Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.

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We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life.

We're God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes. If you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you, we'll make you feel right at home.

But thanks so much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out today. I like to start with something funny. I heard about this middle-aged woman. She had a heart attack on the operating table. She asked God if this was it. God said, no, you have 40 more years.

Upon recovery, she decided to stay in the hospital, have a facelift, tummy tuck, liposuction, extreme makeover.

Two months later, as she is leaving the hospital, she was hit by a car and killed. She got to heaven and said, God, I thought you said I had 40 more years. God said, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you.

Hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about having continual joy. We all face difficulties in life, challenges at work, people that are hard to get along with, their stress, traffic, disappointments.

If we're not careful, we'll let the pressures of life weigh us down. It's easy to complain, talk about our problems, become negative, discouraged.

But we weren't created to endure life. We were created to enjoy life. We can't control what happens on the outside, but we can control what happens on the inside.

Happiness for a lot of people is based on their circumstances. It's the weekend, I'm happy. My spouse is treating me better, I'm happy. Traffic wasn't too bad, I'm happy. But joy is not dependent on what's happening around you. Joy is deep down within you.

It doesn't mean we'll be jumping up and down every day, but there's a calm delight, your content, you're at peace, you know God's fighting your battles, you could be upset, but you have a smile on your face.

Things are tough, but you're not complaining, your attitude is, life is good. I'm thankful to be alive. When you live like that, you're tapping into the joy, this on the inside.

John chapter 4, Jesus said to the woman at the well, if you drink at this water, you'll thirst again. But I will give you living water. He described it in verse 14.

It says, this water will become a spring, welling up, bubbling continually within you. There is a well of joy in you right now, a spring that's supposed to bubble up and continually flow.

Why don't we all have joy? There's something we have to do. Ephesians 5 says, be ever filled with the Spirit. Notice, you don't get filled one time and then you're done.

It says, be ever filled. This means on a regular basis, we have to keep filling ourselves up. How do we do it?

The next verse says, by speaking to yourself in songs, making melody in your heart and by being thankful. The way to have continual joy is to keep a song appraise in your heart.

All through the day, on the inside, we should be singing. This means in our attitude, we're grateful. In our thoughts, we're always thinking about God's goodness.

Cooking dinner, you're humming the tune to a song. Moe in the lawn, you're whistling as you go along. Driving to work, this is going to be a great day. Lord, I'm excited about my future.

In some way, you're always making melody in your heart. Thinking about God's goodness, thinking Him for your life, your family, your job. Every time you do this, something is happening.

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