Make His Joy Complete

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2, NIV).

How do I make Christ's joy complete is my question this morning after reading these two verses again and again. Being complete is being fulfilled. Jesus wants to experience fulfillment in each one of us. He wants to joy in us, and in our lives. How can I give Him fulfillment? How can I give Him joy? In these verses in Philippians I find an answer. If I have been encouraged by the Lord–if I have been comforted by His love–if I have shared with my brothers or sisters in His spirit–if I have had any tenderness and compassion, then I bring Him “complete” (verse 2) joy by having the same love and being unified in spirit and mind. Being unified in spirit and mind is not having the same opinion about everything. It is Christ's love that binds us. In spiritual unity we agree that God's Word is our standard and our purpose. We also agree that even in our differing personal opinions we find common ground together in His love.

Unity is absolutely necessary for good spiritual health in the body of Christ. However, it is so hard to find, and then it can be so hard to keep. We are all so different. We come from different backgrounds. We are different ages. We have different likes and interests, ideas, and preferences. But it absolutely possible to be united without everyone being unanimous in a vote or in a decision. Being like-minded doesn't mean having the same opinion, but it does mean having the same attitude. We work together to accomplish His purpose. We work together to accomplish the Great Commission. Having the same love and being one in spirit and purpose brings unity. Even if we aren't always one in our opinions, being one in Christ means means we seek His will instead of our own. It means that we lay down any agenda, and seek to come together in His purpose.

I have a friend who creates mosaics. She uses different materials to create a work of art–colored glass, stones, broken ceramic and other things. The materials she uses are of all different sizes, colors, shapes, and of substances. From all these unique materials with different consistencies she creates a beautiful masterpiece. Just as she creates a beautiful unified work of art, Jesus Christ can take our unique differences and create something beautiful in the church. Our unity can only come from being unified with Jesus. He is the cornerstone and our anchor. As long as we regard Jesus Christ as our anchor and our reason for being–as long as He is our purpose–as long as we realize that our treatment of each other is the way that we treat Christ–as long as we put Him and His love first before any of our own ideas or opinions, we can discover this unity of spirit that brings us together in love. If we have the same unselfish attitude of Jesus (Philippians 2:5) –one that gave His life for us–according to Philippians 2:1-2, we can make His joy in us complete.

Drive Out Unbelief

“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. [21]But this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:20-21, ESV).


Several versions of the Bible do not include verse 21 in Matthew 17. In an attempt to study the reason, I have discovered that not only could a long explanation be written on the subject, but that understanding Greek would be beneficial. One thing I know is true about Matthew 17:21 is that it is a verse that jumps off the page at me, and explains how I can overcome unbelief. Jesus was saying in this verse that fasting and prayer are ways of driving it out of my life.

.In this chapter Jesus has just come down off the mountain where he has been with Peter, James, and John. These three disciples have witnessed the incredible sight of Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses. Now Jesus is suddenly approached by a man whose son has been tormented by a demon since he was a child. The other disciples have been unable to help this man’s son, and have just asked Jesus why they were unable to rid the son of his demon. Jesus answers that it is because of their little faith. In that illusive verse 21, Jesus explains that faith—strong enough to cast out the son’s demon—is discovered through prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting are tools God gives us to help us overcome the natural unbelief that comes through our human desire to understand the “why and how” of everything. The name of Jesus can move mountains and drive out demons. His power is greater than our need to control and analyze. Faith to believe that He can move mountains can be found through the disciplines of prayer and fasting.

Unbelief is a “personal demon” that keeps you from believing in the faithfulness of God. Do you suffer from fear and a lack of trust in God? Are you tormented by feelings of failure and inadequacy? Do you drive yourself crazy by analyzing the reason behind everything? Whatever your unbelief, it can be conquered. As verse 21 reveals, prayer and fasting are two disciplines that make a difference.

Prayer isn’t just telling God what you desire, but is about listening and understanding what He desires. Prayer doesn’t change God; it changes you. When you enter into holy communication with God, the Spirit of the Lord within you prays to the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26, NLT). When you get to this depth in prayer, you have surrendered control and your need to analyze and understand with the human mind. When you release your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit praying for you, you are able to receive faith without the analytical perspective the mind always attempts to interject. The shield of faith grows stronger in your life.


Fasting focuses the mind on God instead of what you want or desire. It brings you to a place of peace where your mind has surrendered your need to His need. “You will keep in perfect peace him, whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). You can experience supernatural peace when the mind surrenders its struggle for control. (Philippians 4:6-7). When the human mind is bypassed, the need for reassurance is gone. Jesus spoke of this spiritual plane when he said to Satan in the desert, "Man doesn’t live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). In another instance, the disciples insisted that Jesus eat, and he said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about”. The disciples didn’t see any food. “My food,” Jesus explained, “is to do the will of him who sent me to finish His purpose" (John 4:32-34). Fasting draws you away from physical need and brings you closer to God. It gives spiritual sustenance which produces greater faith.


When we surrender control to God—whether in prayer or by fasting—we receive more of the Lord’s strength to handle life’s uncertainty. As we grow in these disciplines, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit increases, revealing our own inadequacy, and teaching us how to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). On the mountain, Peter, James, and John witnessed an amazing sight. It created emotional fervor in these three disciples, and then later, when they came down off the mountain, the other disciples were unable to cast out a demon. Jesus called them an unbelieving generation. Feelings on the mountain don’t inspire greater faith, but spiritual training through disciplines like prayer and fasting do! Jesus Christ reveals clearly by word and deed that He is all that is necessary to have great enough faith to cast out unbelief.


Greater faith is the only way to end unbelief's ability to control your life. Prayer and fasting are two disciplines which inspire greater faith. I don't want the things that I have allowed to define who I am to have the ability to always define me. I want a strong enough faith to believe God over my feelings. I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:7). And I want to be new in every way. 

Adversity Produces Perseverance

“You know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4, NIV).

When do we grow spiritually? Certainly not during times that are easy and demand nothing of us. We grow when our faith is tested during times of hardship. Trials and adversity serve a purpose. They have the ability to teach an important character trait−perseverance. That is the ability to hang on until a goal is reached or a lesson is learned. A person can have commitment in his life, but commitment means nothing without the ability to remain strong no matter what happens.

Perseverance completes a work in each of us. During times of adversity and hardship, perseverance shapes and molds us to God's higher purpose. Trials are painful, “but afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:11b, NLT). If we faithfully persevere through times of hardship, we learn how to handle adversity with maturity and grace.

God uses the trials of life to prune our character and change the way we live–the way we handle new problems–the way we respond to others–the way we think. If we allow hardship to produce perseverance instead of defeating us, spiritual maturity rewards us with “a peaceful harvest of right living.” Having grown spiritually enough to handle life, we will face each problem and challenge with a positive attitude and with His peace.

“We also rejoice in our sufferings,” Paul wrote, “because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3–4, NIV). Here it is again. Suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance develops character, and character produces hope. Hope inspires greater faith to understand that God's purpose is better than struggling against what He wishes to teach you.

Never struggle emotionally against a trial. Never allow your feelings to take you all over the map. You will drown in your own emotional turmoil. That struggle will only frustrate and defeat you. God is your anchor. Yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide you through your hardship. If the Holy Spirit guides you in ways to address your circumstance, then it is His purpose to use you to change something. But only address that problem if He directs you to address it. Address it in His strength and in His Spirit. Remember that you can never change a circumstance which is beyond your control, but you can allow it to mold your character. Instead of having a negative perspective of life, a positive one will emerge. When perseverance has finished its work, you will be spiritually mature, and able to peacefully trust God through each problem that life offers.

Necessary Instruction

“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, NLT).

How often in our Christian walk does God need to jerk us up like an disturbed parent, and tell us to behave? Sometimes we get so self-satisfied with where we are–with what we do–with where we lead–with how we instruct, we lose our humble teachable spirit. We become hardened to the Holy Spirit without even realizing it. He calls us to live a pure life. A pure life not only honors Him outwardly. It is a life that honors Him inwardly with a teachable spirit that yearns to follow Him. He reaches out with correction and guidance, but we often miss Him because we are so wrapped up in self.

“What you do speaks louder than what you say,” He speaks to me, and maybe to you. “Sometimes you say one thing and do another. You instruct another in my ways, but then do the very thing you said another shouldn't do. My Word calls for honesty and integrity in all areas of your life. When your witness does not support what you say, then you make my sacrifice worthless. It breaks my heart just as my body was broken for you. Don't rationalize your actions until you no longer hear my leading. Don't become so self-satisfied with where you are in your walk with me that you miss my heart. Don't miss the very best for your life. Give up the past that has defined you. Give up your “my way is the only way” attitude. Don't get to the place where you have made so many excuses that you no longer feel my conviction. I want you to see that you have areas of your life that need my Hand to mold. Never be casual about me. I am not casual. I am life, and I wait for you to allow me to mold you. You cannot correct or rebuke or encourage another with patience and careful instruction if what you say is not realized in your own life. Have a heart like David. Cry out for me to always keep you pure of heart. Live your life filled with my love and my Word, and allow that Word to accomplish every day what it was sent to accomplish-new life in me. I love you child, and I long for you to know my heart completely.”

Isn't this necessary instruction for all of us? God calls us to stay open and pliable in His Hand. The moment we choose our own way and follow our own direction, is the moment when we, like David, go astray. It is the moment the Holy Spirit is silenced. The moment that I believe I understand all the incredible depths of my Lord is the moment I no longer grow spiritually. The moment that He becomes casual to me is the moment that I have placed other things before Him. The moment that my life does not support what I say is the moment I speak death instead of life. The moment I believe I have arrived is the moment that I have failed.

Today I give Him my life again. I lay all on His altar.

In His Peace Find His Strength

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13, NLT).

Without God we can never know contentment and peace. Nothing in this hectic world can offer such peace―no possession, no person, no joyful anticipation. Only God promises spiritual contentment and peace, and that is something the world can never give. Paul wrote that he had learned the secret of living in every circumstance. The NIV speaks of that secret of living as being content in every circumstance. Whether that circumstance was joyful and inspiring or hard and discouraging, Paul knew contentment and peace.

Paul's contentment came from a deeply intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and from fulfilling God's purpose in His life. He didn't want to be in prison, and he certainly didn't want to be dependent on others to provide for his needs. But, no matter what he faced, he was content. His eyes were not on what He was around him, but upon His Savior. God gave him peace, and a purpose to fulfill. Fulfilling His purpose only strengthened Paul's faith in God's provision. His incarceration could not stop him from trusting God to meet all his needs. His chains could not keep him from writing of God's great goodness. He had learned the secret of being content in every circumstance. 

Often we discover that many things are just impossible for us. We cannot find contentment and peace in our circumstances. Struggling doesn't help. Anger at others for what is happening doesn't help. But there is a peace that passes our human understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). When we know God as intimately as Paul, we can give Him all that rages in our life, and take refuge in Him. Paul's life shows us that is it absolutely possible to have peace and contentment when we trust God. The secret is to know God intimately and completely. 

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart,” Jesus said, “and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27, NLT). “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT). God's peace is not dependent upon what the world or circumstances offer. We will have trouble in this life, but we do not need to fear. He has over overcome whatever we face. When we seek Him with all of our being, we will find Him and discover His peace. We realize that nothing is impossible for Him. We can boldly face whatever is to come with His peace and His purpose. Just as Paul, we can rise up and do whatever God calls us to do. All things are possible through Jesus Christ who gives us the strength to accomplish it.

Press On

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I will have courage and not fear. Today I start again, and put my old mistakes behind me. He gives me a fresh beginning. I will not worry or be frightened. If His forgiveness was only for the righteous, it wouldn't be needed. Not one of us is perfect. We all have fallen short. But His forgiveness is new every morning.

So why do I worry? He longs to give me that fresh beginning, but my life is dirtied with worry and anxiety. As long as I dwell on what is bad in my life, I cannot see His promise of new life. He wants to help me so much, but why would He when my fears crush whatever He tries to do? In spite of my past or circumstance, He wishes to grace my life daily with His power and His blessing. I need to persevere and press on so that His grace transforms my life into a joyful one that continually receives.

I press on toward my prize to be all that He wishes. I forget what has been, and I praise Him for transforming my life. I shall be joyful and realize that with this new beginning, I once more step out in faith to trust and believe in His promises that never fail.  I press on to be molded into a vessel He can use for His purpose. If I reach for Him every day of this life, He will remain with me, intervening in my life to bring about His best. One day He will carry me heavenward to the greatest of all prizes-a life peacefully and eternally at rest with Him.

I will have courage. I will not fear. I will press on.

Benefit of the Doubt

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32, NLT).

Nothing has the power to create emotional turmoil as something that happens between friends who do not speak openly and honestly with each other about their feelings. Friendship is a gift, but it is a gift which requires work. If anything has any value, it is worth hard work. This work can be painful. It can be sacrificial, and sometimes brutally honest. Friendship that endures Satan's lies and life's pressures is a friendship that has been fired in the kiln of life and stands strong. Friendship requires more than just one person working at it. Just one person trying to bridge a gap will never make a difference. Two need to share their feelings; two need to lay down their preconceptions; two need to be willing to listen. A friendship is only worth how much two people will work at it. If it lies dormant, that friendship will die. Open, honest, and even painfully alive at times, that friendship can thrive. Real friends can share how they feel about an issue or something that has happened because they want to understand the reason.

Perhaps you feel betrayed by someone you believe is your friend. Do you actually know if someone has betrayed you or do circumstances appear that they have? Has another person said something that makes you believe your friend has turned against you? If you heard that your friend has done or said something, there is a possibility that they might not have done what you have heard. Why would you immediately believe something over the character of your friend? In any situation such as this, never assume. Give your friend the benefit of the doubt. Always ask. Don't allow hurt to turn into bitterness because you never ask. Don't allow a wall to grow. In openness and sharing, without anger and harsh words, many times issues can be resolved. Remember always that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Here is what is hard, but it is so necessary for our spiritual survival, and our peace in this life. Forgiveness is necessary. It is God's requirement. It means laying down feelings and listening. It means a willingness to face the hurt in order to understand. You might discover that what you thought happened never happened. You might discover that the friend you thought had betrayed you actually defended you. You might discover there was a reason for something that you never knew about. Make an effort to bridge the gap. You gain nothing if you don't try. If after discussing things with your friend, you still believe that a betrayal really happened, then what are you going to do with it? Forgiveness is still what is needed for your heart to be set free from its hurt. Without forgiveness you will forever be in bondage to your pain. Paul says that we are to be kind and tenderhearted toward each other, forgiving each other as Jesus Christ forgave us. Jesus came to offer us the greatest forgiveness. If we believe in Him, then forgiveness should always reign in our heart over any anger or hurt. God created us to be forgiven. He gave His life to forgive you and to forgive me. Forgiveness flows from Calvary. Without forgiveness, alive and free, you will never survive. With it in your heart, Christ's love will flow continually setting you free to experience a joyful life.

No Greater Love

Read John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 together, and see how the first Scripture flows naturally into the next. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16, NIV).

God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for our good. Jesus suffered, died, and sacrificed all of himself because of such a great and amazing love. This is how we know what love is. He showed us. Jesus died for everyone‒not just a few. This sacrificial love is available so that each might know the grace‒the mercy‒the forgiveness of Jesus. His love is given and revealed through me. It is my responsibility to give my life for others. Their life's need should be greater than my own. I choose to love with His love, because He loved me so much with His. I choose for the verse “we love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NASB) to become my life's story.

God calls for the love of Christ in my life to be agape love–sacrificial and unconditional. It is nonjudgmental and positive. It speaks the healing power of the Holy Spirit into each heart without regard to who that person is or what they have done. It speaks the love and life of Jesus into hearts filled with negativism and doubt because of life's pain. The love of Jesus speaks life without regard to what a person feels about me, says about me, thinks about me, or does to me. The love of Jesus in my life forgives freely and without reservation. The only way that this kind of love can live in me is for my personal feelings and desires to be surrendered to the Savior who gave His life for me. It is only when I surrender my own “self” and “needs” to His will that the love which flows through me has its origin in Him, and not in me.

Agape love knows who and what God is, and realizes its cost. Because of its deliberate desire for the highest good of the one who is loved, it is shown in personal sacrifice for that person. That is what God did for us (John 3:16). That is what He wants us to do for others (1 John 3:16). “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5. NIV). His love was offered without any condition, and He calls for us to give it freely without the weight of condition or expectation. The Holy Spirit pours this love into my heart when I am surrendered to His purpose and not to my own.

Paul writes of agape love as the most important Christian virtue. “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NASB). When we love sacrificially and unconditionally with the love of Christ–no matter who someone might be or in spite of what they have done–we offer God's grace and forgiveness, so that someone else might also come to experience the healing love of Jesus. When love that is born of Jesus Christ is unmasked in my life, I am free to love. No barriers or walls, this love answers any question, accusation, or infliction with honesty, grace, and forgiveness. This love always sees the best in others. It rejoices in the truth, and hurts when another is wounded. The love of Christ in me (without me getting in the way) has the power to help another person experience the Resurrection power that heals all facets of life. Jesus laid down His life for me. I am called to lay down my life for others. It is His calling, and it is my choice. There is no greater love.

His Grace Abounds

The life-changing power of the Holy Spirit is the only way to experience release from any stronghold that plagues your life. God desires your obedience to seek Him and His Word. Paul writes, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (II Corinthians 10:4). Sin is a stronghold, but the power to annihilate it is found in the Word.

Admit that you struggle with your stronghold‒that it is really sin, and you are powerless to defeat it on your own. “I know that nothing good lives in me,” Paul exhorts, “that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19). Paul later in the same chapter praises God for the gift of Jesus Christ, and for the promise of His deliverance. Until you accept the fact you have no control over that stronghold, there is no hope. When you finally admit you are powerless to change on your own, then you are ready for His help.

There is the promise of deliverance. As sin’s hold tightens, Christ’s grace abounds even more (Romans 5:20b). To experience freedom one must understand the power found in Jesus Christ. To understand the power found in Christ, you must have spiritual knowledge of the Word. Knowledge of the Word of God liberates (John 8:32). As you grow in the Word, you experience faith, and sin’s control lessens. As the power of grace increases, spiritual wisdom renders the ability to deny that stronghold's power in your life.

Here is a Scriptural truth! “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). Not only should you confess your sin to God, you should confess to a mature Christian that you trust implicitly: perhaps your pastor or Bible teacher. This is a hard task, and calls for your willingness to be vulnerable not only to the Lord, but to another. This kind of openness reveals the level of your faith in the Lord. With confession and repentance of your sin, you can experience a new spiritual cleansing depth of God's forgiveness, and healing can begin.

^“Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul declares, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (II Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit liberates and creates an atmosphere of healing. He doesn’t heal through condemnation. He restores through the healing power of conviction. As you seek Him and seek His truth you will discover that His grace abounds more.

Walk Toward Freedom

Do you have an overwhelming struggle in your life? A stronghold which you cannot shake? The life-changing power of the Holy Spirit is the only way to experience release. God desires your obedience to seek Him and His Word. As you seek repentance and receive His grace, you will grow to understand that Biblical truth can change your life. 

The Word flows from the life-giving heart of God, and accomplishes the very purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Paul writes, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (II Corinthians 10:4, NIV). Any stronghold in your life binds you in an ironclad grip. The spiritual weapons God provides for its destruction are found in the Bible. Sharper than any two-edged sword, His Word spiritually separates soul and spirit. Dividing joint from marrow, it judges the attitudes of the human heart (Hebrews 4:12). 

Determine the allegiance of your heart. Are you really surrendered to Christ?  Does the Holy Spirit determine your thoughts, actions and reactions? Reconsider what it meant to you when you gave your heart and life to Christ. Evaluate what it means to you now. It should be just as alive as when you first accepted Him into your life. If not, seek His forgiveness. Seek Him. The promises in His Word are powerful, but they are only true for those who know Him as Savior and Lord.

Jesus Christ has removed the power of sin to control our actions (Roman 6:3-4). Peter explains how this is accomplished in II Peter 1:3-8. As a Christian you have the potential to live a godly life. Jesus Christ has provided everything you need to achieve this high goal. You make a decision to grow in the virtues of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. The Holy Spirit provides divine strength for you to add these virtues, but He can’t strengthen what you have not resolved to accomplish. Instead of your carnal nature gaining control of your life, your knowledge of Jesus Christ will grow to the point where He controls your mind and actions. You will have what you need in your life to overcome your stronghold because a mature faith results from spiritual growth in Biblical principles. When you decide to live a virtuous life instead of one of defeat, faith in God’s deliverance increases.

Over the next few days I will share Scripture that has the power to change your life. There is victory over whatever your struggle. Where His Spirit is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). You can walk above the fear of anything that tries to control your life. He offers His love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and His Resurrection power that accomplishes absolute freedom.W