Would you consider yourself to be a joyful person? If not, what prevents you from feeling joyful?

This week on Live the Promise, several of our guests shared different stumbling blocks that can get in the way of us experiencing joy in this life.

Hardships

Life circumstances can threaten to steal our joy, if we let them. Of all people, Rebekah Gregory, author of , knows what it’s like for life circumstances to threaten joy. She shares her story of faith, determination, and surviving the Boston Marathon Bombing. Rebekah says that dwelling on the past can steal joy from our lives. However, we can combat that by focusing on what God wants us to do moving forward.

Listen to the conversation here.

Shame

Another thing that can steal our joy is shame. Heather Holleman says that we all struggle with shame in some capacity. In order to not allow shame to steal our joy, Heather says that we would do well to meditate on the fact that we are perfectly accepted by God through His Son Jesus Christ. We are God’s beloved children and nothing can change that.

Listen to the conversation here.

Financial stress

Would you consider yourself to be financially content? Karen Guess, author of  , says that financial instability can be one of the biggest killers of our joy. She shares three important principles that can help anyone take the next step to becoming financially content and secure.

Listen to the conversation here.

Striving to be good

Pastor Todd Outcalt, author of  , joined us earlier this week to share some temptations we can encounter in our pursuit of goodness. Todd say that we can lose our joy when we seek to be good without remembering that it’s more important for us to know the One who is good. Relationship with God is more important than our striving to be good. If we focus on “abiding in the vine,” goodness will flow from us as God works through us.

Listen to the conversation here.