Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man (one upright and in right standing with God) and he will increase in learning. —Proverbs 9:9

Even though God wants us to live joyful, contented lives, He sometimes causes a discontent or a feeling that something is not right because He does not want us to continue doing the same old things anymore. He wants to prod us to seek Him so He can take us to new levels.

God always wants us to grow stronger, to go deeper, and to increase in intimacy with Him. Most of the time, He leads us into that process of maturity by leading us out of places where we have been comfortable in the past. Too much comfort for too long can mean that we are not growing. If you feel something stirring in your heart that you don’t quite understand, just ask God what is happening and take time to wait on Him to answer.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – God Wants to Take You to a New Level →

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. —Matthew 5:14

As believers in Christ, we can be bubbling over with life. We can be vibrant, alive, active, energized, peaceful, and joy-filled.

It is our approach to God that determines our attitude and countenance. When we approach God with boldness, thankful for His grace and confident that He loves us and He is for us, we can’t help but be full of life. However, a legalistic, religious approach to God steals life. It does not nourish it. Remember, Paul said, The Law kills, but the Spirit makes alive (2 Corinthians 3:6). When we follow the Spirit, we feel alive.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Let Your Light Shine →

…What I have forgiven…has been for your sakes…to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions. —2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Suppose we receive a package from an overnight carrier. After we open it, we stare at a beautiful, oversized envelope, with our name written on it in exquisite calligraphy. Inside, the invitation starts with these words:

You are invited to enjoy a life filled with misery, worry, and confusion.

Which one of us would say yes to such an outrageous invitation? Don’t we seek the kind of life that keeps us free from such pain and distractions? Yet many of us choose such a life. Not that we blatantly make that choice, but we sometimes surrender—even temporarily—to Satan’s invitation. His attack is ongoing and relentless—the devil is persistent! Our enemy bombards our minds with every weapon at his disposal every day of our lives.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – The Invitation →

. . . You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. —Matthew 22:37-39

Loving God, yourself, and other people should be our focus in life. We should be “love-focused” individuals. Receive God’s amazing, unconditional love, then you can love yourself and live to give the love away that God has given to you. It is God’s number one priority, and it should be ours also.

This is the time of year in which we often look back and look forward. Take time to survey what your life has been like compared to what you want it to be, and work with God to make whatever changes need to be made. I urge you to end this year with a commitment to abide in love, for when we abide in love we abide in God. Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment that you should love one another, just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all (men) know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”

Everyone chooses to live for something! What will your choice be? I implore you not to live for yourself, but to choose to live striving to obey the the “new Commandment” that Jesus gave. Now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love (see 1 Corinthians 13:13).

Today and Every Day…Love God, Love Yourself, and Love Others. And don’t forget to love out loud!

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature. —James 3:2

Our thoughts and words about ourselves are tremendously important. In order to overcome the negative thinking and speaking that have been such a natural part of our lifestyle for so long, we must make a conscious effort to meditate on and speak positive things about ourselves. We need to get our mouth in line with what the Word of God says about us.

Positive confession of the Word of God should be an ingrained habit of every believer. If you have not yet begun to develop this important habit, start today. Begin thinking and saying good things about yourself: “I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. I prosper in everything I lay my hand to. I have gifts and talents, and God is using me. I operate in the fruit of the Spirit. I walk in love. Joy flows through me.”

We can appropriate the blessings of God in our lives if we will continually and purposefully speak about ourselves what the Word of God says about us. We will receive positive results.

Lord, I will make the positive confession of Your Word an ingrained habit of my life. Help me to get my mouth in line with the truth of what You have done for me. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

So when He had finished washing their feet and had put on His garments and had sat down again, He said to them, do you understand what I have done to you?—John 13:12

I believe that only secure people can be true servants. Jesus was able to put on a servant’s towel and wash the feet of His disciples because He knew Who He was, where He came from, and where He was going. He had no fear and nothing to prove, so He was free to serve. Many people in our society need a high position to make them feel that they have worth and value. Being a servant is often looked on as a low job, but in God’s mind it is the highest position that exists. Being a true servant begins with a humble heart, and that is a heart and spirit that is acceptable to God. No matter what our natural employment may be, our call from God is to serve Him and others.

In washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus gave them an example of how they should live, and told them that if they would serve others, they would be blessed and happy to such a degree that they would be envied (see John 13:17). When we serve one another, we become part of one another. We experience the true meaning of love. Jesus was the highest of all, yet He humbled Himself and became a servant. Are you willing to follow His example?

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give you. . . . [Solomon said] So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad.-1 Kings 3:5,9a

A friend confessed to me one day, “Instead of seeking God’s face, I’ve been guilty of seeking God’s gifts. Too many times I have been more excited about what He does for me than I’ve been about seeking His face and rejoicing in who He is.” She went on to say that she craved the blessings and wonderful things God did in her life. The Lord had used her in praying for the sick and had opened doors for her to minister to people.

We’ve all known ministers of the gospel who were truly blessed and used by God. We also know some of them who had great downfalls. What happened? I don’t know all the details, but I know enough about Satan’s tactics that I can explain the pattern.

God raises up servants—godly people who truly desire to serve Him and help others. They become successful, and perhaps that’s when Satan first attacks them. He reminds them of who they are and how greatly God has used them. (Satan sometimes tells the truth to lead to a lie.) He encourages them to become even more successful or famous—whatever their weaknesses, he plays on those.

If they don’t rebuke the evil voice, they soon push forward and seek greater spiritual gifts. They want to be the best-known healers in the world or the greatest evangelists. Too often, they don’t hear God’s quiet voice or sense His sadness as they push forward.

Before long, they want what God gives, but they don’t really want God. That’s one of Satan’s oldest tricks. He tried to accuse God of bribing His followers. In the first chapter of Job, God called Job blameless and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil (see Job 1:8b).

“Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing? Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face” (Job 1:9-11).

Of course, we know that Job didn’t give in to the devil. He had truly sought God and not His gifts. The book of Job tells of one hardship and trial after another, including the devil using his friends to plead with him to give up. Job never did quit because he sought God more than he sought His gifts.

By contrast, think of King Saul—Israel’s first king. He was tall, handsome, and chosen by God. He could have been a great leader, but he allowed Satan to win the battle over his mind. Later, Saul was so possessed by evil spirits that he needed young David to play his lute to calm the troubled spirit. At the end of his life, Saul went to a witch for an answer because he knew God had departed from him. That’s a man who yielded to the devil. He sought gifts and power more than he sought God.

Our heavenly Father delights in giving His children good things—but only if you seek after Him first. In the verses above, when Solomon asked for wisdom, God not only gave him wisdom but he commended him for not asking for long life or riches. And because he didn’t ask for those things, God said, “I’m going to give them to you anyway.” That’s the generous way the Lord works. When you seek Him, He gives generously; when you seek only His gifts, you may receive those gifts, but you will also get an empty life. Or worse, you may allow Satan to advance.

Great and all-wise God, forgive me for looking at the wrong things. Help me to seek You, to yearn only for You and how I may please You. I want You to use me to serve You, but most of all, I want to know that my life pleases You. I ask for Your help, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].—Ephesians 3:20

God uses common, ordinary people who have uncommon goals and visions. You 11 should not be content to be average. Average is basically okay. It is not bad, but it is also not excellent. It is just good enough to get by, and that isn’t what God wants for you. You don’t serve an average God. Therefore you don’t have to settle for an average life.

Every single person can be mightily used by God. You can do great and mighty things if you believe God can use you and if you will be daring enough to have an uncommon goal and vision. These things won’t make sense to the mind—you have to believe God for them. !

From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God; for he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own.—Hebrews 4:9-10

We all have gifts and talents far beyond what we use, but many of us are so worn out that we don’t feel like doing anything. Even God rested from all of His labors, not because He was tired, but just to enjoy His creation (see Genesis 2:1-3). Stop working all the time, and enjoy yourself.

Even the land needs to rest every several years to produce good crops. If you don’t rest, you are going to cut down your production and stifle your creativity. You don’t have to work at God’s plan for you; He will cause it to come to pass (see Philippians 1:6). Rest in Him.

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

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

Have you ever wondered if you are good enough for God to love you? Unfortunately, many people believe God loves them only as long as they don’t make mistakes.

Perhaps it was this outlook that caused the psalmist to ask, What is man that You are mindful of him? (Psalm 8:4). Yet the Bible tells us we are God’s creation, the work of His hands, and He loves each one of us unconditionally.

Let’s face it: Jesus didn’t die for you because you were great and wonderful; He died for you because He loves you. God loves you, and He wants you to believe it and receive His love all the time—even when you make mistakes.

Power Thought: God’s love for me is unconditional.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer]. He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.] —John 3:28, 30

John the Baptist had a clear understanding of his calling, and he was content to fulfill it, even when it meant the diminishing of his role. As Christians we must be content. If I can never preach as well as some other preacher, I have to be content to preach the best I can. You and I cannot go beyond the grace of God in our lives. We cannot receive a gift from God just because we want one. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts according to His will for us, and we must be satisfied with what He gives.

Sometimes even though God wants to confer a gift upon us, it is not yet time for it to be bestowed. Until God says, “Now!” we can struggle and fuss and complain and quarrel, but we will still not get it. We won’t get it until He gives it, so we may as well learn to be content with such things as we have.

Lord, give me a clear sense of my calling so I can be the best I can be and yet not be fussing over what I am not. I simply want to serve You. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life. —Deuteronomy 30:19

In John 16:8, Jesus said the Holy Spirit would “convict and convince” the world about sin and righteousness. He didn’t say anything about the Holy Spirit bringing condemnation. He said He brings “demonstration . . . about sin and about righteousness.” The Holy Spirit reveals the results of sin and the results of righteousness so people may understand which path to follow. He makes clear distinction between right and wrong, between blessings and curses, between life and death so people can ask God to help them choose life.

People who live in sin have wretched, miserable lives. I occasionally run into people I knew years ago and haven’t seen in quite some time. Some of these people have not been living for God and the rough, rugged lifestyles they have chosen have taken a toll on them. The sour, sad, miserable choices they have made are visible because sin has left them looking sad and often older than they are. They are unhappy, negative, and discontent individuals often filled with bitterness because their life has not been a good one. They fail to realize that their life is the direct result of bad choices they made.

The result of sin may be observed everywhere. The line between those who love and serve God and those who don’t is becoming quite clear. God pleads with us to make right choices, ones that will lead us into the life He desires for us to enjoy. There are two paths before each of us; a broad path that leads to sin and destruction and a narrow path that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14). I encourage you to choose life today and every day.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.