it's God's will that we enjoy our lives, I'm not talking about entertaining ourselves from daylight till dark or getting our way all the time.
doesn't mean we have to have a perfect performance. It just means we love the Lord with all our hearts, and we get up every day and aim to do what is right, honest, and truthful. When we do our best and trust God to do the rest, His oil of joy and gladness will flow.

Why is Satan after our joy?

Unfortunately, there are many Christians on their way to heaven that are not enjoying the trip. If you and I are not enjoying the journey, nobody is going to want what we have. And that s exactly what Satan wants. Remember, it's the joy of the Lord that s our strength. Most of life is not some big, hilarious event. The majority of life is very ordinary. It s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, then back to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, then back to Monday& and on it goes.

Everyday life is about going to work, driving in traffic, coming home, taking out the trash, and paying the bills. It s about getting up, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, and teaching our kids to mind. And it s this ordinary, everyday life that God wants us to enjoy. Yes, life has difficulties and disappointments, but God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives inside us, to deal with things that people without Christ find monotonous and frustrating. We are supernaturally anointed to live an ordinary life in an extraordinary way.

Anointed with the oil of joy!

Joy, as the Bible defines it, is anything from extreme hilarity to a calm delight, which is basically a strong sense of peace. The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3 that in Christ, you and I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, and that includes joy. The Father has anointed us with the oil of joy just as He anointed Jesus.

Hebrews 1:9 says, You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God (Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond Your companions.

Wow! What a blessing! When you and I set our hearts on loving righteousness, delighting in integrity and virtue, and hating lawlessness, the oil of joy and gladness is able to flow in every area of our lives.

Years ago, the Lord began revealing a number of different things that the enemy was consistently using to steal my joy. For example, He showed me that if I was going to enjoy my life, I was going to have to give up my  fight to be right all the time especially with my husband, Abraham. Instead of always trying to prove I was right when Abraham and I had a difference of opinion, God wanted me to be quiet and leave it alone. If what I was saying was right, God would vindicate me. He would work things out, and in the meantime, I could keep my joy and peace.

To enjoy my life, I also had to learn how to say no to people. He brought me to the realization that there is no way we can do everything everybody asks us to do and stay in our right mind. It s just too stressful and tiring.. If I weren t relying on the direction of the Holy Spirit to show me what commitments to say yes to and what commitments to say no to, I would be constantly overwhelmed and miserable.

The truth is, God wants us to enjoy our lives because we re His ambassadors we re His representatives, and He is making His appeal to the world through us (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). As born-again believers, we are walking advertisements for what it is like to have a personal relationship with Jesus. No wonder Satan fights so hard to keep Christians sad, mad, aggravated, frustrated, judgmental, critical, and depressed. He doesn t want us to have any joy because that would show others how good God is and how wonderful it is to be in relationship with Him.

So how does Satan rob us of our joy? He sets us up to get us upset he puts things in our path that drain the joy right out of us. He may not be able to read our thoughts, but he can certainly read our actions (and reactions). He knows what our  hot buttons are and how and when to push them. It s in these areas, where we are constantly losing our joy, that God wants to strengthen us and set us free from the enemy s grasp.

What is stealing your joy?

And probably one of the greatest joy stealers I ve discovered is constantly feeling tired, worn out, sick, and full of aches and pains. Thankfully, I ve learned that to a great degree, we can overcome always feeling bad by making better lifestyle choices. We can choose to eat better, drink adequate amounts of water, exercise, and get proper rest each night.

It may sound insignificant, but their effects are profound.
If you and I feel bad physically, it really affects our level of joy. We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. And when one part of our tri-part being is neglected, all three parts suffer. I don t know about you, but I ve decided to make the changes I need to make so that I can feel better and enjoy life more. I encourage you to do the same.

How can you overcome persistent problems?

Now, I know that some of you may be thinking,  How can I have and enjoy my life in the midst of a difficult situation that seems like it will never go away? I asked that same question many times before, and one of the most memorable times was when I had cancer. But it all came down to me making a decision to be content and holding onto my joy.

To get through it, I began to tell myself,  This cannot last forever. This, too, shall pass. At the same time, God told me,  Joyce, several times every day, I want you to say to Me,  God, I love You. I know You love me. I trust You, and I believe this is going to work out for good because Your Word says You work all things together for our good. 

I repeated those words so much that when I was waking up from the surgery I needed, they told me I was saying,  All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And here I am, years later, healthy and whole and serving God!

I believe there s a principle here that you and I can apply to any difficult situation. Holding onto joy starts with a decision (an act of our will) to believe the best. Then we need to line up our mind and mouth with God s Word. This keeps an open channel for the oil of God s joy to flow.

No matter how bad your circumstances look, God loves you. Never let go of that truth. Keep it in your mind and keep it in your mouth. If you' re in the midst of a situation that's stealing your joy, begin praying, "God, I don't like this, but for some reason I need this experience to fulfill Your destiny in my life. I believe it will work out for the good, even though it doesn't feel good right now. I cast my cares upon You, and I ask You to carry me through this situation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

As believers, we are more than conquerors because we have Jesus walking with us through our problems. Our worst day with Jesus will always be better than our best day without Him.

The bottom line is ..

The ability to enjoy life comes from God, but we must make it a matter of importance. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says, there is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.

There are many things in life that will only pass by us once, so we need to take time to enjoy them while we have them.

How about you? What s passing you by right now that you are never going to get back again?

Don't miss the enjoyment you could be having. Go to God now, and ask Him to release His oil of joy and gladness in you. Ask Him to help you start making better choices today so that you can enjoy your everyday life more.

Then, put your foot down and say,  Devil, that s it. You ve stolen my joy long enough. From this day forward, I am going to learn how to enjoy my life. I m going to learn how to enjoy the mundane things, like cooking, cleaning, and paying bills, as well as the exciting things that come my way.

Be open to the Holy Spirit s promptings. If you let Him, He will show you what to change and how to change it so that you can enjoy the abundant life Jesus died to give you!