REVIEW

Our lives go in the direction of our strongest thoughts – there is a battle in the mind for truth
• Science catches up with scripture – cognitive behavioral therapy
• We all have cognitive distortion – we struggle to know the difference between truth and lies
• We can’t win a battle over truth if we don’t know what truth is – Truth is the word of God.
• Knowing truth enables us to recognize the lies of the enemy and take captive our thoughts (Replace)
• We rewire our brains with truth as we choose to believe and obey (Romans 12:1-2, Proverbs 3:4-5)

THIS WEEK: THE REJOICE PRINCIPLE – Thinking and living in JOY

Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) – There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) – The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.

• We can reframe our past so that we can pre-frame our future
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power
to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV) – In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to
teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone
who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The fruit of the Spirit is the product of the gift of the Spirit of God who moves into us.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We are told to and can REJOICE!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:1 (NIV) – Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to
write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

The process of REJOICING
• What does it mean to rejoice? To put on (choose) joy.
• Is rejoicing a feeling or a way of thinking? … YES!!!
• The way the brain works: The amygdala & Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) – RESPONSES
• We can actually rewire our brains
• Kay Warren (Choose Joy) “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of
my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined
choice to praise God in all things.”

Scriptures to consider: 1 Kings 19:9-13; Philippians 4:4-7; Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 145:17-19
Questions:
1. When have your emotions led you to make a really good (or really bad) decision?
2. On a scale from 1-10, how significantly do your emotions affect your thought life? 1 being not at all, 10
being they affect all my thoughts.
3. What circumstances or dynamics exist in your life right now that regularly create anxiety for you?
4. Read the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9-13, what can you do to lean in and hear God’s whisper among all
the wind, fire, and earthquakes going on around you now in this circumstance?
5. How do you keep your emotions in check when making decisions?
6. How does rejoicing or thankfulness change your perspective? How does that affect your emotions?
7. When are you most likely to rejoice? What makes it hard for you to rejoice?
8. Who do you know that is consistently joy-filled? What about them makes you say they are joy-filled?
1. What is standing out to you
2. Have you been suffering? Are you bringing it to Jesus?
3. Are you in a suffering situation because of your choices? Bring it to
Jesus.
4. Do you have hope in your suffering? Fix your eyes on Jesus.
HOW DO I DO THIS?
All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by