Category Archives: Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Spirit Guides, the Devil Shoves

September 26, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.—Psalm 32:8

When we are in trouble, the Lord promises in His Word to deliver us. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to teach us what we need to know. He said to His disciples: I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal(declare, disclose, transmit) it to you (John 16:12-15).

I am so glad Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will guide us—not push and shove us, but guide us—to truth. The devil wants to pressure us and manipulate us, but the Holy Spirit wants to gently lead us. That is one of the ways that we can recognize whether we are hearing from God or from the enemy. If you feel pressed, confused, controlled, or stressed about something, then it is not of God; that is not how He works. Instead, the Holy Spirit will gently “reveal, (declare, disclose and transmit)” the truth to you.

Joyce Meyer – Bad Input Produces Bad Results

September 25, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Now there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died [in the plague] before the Lord! And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?—Numbers 20:2–4

After I wrote out the verses above, I paused and read them three times. I find it difficult to believe what those people said: “Would that we had died when our brethren died [in the plague] before the Lord!” How could they have said such a terrible thing? Were they actually saying that they would rather suffer, be in torment, and die in slavery than to live freely and with God?

God’s Word doesn’t lie, so we must accept that those are the things they said. This passage tells me how bad their situation had become. They hadn’t changed, and they wouldn’t change. They wanted everything to work out for them—that is, to work out in the way they wanted it to—but they were willing to do nothing but gripe and groan.

It’s the old idea that people do bad things and expect good results. They grumble at God and expect divine blessings. How can that be? How can they be so confused and twisted in their thinking? But then, I know people like that today.

Rose married an alcoholic named John, and when he got into his drunken rages, he beat her. She left, took their children, and divorced him. Two years later, Rose married again. She married John again—oh, not that John. The second husband’s name was Ralph. He was a drunkard, and she repeated the same sad and abusive story. Her third John was named Ken. Although their names were different, it was as if she had married the same man (the same kind of man) three times.

When I met Rose, she grumbled and asked, “Are there any good men out there?” Of course, she later admitted that she had never attended any Christian gatherings, so she had never met a good Christian man. She only met men at parties, and she had always been attracted to man that liked to party.

My point is that it’s easy to condemn the Israelites because the Bible lays out their story so clearly. Paul wrote about the wilderness wanderings and urged his readers not to “…discontentedly complain as some of them did—and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death). Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period)” (1 Corinthians 10:10–11).

Those stories were written to “admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction,” Paul wrote. As long as you continue to act as the Israelites did in their grumbling, you’ll get the same results. As long as you live like Rose, you’ll have the same disastrous effect. Although I gave the example of Rose, such repetitive situations abound in any area of life. Perhaps you’re someone who has your paycheck spent before you cash it. Do you dishonor God by your bad eating habits? Regardless of your situation, as long as you continue with bad inputs, you will end up with bad outcomes.

When you’re tired of getting the same negative results—when you’re tired of Satan buffeting you and tormenting you—then you’re ready to make changes. Those people in the wilderness died outside the Promised Land because they never learned. You have an advantage: You know about them, and you also know that the Holy Spirit wants to change you.

You can change. You can begin by asking God to help you think positive thoughts, because positive thinking produces positive attitudes. Once your attitude changes, your life changes. It’s not easy, but it is simple.

Loving Holy Spirit, please help me to think healthy, positive, and godly thoughts. Enable me to produce a good attitude that will please You and lead me into a full and lasting victory. I ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joyce Meyer – Visit the Still Waters

September 24, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

He makes me lie down in [ fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

—Psalm 23:2

This particular psalm is familiar to most people, but have you ever given much thought to the “still and restful waters”? I believe this is where you find quiet rest and strength to face the pressures of life.

One might say that the “still waters” are healing waters. The quiet and stillness contain restorative qualities for your soul.

The still waters are available at all times, but we go there far too seldom. Anytime you feel the slightest urge or need you may visit the still waters, if only for a few minutes. Let everything get quiet, and then bask in the beauty of solitude. Silence can teach us more in a moment than all the noise in the world ever could.

So spend more time beside the still waters and find peaceful rest for your soul.

Joyce Meyer – Enjoy the Power to Love Others

September 23, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

So speak and so act as [people should] who are to be judged under the law of liberty [the moral instruction given by Christ, especially about love].—James 2:12

It can be difficult to grasp the idea of the “law of liberty,” because law and liberty seem to be worlds apart: A law says one thing, while liberty says another. I believe the law of liberty spoken of in James 1:25 refers to the freedom of self control, because God puts a new heart in us that wants to obey His law of love.

5r4With this new heart that Jesus gave you, you have the ability to be led of the Spirit, who gives you the power and freedom to love others. Enjoy your day by allowing the Lord to love others through you.

Joyce Meyer – Renew Your Mind

September 22, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].—Romans 12:2

Renewing your mind is not like renewing your driver’s license or library card, which can be done quickly and doesn’t have to be repeated for months or years. Renewing your mind is more like undertaking the job of renewing and refurbishing an old house. It doesn’t happen quickly; it takes time, energy, and effort, and there is always something that needs attention.

Don’t fall into the trap of believing you can renew your mind by thinking right thoughts one time. To get the mind renewed, you will have to think right thoughts over and over again, until they become rooted in your thinking—until right thoughts come to you more easily and naturally than wrong thoughts.

You will have to discipline yourself to think properly, and you will have to guard against falling into old thought patterns, which can happen very easily. When it does, don’t feel bad—just start thinking rightly again. You will eventually come to the place where wrong thoughts make you uncomfortable and they just don’t fit right into your thinking processes any longer.

Let me be quick to say that you should not feel condemned if you are struggling with your thought life right now or if you face struggles in the days to come. Condemnation only weakens you; it never helps you make progress. Anytime we recognize that we are allowing wrong thoughts into our minds, we should ask God to forgive us and continue pressing on toward our goal.

Celebrate every victory because it helps you to not feel overwhelmed by what still remains to be conquered, and remember that God is very patient and long-suffering. He is understanding and will never give up on you.

Joyce Meyer – Want More Light in Your Life?

September 21, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Then your light will break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily…—Isaiah 58:8

We all probably want more light in our lives. That would mean more clarity, better understanding, and less confusion. The prophet Isaiah declared that if we would divide our bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into our homes, cover the naked and stop hiding ourselves from the needs around us, our light would break forth (see Isaiah 58:7, 8). He also said that our healing and restoration and the power of a new life would spring quickly. That sounds good, doesn’t it?

Isaiah wrote of justice and said it would go before us, leading us to peace and prosperity, and that the glory of the Lord would be our rear guard. If we actively help the oppressed, God goes before us and He also has our back! I like that feeling of safety and certainty.

Isaiah further said that if we would pour out that with which we sustain our own lives for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted that our light will rise in darkness and any gloom we experienced would be comparable to the sun at noon (see Isaiah 58:10). The sun is very bright at noon, so it sounds to me like helping people is the way to live in the light.

The Lord will guide us continually and even in dry times He will satisfy us. He will make our bones strong and our lives will be like a watered garden (see Isaiah 58:11). All of this happens as a result of living to bring justice to the oppressed.

I think most of us waste a lot of our lives trying to get what God will gladly give if we simply do what He is asking us to do, which includes caring about the poor, the hungry, destitute, orphans, widows, oppressed and needy. Live your life to help others, and God will satisfy you in every way possible.

Love Others Today: What can you do to help someone in need this week?

Joyce Meyer – Giants Fall

September 20, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

And again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and each foot. He also was born to the giant. And when he reproached and defied Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, slew him.—1 Chronicles 20:6–7

God wants us to stretch our faith muscles and stand against fear. He wants us to say, “No! Fear is not going to rule in my life.” As we learn to use prayer to confront and combat the small fears, He’ll help us learn to tackle the bigger fears too.

Don’t let fear freeze you into paralysis. Hannah Hurnard, author of Hinds’ Feet on High Places, was once paralyzed by fear. Then she heard a sermon on scarecrows that challenged her to turn her fear into faith.

The preacher said, “A wise bird knows that a scarecrow is simply an advertisement. It announces that some very juicy and delicious fruit is to be had for the picking. There are scarecrows in all the best gardens…. If I am wise, I too shall treat the scarecrow as though it were an invitation. Every giant in the way which makes me feel like a grasshopper is only a scarecrow beckoning me to God’s richest blessings.” He concluded, “Faith is a bird that loves to perch on scarecrows. All our fears are groundless.”

Lord, there’s no giant of fear that can stand when I approach it with faith. I stand against the fear in Your name, and I trust You to lead me to overcome it. Amen.

Joyce Meyer – Spirit-Led Persistence

September 19, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding. —1 Corinthians 14:15

I really want to encourage you to pray persistent, persevering prayers by the leading of the Holy Spirit—not mere repetitious prayers that do not come from your heart, but prayers that refuse to give up. It is possible to use your mouth to speak words of prayer that have no meaning behind them at all, and those prayers are nothing but dead works. I could quote the entire Lord’s Prayer while I am thinking about something else, and that would not bless God or do me any good, but if I am sincere and pray from my heart, God hears and works in my behalf.

Lip service doesn’t do anything for God or accomplish anything in our lives, so even when we pray about the same thing over and over again, we need to be careful not to fall into meaningless repetition. Instead, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in a fresh way, even when we are addressing a subject about which we have prayed for a long time. Sometimes He will lead us to be diligent and persistent about a matter, but there is a difference between repetition and Spirit-led persistence.

Words spoken in prayer that are not connected to our hearts are words without power. When we pray we should focus and concentrate on what we are saying. We should never merely verbalize things we have memorized while our hearts are far from God. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (see James 5:16).

God’s word for you today: Your heartfelt prayers to God have power and He hears them.

Joyce Meyer – Making Healthy Choices

September 18, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired—good (suitable, pleasant) for food.—Genesis 2:9

Learn to do everything you do for God’s glory, including eating. Look at your dinner plate and ask if what you are about to eat is mostly what God created for you. Don’t view eating as a secular event that has nothing to do with your relationship with God. Don’t forget that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them what they could eat. If eating had nothing to do with their walk with Him, He probably would not have mentioned food. Make good choices! Each time you choose good healthy foods, you are choosing life, which is God’s gift to you. He wants you to look great and feel great, and you can, if you keep in mind that your body is the temple of God and the fuel you put into it determines how it will operate and for how long.

Joyce Meyer – Timing Is Everything

September 17, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.—Ecclesiastes 11:4

Timing truly is everything. In 1984, I began Joyce Meyer Ministries. I labored faithfully and did what I believed God wanted me to do. I had a sense that God had bigger things for me, but for nine years, nothing happened to move me into those “bigger things.”

In 1993, the opportunity came for Dave and me to take Joyce Meyer Ministries onto television. That was exciting, but it was also frightening. If I had given in to my old way of thinking—the negative voices that once filled my mind—I would never have moved forward. I sensed that it was a now-or-never time with God.

As Dave and I prayed, God spoke to me and said He was the One who was opening the door for me. If you don’t take the opportunity now, it will never pass your way again. That same day Dave and I said yes.

Did the hindrances disappear? They did not. In fact, only after we said yes did we realize what a great responsibility we had taken on. For several days, every kind of problem hit my mind as if to taunt me and say, You’re going to fall flat on your face. I didn’t listen to those voices—as powerful as they were. I knew God’s will. I was going to do what the Lord told me to do—regardless of the results.

I share this story with you for two reasons. First, the writer of Ecclesiastes made the same point in a different way. He wrote that if we wait for perfect conditions, we’ll never do anything. We can always find reasons not to obey God.

In fact, sometimes when we say yes to God, the enemy attacks with power to make us change our minds, to arouse doubt and confusion, and to make us wonder, Did God really call me?

The second reason involves timing. When God says “Now!” that’s exactly what God means. There’s a powerful story in the Old Testament that illustrates this. Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan. Ten of the spies saw only obstacles, and the people didn’t want to go into the land. God became angry, and Moses pleaded for Him to forgive the people. He did, but He still said that none of them would go into the land. Instead, all would die in the wilderness. “Moses told [the Lord’s] words to all the Israelites, and [they] mourned greatly” (Numbers 14:39).

That’s not the end of the incident. Early the next morning, the Israelites “…went up to the top of the mountain, saying, Behold, we are here, and we intend to go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned” (v. 40).

It was too late. The Lord had given them a chance, and they had turned Him down. It was no longer the right time.

Moses asked, “…Why now do you transgress the command of the Lord…? Go not up, for the Lord is not among you…For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from following after the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you” (vs. 41–43).

That still wasn’t enough for them. They went anyway, intending to take over the land—the very land God had urged them to take in His time, but not in theirs. Here’s how the story ends: “Then the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country and smote the Israelites and beat them back, even as far as Hormah” (v. 45).

It’s all in God’s timing. God never says to you or to me, Here’s what I want. Do it when you’re ready. Part of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is hearing the call to act when God wants you to act. The timing is everything, because it’s God’s timing that matters—not yours.

God, it’s so easy to miss Your will by not saying yes at the right time. Through Jesus Christ, I ask You to help me so that I’ll be quick to hear Your voice and just as quick to obey. Amen.

Joyce Meyer – Pray About Everything

September 16, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. —James 5:16

Driving down the road one day, pondering an upcoming change in my life, I found that I was afraid. It really wasn’t a major thing, but it felt like it to me.

God spoke to me that day and simply said, “Pray about everything. Fear nothing.” He showed me He couldn’t work through my fear, but if I would give Him my faith, He would help me in my situation. I needed it that day for something seemingly minor, but I have used it many times since for all types of situations.

Isn’t it good to know that God cares about everything that concerns you—even the little things you’re afraid of? Your part is to pray and have faith, and God’s part is to provide the power to meet your need. What do you need to pray about tonight?

Joyce Meyer – Get in Balance

September 15, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

—1 Corinthians 13:7

We all get emotional occasionally, or lose our temper once in a while. But if you are out of balance in either one of these areas, it is very important to get back in balance if you want your day to go right.

If your feelings get hurt because someone looks at you crossways, or because friends or family forget your birthday, you need to spend more time with God. He will fill you with so much love and such a sense of self-worth that you won’t feel ill-tempered or touchy toward anyone. Seek God with your whole heart today. Talk to Him about your problems, and then enjoy yourself, knowing that He cares for you.

Joyce Meyer – The Benefits of Forgiveness

September 14, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings. —Mark 11:26

Mark 11:22–26 clearly teaches us that unforgiveness hinders our faith from working, so we can conclude in contrast that forgiveness enables our faith to work. The Father can’t forgive our sins if we don’t forgive other people (see Matt. 6:14–15).

There are still more benefits of forgiveness. For one, I’m happier and I feel better physically when I’m not filled with unforgiveness. We can be healthier when we quickly forgive. Serious diseases can develop as a result of the stress and pressure that result from bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.

Our fellowship with God flows freely when we’re willing to forgive, but unforgiveness serves as a major block to communion with God. I also believe it is difficult to love people while harboring anger. When we have bitterness in our hearts it seeps out in all of our attitudes and relationships.

It is good to remember that even people we want to love may suffer when we hold bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness. For example, I was very angry and bitter toward my father for abusing me, and I ended up mistreating my husband who had nothing at all to do with the pain I had encountered. I felt that someone needed to repay me for the injustice in my life, but I was trying to collect from someone who could not pay and had no responsibility to do so.

God promises to pay us back for our former trouble if we turn the situation over to Him. And if we don’t, then we allow Satan to perpetuate our pain and take it from relationship to relationship. Ephesians 4:26–27 tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger or give the devil any such foothold or opportunity. Remember that the devil must have a foothold before he can get a stronghold. Do not help Satan torture you. Be quick to forgive when you are offended.

Trust in Him: There is no end to the benefits in your life if you will trust God’s Word that tells you to forgive, not seven times, but seventy times seven times (Matt. 18:22).

Joyce Meyer – God Sees Your Possibilities

September 13, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Not that I have attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.—Philippians 3:12 (NKJV)

None of us is perfect. We are sometimes painfully aware of our shortcomings and imperfections, but God always looks at us through the eyes of possibility. He sees who we can become and He is always hopeful concerning our future. It takes time to grasp for ourselves the hope that God has for us, but I hope you’ll begin that journey today.

To realize how much hope God can have for a person, all I have to do is think about what I was like when He called me into full-time ministry.

When God began using me to minister to others, I still had a lot of bad habits. I needed a lot of refining. I sincerely loved God, and I wanted to do what was right, but I had very little revelation of His precepts. I went to church and tried to “be good” and to do good works, but I also had a shame-based, guilt-ridden personality as a result of many years of sexual abuse I suffered, beginning in my childhood. I didn’t like myself, had a poor self-image, and was terribly insecure and extremely fearful. To people who didn’t know me, I must have appeared very bold and aggressive. That outer presentation, though, didn’t match my inner life. Inside, I was a mess, but God filled me with His Holy Spirit and let me know He wanted to use me to minister to others.

The Lord did not wait until I was “fixed” before He got involved with me because He looked beyond my current reality and saw possibilities. He started working with me right where I was at the time and is responsible for getting me to the point where I am today. I am convinced He will do the same for you!

Love Yourself Today: Lord, help me to remember that You have hope for me and that when you see me, you see possibilities.

Joyce Meyer – God’s Timing

September 12, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.—Psalm 127:1

During the three years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, people thought He was crazy. His own brothers were embarrassed by Him, and in an effort to save their reputation they told Him He needed to go somewhere else and do His works. If He was unwilling to do that, they told Him to take action and stop doing His works in secret. They tried to convince Him it was time to show Himself and His works to the world. They wanted Jesus to impress the people with what He could do.

He responded to them by saying, “My time (opportunity) has not come yet” (John 7:6).

How many of us could show that type of self-control? If you could do the miracles that He could do and were being made fun of and challenged to show your stuff, what would you do? Would you wait until you absolutely knew that it was the right time sanctioned by God?

It is good to have plans, and I believe we should plan boldly and aggressively, but we must be wise enough to know that our plans will ultimately fail without God. We must learn to wait for God’s plans to develop. True boldness moves in God’s timing.

Lord, I want to have a plan for my life

Joyce Meyer – A Good Kind of Burden

September 11, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Graciously consider the prayer and supplication of Your servant, O Lord my God, to hearken to the [loud] cry and prayer which he prays before You today.—1 Kings 8:28

Sometimes, as you are praying for others, you will get what some call a prayer burden, or an intercessory burden. A burden is something that comes to your heart and feels weighty and important; it is something God is asking you to carry in prayer; it is something you cannot shake. Sometimes God may speak to you and explain the burden to you. At other times you do not even know what the burden is or you do not fully understand it; you only know that you have to pray.

Some people are called to pray a lot for certain things. My husband prays a lot for America. I know people who pray for Israel all the time. One woman told me she prayed for veterans returning from war. I believe God has every need in the world covered. We don’t all need to pray for the same thing because, if we did, all the needs would not be taken care of. Pay attention to what God is placing on your heart and pray for that.

One of the ways God speaks to us is through giving us burdens for others. He does this often without words, but by a sense of weightiness and concern for people in our hearts. When this happens, He is asking us to pray for them. Pay attention to the burdens He gives you and be faithful to pray when He is asking you to do so.

God’s word for you today: As you pray for others, remember that God also has someone praying for you.

Joyce Meyer – Pray at All Times

September 10, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). —Ephesians 6:18

In Ephesians 6:10-17, the apostle Paul talks about the armor of God and how we are to use it and the weapon of the Word to engage in spiritual warfare. After each piece has been listed, in verse eighteen Paul sums up his message by saying, Pray at all times. How often are we to pray? At all times.

What does that mean? Does it mean that when we are out doing the grocery shopping and God puts it on our heart to pray we are to drop to our knees right there in the middle of the supermarket aisle? I often kneel by my bed and pray. There are other times when I feel led by God to lie down, face to the floor, before Him and pray. We have to be careful not to confuse physical posture with prayer. We can also pray silently in the supermarket as we are walking down the aisles.

In the different seasons of life we are able to pray in different ways. A young mother with three or four little children, for example, is going to have to structure her prayer life differently from that of a grandmother whose family is all grown up and out of the house.

If we become too “religious” about prayer, thinking we must do it one way or the other because that is how someone else does it, we will bring condemnation on ourselves. The important thing about prayer is not the posture or the time or place but learning to pray in faith—at all times, unceasingly. Anytime the desire or need arises—pray!

Joyce Meyer – The Blessings of Meditation

September 9, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

And the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in every work of your hand…. If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with all your being. For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off…. But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.—Deuteronomy 30:9–11, 14

Please make everything easy and simple for me, dear God. I don’t like to struggle, and I want constant victory without exerting any effort. Let me go on my way as I let You do everything to keep me secure.

I’ve never heard anyone pray those words, but I have heard people pray in such a way that they were asking for an easy time in life. Too many people want victory without battle, triumph without effort, and ease without labor. God’s world simply doesn’t function that way.

“It’s just too hard.” I wonder how many times I’ve heard people talk that way. I wonder how many times Joyce Meyer has talked that way. And I did. There was a time when I’d make a firm stand for following the Lord, but in my heart (and often in my mouth) were the words that “it was just so hard.”

God convicted me of negative thinking. He taught me that if I would stop looking at the hardships and obey Him, He would make a way for me. The previous verses tell us that God wants to bless us and prosper the work of our hands, but we must obey His commandments. And in verse 11, He assures us that we can do it: “For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.”

Because we spend so much time listening to the negatives and figuring out what can go wrong, too often we forget the promise that His will is not too difficult for us. Instead, it may help if you think of the obvious difficulties as blessings from God.

For instance, take encouragement from Joseph. After he spent years in Egypt and saved the lives of his family in Canaan, his brothers were afraid of him. They had hated him, plotted to kill him, and sold him into slavery. After their father, Jacob, died, they expected Joseph to punish them. He could have done that and groaned about his hard life—and his life had not been easy. Not only was he sold as a slave by his brothers, but he had been wrongly imprisoned and could have been put to death if God hadn’t been with him.

Instead of saying, “Life is so hard,” Joseph said, “As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day” (Genesis 50:20). He understood how God works in human lives. Joseph didn’t look at the hardships; he looked at the opportunities. Joseph didn’t listen to the whispering campaign of his enemy; he turned his ears to the encouraging words of his God. In no place do we read of him complaining. He saw everything that happened to him as God’s loving hand upon him.

I wrote the words loving hand even though it may not always seem that way. And that’s where the devil sometimes creeps in to say, “If God loves you so much, why are you in this mess?”

The best answer I can give is to repeat the words of Paul the great apostle: “Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3–5).

God never promises an easy life, but He does promise a blessed life.

God of love and compassion, please forgive me for complaining about life being too hard. Forgive me for wanting things to be easy. Lead me wherever You want me to go and, in the name of Jesus, I plead that You will help me rejoice all the way—even in the midst of the problems, because You will be there to help me solve them. Amen.

Joyce Meyer – Face the Truth and Find Freedom

September 8, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth.—John 16:13

Facing the truth about yourself is a vital key to experiencing a breakthrough to victory. If you want to continually live in new levels of victory, you must remain open and receptive to the truth about yourself. This is not just a superficial acknowledgment of wrong thinking and behavior—it is an open and honest recognition of your sin before God that brings an attitude of repentance, which is a willingness to go in the right direction.

It can be painful, but facing the truth about your mindsets, motives, and methods of doing things enables you to move beyond your despair and experience a wonderful fellowship with God.

The truth about yourself often brings great hurt, but the truth of God’s Word brings great healing. As you continue in His Word, the truth will set you free (see John 8:32).

Joyce Meyer – Ask for Help

September 7, 2013 broboinhawaii Leave a comment

Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. —James 5:16

Addictions, habits, or negative attitudes can wear you out. If you need deliverance from some wrong behavior, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is your Helper (See John 14:6). Confess your need to God, and ask Him to deliver you.

He may lead you to confess your faults to other believers whom you can trust to pray for you. The Word says that we are to confess our faults to one other so that we may be healed and restored. If you are out of control in some area, be honest about it. Today can be your day of deliverance.

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