Rediscovering Joy in Your Walk with Jesus

The Bible encourages us to “delight” ourselves in the Lord. Pero sa totoo lang, the daily hustle, commute, and stress can make our Christian lives seem dull.  

Here’s why this matters: When our faith feels dry or dull, it's often a reflection of the current state of our relationship with God. Napapansin din ‘to ng iba. How will others see the beauty of following Jesus if we’re not even enjoying our walk with Him ourselves?

Kung nababasa mo 'to at feeling mo spiritually dry ka, here’s are some questions to reflect on: — What’s keeping me from truly delighting in God? — Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? — Am I holding on to something that’s pulling me away from Him? — Or have I just been distracted lately? Let's go deeper…

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” – Psalm 1:2

Kung tayo, bilang mga Christians, believe that the Bible is our ultimate authority and the source of Truth—are we actually reading and meditating on it? Gets namin yung struggle, kapatid. It’s not always simple to read the Bible. Sometimes it gets confusing, and sometimes the lessons don’t seem to sink in.

And there's also this:

• — The average human attention span is only 8.25 seconds (a goldfish’s is 9),
• — Over 210 million people struggle with internet and social media addiction,
• — One hour of fresh content is uploaded to YouTube every second

Hindi nakakagulat na nahihirapan tayong mag-focus—we’re constantly distracted and overstimulated. Pero hindi ‘yan excuse para mawalan tayo ng discipline.

A Problem of Perspective

It’s obvious that it’s not easy to live by God’s commandments. The standard is holy because it reflects God Himself (1 Peter 1:16 – “Be holy, because I am holy.”).

But He didn’t leave us to figure it out on our own—He gave us a guide (the Bible), an example (Jesus Christ), and a helper (the Holy Spirit).

As 2 Peter 1:3 reminds us: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” The purpose of the law was never to make us legalistic. Instead, it was meant to:

• — Reveal God’s goodness and character,
• — Show us how life works best when we follow His design,
• — Point us to Jesus, who fulfilled the law on our behalf and gives us true freedom.

Ipinapakita ng law ang ating kasalanan—our inability to meet God’s perfect standard on our own. But that’s the point: it’s meant to lead us to grace, not guilt.

‍<0>A Beautiful Promise

One reason some find it difficult to experience joy in walking with the Lord is because of the challenges they face. And that’s understandable. Pati mga well-known Bible characters, dumaan din sila sa mga matinding paghihirap. They were not exempt from pain, and in fact, their lives may have become harder once they followed God. When we go through pain and difficult circumstances, it's natural to turn inward—to look for relief or to hide so things don’t get worse. But look at this promise in <0>Psalm 37:4:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

This means that to truly find delight in Him, we need to align our desires with His. Minsan, hindi babaguhin ni God ang sitwasyon natin para maging mas madali ang buhay. Sometimes, He doesn't answer our prayers in the way we expect—even if our requests seem good. But always, He will change our hearts. And in that process of transformation, we will experience peace, even in the midst of pain, because of His beautiful promise. When our desires align with His, we will find delight because our delight will be in God himself and not in our desires.

Finding Delight

If you're not experiencing delight in your relationship with Him, hindi ka nag-iisa. Others have the same struggle. God addresses this in Revelation 2:1-7, in His message to the church in Ephesus:

“I know your works… But I have this against you, that you have abandoned your first love." (Rev 2:1–7)

At that time, the church in Ephesus was doing many good things—they were standing firm in the faith and exposing false teachings. But despite all their hard work, God said they had lost their first love. Anong ibig sabihin nito? Nawala nila ang delight nila kay God.

This serves as a warning to us: even the most committed Christians can end up going through the motions—serving in ministry, calling out false teachers, running church activities—but if their love and delight for Jesus isn’t alive, it’s all just action without heart. This reminds us that true joy in God isn't about doing things for Him; it's about being with Him. Without that intimate connection, even the most spiritual tasks lose their purpose.

Why it’s important

Delighting in Jesus is the first step. But it's also a vital part of evangelism. If you’re sharing the power and beauty of the Gospel but you’re not experiencing its transforming effect in your own life, have you truly understood it? If you talk about God’s saving grace from the bondage of sin, are you actively walking in repentance?

If you claim to live a new life in Christ but always seem burdened or down, are you truly living in that newness? How we live shows what’s in our hearts. The fruit we bear reveals how deeply we’re rooted in Christ. Makikita ng mga tao kung may real joy tayo sa puso natin. Kaya, make sure you start there.

Kapatid, are you filled with Christ? Is your life reflecting the joy of knowing Him deeply? If you're having a hrd time, start here:

• — Balikan mo ang Gospel. Preach it to yourself every day. — Spend time meditating on God’s Word and allow it to transform you. — Get plugged into your local church. Iba ang joy kapag kasama mo ang mga tao na nagmamahal din kay Lord. Ask yourself:
• 1. What part of God’s character is most beautiful to you?
• 2. What’s a recent blessing the Lord has given you?

If you can, share your answers with a friend. Let your conversation be an act of worship as you praise and admire Him together.