Laugh Before Devils: Joy as Spiritual Warfare

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Christian Living
Joy
Christian Attitudes
Spiritual Warfare

“…spiritual warfare rages over who appears to make people most satisfied: God or Satan. Thus, sounds of human gladness in God taunt Satan’s ears. Saints have understood their joy as a polemic: ‘You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound’ (Psalm 4:7).” - Desiring God

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Discussion

Profile picture for user Ed Vasicek
Ed Vasicek
Fri, 02/07/25 11:55 am

The author expresses what many of us would love to say. We have all had to endure the Christian sourpuss, the self-disciplined but joyless believer. This is an article that needs to circulate.

Incidentally, nothing irritate joyless believers like joyful ones. So, reach out and irritate someone today!

"The Midrash Detective"

Profile picture for user Aaron Blumer
Aaron Blumer
Sun, 02/09/25 11:35 pm

Incidentally, nothing irritate joyless believers like joyful ones. So, reach out and irritate someone today!

Made me laugh. Ironically.
HL Mencken is supposed to have said…
“Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”
This is unfair to the Puritans! But there’s a kernel of truth due to many Christians who missed that Jesus said He wanted our joy to be “full” and Nehemiah said the joy of the Lord is strength.
… and Paul said rejoice in the Lord always.
It’s true that we have a Christian tradition of contrasting “joy” with “happiness” and things like laughter. But the these things are pretty entwined in reality. You can have deep joy and still weep (see Philippians again) but joyful people also laugh a lot.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.