You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him . . . and obey His voice. . . . —Deuteronomy 13:4

Once we begin listening to and hearing from God, it is important to obey whatever we hear Him say. Obedience increases our quality of fellowship with Him and strengthens our faith. We might say, “Practice makes perfect” when it comes to hearing and obeying Him. In other words, we become more and more confident as we gain experience.

It takes a lot of practice to reach the point of complete submission to God’s leading. Even knowing that God’s ways are perfect and that His plans always work, we still feign ignorance sometimes when He asks us to do something that requires personal sacrifice, or we might even be afraid that we are not hearing clearly and therefore become too cautious to take action.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Practice Makes Perfect →

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.