In this enlightening episode of Connect with Skip Heitzig, delve into the surprising connection between conflict and happiness. Drawing from the scriptures, Pastor Skip explains how true joy is not the absence of conflict but the peace found within it. Discover how life’s challenges can be a catalyst for genuine happiness and spiritual growth. Explore the teachings of Romans and the wisdom in David’s Psalms to uncover how trials can deepen our faith and bring us closer to God.
This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us today. Here at Connect with Skip, our mission is to help you know God’s Word and apply it to your life through clear, practical Bible teaching and real encouragement every day. And if you’d like to keep growing in your walk with Jesus, sign up for Pastor Skip’s free weekly devotional. You’ll receive biblical insight, teaching highlights, and exclusive resource offers straight to your inbox. Everything designed to help you stay strong in your faith. It only takes a minute to sign up. Go to connectwithskip.com and join the list today. That’s connectwithskip.com. Now let’s dive into today’s teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig.
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Listen to this. In Romans chapter 5, verse 3, Paul says, We also glory in tribulation. You could translate that. We also get happy in our tribulation. knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character produces hope. Remember a while back we were in the book of James? You’ll know this verse, chapter 1. Count it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described happiness. You go, really? I’ve heard the Sermon on the Mount. I don’t really hear him talking about much happiness. Well, you know the word, but under a different word, and that’s the word blessed, right? That’s the Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the merciful. In 1611, when they translated the Bible into King James English, the word they used for happy back then was the word blessed. Now, that’s not a word that we use much today. I mean, it’s sort of like spiritual white noise to a lot of us. But a better translation would be happy. And so that gets your attention. Here, our Lord is describing a happy person, but when you read the description, it doesn’t really sound like a person like that would be happy. Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are those who mourn. Happy are the persecuted. Happy are you when men say bad things about you, revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name’s sake. Listen to what he says after that. Rejoice. That means get really happy. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great was your reward in heaven. We go, really? He’s not like describing what I think would be a happy person. That sounds like misery under another name. We would think happiness is the absence of conflict, not the presence of conflict. But that’s not the case. I found a quote years ago. I’ve always wanted to put this up, and this is a good time for it. William Phelps wrote this. If happiness truly consisted of physical ease and freedom from care, then the happiest individual would not be a man nor a woman. It would be the American cow. Listen, in conflict… We get clarity. We start understanding what real happiness is. It’s not a fleeting moment of pleasure. It’s character. Something’s happening to me. Because hardship makes you holy. And when you get holy, guess what? You get happy. You get happy. It’s a byproduct. You ever thought about what your life would be without any conflict at all? You say, I cannot imagine that. But you’re thinking, it sounds pretty good to me. But it’s not. Without conflict, you would be shallow, spoiled, bored, entitled, and very unhappy. Conflict deepens your roots, strengthens your dependence on God, and, contrary to what most people think, actually makes you happy. So sometimes the very things that we think would be like the worst possible thing to happen become the best. Think of the happiness of a father after years of griefs receives his prodigal son back again. Think of the happiness of a mother hearing the first cries of a newborn after hours of pain in labor. Think of the happiness of a patient after months of chemotherapy only to hear now from her doctor cancer-free. Think of the happiness of Paul in prison with his buddy chained, singing songs of praise at midnight in the midst of it. Conflict can become the very pathway of happiness. So, Number one, because of life’s conflict. Let me give you another reason, another reason for experiencing happiness. Not just because of life’s conflict, but because of our commitment. There’s something interesting about this psalm. In verse 9, David, of course, is in a battle. He’s fighting enemies. He’s praying for help. But he says this in verse 9, “‘I will sing.'” a new song to you, O God, on a harp of ten strings. I will sing praises to you, the one who gives salvation to kings, who delivers David, his servant, from the deadly sword. What I’d like you to notice is that he makes a determination. It’s a choice. I will sing. Happiness is a choice. It’s not always a feeling. It’s like, okay, I’m going to wait for it. I’m going to get happy real soon. At some level, happiness is a choice. Abraham Lincoln used to say, folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Singing to God, David says, I’m going to sing. Singing to God is a choice to make a declaration about God, whether you feel like it or not. You could say, you know, I should sing or I might sing. If they have the right tune, I’m going to sing. It’s a determination. It’s a choice, but it is based on something. It’s based on his belief that he’s going to be delivered. That’s verse 10. The one who gives salvation to kings, who delivers David, his servant, from the deadly sword. In other words, I’ve been fighting this battle and I’m still alive today. And I trust God will keep me alive. So I will sing. And sometimes the power is you come to church and man, life, the week’s been hard for you. You’ve gone through so many difficult things. You barely made it to church. You’re not feeling all that great. Sing it. There’s an artist, we’ve had him here before, and he’s given the church so many great songs, Benjamin William Hastings. He wrote a song called, That’s the Thing About Praise. And there’s a lot of lyrics, but some of the lyrics caught my attention as I looked at it the other day. He says, when I reach the end of my bravery, I’ll still be singing at the banks of an unparted sea. I just want you to get that picture in your mind. Picture the children of Israel going up to the Red Sea. It hasn’t parted yet, but it will. So I’m standing at the banks. It’s unparted. Life’s hard right now. Sea has not opened up, but I will sing at the banks of an unparted sea. Sometimes the only way through it is a hallelujah, he writes. It don’t always fix your problem. I’d correct his English, but this is a song. but it’ll tell you how small they are. That’s the thing about praise. It won’t always move the mountain, but it’s good for the heart. That’s the thing about praise. Now, when you do this, when you make a decision to sing, when you choose to declare your trust, whether you feel like it or not, something happens to you. You go from victim to victor. You become a victor. Paul wrote this, Romans 8, as it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We’re considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Then he says, no. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We’re not just conquerors. We’re more than conquerors. You know, I’ve often read that verse. I didn’t quite understand. What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? I mean, isn’t conquering good enough? Won’t you be happy if you just say, I conquered, I won? Oh, but no, I’m more than that. So it turns out that’s a compound word. And it’s the word hupernikao, which is like hyper-conqueror. I’m a hyper-conqueror. I’m a super-conqueror. I’m an over-conqueror. It’s conquering with strength and success left over. So guys, it’s like having a car with a fuel-injected turbocharged V8 engine. Really, do you need all that power? I mean, you just need to pass the slow person in front of you on Osuna. Any car will do that. But if you’ve got that car, you can pass the guy on Osuna and you could like outrun the police. I am not suggesting that you do that. But you’ve got the power to spare. So here’s the difference between a conqueror and a super conqueror. More than a conqueror. A conqueror rejoices when the battle is over more than a conqueror rejoices in the midst of the battle. At the banks of the unparted sea. They sing. I read a story about a man who visited a church in Connecticut. First time he’d ever been in this church. There’s one point in the service where people stood up, like we sometimes do, but they were singing the Hallelujah Chorus, raising their hands, and he noticed one elderly, deformed lady because of arthritis, severely in pain, obviously. She had her crutches, and she, with pain, got to her feet and kind of bent over with her arms kind of twisted and gnarled, raised her hands in worship. And this visitor thought, my goodness, what kind of Christian sings this? In that condition, I can answer that. Somebody who’s more than a conqueror. Somebody who’s more than a conqueror. So because of our commitment, I will sing. So because of life’s conflict, because of our commitment, there’s a third reason for happiness, because of God’s care. Verse 3, David writes, Lord, what is man that you take knowledge of him? Or the son of man that you are mindful of him? Man is a breath. His days are like a passing shadow. This reminds me of Psalm 8, also written by David, when he said, When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you would visit him? In other words, you’re God, you’re eternal, you’re all-powerful. I am just a little human being, very temporary in my existence, but you care. You care. One of the quickest ways to get happy is to get the perspective that God cares for you.
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And this month, we want to thank you with a powerful and inspiring resource from Skip’s wife, Lenya Heitzig. It’s her book, Reload Love, transforming bullets to beauty and battlegrounds to playgrounds. This remarkable book tells the true story of how God took Lenya’s heartbreak over suffering children in war-torn regions and turned it into a global movement of compassion, melting down bullets to build playgrounds and bring hope where it’s needed most. Request your copy of Reload Love when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig. Call 800-922-1888.
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or visit connectwithskip.com offer now let’s return to today’s teaching now let me just say to you i don’t know what your spiritual condition is i’m guessing most of your ardent believers in christ but i’m guessing some are not some may not even believe at all let me just say objectively if i were to look at my world even scientifically and just look at my world i think i would by natural observation conclude number one that there is a god Based on design, there must be a designer. But number two, I would concur objectively that this God wants us to be happy. That he is not a utilitarian God. He didn’t just make us to survive and get by. But looking at my own body, he built the ability to enjoy things, to have pleasure. So for example, I don’t just eat food, I have taste buds in my mouth. I have 10,000 microvilli, that’s what they call them, little hairs on my tongue that are taste buds. By the way, you have 10,000 of them, they get replaced every two weeks. They’re regenerated every two weeks. Why? God did that. Why? Take a bite of green chili, you’ll find out why. Take a bite of that steak, you’ll find out why. Buttered pancakes, that’s why. Crispy cream donuts, that’s why. Tastes good, enjoyable, brings happiness. He placed within your body olfactory nerves for you to smell fragrances. desert after a summer rain, a field of flowers, burgers grilling in your neighbor’s backyard, and you’re wondering why didn’t he invite me to that party. You have ears to enjoy music. Those three little bones that vibrate enable you to enjoy music, laughter, a good joke, election results, whatever it would be that would enter your ears. He’s given you eyes. to appreciate your world, to look at snow on the mountains, a beautiful blue coastline, a vibrant sunset. God did that. For this reason, the Christian should be the happiest person on earth because you know the one who did that. You have a relationship with the one who did that. He’s a God who cares. And beyond just that, that objective common grace of physical enjoyment built in. Beyond that, we have a covenant with God. We have entered into a covenant where God says he will personally care for you and your needs because you are a child of God. Jesus said, look at the birds of the air. They neither sown or reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Very important language. He’s not their heavenly father, he’s your heavenly father. He’s the bird’s creator, but your heavenly father feeds the bird brains. And he says, are you not of more value than they? All of this personal care from God should bring us to a level of happiness. I have a God who provides for all my needs. Now, just to note on that, he provides for all your needs. That doesn’t mean he provides for all your greeds. And that’s where we get messed up in this happiness thing. We think, I’ll really be happy if all my greeds are met. No, only if your needs are met. That’s all you need. God knows what you need. God knows what will make you most fulfilled. He’s got you. He’s got you covered. His goal for you is much higher than transitory bliss or good feelings. He has something much better and deeper. So because of life’s conflict, because of our commitment, because of God’s care, I’m going to give you a fourth and final reason that as a child of God, you and I, we should be happy. Because of God’s character. Because of God’s character. So verse 11 says, It says, “…rescue me, deliver me from the hand of foreigners,” he’s in a battle with some neighbor, “…nation, whose mouth is speaking lying words, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood, that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth, that our daughters may be as pillars sculptured in palace style.” that our barns may be full, supplying all kinds of produce, that our sheep may bring four thousands and ten thousands in our fields, that our oxen may be well laden, that there be no breaking in or going out, there be no outcry in the streets. Happy, safe, etc. Happy, verse 15, are the people who are in such a state. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. David is noting that God’s character is to answer prayer, bless the nation, and rule over his people. He says, happy are the people that are in that state. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. By the way, in the early Jesus movement, this is many years ago, we used to sing a song at our church at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, in a tent, based on verse 15 of this psalm. And here’s the lyrics. Happy, happy, happy, happy. It’s very, very profound lyrics. Happy, happy, happy, happy. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Where does this happy feeling come from? Jesus. This happy feeling comes from Jesus. Every day he more than pleases. That’s where this happy feeling comes from. Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Again, very deep and profound, but we were kids and we loved it. I want to make a point about God’s character. God is a happy God. I’m just watching your reaction to that because some of you are going, really? I’ve never thought of God as a happy God. I know the Bible says God is angry with the wicked every day. So maybe you think God’s just sort of up there frowning. I think God is a happy God. And we are created in his image. You say, well, why do you think God is a happy God? Because the Bible says things like this. God delights in justice. That means he gets happy over it. He delights in the prayers of the upright. He gets happy. The Bible speaks of God being well pleased with his son, Jesus. The Bible also speaks of the joy of the Lord. Then Jesus interestingly said, these things I have spoken to you that my joy might remain in you. Hey, I’ve got joy, you guys, and I want the kind of joy I have to rest and reside in you. So, God is a God of joy. Charles Spurgeon said, our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people. A cheerful people is in keeping with His nature and His acts. So again, we are created in God’s image. And I believe it’s God’s design of us that makes us innately long to be happy. So go back to the Garden of Eden. When God put Adam and Eve in that garden, he filled it with everything they needed to be happy. But there was a problem. Though God gave them everything they needed to be happy, they bought into the lie that they could only be happy if they got everything they wanted. God said, I’ll give you everything you need. Be happy. I won’t be happy until I have that fruit from that tree. So they fell. They were banished from the garden. And ever since that moment, humanity has tried to regain a sense of happiness they had in the presence of God. And this is what St. Augustine meant when he said, all people want to be happy. And then turning to God in heaven, he said, you are the happiness that everyone desires. The only happiness. Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee. Put another way, there’s a God-shaped vacuum in the heart and the soul of every human being. And it can only be filled with God Himself. You will never be happy until the missing piece gets put in place. Psalm 128, Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy. and it shall be well with you. Psalm 146, verse 5. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. So, yes, God does want you to be happy, but you don’t always know what that should look like. See, a lot of people assume that, well, God wants me happy. I want to be happy. And I’ll be happy if I have this, and I’ll be happy if I have that. And so I’ve got to do this, and I’ve got to get that person and that thing, because I want to be happy, and God wants me to be happy. And so that lets some people justify all sorts of behavior that is scripturally prohibited. Let me tell you something. If you pursue everything that brings you temporary emotional pleasure, you will be unhappy. Let me give you an example. If sex makes a person happy, then you could think a lot of sex makes people really happy. If that’s true, then the prostitute should be the happiest person on the earth. Because they get it all the time. If having that drug, that sniff, is going to make you happy, then a drug addict should be the happiest person. If that drink of alcohol is going to make you happy, the alcoholic ought to be the happiest person in the world. Let me ask you a question. Any of those people strike you as like, those are the happiest people I’ve ever met. Those drunks and prostitutes and drug addicts, happy, happy, happy. No, no. So to sum it all up to what I like to call the irreducible minimum, happiness is a great result, but a poor goal. So yeah, sure, the Declaration of Independence gives you the right to pursue happiness. But the Bible tells you that happiness will be the result of you pursuing God. And all these things will be added unto you. God designed us to be happy only when we’re in right relationship with Him. But the question is, are you in right relationship with Him?
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Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember that your generosity helps share God’s word around the world, bringing truth and hope to people who need Jesus. And this month, we’ll send you Lenya Heitzig’s powerful book, Reload Love, transforming bullets to beauty and battlegrounds to playgrounds as our thanks for your gift. This inspiring story shows how God can turn bullets into beauty and how love can transform even the most broken places into beacons of hope. Give now at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. We’ll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.
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Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the crossing. Cast your burdens on His wood. Make a connection.
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Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God’s never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
