Category Archives: Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Kind and Encouraging

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It [Love] is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 1 Corinthians 13:5

I have learned that one of the secrets to my own personal peace is letting people be who God made them to be, rather than trying to make them be who I would like them to be. I do my best to enjoy their strengths and be merciful toward their weaknesses because I have plenty of my own. I don’t need to try to take the speck out of their eye while I have a telephone pole in my own.

A woman I know was widowed not long ago, and she was telling me about her relationship with her husband. This woman is pretty strong-willed and likes things to go her way. She told me that when she was first married, she noticed a lot of things about her husband that annoyed her. Like any good wife, she told her husband about his annoying traits and habits so he could change.

Gradually it dawned on her that although she was very good about telling her husband all the things about him that needed to change, he never returned the favor! As she wondered why, she realized that somewhere along the line her husband had made a decision not to look at—or for— her flaws. He knew she had plenty! But he wasn’t going to focus on them. It occurred to her that she could continue to point out all his annoying traits—or she could choose not to, just as her husband had done.

At the end of our conversation, she told me that in the twelve years they were married, her husband never said an unkind word to her. I think we can all take a lesson from that.

Trust in Him Ask God to help you be kind to everyone. Don’t say an unkind word today—focus on the strengths of the people you come in contact with, and do all that you can to encourage them.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Happy Even if You Are Suffering

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But even in case you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,[you are] blessed ( happy, to be envied). Do not dread or be afraid of their threats, nor be disturbed [by their opposition]. 1 Peter 3:14

According to this scripture, you can be happy even if you are suffering, as long as you are suffering for the sake of righteousness. Why? Because God is just, and even though you are being persecuted for doing the right thing, in the end you will win, because when you sow right seeds you will reap a good harvest.

What sense would it make for the Bible to say you are to be envied when you are persecuted unless you had a huge reward coming? Justice means everything wrong is made right. When you suffer for doing the right thing, God will give you double for your trouble (see Isaiah 61:7) because God always blesses those who do the right thing.

Power Thought: God’s reward is greater than any suffering I will endure for a season.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Don’t Be Afraid to Stop

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The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are honest and reliable, but the counsels and designs of the wicked are treacherous. —Proverbs 12:5

Don’t be ashamed to back off if you get out in the middle of something and find that God is not in it. Just be secure enough to simply say, “I thought this was God, but it’s not, so I am not going to do it anymore.”

You can apologize to others if you caused them any trouble or confusion. But there is no shame in quickly admitting that you were wrong. It is more important not to perpetuate a mistake than it is to keep people from thinking you were wrong. Don’t be afraid to say, “I didn’t hear from God.” Honesty will keep your day going right, all day long.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Don’t Let Your Emotions Vote

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Do not be misled, my beloved brethren.—James 1:16

If we desire to walk after the Spirit, all our actions must be governed by God’s principles. In the realm of the Spirit, there is a precise standard of right and wrong, and how we feel does not alter that standard.

If doing the right thing requires a “yes” from us, then it must be “yes” whether we feel excited or discouraged. If it is “no,” then it is “no.” A principled life is enormously different from an emotional life. When an emotional person feels thrilled or happy, he may undertake what he ordinarily would not do. But when he feels cold and emotionless or melancholy, he will not fulfill his duty, because his feelings refuse to cooperate.

All who desire to be truly spiritual must conduct themselves daily according to godly principles. A good sign to show you’re growing and maturing in Christ is when you consistently obey, even when you don’t feel like it.

Learn not to ask yourself how you feel about things, but instead ask yourself if doing or not doing something is right for you. You may know that you need to do something, but you don’t feel like doing it at all. You can wish you felt like it, but wishing does no good. You must live by principle and simply choose to do what you know is right. There may be a certain thing you want to do badly. It might be a purchase you want to make that you know is too expensive. Your feelings vote “yes,” but your heart says “no.” Tell your feelings they don’t get to vote. They are too immature to vote and will never vote for what is best for you in the long run.

We don’t allow people to vote in political elections until they are eighteen, because we assume they would be too immature to know what they are doing. Why not look at your emotions the same way?

They have always been a part of you, but they are very immature. They are without wisdom and cannot be trusted to do the right thing, so just don’t let them vote. We mature but our emotions don’t, and if they are left unchecked, our lives will be a series of unfinished and disappointing ventures.

Trust in Him Pray and ask God to help you trust Him more than you trust your emotions.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Get Addicted to Peace

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Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. John 14:27

Many people cannot hear from God because they have too much turmoil in their lives. Their insides are like a freeway during rush-hour traffic. They literally don’t know how to be peaceful; it is as if they are addicted to turmoil. They keep things agitated and stirred up, seemingly on purpose. In fact, they get comfortable living in a state of chaos. It has become their normal state, even though in God’s economy it is not normal at all.

It sounds strange, but when I started learning to be peaceful, I was bored at first! I was so accustomed to having something major going on in my life all the time that I wondered, What am I supposed to do with myself? Romans 3:17 says, And they have no experience of the way of peace [they know nothing about peace, for a peaceful way they do not even recognize].

That describes how my life used to be. I had no experience at all in enjoying a peaceful life; I did not even know how to begin. I had grown up in an atmosphere of strife, and it was all I ever knew. I had to learn an entirely new way of living.

But now I’m addicted to peace. As soon as my peace disappears, I ask myself how I lost it and start looking for ways to get it back. I am believing that as you read this you will become so hungry for peace with God, peace with yourself, and peace with others that you will be willing to make whatever adjustments you need to make in order to have it. I am also believing that you will begin to follow peace at all times, because peace will lead you into the perfect will of God.

Jesus said that if we follow Him, He will give us peace (free of charge). In fact, He said He will bequeath His own peace to us (see John 14:27).

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – No Longer a Victim

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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].Psalm 147:3

You may have been a victim at one point in your life, but you don’t have to remain one. You can be emotionally healthy and whole in your soul. The Word of God promises that God will heal your wounds. He will help you . . .He’s waiting to help you.

We all have painful issues from the past that we need to deal with. Many of them were not our fault, and it isn’t fair that we should suffer because of other people’s behavior. Perhaps you were teased mercilessly as a child and still feel insecure or sensitive because of that old pain. Maybe someone you loved left you without explanation, or you may have been abused in some way. Whatever the source of your pain, be thankful that God loves you and wants to heal you. You don’t have to spend your life as a victim; you can have victory and even help bring victory to others.

Prayer of Thanks Father, I thank You that You are a healer. You have not left me to suffer in the pain of the past—You are healing my wounds and giving me the strength to move forward. Today is a new day, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Think About What You Are Thinking About

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Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things, fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8

Some people are very unhappy, and they have been that way so long that they no longer realize there is another option. I can well remember being like that. I blamed my unhappiness on the way others behaved. I thought my husband and children caused me the most unhappiness. If they would change and just be a little more sensitive to my needs, I knew I’d feel better. If they would help around the house more, volunteer to run errands, or just ask how I was doing, I knew I’d be happy. Of course, I never said anything to them. If they were sensitive and caring, I thought, they would be able to see how they could help me and make my life easier. I did pray about it, and I often told God how much happier I would be if they cooperated more, but they didn’t change.

One day, God spoke to me but not with the words I wanted to hear. He said, Think about what you are thinking about. I had no idea what God meant. In fact, the words didn’t make sense. How could I think about what I was thinking about?

Then I realized the truth. My mind raced from one thought to another. That was bad enough, but worse, my thoughts centered around myself and my needs. I had thought that if the other people in my life changed, I would be happy. I finally reluctantly admitted that even if they changed, I’d find something else to be unhappy about. I was just unhappy and didn’t need any particular reason. It was first one thing and then another.

As I pondered my condition, I thought of Philippians 4:8, where Paul presented a list of the kind of things we need to focus on If God did not want me to think about the things I was thinking about, I first needed to know what I should think about. I soon realized I had a lot to learn. Although I had been attending church for years, I could not remember anyone ever telling me how important my thoughts were to God and to my quality of life.

If we concentrate our thoughts on good things the kind of things Paul mentioned in that verse we will be built up. We will grow spiritually and become strong in the Lord.

As I continued to meditate on God’s message, I realized how my thoughts affected my attitude and this is true of all of us. God tells us to do things that are for our good. He wants us to be happy and fulfilled. If we want happiness and fulfillment, we must find it God’s way. If we’re full of wrong thoughts, we’re miserable. That’s a theory that’s spoken from my own experience and is found in God’s Word. I’ve also learned that when we’re miserable, we usually end up making others around us miserable, too.

Since those days, I’ve made it a practice to take a regular inventory of my thoughts. I review the way I think. What have I been thinking about?I ask myself.

I stress this because as I learned from my own experience Satan deceives us into thinking that the source of our misery or pain is other people or sometimes our situations. He tries not to let us face the fact that our own thoughts are the source of our unhappiness. I would venture to say that it is practically impossible to be happy while maintaining negative, critical, depressing thoughts.

We need to overcome Satan in this area of the battle for our thoughts, and God will help us if we ask Him to.

Dear Lord Jesus, I have determined to think about the things I have been thinking about. I admit that my thoughts are the source of any unhappiness that I experience and not other people. I also know that the source of my victory is in You, and in Your name, I ask You to give me greater victory as I monitor my thoughts through the help of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Joyce Meyer
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Joyce Meyer – Loving Correction

For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.Hebrews 12:11

When we need correction—and we all need it at one time or another—it is the Lord’s desire to correct us Himself. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens (see Hebrews 12:6). God’s correction or chastisement is not a bad thing; it is always and ultimately only for your good.

The fact that it works toward your good does not mean it always feels good or that it is something you enjoy immediately. In fact, correction can be one of the most difficult things to receive—especially when it comes through another person. Even if you have problems, you don’t want others to know you have them. Usually God prefers to correct you privately, but if you won’t accept His correction, He will use whatever tools are at His disposal. In Balaam’s case, God used his donkey! Whatever God decides to use to correct us, we should submit to Him knowing that He loves us and only has our ultimate good in mind.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Follow Your Heart’s Desires

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Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land.Psalm 25:12–13

To enjoy your life, start following the God-given desires of your heart instead of the desires of your flesh. You may need to mature in faith before you can tell the difference between your flesh and Spirit-led desires.

One way to tell if you are following a desire of your flesh is that when you step out to do it, you will lose your peace and face a struggle. If it is not of God, you will feel like you are pushing a dead horse uphill. If it is a God-given desire of the Spirit, it will work like a well-oiled machine. It will flow, with what I call a “Holy ease.” Start your day right, and follow your heart.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – We Want the Real Thing

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I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me . . . Romans 9:1

Nobody likes being tricked. We don’t like false advertising, phony small-talk, or fake relationships. In our world, people often put on a plastic smile and tell everyone they’re doing fine while inside they’re falling apart. It’s all an illusion.

As Christians we often believe we should feel better than we do or that it is wrong to feel the way we do, so we hide our feelings from everyone. Sometimes we try to hide the way we really feel from ourselves. We pretend to have faith while we’re full of doubt. We pretend to be happy while we are miserable; and we pretend to be in control and have it all together, but at home behind closed doors, we are totally different people. We don’t want to admit that we are living phony lives, so we stay busy enough that we never have to deal with things as they really are. We may even bury ourselves in church work or spiritual activity as a way of hiding from God. He is trying to show us truth, but we would rather work for Him than listen to Him.

God just wants us to be honest and real. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking all your feelings are wrong. Being a person of faith does not mean you will never have negative or ungodly feelings. We will experience feelings that need to be dealt with, but we can always exercise our faith in God and ask Him to help us to not allow our feelings to control us. The Bible says we live by faith and not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). That means we don’t make decisions based on what we see or feel, but according to our faith in God and His promises to us.

Trust in Him You need to trust that the real you, even on your worst day, is better than being fake or phony. Make the choice today to be honest, genuine, and authentic with God and with all the people in your life.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Free in Christ

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In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. Galatians 5:1

As your relationship with God matures, you will find yourself living less by rules and regulations and more by the desires of your heart. As you learn more of the Word, you will find His desires filling your heart, and it will be easier for you to discern God’s will. God wants you to know His heart well enough that you will want to follow the prompting, leading, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Once you are free in Christ, stand fast in that liberty and do not become ensnared with legalism, which is the yoke of bondage you have put off. God wants to bring you into a new place, a place full of freedom to follow your heart.

Power Thought: I am free to live for Christ.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Season of Preparation

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Winter is a dormant season. It’s a time when trees become bare and most of the grass, plants and flowers die off. But winter is also a time of preparation—as roots and tree saps respond to soil and temperature changes to prepare for growth that comes in the spring.

In much the same way, you and I go through spiritually dormant seasons. These are the seasons when God seems silent…when our dreams and visions for the future seem lifeless. But although we may not see or feel anything exciting, it doesn’t mean nothing is happening. A lot has to happen on the inside of us before we are ready to handle the future God has for us.

Just as winter prepares plants and trees for warmer weather, a spiritually dormant season is a time of preparation—when our inner character is developed and strengthened. Strong character is essential for withstanding storms that will come during seasons of growth and harvest. I find there are a lot of people who have the gifts and talents to take them somewhere exciting, but if they don’t have strong, Christlike character, all the talent in the world won’t keep them there.

God has something planned for you, and if you’re not living in the fulfillment of His plan for you, then now is the season of preparation. Rest assured, you’re not alone. We all go through times like this. The Bible tells us that even Jesus needed time to grow and increase in wisdom, stature and in years before He was ready to make a global impact through His three-year ministry (Luke 2:52).

Here are three insights I’ve learned that can help you make progress toward your goals, plans and visions during dormant seasons.

Examine your motives.

When God first called me to teach His Word, I wasn’t doing it just because I had a deep desire to help people. I wanted to be somebody. I had problems from my past and was unaware of how insecure I was. I didn’t realize how much I got my sense of worth and value out of what I did. And because of it, my motives were way out of line with how God wanted me to be.

It seems that many people don’t really know themselves and understand why they do what they do. Self-deception is easy to fall into, and one of the hardest things to face. But when we are willing to face the truth about ourselves and examine our motives, God will help us change for the better and get on track with His will for our lives.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Before we can move forward into a new thing, we usually have to let go of something we’ve been doing awhile. God nudges us outside of our comfort zones toward unfamiliar experiences to encourage us to rely on Him. And all too often, we try to hang on to what is familiar before we have confidence that the new thing is right for us. We wrestle with ourselves, wondering if we really heard from God or if we can really trust Him.

If you keep one foot where you are while the other foot stretches toward someplace new, you will eventually lose your footing and fall over. God wants us to trust Him by doing what He wants us to do and going where He wants us to go. We must learn to let go of what we have before we take hold of something new, and learn to rely on God to meet all our needs.

Embrace discipline.

The Bible tells us that “no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 AMP). Discipline isn’t fun, but it is essential for our character development.

Self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit that requires time to develop properly. Self-discipline is developed when we do the right thing consistently, over and over again for a long time. It may include paying off debts, not over-spending, getting proper nutrition and exercise, changing the way you speak about yourself and others, and spending quality time with God and in His Word every day. As you become disciplined in every area of your life, you will be better equipped to handle bigger responsibilities in the future.

God has amazing plans for your life! He wants you to fulfill your dreams and live a life of blessing, hope and promise. I hope you’re encouraged today. You will get there—as long as you are willing to do your part and trust God to do His part. And the more you lean on and trust in Him through that process, the sooner you’ll be ready for whatever He has prepared for you.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Don’t Take In Criticism

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Now Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses [their brother] because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek (gentle, kind, and humble). Numbers 12:1–3

Sometimes the people who are criticized the most are the ones who try to do something constructive with their lives. It amazes me how people who do nothing want to criticize those who try to do something. After many years of suffering over the criticisms of people and trying to gain their approval, I finally decided that if God is happy with me, that is enough.

Each time someone criticizes you, try making a positive affirmation about yourself to yourself. Don’t just stand by and take in everything anyone wants to dump on you. Establish independence! Have your own attitude about yourself and don’t be defeated by criticism.

During Winston Churchill’s last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. “They say Churchill is getting senile.” “They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men.” When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, “Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!”

Lord, at the end of the day, I want You to be happy with the way I lived, whether others criticize me or not. If You are happy with me, that’s enough! Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Little Things, Big Things

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Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You. – Psalm 143:8

One of the ways I learned to trust God and hear His voice in the big events and decisions in my life was to hear Him in the little things. One time Dave and I got ready to watch a movie with some family members, but we couldn’t find the remote control. We didn’t know how to play the movie without it, so everyone searched diligently for it, but we still couldn’t locate it.

I decided to pray. So I said silently in my heart, Holy Sprit, please show me where the remote control is. Immediately, I thought of the bathroom—and that’s where we found it.

The same thing happened to me with my car keys. I had looked everywhere, but to no avail. Then I prayed, and in my spirit I saw the keys on the front seat of my car, which is exactly where they were.

These two stories are examples of a gift of the Holy Spirit called “word of knowledge” (see 1 Corinthians 12:8). God gave me words of knowledge concerning the remote control and my misplaced keys. This gift and others are available to everyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit. The gifts are supernatural endowments of power given to believers to help us live our natural lives in supernatural ways.

God loves us. He cares enough to speak to us (in my case, His “speaking” was to give me a thought about the remote and show me a picture or a vision about my car keys) about the little things in our lives. Just think how eager He must be to talk to us about the bigger things also.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Humble Yourself and Be Exalted

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Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6

The apostle Peter is a good example of a man who had to be humbled. In Matthew 26:31-35 we see that Peter thought more highly of himself than he should have. In this passage, we read that just before the crucifixion Jesus told His disciples they would all be offended and fall away from Him. In verse 33, Peter declared to the Lord that he would never do such a thing. In response, Jesus warned Peter that before that very night was over, his fears would cause him to deny Him three times; but Peter could not conceive that he would ever be that weak.

Peter really did not know himself, and many of us are the same way. We look at others and judge them, thinking, I would never do that. Then when we find ourselves in a similar situation, we do things we would have never believed possible. Peter needed to go through the experience of failing, of falling apart in the crisis hour. He had to see his weaknesses before he could bring them to the cross and find God’s strength.

Yes, Peter failed miserably. He denied Jesus three times. He fell apart in a crucial time, but the end result was good. The experience humbled him and brought him to the place where God could use him greatly. God can only use humble men and women. We must humble ourselves and He will exalt us (see 1 Peter 5:6).

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Beautiful Truth

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The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving- kindness. Psalm 103:8

The promise that God is not mad at us is the most freeing truth we will ever find. God knows that we will sin, but He provided the forgiveness of our sins in Jesus. The beautiful truth is that when we no longer focus on our sin, we find that we do it less and less. As we focus on God’s goodness, we become more and more like Jesus.

God, through Christ, has totally taken care of the problem of sin—that’s something to be thankful for! God urges us not to sin, but He knew we would due to the weakness of our flesh, so He took care of the problem by sending His Son as the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus paid for everything that we have done and ever will do wrong, and He opened up a new way for us to live and serve God. Not in fear or guilt, but in freedom, love, and intimacy. Receive God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness today and be thankful for it!

Prayer of Thanks Father, I am so grateful that You are not mad at me. I am thankful that You still love me even when I sin. And thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus, making it possible for me to be in relationship with You today.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Careful What You Think

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But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper I and come to maturity]. Psalm 1:2-3

Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You…I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. Psalm 119:11, 15

In the early days of computers, they used to say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” That was a way of explaining that the computer only worked with the data put into the machine. If we wanted different results, we needed to put in different information.

When it comes to computers, most people have no trouble grasping that concept, but when it comes to their minds, they don’t seem to get it. Or perhaps they don’t want to get it. So many things demand their attention and beg for their focus. They’re not just sinful things. The apostle Paul said that although everything was lawful for him, not everything was helpful (see l Corinthians 6:12).

If you are going to win the battle of the mind and defeat your enemy, where you focus your attention is crucial. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the stronger you’ll become and the more easily you’ll win the victories.

Too many Christians don’t realize the difference between meditating on the Bible and reading the Bible. They like to think that whenever they read God’s Word, they’re absorbing the deep things of God. Too often people will read a chapter of the Bible, and when they get to the last verse, they have little idea of what they’ve read. Those who meditate on Gods Word are those who think and think seriously about what they’re reading.

They may not put it in these words, but they are saying, “God, speak to me. Teach me. As I ponder Your Word, reveal its depth to me.”

In today’s scripture, I quoted from Psalm 1. This psalm begins by defining the person who is blessed, and then points out the right actions of that person. The psalmist wrote that those who meditate and do it day and night are like productive trees…and everything they do shall prosper.

The psalmist made it quite clear that meditating on and thinking about God’s Word brings results. As you ponder who God is and what He’s saying to you, you’ll grow. It’s really that simple. Another way to put it is to say that whatever you focus on, you become. If you read about and allow your mind to focus on God’s love and power, that’s what operates in you.

The apostle Paul says it beautifully in Philippians 4:8: …”Whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].”

It’s sad, but most Christians don’t put much effort into their study of the Word_ They go to hear others teach and preach, and they may listen to sermon tapes and read the Bible occasionally, but they’re not dedicated to making God’s Word a major part of their lives.

Be careful what you think about. The more you think about good things, the better your life will seem. The more you think about Jesus Christ and the principles He taught, the more you become like Jesus and the stronger you grow And as you grow, you win the battle for your mind.

Lord God, help me think about the things that honor You. Fill my life with a hunger for more of You and Your Word so that in everything I may prosper. I ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Raised from the Dead

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Martha then said to Jesus, Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21

John 11 records the illness and death of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. By the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Like Martha, Mary also told the Lord, If You had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:32).

We all feel like that sometimes. We feel that if Jesus had only shown up sooner maybe things would not be so bad. Verses 23 and 25 tell us how Jesus responded to these words of hopelessness and despair: Your brother shall rise again. . . . I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live.

As He promised, Jesus called Lazarus to come forth from the tomb and he did so, totally restored. If Jesus can raise a dead man, surely He can raise a dead circumstance.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Satisfied

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The poor and afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord—they who [diligently] seek for, inquire of and for Him, and require Him [as their greatest need]. May your hearts be quickened now and forever! Psalm 22:26

Many people constantly seek the thrill of a new experience, but every new thing eventually becomes an old thing. Sooner or later, people have to be happy with old things too, or they will never reach God’s higher goal of contentment (see 1 Timothy 6:6).

In Philippians 4:11–12, Paul said that he had learned how to be content and satisfied to the point where he wasn’t disturbed or disquieted, no matter what state he was in. He could live in humble cir¬cumstances or enjoy plenty. He had learned that the secret of facing every situation, whether well fed or hungry, was to be content. Seek contentment in God today, and you will be satisfied.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Believe the Best

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A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7–8 NIV 1984

We can quickly ruin a day with wrong thinking. Friendships are destroyed because of wrong thinking. Business deals go wrong. Marriages fail. It’s so easy to concentrate on everything that is wrong with your spouse instead of what is right, and soon you want to get away from the person you are married to, when what you really want to escape is your own negative mind.

Replace suspicion and fear with trust. Trust breeds trust. Trusting others, and especially trusting God, helps keep us healthy. When we trust, we are relaxed and at rest.

This is good-old common sense. Consider the following case: You are walking down an unfamiliar street and a man comes out of his house with his pit bull growling on a leash and mutters, “What are you doing in my yard?” You think, Who is this nutcase? and act angry and suspicious right back. His unfriendliness boomerangs back to him (and probably makes him more unfriendly still). On the other hand, if you are somehow able to look beyond his suspiciousness (maybe he was recently robbed?) and act extremely friendly and relaxed toward him, more often than not he will relax, too, and you’ll have a friendly interaction that improves his day and yours.

Call this the “boomerang effect.” Or follow the Bible and call it “reaping what you sow.” Whatever you call it, the saying is true: you get what you give.

Trust in Him Consider all the relationships in your life—where can you replace suspicion with trust?