Part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

7. If you can't have joy in trials then your joy is not in Christ.  

This one is hard. (I've taught fairly extensively on this, though I don't know if the most detailed message ever made it online. I was not at Savior both times I taught it from Philippians 4:4f).  It may sound like I'm hard on myself, but I try to keep an eye on my own sense of blessedness and joy.  These are a strong indicator of worshipfulness and Christ-centeredness. When circumstances dictate, not just my emotions, but my perspective then I know that my sense of inner joy is less than established on Him.  

So what can I do?  I can repent in prayer before the Lord and ask Him to give empowering grace (by the Spirit) to change the direction of my affections.  If my heart's desires are set on the immovable Christ, my true, unchanging hope, then joy is steady even if it lies alongside irritation, weariness, sadness and grief.  

Two things about joy need to be said.  First, I have often argued that joy is both emotional and intellectual.  Many will argue that the call to "rejoice always" indicates that it must be an act of the will, and is grounded in the intellect.  In other words, it is a call to maintain a hopeful perspective and not to feel a certain way.  My next comment will clarify this further, but for now I think this is weak.  Joy is by nature emotional, and I do not think we have any evidence that God calls us to fake it or put a good face on things.  Here is my definition of joy (based on lexical study, and exegesis of Philippians 4):  joy and rejoicing speak of a deep inward sense of true well-being.  It refers to an inward sense of blessedness and deep satisfaction. This inward sense issues in joy-filled facial expressions, gracious, thankful words, positive, affirming speech, and an overall sense of well-being despite (not because of) external circumstances.  Of course, it is always joy "in the Lord". See the first 8 verses of Philippians 4:4-9!    

Second, the human soul is complex and capable of having joy alongside the full spectrum of human emotions.  In the context of suffering, Peter writes this to in 1 Peter 1:6, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials . . ."  Grief and rejoicing together!  It is a very dysfunctional Christian who believes that they need to mask or deny legitimate sorrow, frustration, and so on in the name of rejoicing in the hope of the Gospel.  Many have given into that.  You see them at church.  They are the people who always say they are "grrrrreat!" and "blessed today!" regardless of what you may know is really happening in their life.  Not that true joy couldn't issue in that response.  It certainly could and will, but true joy is never a cover for suffering, but a testimony to Christ's glory and the hope that we have in Him despite our suffering.  

I'll stop, but see James 1:2-8, Romans 5:1-11, 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and the rest of the Bible!) for more on how joy works in the mind and life Christ's people.  

8. Suffering doesn't mean change, quit your job/ministry, divorce him/her, find a new church, or much of anything at all in terms of what God's will is for you.  

If you read the passages mentioned above, you will see that suffering is a normal part, if not an essential part, of the Christian experience.  Really, it is an unavoidable part of life in a fallen world. 

For a believer it takes on new significance as God uses it to shape our inner being in ways that simplicity and ease never could.  It forces us to turn to Him for strength and comfort in fresh ways.  That much is clear, and yet it has become common--VERY common--for believers to think there is a message from God in their suffering.  For example, someone feels "called" to go here, do this or that, and so on.  Then he finds it to be difficult, or not working out in some way.  This leads to the assumption that he "heard wrong".  Whether his decisions were good or bad are beside the point. Difficulty may force a change in our life, but they do not necessarily indicate that God is communicating displeasure or that we need to make a change.  They do remind us that we need to rejoice and seek His empowering wisdom and grace so that we can get through and benefit from the opportunities that suffering provides (see James 1:2-4).    

This is not to say that circumstances do not affect our decisions.  They should affect our decisions. My concern is rather that folks would attach the wrong significance to their difficulties.