This is a short, sharp list of things every believer should do (God’s will for you), but that does not mean it is easy.
Rejoicing always requires that our joy is not based on our circumstances but instead is based on a mind focused on God, on Jesus’s imminent return, and all we have to be thankful for.
We should be in constant communication with God. The idea is that we pray regularly and about all things. There is no part of your day that shouldn’t be lived in dependence on God. Prayer doesn’t just need to be a time on your knees in your bedroom but can also be quick requests and thanks to God as you go about your day.
No matter what situations you find yourself in, you should give thanks. Not just be thankful, but actually give thanks to God. Lack of thanks deadens the soul while constant thankfulness keeps our hearts vibrant.

As a church, we must be careful not to quench the things God is doing by His Holy Spirit. In the early church, God’s will was still communicated through prophecy which the church needed to test to ensure it was actually a word from God. Then they were to hold fast to what was good and do what God called them to do. Today we have the complete word of God in the Bible. We must test all we are taught against God’s word and then hold fast to what is good (the truths taught from God’s word) and do what it says. Holding fast to what is good also requires that we abstain from what is evil. Teaching God’s truth is the responsibility of the church elders, but testing the truth requires that we each know our Bibles. How well are you able to test what is good?