4. I have to get rid of the Joy Killers in my life and replace them with Joy Builders.. Paul tells us how to do this. Are you interested?

7. 12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. 15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

8. 1.Put in prison for preaching 2.Others preaching out of jealousy and rivalry, trying to make Paul’s imprisonment more painful.

9. Forgiveness does not mean trust. Forgiveness is given as a free gift; broken trust must be re-earned through changed behavior. Forgiveness is a necessary step to joy, but Paul is talking about going beyond forgiveness to something more. Forgiveness: I no longer expect the one who wronged me to repay the “debt.” I give up my “right” to an apology, changed behavior, etc. I quit holding the wrong against the other person.

13. Yeah, that’s easy to say. And it even sounds all spiritual. But, get real. Who really lives that way?

16. 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

17. NOTBUT

18. 12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. 15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. NAME it & REFRAME it.

19. 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. NAME it & REFRAME it.

20. 1.NAME: Name a way you have been sinned against. 2.REFRAME: How has God taken what the Enemy meant for evil and used it for good? Or what are some possible ways God might yet bring good out of the evil? 3.REJOICE! Express gladness for the sin—not because the sin itself is good, but because God has taken, is taking, or will take what was evil and use it for good.