(Ep10) Warrior Tasks: Our Uniform's Color of Joy

This is part two of our uniform and focuses on the colors or standard under which we march.  Our joy are these colors.  Just like a US flag patch on the modern uniform of an American soldier, our color of joy identifies who we fight for when we constantly lift up God because of His goodness and faithfulness.  When we display these same Fruits of the Spirit to others, we become flag-bearers of that joy in the world around us.

Transcript

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All right, welcome back. Get comfortable, settle in with us as we step into episode 10 of Joining the Fight. Another look at our individual warrior task and the second part of our uniform, the colors we fly. I'm Kyle Clark from Standing Word Ministries, a Christ said ministry dedicated to equipping us with solid biblical truth and practical training. We create scripture-based resources like our workbook Joining the Fight so we can strengthen discipleship, deepen the biblical understanding of believers everywhere, and help others live with real purpose to stand firm in the truth and carry Christ's message forward. If you want to explore more teachings or grab the workbook, head over to standingword.com. Last episode, we put on the pattern of our uniform, that steady peace that shows up as patience and self-control. Our camouflage in today's world. But today we raise the color of our uniform, which is joy, not the loud, hype kind that disappears when life gets heavy, but the deep, quiet, confident hope that says, Our God is good and he is at work even here in the midst of our troubles. Every army, every unit has colors. A visible standard that they raise up helps to identify who they belong to. From a distance, I can always recognize the Marine Corps and Army flags. The colors, the emblems of them for me are unmistakable. When I see them, I know the person or group flying them belongs to that organization. In Christ's army, we are the same thing: a visible standard that tells the world who we are and what we fight for. In today's modern army, um, with our Velcro patches, a good example of this is the uh American flag we have on our shoulder. Those are the colors that we fly. That is the country we identify as serving. So for us as believers, joy is that color for us. It's how we carry God's good news into the hardest places and how we strengthen brothers and sisters fighting right beside us when the pressure is on. We're going to look at joy in two beautiful practical ways that are manifest in two other fruit of the Spirit. Goodness shown as mercy, a joy that radiates God's loving kindness and lifts others up, and our faithfulness as an assurance of God's promises, a joy that is anchored in those unbreakable promises that God has made us. So let's lean in, let's open our hearts, and let's raise those colors side by side as we look at what this means for us. Picture a color guard standing tall where an entire room, audience, or field can see it. Those bright colors rally troops when things are chaotic. In a battle, when those flags are raised, anyone who belongs to that group knows that is where we are called to rally around. These colors, when raised, they help us orient when we lose our bearings, and they steady the entire unit when the fighting gets loud and confusing. Spiritually, our joy does the exact same thing. It signals those around us, it tells the people that we are fighting with what we believe about God in the middle of the conflict. And it does the same for the enemy. Joy points people straight to God's heart, his mercy and his goodness, it points them to God's hand, reminding us that he is actively working for our good even when we can't see it. And joy is never denial of the battle, it's defiant confidence in who God is and what he has promised. When we walk into a difficult room or a hard conversation carrying real joy within us, something in the atmosphere shifts. People start to feel hope again. The enemy is made uncomfortable. When we have joy, we remind others that our commander is good, even when the day feels like anything but. Our joy becomes the tone of any message that we share with others. When mercy and goodness are following us, our presence under pressure starts speaking to others. God has not abandoned this moment. He is still good, he is still here, he is still with you. And here's the verse that keeps anchoring us into this truth: Romans 8 28. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Joy isn't shallow optimism that ignores pain. It's rock solid confidence that our God is weaving good even in the hardest theaters of our life. The confidence does something powerful in this fight. It uplifts the people fighting right beside us. It steadies our speech when tension rise. It softens conflict before it breaks us. It keeps our little unit from falling apart under stress. When we have goodness and mercy in our life, when we understand the goodness and mercy that we have been given and we desire to pass it on, that is a source of our joy. Picture the standard bearer staying straight information, holding the flag, the great honor he's received to be the bearer of that unit's colors. He doesn't sprint off alone. He keeps steps so everyone else can align with the same hope. So everyone else can align with the colors of the organization they represent. That's exactly what our joy does for the body of Christ. And vertically, we trust that God's goodness and unfailing love are actively chasing us down in His mercy. Horizontally, we display that goodness in our tone, our choices, and the way we carry someone else's load. And missionally, our colors tell the watching world exactly what our commander is like: that he is merciful, patient, kind, and relentlessly good. But let's make this doable for us this week. Pick one person you want to lift up. Maybe someone who's been struggling, send a note, share a meal, meet a practical need they have. And somewhere in that act, name God's goodness out loud while you're doing it. It doesn't have to be do that person, but name his goodness out loud. That God has been good to you and his goodness has allowed you to be good to others. When tension starts rising in a conversation or in your own heart, pause and say this to yourself quietly. God is working good right here, right now. Then choose to act like it's true. Choose to act on God's goodness and his mercy. We get to be the color bearers that bring hope into the middle of a fight. And when we do, we watch the lives around us breathe a little easier. Mercy and goodness are a part of that joy, but our faithfulness as assurance is also a part of this joy. Our faithfulness is anchored to God's promises, and that is one of the very foundational parts of joy. Listen to what Hebrews 10 23 says. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm. For God can be trusted to keep his promises. Faithfulness means trustworthy and reliable through and through, which is what God is for us. Our joy reflects that faithfulness that God has first given to us. God's faithfulness that is calm, that is steady, a God who keeps his promises, who does not waver, who does not change, who does not swerve. Because he holds steady, we can hold that line too. He has set an example for us. Jesus paved the way. We are equipped with the shield of faithfulness. And that steadiness becomes contagious to everyone who fights alongside us. When we equipped faithfulness, when we raise those colors, when we hold our shield up, we encourage others to lock shields with us, to do the same. Paul gives us another powerful reminder that we could lean on about this. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10, 13. We stay watchful about pride, but we never have to stand alone. God faithfully provides endurance and a clear escape route. Real joy lives like that's true. We stay alert, we stay humble, we're full of hope. Instead of shaming people when they stumble, our joy draws them back up gently towards Christ. Think of it this way: goodness is the bright, beautiful color of a standard or guidance a unit carries. Faithfulness is the strong and steady pole that helps to hold it high. If the pole snaps, the colors drop. But God's faithfulness is the reason our joy can stay raised no matter how hard the wind blows or how long the battle lasts. This kind of joy assures others. He will keep you, he will see you through. It guides our daily choices. We pick the faithful path instead of the flashy shortcut. And it attracts people to Jesus because he is reliable. He builds hope, brings hope to their lives, it makes the gospel credible, alive, and worth trusting. And here's how we can grow this more in our own lives. Name one specific promise of God you're going to cling to this week. Maybe use Hebrews 10 23 as a reference. Write it down where you'll see it every single day. Whether it's on your work computer, on the mirror of your bathroom, right next to your bed, on your nightstand. In moments of temptation, fatigue, or discouragement, pause and pray. 1 Corinthians 10 13. Ask the Lord for the way out he has promised. Then take it by faith one step at a time. Our joy stays anchored because God is faithful. He is faithful yesterday, today, and forever. Now let's call out these scriptures together to remind us how we can carry our joy forward. Psalms 23 6. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. We get to carry that goodness to others. Romans 8 28. God causes everything to work for the good. Joy says so out loud. Hebrews 10 23, hold tightly without wavering, because God can be trusted to keep his promises. And first Corinthians 10 13, God is faithful, he will show you a way out so you can endure. A quick uniform check with all of this this week. Is the color of joy visible in your tone and your choices each day? If they aren't, make a change. Make a small change that points you in the right direction to have God's joy in your life. Ask for it, pray for it. Spend time in the Word searching for it. But no matter what you do, keep raising those colors up so that joy can live inside of you and you can attract other people who live with the joy that only God could provide within them. Let's close in prayer. Father, thank you for lifting the color of joy over our lives. Let your goodness and unfailing love pursue us and then flow through us to strengthen the people fighting right beside us. Anchor our joy deep in your faithfulness. Teach us to hold tightly without wavering to every promise you've given us, and to look expectantly to the way out you always provide. Make our words and our works small banners of hope in every room we enter. So people see the hearts of Jesus and are drawn to him, keep our colours high when the pressure comes, and let our joy be a beacon that gathers the weary, encourages the discouraged, and points every heart home to you. In Jesus' powerful, faithful, and victorious name we pray. Amen. Now the color of our uniform is joy, goodness as mercy and faithfulness as assurance, on full display. So let's raise those colors where we live, where we work, and serve so hope is easy for others to find within us, especially in hard days. Next time we'll finish the uniform with part three, the uniform's labeling, which is also love. We'll see how love completes the picture so everyone can tell instantly who we are and what our purpose is and who we belong to. But before we sign off, this quick challenge for us. Goodness is mercy. Who is one person you will lift up this week? And what small practical act will you carry God's goodness into for them? Look at Psalms twenty-three six and Romans eight twenty-eight. Faithfulness as assurance. What one promise of God will you hold tightly to without wavering this week? And where will you look for his faithful way out? Hebrews ten twenty-three, first Corinthians ten thirteen. Thanks for sitting with us today. Keep pressing forward, keep that uniform on, and remember we're in this fight together. Raise those colors high, and we'll see you next time on joining the fight. God bless.