Tag Archives: Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Give God Your All

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Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases . . . —Psalm 103:1–3 NIV

The tiny word “all” is used 5,675 times in the Bible, give or take a few depending on which translation you are reading. It is a small word that means a great deal, and yet we pay so little attention to it. If we read a scripture that has the word all in it and ignore the “all,” it changes the entire context of the scripture. The word all takes us into infinity. Where does “all” stop? How far does it go and what does it include?

Jesus is the Lord of all. Our Al-mighty God, all-sufficient Savior, all blessings flow from Him, and He is all that we need. We frequently say that God is our all, but have we ever stopped to truly understand the impact of that one little word? “All” leaves nothing outside of God’s control.

God knows all things (see John 21:17)! Don’t miss the “all” in that statement. He knows the end from the beginning, so He must know everything in the middle. He also has all power, all authority; all things are under His feet, and He fills everything everywhere with Himself (see Matt. 28:18 and Eph. 1:21–23). He sees all, hears all, and is everywhere all the time. If these things are true, then why do we still worry and become anxious? Why do we get emotionally upset when we have a problem or things are not going our way? It must be because we truly don’t believe He has all power, knows all things, and loves us with all of the love that exists in the universe.

How many of our sins does He forgive? Does He forgive some, most, or all? The Bible says that He forgives them all and continually cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It is one of those “all and forever-now” things. God did not put our sins off to the side so He could glance over at them occasionally; He has removed them completely (see Ps. 103:12).

Trust in Him “All” leaves nothing outside of God’s control, so turn all your problems and worries over to Him. Give Him your all, and you can trust that He will be your all in all.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – How to Deal with Disappointment

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Does your happiness depend on everything in your life being just right? If you think you can’t be happy until all your circumstances are right, you will never be happy!

We all experience times in life when we feel down for various reasons, but we can’t allow our circumstances to control our emotions. Satan seeks to fill our minds with negative thoughts that eventually cause us to lose our joy and feel negative. He is a discourager, and he wants to pull us down emotionally, spiritually, financially, and in every way he can.

But Jesus is our Encourager, and He came to lift us up! He came to give us righteousness, peace and joy. He wants us to expect good things for our future and fill us with hope.

Everyone experiences times of frustration and distress over unfulfilled plans or dreams. When things don’t go the way we hope, it is normal to feel disappointment. But we must be careful how we deal with that feeling, because if we remain in a state of disappointment for too long, it can turn into discouragement, despair, and even depression.

I’m not talking here about some depression that can be the result of a chemical imbalance in your physical body. I’m talking about situational depression dealing with our circumstances or disappointments.

Psalm 30:5 tells us that …Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Things may make us feel sad temporarily, but we must not stay sad. If we do, Satan takes advantage of the open door and pushes his way further into our lives, bringing more serious problems. However, with God, when we get disappointed, we can always make a decision to get reappointed. We can choose to look to Him for new hope and renewed strength to go forward.

The Way You Respond Makes All the Difference

I’ve often said emotions can be one of our greatest enemies. It’s easy to be led by how we feel, but we must realize that feelings are fickle—they change from day to day! We shouldn’t follow every thought that comes to our mind because they can often contradict the truth of what God says about us.

For many years of my life, I experienced regular depression. I would awake in the morning with a little voice in my head saying, “I feel depressed.” I believed this was my own thought, not realizing the enemy was attempting to speak lies to my mind.

Later, when God drew me into a closer walk with Him and I began seriously studying His Word, I learned that I didn’t have to follow every feeling and thought that I had. I began to speak aloud and say, “I will not be discouraged or depressed.”

Isaiah 61:3 tells us to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (NKJV). We may not always feel like praising God, but taking a few moments to talk to the Lord and thank Him for His goodness is one of the most powerful weapons we have to fight discouragement. We literally invite God’s presence into our situation, which brings us His strength, peace and joy.

We’ll never be able to completely avoid disappointments in life, but we can choose how we react to them. The next time you encounter a situation that threatens to pull you down, make a decision to turn to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill you with hope. Choose to believe what God says instead of your feelings. As you do, you’ll soon find yourself enjoying life…and looking forward to the good things ahead.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – It Takes a Team

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Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor; for if they fall the one will lift up his fellow. —Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

In 1867, John Roebling had a vision and a passion to do something experts said couldn’t be done: build a bridge from Manhattan to Brook¬lyn, in New York City. No one believed it could be done, but Roebling and his son Washington, a young engineer, persevered.

The Roeblings hired their crew and finally got to work on John’s dream. Only a few months into the project, a worksite accident took John’s life. But the project continued, with Washington as its leader.

Three years later, Washington was severely injured. He was unable to talk, walk, or even move most of his body. But his mind was sharp, and his dream of building the bridge still burned in his heart.

Washington had two things in his favor: one finger that still worked and a wife who loved him. Roebling and his wife figured out a com¬munication system in which he tapped on her arm. For eleven years, Washington tapped out messages and instructions for the bridge, until it was finally complete.

Washington Roebling needed a dependable team of people to achieve his dream. He needed his father, his crew, and his wife. We need other people too; we can love, support, help, and encourage them, and they can do the same for us.

Love Others Today: Who do you need on your team in life? Who needs you on their team?

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Freedom to Be Ourselves

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Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. —Psalm 42:5

Ask twenty-first-century women, “How do you feel about yourself?” and many will confess, “I hate myself.” Or perhaps their opinion of themselves is not that severe, but they will admit they really don’t like themselves.

Our world has created a false, unrealistic image of what women are supposed to look like and act like. But the truth is that every woman was not created by God to be skinny, with a flawless complexion and long flowing hair. Not every woman was intended to juggle a career as well as all of the other duties of being a wife, mother, citizen, and daughter. Single women should not be made to feel they are missing something because they are not married. Married women should not be made to feel they must have a career to be complete. We must have the freedom to be our individual selves.

Many women hate themselves and have no self-confidence because they have been abused, rejected, abandoned, or in some way damaged emotionally. Women need to experience a revival of knowing their infinite worth and value.

Lord, You know exactly how I feel about myself. You know how deeply I’ve been influenced by the messages of our culture and how confusing it is. Help me to discover the truth of my worth and value in Your eyes. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Pray and Obey

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You have given me the capacity to hear and obey. —Psalm 40:6

For many years, I wanted God to speak to me, but I wanted to pick and choose what things to obey. I wanted to do what He said easy and I thought it was a good idea, but if I didn’t like heard, I acted like it wasn’t from God!

Some of what God says to you will be very exciting. Other things He says may not be so thrilling, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work out for your good if you will simply obey. For example, if God tells you that you need to apologize because you were rude to someone, it won’t work for you to respond, “Well, that person was rude to me too!” If you talk back to Him with excuses, you may have prayed and even heard God’s voice, but you didn’t obey.

Looking back at more than three decades of walking with God and being in ministry, I have to say that the simplest explanation for the success we have enjoyed is that we have learned to pray, hear from God, and then do what He tells us to do. Over the years, as I have sought God and pressed forward in what I feel He has told me to do, I can say that what I have done more than anything else is simply to pray and obey. Doing so has not always been popular, but it has worked.

If you want God’s plan for your life, I can give you the recipe in its most basic form: pray and obey. God has given you the capacity to do both, and if you do it continually, you will be moving right along in His will for your life.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Which Way Will You Choose?

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Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. —Matthew 7:13-14

Here in this passage, Jesus speaks of two different ways: the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. As I was meditating on this passage, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, Joyce, on the broad way there is room for all kinds of fleshly things like bitterness and unforgiveness and resentment and vindictiveness. But on the narrow way there is only room for the Spirit.

In the flesh it is easy to take the broad path, but the end result is destruction. Emotions move us to take the easy way, to do what feels good for the moment. Wisdom moves us to take the hard way that leads to life. The question is: Which will we choose?

No matter what has happened to you in your lifetime, even if you have been abandoned by your spouse or abused by your parents or hurt by your children or others, if you’ll stay on that narrow path and leave all your excess baggage behind, sooner or later you will find the peace, joy, and fulfillment you seek.

Jesus is the Way, and He has shown us the way in which we are to walk. The Lord has sent upon us His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the way we are to go, the narrow way that leads to life and not the broad way that leads to destruction. We must keep walking in the ways of the Lord: And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (Galatians 6:9)

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Taking the Time for Gratitude

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At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.—Ephesians 5:20

Throughout the Bible, we see people celebrating progress and victory in a variety of ways. One of those ways was to specifically take the time to give an offering to God and to thank Him. Noah did it. Abraham did it. And we can do it too.

We would quickly add a lot of celebration time to our lives if we would take the time to give thanks when God does amazing things for us. An attitude of gratitude shows a lot about the character of a person. It keeps God first, knowing that He is the source of every blessing we receive. Gratitude is never about feeling entitled— it’s an attitude that says, I know I don’t deserve God’s goodness, but I am sure grateful for it.

Prayer of Thanks

Father, I am thankful that You have blessed me with so many good things in my life. Today, I take time to meditate on Your goodness and thank You for Your blessings.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Power of the Spirit

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Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit . . . says the Lord of hosts.—Zechariah 4:6b (NKJV)

“I’m a nobody,” my friend Gary said, “and besides, God has so many millions of people to look out for, and in comparison with some of them, my problems seem so petty.”

His words shocked me. Of course, God has millions to care for—but He can care for all of them at the same time.

Gary missed something very important. God wants us to ask for help—and to ask often. Look at it this way: If Satan constantly attacks our minds, how else can we fortify ourselves? We fight back—but our major weapon is to cry out to the Lord asking for His strength to become ours.

Too many times, we think we can do it ourselves. In some instances, that may be true, but if we’re going to win continually over the attacks against our minds, we must realize that willpower alone won’t work. What we need is the humility to turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to strengthen us.

I realize that many people do not grasp how the Lord lovingly operates in their lives. Not only does God love us like a father, but He also has caring concern for every part of our lives. Our heavenly Father wants to intervene and help us, but He waits for an invitation to get involved. We issue that invitation and open the door for God’s help through prayer. God’s Word says, You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2 NKJV).

Perhaps we can think of it this way. God is watching us all the time, and He is aware of the temptations, struggles, and hardships we face—and we all face them. If we think we can do it by ourselves, God takes no action. But He remains ready to jump in and rescue us as soon as we cry out, asking for the power of the Holy Spirit to operate in our lives.

Our victory begins with right thinking. We have to be convinced that God cares, wants to act, and waits for us to cry out. When we cry out, we understand the words quoted previously, that it’s not by force or power, but by God’s Holy Spirit that victory comes.

For example, take the matter of personal fellowship—daily time spent in prayer and reading the Word. As Christians, we know this is what God wants and what we need if we’re going to mature spiritually. At one time in my life, I tried to maintain spiritual self-discipline. I determined that I would pray and read my Bible every single day. I would do well for two or three days, and then something would interfere—sometimes my family or something at our church, but mostly little things that took my attention away from daily fellowship with my Lord.

One day, in desperation, I cried out, “Without Your help, I’ll never be faithful in doing this.” That’s when the Holy Spirit came to me and gave me the self-discipline I needed. It was almost as if God watched me struggle and allowed me to become frustrated and angry with myself. But as soon as I sincerely asked for help, the Spirit came to my rescue. We are too independent, and we experience a lot of unnecessary frustration simply because we try to do things without God’s help.

With the Spirit’s help, I am learning—yes, still learning—that I can choose what I want to think about. I can choose my thoughts, and I need to do that carefully. Unless I’m in regular fellowship with Him, I won’t know the difference between healthy thoughts and unhealthy ones. And if I don’t know the difference, I provide the opportunity for Satan to sneak into my mind and torment me. Spend plenty of time studying God’s Word, and you will quickly recognize each lie that Satan tries to plant in your mind.

Dear loving God, I want to think thoughts that honor You. I want to have a mind that’s fully centered on You, and I know that can’t happen unless I spend daily time with You. Help me, Holy Spirit; help me to be obedient and eager to be in constant fellowship with You. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Choose God’s Secret Place

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He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! —Psalm 91:1-2

This scripture holds the key to overcoming worry, anxiety, discouragement, disappointment, depression, despair, and disease. It is simply trusting God. Perhaps you want to trust God, but it seems you just don’t know how. Trusting God requires knowing Him—knowing His character and having experience with Him. Going through trials with God by your side builds your faith.

So when you face problems, you can choose trust or torment. Choose to trust God and dwell in the “secret place,” enjoying divine provision in the midst of attacks and walking through dark times in His presence.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Rejoice Today

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Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually! [Earnestly] remember the marvelous deeds which He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered. —1 Chronicles 16:10–12

Many people don’t realize how important the morning is, especially those first moments of time that we are awake. God calls the sun to rise for us. He is eager for us to wake up and talk to Him again.

David the psalmist talked a lot about mornings, saying “This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it” (see Psalm 118:24). David didn’t always feel like rejoicing, but he decided to rejoice in God’s new day.

As soon as you get up, look at yourself in the mirror, smile, and say, “I am going to have a good day because Jesus loves me.”

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – There’s Great Value in Variety

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Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him—for this is his [allotted] part. —Ecclesiastes 5:18

If we do the same thing over and over, sooner or later we’re going to get bored. We don’t have to wait for something nice to happen to us, we can be aggressive and do something nice for ourselves. For many of you, I know this is a new thought that may seem foreign and even unspiritual. But I can assure you that it is part of God’s plan. You can create variety, and it will keep your life more exciting.

I sat with my computer on my lap for about four hours this morning and then stopped for a while to do some other things I needed to do. When I went back to my writing, I decided to sit in a different part of the house just for variety. I chose a place that had plenty of light where I could look out the window. Simple little things like this cost nothing, but they are very valuable.

No day needs to be ordinary if we realize the gift God is giving us when He gives us another day to live and enjoy. An extraordinary attitude can quickly turn an ordinary day into an amazing adventure. Jesus said He came so that we might have and enjoy life (see John 10:10). If we refuse to enjoy it, then it’s no one’s fault but our own.

I would like to suggest that you take responsibility for your joy and never again give anyone else the job of keeping you happy. Add a little variety to your life—break up your routine, do something different, and so on. When you do, expect God to meet you and help make your ordinary . . . extraordinary!

Trust in Him What are two specific things you’re going to do differently today? Add some variety to your ordinary, daily routine, and trust that God is going to bless it.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Bridle Your Tongue

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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

According to this scripture, the one thing proving our level of spiritual maturity isn’t how religious we are—whether we can quote Scripture, or the good works we do—it is the words from our mouths.

James 1:26 says, If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren) (emphasis added).

No matter how religious you think you are, the true test proving your spirituality is whether you bridle your tongue or not. Bridle means “to restrain or control.” If we aren’t controlling our tongues, we are not operating in the level of maturity God wants us to have.

Power Thought: I am able to control the words I speak by God’s grace.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Come as You Are

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It is through Him that we have received grace . . . And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him. —Romans 1:5, 6

Not long ago I read today’s scripture and thought about how marvel¬ous it is and what a message of acceptance it brings. It made me think of the fact that when we are invited to a party, one of the first questions we ask is, “How should I dress?” Most of us like it best when we feel we can go “as we are.” We like it when we can relax and be ourselves.

God will work in you by His Holy Spirit and help you become all you need to be, but you can come to Him just as you are. You don’t have to stand far off and only hear the music of the party; you are invited to attend.

You have joy and peace today. You are redeemed, accepted, and made right with God because of the way He sees you in Christ. You are already loved and accepted by Him. Not “you will be someday.”

You are destined to be molded into the image of Christ, and noth¬ing can stop that from happening if you will simply cooperate with the Holy Spirit and spend time with God. You don’t have to clean up your act first. You can come as you are, and God will make you what you ought to be.

There are stories all over the world of people who came to know God when they were in all kinds of bondage. Some were alcoholics; some were prostitutes; some couldn’t keep their anger under control; and some were deeply wounded because of the pain of their past. These people are now completely transformed because they were willing to go to God as they were.

When people will come as they are, God will work miracles.

Love Yourself Today: You don’t have to wait for anything; you can go to God just as you are.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Take the Step

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[ Jesus] said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. —Matthew 14:29

Perhaps the boat you need to get out of is your past. Sometimes we get so addicted to murmuring about the past and blaming the past for everything that we miss our whole future. You’re not going to enjoy your future, and you’re not going to enjoy your right now, if all you can do is be guilty and ashamed and afraid of your past. What is it that you’re afraid somebody will find out that will cause them to turn against you?

Anything you have to keep hidden has power over you. You are not going to ever be free if you just keep running away from your past. You have to confront and deal with it. No one is going to come along and do it for you. Jesus is calling you out of the boat. God has given you His power, and His Spirit is dwelling in you, so you can do things that are hard to do. You can do anything you need to do. He isn’t going to get into your boat and make you feel better. Get it out of your system. Get out of the boat of your past.

Lord, I will not stay stuck in my past. By Your grace, the past has been forgiven, and I have a new life in You. If there’s something in my past that needs to be dealt with, show me how to do it in the right way. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – A Vital Necessity

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One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze beauty [the sweet attractiveness and delightful loveliness] of Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.—Psalm 27:4

If we desire to hear from God, then seeking Him must be a priority in our lives. David summarized life’s one requirement in the verse for today. He required God’s presence as a vital necessity in life.

David had enjoyed many opportunities to succeed and gain confidence. Empowered by the presence of God, he had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands and he had killed an imposing giant with nothing more than a slingshot and gave small stones. God chose this simple shepherd boy to become king of Israel even though he was the youngest brother of a family of men who were all more prominent than he was. His eventual fame and wealth offered everything most people might think would bring satisfaction.

David’s pursuit of more of God, even after experiencing God’s pres¬ence in many ways, should give us a realization that we must continue seeking God no matter how many victories we have enjoyed. After all, even David needed to know God more intimately. I believe we need to continually desire intimate fellowship with God and to seek it with all our hearts. Many people want guidance from God, but they don’t want to lay aside other things in order to hear His voice. But David narrowed down everything he wanted to just one thing—more of God all the days of his life. Psalm 27:4 has become a favorite life scripture of mine, and I believe the only thing that truly satisfies the longing within us is to know God more intimately today than we did yesterday.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Christlike

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God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness. —Genesis 1:26

When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,” this image refers to character likeness. He meant that we were going to take on His nature, His character, as reflected in His Son Jesus. In Colossians 1:15, Paul tells us that Jesus is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. As believers, we are to be transformed into His image and likeness.

The greatest goal of every believer, and certainly those of us who want to be used by God in positions of leadership, should be Christlikeness. We should want to handle situations and treat people the way Jesus would. That should be our goal. Jesus is to be our example.

In John 13:15 He said to His disciples, after washing their feet like a servant, For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you. And Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:21, For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps. The vocation, the high calling of every believer, is to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

God is going to keep working with each of us until we get to the place where we act the way Jesus would act in every situation of life, until we manifest the same kind of fruit of the Spirit that He manifested.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Trust God

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Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. —Proverbs 3:5

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all of the words of this law.—Deuteronomy 29:29

I have heard many people say that reading the Bible is confusing. They say, “I have tried to read the Bible, but I don’t understand what God is saying, and I end up feeling frustrated and confused.”

In seeking God’s guidance regarding this situation, I sensed Him saying, “People keep trying to figure out everything. Tell them to stop trying to reason and explain everything.” As the above verses point out, we cannot always rely on our understanding. There are some things that we are not meant to know or understand.

Moses understood this concept, and he explained to the children of Israel that there are “secret things” known only to God. He pointed out that when God revealed His will—making things clear—those were the words they should obey.

It really is that simple. Like the psalmist, we can say, Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; yes, I will observe it with my whole heart (Psalm 119:34). We must ask God to show us what to do, and then we must not question it when He reveals it to us.

Too often people try to reason things out, but that can be dangerous. When we stand trying to figure out why God says or does something, our first mistake is thinking we’re smart enough to understand the mind of God.

Reasoning can also move us in a particular direction that, although it may seem logical, may not be the will of God. A biblical account found in 1 Samuel is a good illustration of this point.

Saul, the first king of Israel, made a decision to offer sacrifices. As a part of the tribe of Benjamin, it was unlawful for him—even as the king—to offer sacrifices. The king and his army waited several days for Samuel, the high priest, to arrive. But eventually Saul grew impatient (or perhaps fearful) and offered sacrifices just before the holy man arrived. When Samuel rebuked Saul for doing such a thing, the king had what he believed to be a reasonable explanation: l thought, “The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. So I forced myself to offer a burnt offering “(1 Samuel13:12).

Samuel rebuked the king, told him he had acted foolishly, and said the Lord was going to strip him of the kingdom. That was Saul’s mistake. He reasoned that it would be wise to sacrifice, and he didn’t wait to hear from God.

The human mind likes logic, order, and reason. We like to deal with issues we can wrap our understanding around and come up with solutions that make sense to us. We have a tendency to think small because we are limited creatures, and we don’t have the perspective to understand from God’s point of view. We tend to put things in tiny, neat compartments in our minds, telling ourselves this must be right because it fits nicely there.

By contrast, we read the words of the apostle Paul: I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me (Romans 9:1). He was making the point that he was doing the right thing—not because he had figured it out or analyzed the situation, but because his actions bore witness in his spirit.

That’s the attitude you need in your life. You need to depend on God to show you things in such a way that you know—with an inner certainty—that what has been revealed to your mind is correct. You must not allow yourself to reason with your mind, searching for logical solutions. Instead, you must say, “My trust is in the Lord, and whatever He tells me to do, I will obey.”

Dear God, thank You for loving me more than I can even comprehend. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You to help me love and honor You so much that when You speak, I will have only one thought in my mind, and that is to obey. Amen.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – He Is Strong

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We are weak, but you are [so very] strong! —1 Corinthians 4:10

We need help—and a lot of it. Jeremiah 10:23 says, …the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps. It really is impossible for man to properly run his own life. Admitting that fact is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of spiritual maturity. You are weak unless you find your strength in God, and the sooner you face that fact, the better.

Many people have position, wealth, and power, but they may not have what really matters—good relationships, right standing with God, peace, joy, contentment, satisfaction, good health, and the ability to enjoy life. Not everything that appears well is well! You may be trying hard to make things work out right and always failing. Your problem is not that you are a failure. Your problem is simply that you have not gone to the right source for help.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Get Rid of Distractions

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That which is desired in a man is loyalty and kindness [and his glory and delight are his giving]. —1Proverbs 19:22

Sometimes you may just need to clear away the clutter so you can clearly see what is worthwhile. Here is a simple suggestion: Don’t keep more than you can take care of. If you have so much junk in your home that it takes you hours to dust it, get rid of something.

Find a big carton and write “Blessing Box” on the side of it. Start putting extra things into it until cleaning is more manageable. Find someone who doesn’t have much and bless them. You will be amazed at how easy it is to start your day right when you are no longer distracted by things you don’t need.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Bible Says to “Shake It Off”

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And whoever will not receive and accept and welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet. —Matthew 10:14

I often share a teaching that I call “Shake It Off,” which is based on the time Paul was on the island of Malta (see Acts 28). He was helping some people build a fire, when a poisonous serpent crawled out and attached itself to his hand. At first, when the people saw it they thought he must be wicked to have such an evil thing happen to him. They watched, waiting for him to fall over dead.

But the Bible says Paul simply “shook it off.” We can learn so much from that. When somebody offends or rejects us, we need to see it as a bite from Satan, and just shake it off.

In another instance in the Bible, Jesus told the disciples that if they entered towns that didn’t receive them, they should just go to the next town. He told them to shake the dust off of their feet and move on. He didn’t want the disciples to dwell on the rejection they had experienced; He wanted them to stay focused on sharing their testimony of His works in their lives. Likewise, as we follow the Spirit, we can shake off offenses and hold on to our peace. When others see that we are able to remain calm even when “the serpent” bites us, they will want to know where that peace is coming from in our lives.

When we are in a state of being upset, we cannot hear from God clearly. The Bible promises us that God will lead us and walk us out of our troubles, but we cannot be led by the Spirit if we are offended and in turmoil. We can’t get away from the storms of life, or the temptation to be irritated by someone; but we can respond to offenses by saying, “God, You are merciful, and You are good. And I am going to put my confidence in You until this storm passes over.”

Trust in Him Has someone offended or rejected you and you need to “shake it off “? Trust God to give you the grace to act godly even in an ungodly situation, and to help you shake it off in order to be a witness to others.