Pastor John, how much of joy in God is willed by the Christian and how much of it is just

given as a gift from God and how do you balance that distinction between willing the joy

and receiving joy as a gift from God?

That's a great question, absolutely great question because I think we err on both sides

of this sense that is we become real power people and we become passive waiting people

and there's no doubt that authentic joy cannot be immediately willed.

In other words, if you're feeling rotten, you can't say, not a problem, I'll just decide to be happy.

Boom, I'm happy, that doesn't happen.

People draw the inference from that that you don't ever try to wield joy, but that's not true.

You should do the kinds of things you can do to put yourself in the way of joy.

I think when Paul says, so to the spirit, I've tried to figure out for years, what does he mean?

So to the flesh and so to the spirit.

And I think sewing to the spirit means taking steps to put yourself in the way of the spirit's activity and pray.

So when the psalmist says, open my eyes that I may be hold wonderful things out of your law and then he prays,

satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love.

Clearly he is willing that something happened which isn't now happening.

He doesn't see wonderful things in the word of God.

He's asking God to show him.

He doesn't feel satisfaction.

He's asking God to give it.

In that sense, he's willing to pursue the satisfaction.

So there are remarkable things you can do with your brain to put out of your mind things that are self-defeating,

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