Category Archives: Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Power Source

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And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. —Ephesians 1:19 NKJV

In today’s Scripture Paul prayed that we would know the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward us. God is powerful, and anyone who believes in God surely believes that, but the question is: Do we believe His power is available to us and that it exists for us? Being able to live power-filled lives starts when we believe that power is available for us.

God’s power is greater than any other power in the universe, and it is limitless. This power, which is “toward us,” has already been given. In Luke, Jesus said, “Behold I have given you power…” We do not need to strive for power or hope to have power someday; we have power now! The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us (see Rom. 8:11) and we can be quickened (filled with life) by that power.

This is not a onetime filling that slowly drains out of us as the days go by, but we can be filled day-by-day and even moment by moment. We can constantly and continually experience God’s presence and power in our lives. When we belong to Him, there is never a time when His power is not accessible to us.

Just think: If your local power company called and said you were chosen to receive free power for the rest of your life, you would prob¬ably get so excited! This is the way life is when we are connected by faith to God’s power. You have to pay for the power that comes into your home, but your power for life has been paid for by Jesus Christ.

Love God Today: Think about this: You are never, ever in a powerless position, because God makes His power available to you at all times.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Trust God’s Grace

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I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

—Galatians 2:21 NKJV

I discovered years ago that every time I became frustrated it was because I was trying to do something myself, in my own strength, instead of putting my faith in God and receiving His grace (help). Receiving a revelation of God’s grace was a major breakthrough for me. I was always “trying” to do something and leaving God out of the loop. I tried to change myself and my husband and children, tried to get healed, tried to prosper, tried to make my ministry grow, and tried to change every circumstance in my life that I did not like. I was frustrated because none of my trying was producing any good results.

God will not permit us to succeed without Him. If He did, we would take the credit that is due Him. If we could change people, we would be changing them to suit our purposes, which would steal their freedom to make their own choices. I finally learned to pray for what I thought needed to be changed and let God do it His way in His timing. When I began trusting His grace, I entered His rest. Grace is always flowing to us in every situation, but it must be received by faith.

Lord, give me the understanding of Your grace that frees me from doing things in my own strength. Help me to do my part and rest in the fact that You will do the rest. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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Joyce meyer

Now about the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed. —1 Corinthians 12:1

Much has been written about the gifts of the Spirit throughout Christian history. The Bible itself teaches us the importance of the gifts of the Spirit and the importance of our not being ignorant of them. Yet, in spite of all the information available today on the subject, many people are totally ignorant of these gifts. I, for one, attended church for many years and never heard one sermon or lesson of any kind on the gifts of the Spirit. I didn’t even know what they were, let alone that they were available to me.

There are many varieties of “gifts” or “endowments,” as they are called in the Amplified Bible, which also refers to them as “extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians” (1 Corinthians 12:4). The gifts vary, but they are all from the same Holy Spirit. When we let God lead us in the use of these gifts, they add a wonderful dimension of power to our lives. First Corinthians 12:8–10 (KJV) lists the gifts as: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers (different) kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

These are all abilities, gifts, achievements, and endowments of supernatural power by which the believer is enabled to accomplish something beyond the ordinary, and they are available to all believers. We cannot force the operation of any spiritual gift. We are to earnestly desire all the gifts, but the Holy Spirit chooses when and through whom they operate. Ask for and expect God’s leading concerning the gifts of the Spirit.

God’s word for you today: You don’t have to live in weakness because God’s power is available to you today and every day.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Do You Worship or Worry?

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And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. —Numbers 21:8

In Numbers 21, we see that when the Israelites were out in the wilderness, they were dying in large numbers because of a plague of snakes that had come upon them as a result of their sin. Moses went and fell down before God and worshiped Him. He turned his attention immediately to God, not to himself or anyone else, to solve the problem.

I have discovered that throughout the Bible when people had a problem, they worshiped. At least the ones who were victorious did. They didn’t worry—they worshiped. I would ask you today: Do you worry or worship? Moses sought God about how to handle the snakes. He didn’t make his own plan and ask God to bless it; he didn’t try to reason out an answer, nor did he worry—he worshiped. His action brought a response from God.

We know that the pole with the bronze serpent on it represented the cross and Jesus taking our sin upon Himself on it. The message is still the same today: “Look and live.” Look at Jesus, at what He has done, not at yourself and what you have done or can do.

The answer to your problem, whatever it may be, is to not worry but worship. Begin to worship God because He is good, and His goodness will be released in your life.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Anointed to Bring Deliverance

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The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed one, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity, to proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].—Luke 4:18-19

Almost every time I finish speaking at a meeting, people come to me with sad stories of abuse and pain. I understand and often I hurt with them. I understand because I’ve been there. In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I referred to some of that dysfunctional background.

I point that out because in the past, I have used my background as an excuse for not growing, for living in defeat, and for allowing Satan to control my mind.

“What else can you expect? Look where I came from.” I’ve heard people talk that way. Perhaps it comforts them to think that whatever their past held will determine their present and their future. They have that choice if they want to believe that lie of Satan.

“Don’t you know that God loves you, and that Jesus wants to deliver you from your past?” I ask. “Don’t you realize that where you were is only the starting place? You can determine where you want to go and how you live your life.”

I can say those words because of my background, the truth I’ve found in God’s Word, and the Lord’s deliverance that I have experienced.

From the first public appearance of Jesus recorded in Luke’s gospel, I learned something powerful and significant. Jesus went to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, the leader handed Him the scroll of Isaiah, andJesus read the words printed above. What the people there didn’t understand was that what He was reading to them was describing Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me … to announce release to the captives” (v. 18).

Isn’t that what Jesus did then? Isn’t that what Jesus does now? He said God had anointed Him for just that task. If that’s true—and I don’t doubt it for a second—do I really honor Jesus by remaining a captive? If Jesus received the anointing to deliver me, there can be only one of two possible results: He sets me free or He doesn’t.

This is the battlefield of the mind, as I’ve been pointing out again and again. Jesus says, “He has anointed Me!” The devil asks, “Did God really anoint Jesus?”

Your deliverance (and mine) depends on which voice we listen to. If we listen to Jesus and believe Him, He says that deliverance is not only possible but it is a reality. If God anointed Jesus for that purpose, it means God empowered Him. Jesus came to open prison doors and set the captives free. You and I can’t be set free until we start to believe it’s possible. If you believe that God loves you, wants only the best for you, and has a perfect plan for your life, how can you doubt?

You may have had a terrible, sad, and abusive past, as I did. Thousands of others have worse childhoods than you had, but they received healing. The fourth chapter of Luke tells of another synagogue where Jesus went and “… there was a man who was possessed by the foul spirit of a demon” (4:33). Jesus set him free. Jesus did that because that’s what the Lord does. He sets the prisoners free, and He’ll also set you free.

Lord Jesus, You have been anointed to set me free. Forgive me for listening to Satan’s voice that makes me feel I’m beyond help. You are the Deliverer. In Your holy name, I ask You to deliver me from everything that holds me back from fully and totally serving You. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Experience God’s Peace and Rest

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The Lord . . . has given peace and rest to His people. —1 Chronicles 23:25

This declaration of David speaks of a God who has faithfully given peace and rest to His people—down through the ages, and still today.

In your busy world, your days are often filled to overflowing with all kinds of work and activities that can drain you of your physical energy and leave your mind reeling from the sheer volume.

I’m sure it was the same in David’s day. The pace may have been slower but the responsibilities were just as demanding and draining. But David knew the secret to receiving the goodness of God was thanking and praising the Lord both morning and evening.

If you feel drained from a trying day, spend some quiet time with the Lord before you go to bed. Tell Him how much you thank Him and praise Him for being with you today . . . and for the peace and rest you are about to experience as you lie down to sleep.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Talk to God Anywhere

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Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? —1 Corinthians 6:19

The angel of the Lord said to Moses, “Take the shoes off your feet, for the ground on which you stand is holy ground” (see Exodus 3:5). The ground was holy because the Holy One was there. Now through faith in Jesus, you are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Everywhere you go becomes a holy place because the Holy One dwells in you.

God is not in a building, where you can only visit Him on Sunday morning. He is with you everywhere you go. You can talk to Him while you vacuum, or while you change the oil in your car. When you let God become involved in every aspect of your life, every day becomes exciting.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – No More “Selective Hearing”

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But the house of Israel will not listen to you and obey you since they will not listen to Me and obey Me, for all the house of Israel are impudent and stubborn of heart. —Ezekiel 3:7

God has taught me that when we are unwilling to hear in one area, it may render us unable to hear in other areas. Sometimes we choose to turn a deaf ear to what we know the Lord is clearly saying to us. We only hear what we want to hear; it’s called “selective hearing.”

A woman once shared with me that she asked God to give her direction concerning what He wanted her to do. He clearly put in her heart that He wanted her to forgive her sister for an offense that had happened between them months earlier.

Because this woman wasn’t willing to do so, she pulled away from her prayer time. When she did seek the Lord again for something, He responded, “Forgive your sister first.”

Over a period of two years, every time she asked the Lord for guidance about something new, He gently reminded her, “I want you to forgive your sister.” Finally, she realized that she would never grow spiritually if she didn’t do the thing God had told her to do.

She got on her knees and prayed, “Lord, give me the power to forgive my sister.” Instantly she understood many things from her sibling’s perspective she hadn’t considered before, and within a short time their relationship was healed and made stronger than it had ever been before.

If we really want to hear from God, we can’t approach Him with selective hearing, hoping to narrow the topics down to only what we want to hear. People want God’s direction when they have issues they want solved. But, don’t just go to God and talk to Him when you want or need something; spend time with Him just listening. He will open up many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen.

Trust in Him Is there anything God has spoken to you that you have not yet obeyed? Why are you hesitating? Trust God to give you the strength to do whatever He has asked of you, knowing that He always has your best interest in mind. Your obedience will lead to your blessing.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Led by the Spirit

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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). —2 Corinthians 3:17

One of the most dynamic ways to keep your joy is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you (see Psalm 139:24). If you pray first, asking God for a plan, He will never push you into a work of the flesh. Instead, His Holy Spirit prompts, guides, and gently leads you to a place of joy; He will never manipulate or control you. If you are too consumed with your own plan, too locked into the way you think things ought to be, you won’t even hear God speak to you or recognize the promptings from Him. If you are too determined to follow your own ritualistic rules, you can miss the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit and lose the joy God intends for you to have.

It is not wrong to have a plan, but always offer your plan to God and tell Him that if He has something else in mind, you are willing to submit to Him.

Power Thought: The Spirit of the Lord has led me out of bondage and into a life of freedom and joy.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – It’s Unconditional

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But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. —Romans 5:8

According to God’s Word, He loved us before the world was formed, before we loved Him or believed in Him. God does not require us to earn His love, and we must not require others to earn ours. We should realize that love is something we are to become; it is not something we do and then don’t do. We cannot turn it on and off, depending on whom we want to give it to and how they are treating us.

As believers in Jesus Christ, the love we are to manifest to the world is the unconditional love of God flowing through us to them. Our love has conditions and limits; His does not.

Loving people unconditionally is a very big challenge. I would be tempted to say it is impossible, but God tells us to do it, and He never commands us to do something and then leaves us to perform it on our own. His grace (His power, ability, and favor) is sufficient for us, which means He enables us to do what He has called us to do.

God actually sends some people into our lives to function as “sand¬paper” to help smooth our rough edges. Learning to walk in love with unlovely people is one of the most important tools God uses to develop our spiritual maturity.

Love Others Today: “Lord, give me grace to love everyone in my life, even the difficult ones.”

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Shake It Up

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And He Who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new. —Revelation 21:5

Although I want to be dependable and faithful, I don’t always want to be predictable. Sometimes I get bored with myself, and I have to ask God for a creative idea to shake up my life a little.

Doing something outrageous means different things to different people. For one it might mean climbing Mount Everest and to another it might mean a clothing style change. I have always liked lots of glitz and everything very fancy. My children kept trying to get me to keep up with changing styles and I firmly resisted for quite a while. They kept saying, “C’mon Mom, start styling.” At first I told them, “I can’t dress like that; I am sixty-two.”

Then God told me to stop making decisions based on my age, and I decided I would do something outrageous, something totally unexpected, and change my dress code. My children finally convinced me that just because I was in my sixties, I didn’t have to dress like it. They wanted me to wear jeans, boots, and belts hanging on my hips. One day I made a decision that I was going to shock them, so I changed my wardrobe style. I have decided that from now on I am going to dress up-to-date no matter how old I am.

Lord, keep me fresh and new and alive in my attitudes and perspectives. Help me to shake it up today and break out of my rut. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Foundation of Happiness

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All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of His creation, the foundation of all happiness …] and the whole [duty] for every man .—Ecclesiastes 12:13

The writer of Ecclesiastes was a man who literally tried everything to be happy. He had much wealth, great power, and many wives. He restrained himself from no earthly pleasure. Anything his eyes desired, he took. He ate, drank, and made merry.

He had tremendous knowledge, wisdom, and respect, yet he hated life. Everything began to appear useless to him. He tried to figure out what life was all about and became more and more confused. Finally, he realized what his problem had been all along. He had not been obeying God’s commandments. He was unhappy because of it and made the statement that the foundation of all happiness is obedience. There are many, many sad, grieved individuals walking around blaming their unhappy lives on people and circumstances, failing to realize that the reason for their dissatisfaction is their disobedience toward God.

I believe you want to be happy. The key to happiness is obeying God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says that obedience is “the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances.”That means that anything out of order or harmony got that way through disobedience and only obedience can bring it back into harmony. Every time we obey God, something in our lives improves.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – First Things First

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But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. —Matthew 6:33

Too often we spend all of our time seeking God for answers to our problems when what we should be doing is just seeking God.

As long as we are seeking God, we are staying in the secret place, under the shadow of His wing. Psalm 91:4 says, “Under His wings shall you trust and find refuge.” But when we start seeking answers to all the problems and situations that confront us, trying to fulfill our desires rather than God’s will, we get out from under the shadow of His wing.

For many years I sought God about how I could get my ministry to grow. The result was that it stayed just the same as it was. It never grew. Sometimes it even went backward. What I didn’t realize was that all I needed to do was to seek the kingdom of God, and He would add the growth.

Do you realize that you don’t even have to worry about your own spiritual growth? All you need to do is seek the Kingdom, and you will grow. Seek God, abide in Him, and He will cause increase and growth.

A baby just drinks milk and grows. All you and I have to do is desire the sincere milk of the Word, and we will grow (see 1 peter 2:2). We can never experience any real measure of success by our own human effort. Instead, we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; then all these other things we need will be added to us.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Overcoming Passivity

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Jesus said] When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest (release, refreshment, ease); and finding none it says, I will go back to my house from which I came. And when it arrives, it finds [the place] swept and put in order and furnished and decorated. And it goes and brings other spirits, seven [of them], more evil than itself, and they enter in, settle down, and dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. —Luke 11:24-26

This word from Jesus can be frightening. His purpose for the warning is not to cause us to cringe and worry about unclean spirits coming back. It’s a warning to tell us that it’s not enough to get rid of wrong thoughts-we must keep the door locked so our enemy can’t return. Not only does evil come back, but it comes back worse than before.

I once read an article about diets, and the author said that most people who diet actually lose weight-until they stop dieting. Then they regain the weight they lost and about 5 percent more. When they stop working at the problem, they not only stop losing, but they’re worse than before they started. The author went on to say that the only way to win the battle of being overweight is to make a lifestyle change by becoming aware of the danger areas and guarding ourselves against making wrong choices.

It works that way spiritually; as well. One way to keep wrong thoughts out of your mind is to keep the mind active and alert and full of right things. You can cast out the devil, but then you must remain alert, always aware of his tricks.

As I point out in my book Battlefield of the Mind, there are aggressive sins (or sins of commission) and there are passive sins (sins of omission). That is, there are things we do that hurt a relationship, such as speaking careless words. But it is just as true that we hurt relationships by the omission of kind words, those thoughtful words that express appreciation, affection, or awareness of kind deeds others have done.

When confronted, passive individuals yell, “But I didn’t do anything!” That’s exactly the point. It’s what they don’t do. Their lack of action actually invites the devil back into their lives.

That’s a strong statement, so I will say it a different way. You can win any time you take action and push away the thoughts and desires that don’t come from God. You may do this on your own through prayer, reading the Bible, or even by resisting the passivity that may be natural for you. But once you’ve been set free, that’s only the beginning. It’s not just one victory that lasts forever. It’s an ongoing battle-it’s constantly rebuking the devil.

The best, easiest, and most effective way to rebuke the devil is to fill your mind and your heart with praises to God. When you worship and praise God, you’ve slammed the door in the enemy’s face and put up a “No Trespassing” sign.

I don’t want to make it sound as if you have to fight demons every second of your life. That’s a trick of the devil himself to make you think like that. But when you fill your life with praise and positive, healthy thoughts, you can live in victory.

Please read this verse again-aloud-and hear the message of the Holy Spirit: “Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 CEV).

Victory over passivity is just that simple: Focus your mind on the good and you will have no space left for the passive or the bad.

God, thank You for showing me the way to win over passivity and live in victory every day. In the name of Jesus, I ask You to remind me each day so that I can fill my mind and heart with only worthy thoughts. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Kind Reward

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But love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant).—Luke 6:35

Has God ever asked you to do something really special for somebody who hurt you? When He does that, you think it will turn you inside out. Perhaps you have spent a lot of time in your life blessing someone who never blesses you in return—but God will still find ways to reward you.

Some of us are a little more naturally disposed toward kindness than others. Many of us find we can be kind to those who are kind to us, but we run into trouble with those we don’t think deserve kindness. The truth is you should extend kindness to people because they don’t deserve it—otherwise, it’s not kindness.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – peak Positively

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Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart. —Psalm 51:6

Focus on speaking words in faith today; keep your confession truthful but positive. Don’t deny the existence of your circumstances, but confess what God’s Word has to say about your situation.

For example, if you are sneezing, coughing, and finding it difficult to breathe, it isn’t truthful to say you aren’t sick. But you can learn to present a negative situation in a positive way. You can say, “I believe.”

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Step out to Find out

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The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. —Proverbs 16:1

We often find it difficult to trust what we believe may be direction from the Lord. It is not that we distrust Him, but we distrust our ability to hear from Him.

I eventually found that I had to take a step of faith, and then I would find out by experience how to recognize the leadership of the Holy Spirit. “Step out and find out” is what I always say. As we are learning to be led by the Holy Spirit, we are bound to make a few mistakes, but God always helps us get back on the right track, and we learn from our mistakes.

The process of learning to be led by God is no different from the process that babies go through when learning to walk. They all fall down in the process, but as long as they get up and try again, eventually they will end up not only walking, but also running at full speed.

James, chapter 1, begins by telling us how to handle the trials of life. There is a natural way of handling problems, but there is also a spiritual way to handle them: If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5–6)

Jesus is saying here, “If you are having trouble, ask God what you should do.” You may not receive an answer immediately upon making your request, but you will find as you go about your business that God’s wisdom is operating through you and His wisdom is divine and beyond your natural knowing.

Trust in Him If you are having trouble trusting your ability to hear from God, “step out and find out!” Learning to discern God’s voice is a process. Even if you fall down, you can trust Him to help you find your way again.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Start Strong, Finish Well

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. —Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Typically, we are excited at the beginning of an opportunity, a relationship, or a venture; we’re also happy when we can celebrate our achievements and have the satisfaction of fulfilled desires. But between the beginning and the end, every situation or pursuit has a “middle”—and the middle is where we often face our greatest challenges, hurdles, roadblocks, obstacles, detours, and tests.

The enemy wants you to stop short of receiving and enjoying everything God has for you, and he will tempt you to give up by sometimes making the middle of your venture seem too long or too hard. God, on the other hand, wants the very best for you; He wants you to finish the race set before you, enjoying every step along the way. Be determined to be faithful all the way through and enjoy your victory.

Power Thought: I will not give up. I will run my race with perseverance and finish with joy.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Understanding the Chastening of God

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Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. —Hebrews 12:11 NKJV

When God is chastening or dealing with you, endure it. Don’t try to get away from it because God chastens us just as a loving father chas¬tens his children. Notice in today’s verse that God’s chastening brings “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” into your life (italics mine).

I have peace in my life now for only one reason. I have endured the chastening of the Lord (see Deut. 8:5). I’ve let God do what He wanted to do in my life. I let Him show me that I was prideful, haughty, obnoxious, selfish, self-centered, and hard to get along with. I’ve let Him show me these things because the truth about our behavior will set us free (see John 8:32).

It’s not easy to endure that kind of godly chastisement. God won’t let us off the potter’s wheel until He’s ready. It doesn’t matter how tired we get of going around and around. God is the Potter and we’re the clay, and He is going to make what He knows we can be.

Staying in bondage is much harder than enduring the chastisement of God. Had I not been willing to endure the chastisement of God, I’d still be back in the same old mess I was in thirty-something years ago. Allowing God to deal with you may not be comfortable or fun or easy. But He only chastises you when absolutely necessary and only for your good because He loves you. Love yourself by submitting to the work He wants to do in your life.

Love Yourself Today: Is God dealing with you in a certain area? Don’t resist; let Him do it and see what good results from it.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Pray without Ceasing

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Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]. Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus. —1 Thessalonians 5:17–18

If we don’t understand simple, believing prayer, that instruction can come down upon us like a very heavy burden. We may feel that we are doing well to pray thirty minutes a day, so how can we possibly pray without ever stopping? We need to have such confidence about our prayer life that prayer becomes just like breathing, an effortless thing that we do every moment we are alive. We don’t work and struggle at breathing, unless we have a lung disorder, and neither should we work and struggle at praying. I don’t believe we will struggle in this area if we really understand the power of simple, believing prayer.

If we don’t have confidence in our prayers, we will not pray very much, let alone pray without ceasing. Obviously the terminology “without ceasing” does not mean that we must be offering some kind of formal prayer every moment twenty-four hours a day. It means that all throughout the day we should be in a prayerful attitude. As we encounter each situation or as things come to our mind that need attention, we should simply submit them to God in prayer.

Lord, develop a prayerful attitude in me. Help me to make prayer as simple as breathing. Whatever comes my way, let me bring it to You in prayer. Amen.