The lyrics from a 1980’s song speak to the issue of a joyful life. The title is, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
Despite the light-natured melody, it is issuing a directive or command: “Do not be anxious. Rather, be happy.” He is setting forth a duty, not making a suggestion.

When we are unhappy, we often think it is impossible to decide by an act of the will to change our feelings.

In fact, we tend to think of “happiness” as something passive, something that “happens to us” and over which we have no control. We are convinced that we cannot create happiness or a joyful state by an act of the will.

The idea of joy in the New Testament, is communicated as an imperative, as an obligation. Based on a biblical teaching, to have joy is a Christian’s duty, a moral obligation. That means the failure of a Christian to be joyful is a sin, that unhappiness and a chronic lack of joy are, in a certain way, Christians allowing their flesh to control them.

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), which means that it is a Christian virtue.

The Christian Mandate for Joy

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.

This is a biblical imperative. It leaves no room for not rejoicing. Paul wrote this epistle from prison, and in it he addresses very somber matters, such as the possibility that soon he will be killed—not exactly a joyous moment.

Galatians 5:22a But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…

Since joy is a fruit of the Spirit, our Christian life is displayed not only by our love, peace, patience,
kindness, and so forth, but also by our joy.

Every Christian is to manifest all of the fruit of the Spirit. The more we grow in grace, the further we progress in our Christian life—the more gentle we should be, the more patient we should be, the more faithful we should be, and, obviously, the more joyful we should be.

This means the Christian life is not to be marked by gloomy, critical, or miserable attitudes.
We all have bad days, but the ongoing characteristic of a Christian personality is to be joyful.

Christians should be the most joyous people in the world, because we have so much to be joyous about.

The Recipe For A Joyful Life

Being joyful is a matter of discipline or a choice of the will.

The key to a Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord. If Christ is in me and I am in Him, that relationship is not a sometimes experience. Even if the Christian cannot rejoice in current circumstances, he/she can still rejoice in Christ. The peace of God sustains us during times of hardship.

Paul gave three commands to help Christians continue in joy.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, “Rejoice!”

The first command is to rejoice always. It is simple, Just Do It. Even when you don’t feel like it. No situation is beyond the Lord’s help, and Christians can always rejoice in that, if nothing else.

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be made known to all people. The Lord is near.

The second command is to be gentle. The word contains an element of selflessness. The gentle person does not insist on his or her rights. It is that considerate courtesy and respect for the integrity of others, and being satisfied with less than what you might deserve.

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

The third command is negative, but it has a positive thrust: Do not be anxious about anything, instead, pray about everything.

The answer to anxiety is the peace of God. Paul did not envision a situation where circumstances changed or internal and external needs were always met. This peace was a characteristic of God, which invaded the Christian.

Recovering Our Joy

Paul’s admonition to believers to be joyful presupposes that: Believers CAN do something if they find themselves lacking in joy.

The most practical way to recover joy is found in Philippians 4:8: To think about God, who He is
and what He has done for us.

When we find ourselves depressed, down, insulted, irritated, hurt, or otherwise unhappy, we need to Return to the Source of our Joy. We must remember that which we have received from God. HE loves us and will not leave us. His Word can fill and consume our thoughts. In time, that WILL transform our feelings.

Bad circumstance will come. The causes for anxiety will always be present. The prohibition that Jesus gave more than any other in all of His teaching was “Fear not.” This, too, is an imperative, and again, the only lasting  solution is to: Go back to God and focus on Him.