{"id":766,"date":"2019-01-14T03:03:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T03:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/?p=766"},"modified":"2019-01-25T15:29:49","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T15:29:49","slug":"philippians-4-challenge-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2019\/01\/philippians-4-challenge-day-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Philippians 4 Challenge: Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"www.pixabay.com\"<\/a>
www.unsplash.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HABIT #1: Choose to be joyful.<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

READ IT<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!\u201d<\/i> (Philippians 4:4)<\/p>\n

Most of us have the wrong idea about joy. We think of joy as a feeling, as a mood, as an emotion. The danger in seeing joy as a feeling or emotion is that we can\u2019t normally control those things. Therefore it makes the command in Philippians 4 to \u2018rejoice\u2019 seem absurd. How can you force someone to be joyful? Wouldn\u2019t that be determined by your external circumstances? It\u2019s almost like yelling at your kids, \u201cYou\u2019re going to eat your vegetables and you\u2019re going to enjoy them whether you like it or not!!\u201d<\/p>\n

If you think that way about joy\u2014that it\u2019s something out of your control\u2014then you\u2019re thinking about joy the wrong way. The first step to renewing your mind is to get the right idea about joy. Think of joy as an attitude, not a feeling. Think of joy as a choice, not an emotion or mood. You can\u2019t control what happens to you, but you can control your reaction to your circumstances. You can control your attitude. You can choose to be joyful, no matter the circumstances.<\/b><\/p>\n

Any mental pushback to that last statement that might be popping up in your head right now is simply a crutch that\u2019s allowed you to wallow in defeat for too long. If you\u2019re going to be transformed from the inside out, if you\u2019re going achieve a life of inner contentment, it starts with the basic understanding that joy is a choice. If you\u2019re miserable, it\u2019s because you choose to be. No outside circumstances force misery on you. It\u2019s a choice. If you\u2019re joyful, it\u2019s because you choose joy. That\u2019s why Philippians 4 can command us to rejoice.<\/p>\n

*We both know choosing joy is a lot harder than it sounds, especially if you\u2019re out of practice. That\u2019s what the Philippians 4 Challenge is for. We\u2019ll do it together!<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WRITE IT<\/b><\/p>\n

Share in the comments below<\/a> and answer this question, \u201cHow natural is it for you to choose to be joyful? How often do outside circumstances and events determine your attitude?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PRAY IT<\/b><\/p>\n

Holy Spirit, may you continually remind me that joy is a choice, and may you give me the strength everyday to choose to be joyful.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LIVE IT<\/b><\/p>\n

See if you can notice three separate times today when you feel yourself getting angry, frustrated, or dwelling on negative thoughts or emotions. Three times today tell yourself out loud, \u201cChoose to be joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n

*If your mood doesn\u2019t instantly change, don\u2019t worry about it. All we\u2019re trying to do today is get you to notice the moment when outside circumstances begin to influence you and for you to realize that in that moment, you have a choice.<\/i><\/p>\n

After you\u2019re done, encourage others to do the same! Help spread the word about the Philippians 4 Challenge by using <\/i>#phil4challenge<\/i><\/b> on social media!<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HABIT #1: Choose to be joyful.   READ IT \u201cRejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!\u201d (Philippians 4:4) Most of us have the wrong idea about joy. We think of joy as a feeling, as a mood, as an emotion. The danger in seeing joy as a feeling or emotion is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":607,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[365],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-phil4challenge"],"yoast_head":"\nPhilippians 4 Challenge: Day 3 - Next Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Day 3 of the Philippians 4 Challenge\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Philippians 4 Challenge: Day 3 - Next Steps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Day 3 of the Philippians 4 Challenge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/nextsteps\/2019\/01\/philippians-4-challenge-day-3.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next Steps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"facebook.com\/drjoshdaffern\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-14T03:03:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-01-25T15:29:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/mtvpastor\/files\/2016\/01\/Philippians-4-Challenge-300x181.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josh Daffern\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@joshdaffern\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Philippians 4 Challenge: Day 3 - 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