Blog Archives
Obedience Brings Success
by Joyce Meyer – posted October 02, 2012
The Bible says that we will reap what we sow. The dividing line between success and failure is doing what God tells us to do. We pray for fruit in our lives, but we don’t always want to pray for roots.
If we want our days to go right, we need to do whatever God tells us to do. If we don’t walk in obedience, then we can’t complain if we wind up in a mess. If we are lonely and God tells us to invite somebody over, but we decide it is too much trouble, then we will stay lonely.
Obedience brings the fruit of the Spirit in your life. Dig deep into God’s Word before you walk away from blessings today.
From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Right Thinking Brings Blessing
by Joyce Meyer – posted October 01, 2012
I have discovered that when I am unhappy or feel I have lost my joy, I am tempted to blame those negative feelings on something that is happening around me. I think many people are the same way.
Looking outward at circumstances or people, instead of inward at our own attitudes can cause us to go around the same mountain again and again, caught in a repetitive cycle.
I now know that when I am unhappy, it is because of some wrong thinking on my part. Even if I am in the midst of negative circumstances, I can stay happy by having right thoughts toward them. If I know the Word of God and have it in my heart and mind, I know what kind of right thoughts I should be thinking.
God has satisfaction, fullness, completeness and joy in mind for us. He wants us to experience abundant life. Fullness comes from being in the center of His will and agreeing with Him through thinking in accordance with His Word.
Love God Today: Next time you’re tempted to blame something or someone for your unhappiness, take time to examine your thoughts. How could you think differently? Give it a try, and watch your mood improve!
From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Manifesting Your Reality
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 28, 2012
“Manifesting your reality” sounds like something from a contemporary self-help course, but the concept comes straight out of the Bible: As he thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). I like to say it like this: “Where the mind goes, the man follows.”
Positive thoughts are the precursors to a positive life. On the other hand, our lives can be made miserable by anxious thoughts and negative expectations. We usually think our problems are the thing ruining our life, but usually it is our attitude toward them that does the ruining.
We all encounter people who have a great attitude despite being in trying circumstances. We also encounter those who have money and privilege to burn, yet they murmur and complain, are negative and critical, and are filled with self-pity and resentment. We have more to do with how our lives turn out than we like to admit. Learning how to think right is mandatory for good health.
Thoughts affect emotions, and they both affect the body. In order for you to be whole, you must maintain a healthy mind. Make a decision right now that you are going to have a healthy mind. Renewing your mind will take some time and effort. You must learn new, positive ways to think. But reading God’s Word can help you do just that.
From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by InProv. All rights reserved.
Our Responsibility – God’s Responsibility
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 27, 2012
do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. —Matthew 6:34
Every believer has the responsibility to live right—to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Motivated by the reverential fear of the Lord, we can learn to live carefully and begin to make a difference in the world we live in. You and I need to be careful about what we allow into our spirits and how we live our lives.
Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our heart with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life. I believe we should have a careful attitude about how we live—not a casual or a careless one. We need to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we think about, and who our friends are.
I’m not saying we need to live according to the strict and demanding dictates of man. Some would say we must not wear makeup or that we must wear colorless clothing from our necks to our ankles. That is nothing more than legalistic bondage to a bunch of rules and regulations. I had a very legalistic relationship with God for years and was miserable, so the last thing I want to do is teach legalism.
What I am saying is that we shouldn’t compromise. We should recognize our responsibility as Christians to live our lives in such a way that unbelievers will be attracted to God by our behavior.
James 4:17 says, “. . . any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.” In other words, if we are convicted that something is wrong, then we must not do it—even if we see a hundred other people doing it and getting by with it. They may seem to be getting by with it, but sooner or later, we will all reap what we sow.
We know that worry and anxiety are not characteristics of a godly Christian. Yet still, many Christians worry. You can choose to worry, or you can reject worry and choose to live with joy and peace. Most people don’t want to hear that message, and they seem to find an odd comfort in thinking that worrying is beyond their control. It is not. Worry is a sin against God.
As long as I’ve been in the church, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone make that statement. But it is sin. It is calling God a liar. It is saying that God is not sufficiently able to take care of you and provide for your needs.
Faith says, “God can do it.” Worry says, “God isn’t able to help me.”
When you worry, you not only call God a liar, but you have also allowed the devil to fill your mind with anxious thoughts. The more you focus on the problems, the larger they become. You start to fret and may even end up in despair.
Think of the words of the great apostle: “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]” (Philippians 4:13). Or think of the words from the psalmist: “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).
Jesus told His disciples not to be anxious and, as quoted above, not to worry about tomorrow. But He did more than teach those words; He lived them out: “And Jesus replied to him, Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have lodging places, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). That wasn’t a complaint but a simple fact of life. Jesus trusted His Father’s provision for Him even when He didn’t know where He would sleep or what He would eat.
Jesus taught that we are not to worry about anything in life. He wasn’t speaking about planning and thinking ahead. He was saying that some people never act because fear holds them back. They can always tell you ten things that can go wrong with every plan. Jesus wants us to live a stress-free life. If you are worrying about what might happen, you’re hindering God from working in your life.
I heard about a couple whose daughter was diagnosed with a serious illness that wasn’t covered by insurance. The parents were struggling to pay all the medical bills. Not knowing what else to do, they both went into their bedroom for a lengthy time of prayer. Afterward the husband said, “It was really quite simple. I am God’s servant. My responsibility is to serve my Master. His responsibility is to take care of me.”
The next day, the doctors told them that their daughter was eligible to be part of an experimental surgery and all expenses would be paid. The wife smiled and said, “God is responsible, isn’t He?” What a testimony to their faith and trust in God who remains faithful and responsible at all times and in all things. God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another (see Romans 2:11). I encourage you to stop worrying and start trusting in Him.
Lord God, I know that worry is a sin against You. In the name of Jesus, help me overcome all anxieties and worry and enable me to trust You to provide for every need I have. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Learn The Power Of Patience
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 26, 2012
For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised. —Hebrews 10:36
Patience is powerful because it frees you from the control of the devil and the circumstances he brings to upset us. However, patience—which is a fruit of the Spirit—only grows through trials. It is during these times that you can develop the ability to remain strong and stable.
Patience is required if you are to see the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life. So it is important to develop control over your thoughts and what you say when you are faced with challenging circumstances.
It isn’t easy, but with God’s help you can do it. Actively pursue the patience of Christ and it will lead you into His power. Then you will be able to accomplish God’s will and receive His promises.
From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Sow What You Want to Reap
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 25, 2012
Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you. — Hosea 10:12
There is never a harvest without a time of sowing (see Ecclesiastes 3:1–2). God can do anything He wants to, but He has established a life principle that works for everyone: “First you sow, and then you reap.” It always happens in that order.
Those who sow trouble and mischief reap the same. Those who sow righteousness reap mercy. If God tells you to do something, and you sow obedience, and once you have passed the test, you will reap a good harvest.
Remember the sequence: What you sow today, you will reap tomorrow.
From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2003 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
The Difference Is Doing What God Says
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 24, 2012
You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice. —Deuteronomy 13:4
I remember a woman who attended one of my conferences. It was a banquet, and she was sitting with a group of ladies. She came to me and said, “You know, I really learned a lesson this weekend. As I listened to all those ladies talk about their problems, their breakthroughs, and about what God has done for them, I realized that many of them have gone through the same thing I went through.”
Then she said, “Every single thing God has spoken to these ladies, He has spoken to me over the years. Everything He has told them to do, He has also told me to do. The only difference is, they did it, and I didn’t.”
The woman received a great revelation that day. She realized that she was no different than anyone else, that her problems were no worse than many other people’s. What she needed to do was begin doing what God told her to do.
The devil tries to convince us that we are different from everybody else so we will keep asking, “Why is everybody else getting their breakthrough and I’m not?” God delivers people at different times—yours may come soon, or it may take some time. But it is also possible that God has told us the same thing He has told others. The difference may simply be that they have done what He said, and we haven’t.
You are going to spend your time doing something. All God is asking is that what you do is what He says.
Love God Today: Be willing to do everything God asks of you.
From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
Back On Track
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 21, 2012
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born
anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. —Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s own handiwork. He created us with His own hands. We got messed up, so we had to be recreated in Christ Jesus. We had to be born again so that we could go ahead and do those good works that God had preplanned and predestined for us before Satan tried to ruin us.
Just because you and I have had trouble in our lives or just because we have made mistakes does not mean that God’s plan has been changed. It is still there. All we have to do is get back on track.
From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by InProv. All rights reserved.
This Disobedience Of Unbelief
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 20, 2012
And Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows. And he took bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it, and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. And he said, Open the window to the east. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria. For you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek till you have destroyed them. Then he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike on the ground. And he struck three times and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had destroyed it. But now you shall strike Syria down only three times. —2 Kings 13:15–19
It’s easy to say, “I believe,” but the true test comes when we have to act on what we believe. In this story, the king came to Elisha the prophet to seek his help in obtaining deliverance from the Syrians. The prophet told him to strike arrows on the ground as a symbol of Israel’s attacks against their enemy, but the king stopped after shooting only three arrows onto the ground.
Unbelief is disobedience. Period. Had the king believed, he would have struck arrows on the ground many times. Because of his unbelief, he stopped before he’d even gotten a good start. It is not surprising that Elisha became frustrated and angry with him. Incidents of unbelief are recorded throughout the Old and New Testaments. Unbelief seems to be at work in nearly every direction we turn. Matthew 17:14-20 records the story of a man who brought his epileptic son to Jesus for healing. He said, “And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him” (v. 16).
This boy’s father was hurt and disappointed in the disciples’ lack of ability to emulate their Leader. We might have agreed with him had we been in his place that day. After all, Jesus had been traveling with these twelve men for several months. They had repeatedly observed as He performed miracles wherever they went. In Luke 10, we learn that Jesus sent out other followers, and they performed a number of miracles and healings. Why couldn’t the disciples do them in this instance? Jesus had constantly encouraged them to heal the sick and do the things that He did.
Yet they were unable to heal the boy, and Jesus said: “O you unbelieving (warped, wayward, rebellious) and thoroughly perverse generation! How long am I to remain with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to Me” (v. 17). Jesus cast out the demon, and the boy was cured. Unbelief leads to disobedience.
But here’s the end of the story. When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t heal the boy, Jesus’ answer was clear: “Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust] . . .” (v. 20).
I feel sure that Jesus’ answer caused the disciples to examine their hearts and to ask what held them back. Why didn’t they believe? Perhaps they had allowed negative thinking to enter their minds. Perhaps they weren’t able to grasp the fact that Jesus wanted to use them and empower them to perform miracles.
Of course, we know from reading the book of Acts that once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples demonstrated God’s supernatural power at work—but not in this story. He said to them, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father” (John 14:12).
The promise remains valid to this day. Unbelief will keep us from doing what God has called and anointed us to accomplish in life. It will also hinder us from experiencing the sense of peace He wants us to enjoy as we find rest for our souls in Him (see Matthew 11:28,29 KJV).
When God tells us we can do something, we must believe that we can. It is not by our power or our might that we are able to do what He tells us to, but by His Spirit working on the inside of us that we win in the battle of unbelief.
Lord Jesus, forgive my lack of faith. I know that when I don’t believe, I am disobeying You. In Your name, I ask You to help me push away every bit of unbelief so that I may focus on faithfully following You. Amen.
From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
You Are More Than a Conqueror
by Joyce Meyer – posted September 19, 2012
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. —Romans 8:37
Some people believe the only way to victory is to somehow avoid having problems. But I have learned that real victory is not in being problem free. True victory for the child of God comes when there is still peace in the soul right in the midst of the raging storm—when tragedy strikes and one can still say, “It is well with my soul.”
This can only happen when you are looking at Jesus instead of your circumstances.
The key to having victory is understanding it only comes “through Him who loved us.” If you are facing problems that seem insurmountable, remember you are a conqueror through Him. Allow God to strengthen your inner man. When you are strong inside you can defeat anything that comes against you.
From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
I Am Lady Fab 