Study Notes

I.   No matter what you are going through yielding to sorrow is not okay

A.  Sorrow and sadness is will never be acceptable-Philippians 4:4

1.  ERV-Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.

2.  MSG-Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean revel in him!

3.  PHIL-Delight yourselves in God, yes, find your joy in him at all times

4.  Hannah is sorrowful, grieved, frustrated, troubled, bitter, heavy, chaffed, discontented and this attitude went on year after year

B.  Jesus bore grief and sorrow so you wouldn’t have to-Isaiah 53:5

II.  Romans 15:13-There’s joy and peace in believing (PHIL-May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith; GW-May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him; NCV-I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while  you trust him; NLV-May God fill you with joy and peace because of your trust in Him)

A.  1 Samuel 1:10-She’s praying to the Lord, but it’s getting nothing done because it’s not in faith

1.  Mark 11:24-To receive when you pray believing is required, not crying  

2.  1 Samuel 1:11-Now she wants to make a deal with the Lord; forget faith, forget grace let’s make a deal; feel sorry for me and do it and I’ll give him to you

B.  You’re sad, you’re sorrowful because you don’t believe it’s going to change

C. God is getting no pleasure at all in anything that she’s doing-Hebrews 11:6

1.  1 Samuel 1:15-This is her confession

2.  She thinks that she’s being spiritual by carrying on like this before the Lord

3.  All this unbelief produced no results

III.  You get into this state of sorrow and despair by allowing it into your heart

A.  1 Samuel 1:16-This is coming out of her heart because she allowed it in her heart

1.  You think about what you don’t have, what you can’t do, what you don’t know

B.  The origin of joy is the word of God-Joy comes from the word

1.  John 15:11, 1 John 1:4-Joy comes from the words that Jesus spoke

b.  You fill your joy tank up by spending time in God’s word

2.  Jeremiah 15:16-It is important that we search the Word and find scriptures to fit our situation and then meditate those scriptures to cultivate joy; Your words were found

a.   ERV-Your words came to me, and I ate them up. They made me very happy.

b.   GW-Your words were found and I devoured them. Your words are my joy and my heart’s delight

c.  Finding the scriptures is not enough, you have to eat them; You have to get them on the inside of you by meditating them

d.  Joy is not always going to come the first time you hear it, see it, or say it, but if you will stay persistent in the word joy will come

e.  Joy comes from the word of God that you get into your heart

3.  Sadness, sorrow, discouragement, depression is simply the result of a poor spiritual diet; the remedy for sadness is the word of God

IV. When you stay sad because it stays bad, it stays bad because you stay sad 

A.  1 Samuel 1:18-Everything changed when her countenance was no more sad

1.  17-Go in peace AND God will grant you your petition

2.  You have to get in peace to get it; you’re going to have to brighten up if you want to win

B.  Proverbs 15:13-Your face is a reflection of your heart; if your heart is merry your countenance is cheerful; if you heart is sorrowful so too is your countenance

1.  MSG-A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day

2.  CEB-A joyful heart brightens one’s face, but a troubled heart breaks the spirit

3.  ERV-If you’re happy your face shows it.  If you’re sad your spirit feels defeated.

4.  ESV-A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed

5.  WYC-A joyful heart makes glad the face; but the spirit is cast down in the mourning of the soul

6.  A heart filled with sorrow is one that is lacking the Word

7.  Your face shows your faith; A long face means small faith

a.  You walk around with that long face and all your saying to everybody is, “I haven’t been spending anytime in the word and I don’t believe a thing God has said.”

V.  Cultivating a life of joy is imperative in winning in troubled times

A.  Proverbs 15:13-Sorrow of heart breaks the spirit

1.  Proverbs 18:14-If you’re spirit is broken defeat is inevitable

B.  You can’t afford to let something steal your joy

1.  Nehemiah 8:10-The joy of the Lord is your strength; No joy = No strength

2.  Proverbs 24:10-If you faint in the day of adversity your (joy) strength is small

3.  James 4:7-You have to resist to win-No joy = No strength = Can’t resist = Can’t win